T eachings of Bhaga wan Sri Sathya Sai Baba Volume 1 Ceiling on Desires Eight Flowers of W orship
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Teachings of Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba
Volume 1
Ceiling on Desires
Eight Flowers of Worship
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Dedicated with love and reverence to
B983144aga983159a983150 S983154i S983137t983161983137 S983137i B983137983138983137
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i
eachings of Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba Volume 1
copy2013 Sri Sathya Sai World Foundation
publicationsssswforg
About printing this book
o print this book please use the ldquofit to printable areardquooption on your computer
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ii
Contents
Do Not Waste Food
Do Not Waste Money
Do Not Waste ime
Do Not Waste Energy
Do Not Exploit Nature
1
Ceiling on Desires
Non-violence
Control of Senses
Compassion for All Living Beings
Forbearance
Peace
Penance Meditation
ruth
13
Eight Flowers of Worship
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1
Desires Are a Prison What is the meaning of ldquoCeiling on Desiresrdquo
Man is deluded by his unlimited desires He isliving in a dream world He is forgetting the Su-preme Consciousness Tat is why it is importantto keep our desires under control to place a ceilingon them We are spending too much money In-stead of inordinate spending for our own pleasure we should be spending for the relief of the poor
and needy Tis is the real meaning of ldquoCeiling onDesiresrdquo
Do not make the mistake of thinking that giv-ing money is all that is needed however Do notgive to others while allowing your own desires tocontinue to multiply Curtail your desires as ma-terialistic desires lead to a restless and disastrouslife Desires are a prison Man can be freed only bylimiting his wants You should have desire only forlifersquos bare necessities
How Can You Reduce Desires
First food Eat only what you need to eatDonrsquot be greedy Do not take more than you caneat and waste the rest because wasting food is agreat sin Te surplus food can feed another stom-ach Do not waste food because food is God lifeis God and man is born from food Food is themain source of manrsquos life body mind and char-
acter
Te gross part of the food which is the ma- jor portion of the food consumed by the body isthrown out as waste matter A minute amount ofthe food which is the subtle part is assimilatedby the body and flows as blood And a minusculeamount which is the subtlest part of the foodmakes up the mind Terefore the mind is thereflection of the food consumed Te reason forthe present beastly and demonic tendencies in our
minds is because of the food we consumeInstead of kindness compassion love and pa-
tience only bad qualities such as hatred and attach-ment are being perpetrated Terefore the qualityof the food that we eat should be very pure veryclean very sanctified and satwic Man receives realnourishment from such food
A large part of the water we drink is expelledas urine A minute part of the water consumed be-
comes the life force Terefore the nature of thefood and water that we take in decides our char-acter Only by controlling the quality of our foodand water can we attain Divinity Tat is why foodis said to be God Hence to waste food is to wasteGod Do not waste food Eat only what you needand be sure that what you eat is satwic Give anysurplus 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 tobad qualities bad ideas and bad habits Use your
Reproduced below are thirteen divine discourses delivered by Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba in which He explains the ldquoCeiling on Desires Programmerdquo
Ceiling on DesiresDo Not Waste Food
Do Not Waste Money
Do Not Waste ime
Do Not Waste Energy
Do Not Exploit Nature
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2
money wisely for good deeds Do not waste moneyas misuse of money is evil It will lead you alongthe wrong path
Tird time Te most important the mostneeded factor is time One should not waste time
ime should be spent in a useful manner imeshould be sanctified because everything in this cre-ation is dependent on time Even our scripturessay that God is referred to as time and as non-timeGod is not limited by time He is beyond time Heis time He restricts time ime is the embodimentof God Everything depends on time
Te main reason for manrsquos birth and death istime ime is the main factor in our growth If we
waste time our lives will be wasted Terefore timeis an essential part of our life Do not degrade timeby spending it participating in unnecessary con-versations or by getting involved in othersrsquo per-sonal matters Te truth behind the saying ldquoDonrsquot waste timerdquo is that no time should be wasted inevil thoughts and acts Instead make use of timein an efficient way
Fourth energy Our physical mental and
spiritual energies should never be wasted You might ask me ldquoHow are we wasting our ener-giesrdquo If you see bad things your energy is wastedHearing bad things speaking evil thinking evilthoughts and doing evil deeds wastes your ener-gy Conserve your energy in all these five areas andmake your life more meaningful
See no evilmdashsee what is goodHear no evilmdashhear what is good
Speak no evilmdashspeak what is goodTink no evilmdashthink what is goodDo no evilmdashdo what is goodTis is the way to God
Te path of Divinity is not seeing listeningspeaking 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 arelosing our memory power intelligence power ofdiscrimination and power of justice
odayrsquos man is not capable of discriminatingbetween good and bad Ten how can he enter the
path of right action You might be wondering howthis is possible how are we wasting time For ex-ample when you turn on the radio to listen to acertain programme whether you raise or lower thevolume of the sound as long as the radio is on the
current is being usedOur mind is like the radio Whether you talk
with others or only think within yourself you areconsuming energy Your mind is working all thetime Since it is always turned on you are consum-ing a lot of energy Instead of wasting that powerenergy or force in mental meandering isnrsquot it bet-ter to spend your time in thinking good thoughts
Te Ceiling on Desires Programme has been
proposed so that man does not waste anything inthe areas of food money time or energy
Main Goal of the Sathya Sai Organisation
oday however some service-oriented peopleand workers in the Sri Sathya Sai World Organisa-tion have not fully realised this Instead they aregiving money thinking that it is service Tey arecleverly getting out of serving while their desiresare growing out of bounds We should graduallytry to change these attitudes Te main goal of theSai Organisation is to enable members workersand officers to lead ideal perfect and happy livesTerefore we must live up to the high ideals of theorganisation and transform ourselves into ideal be-ings 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
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3
Easiest Way of Achieving Control of the
Mind
You should be established in the awarenessthat the Lord is ever present You must also beprompted by the feeling that you are performingdeeds for the pleasure of the Lord Tis is the easi-est way of achieving control of the mind
If you are prompted by feelings that your bodybelongs to the Lord you will not sin with yourbody On the other hand all your efforts and en-deavours will proceed towards Divinity If you aresaturated with the conviction that your energy be-longs to God you will not misuse it It is in lightof this that we have prescribed the principle ofceiling on desires in the Sri Sathya Sai Centres
Fourfold Programme
Te first ceiling on desires is ldquoDonrsquot wastefood Food is Godrdquo Your body is made of food
and you are the result of the food eaten by yourparents Food is God Eat as much as it is necessaryto eat But do not throw away food by taking toomuch on your plate By wasting food you will be wasting the energy divine
Te second instruction is ldquoDonrsquot waste mon-ey God is wealthrdquo Since God is wealth misuseof money is evil Practice charity by gifting awaymoney food clothes houses etc instead of mis-using money in extravagance Misuse of money isnot only evil but a sin as well Te third instruc-tion is ldquoDonrsquot waste time ime waste is life wasterdquo
God is exalted as time He is beyond timetranscends time and is the embodiment of timeSpend the time by using sanctifying words Do not waste time Wasting time is wasting God
Te fourth instruction is ldquoDonrsquot waste energyrdquoPeople waste their energy by indulging in bad
thoughts seeing bad things hearing bad thingsand taking bad actions
Te right royal road is the followingSee no evilmdashsee what is goodHear no evilmdashhear what is goodSpeak no evilmdashspeak what is goodTink no evilmdashthink what is goodDo no evilmdashdo what is good
By translating the above instructions into
practice you will be sanctifying your time Tis isthe spiritual practice and the service that you haveto undertake A time will come when the mind will be extinguished and merger with the divine will be achieved
Summer Showers in Brindavan 1993Chapter 6 Te Conquest of the Mind
Ceiling on Desires
2
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4
Light the Lamp of Love Within
Man is making every attempt today to be hap-py blissful Where do you get bliss Is it in the ma-terial things in the world in individuals in booksNo not at all Bliss is within onersquos own Self Youhave forgotten your true Self the source of bliss You are struggling hard for artificial happiness out-side You are not aware of the reality that lies in theheart In fact all the bliss is there Te principle oflove originates from the heart not from the world
Everyone should develop love more and moreBut today there is hatred and anger everywhere Wherever you look there is desire enmity andfear How do you expect to be at peace How doyou expect to be blissful Light the lamp of love within Ten fear and illusion can be removedand you can have the vision of the Self Otherwiseyou are bound to suffer
You have to exercise a ceiling on your desires
Tere are rules for a ceiling with regard to land and property But you have no ceiling on your desires Ceiling on desires means exercising controlover them You can be happy once the desires arecontrolled
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 Tere-fore it is said ldquoLess luggage more comfort makestravel a pleasurerdquo So ceiling on desires is what youhave to adopt today You have to cut short your de-sires day by day You are under the mistaken notionthat happiness lies in the fulfillment of desires Butin fact happiness begins to dawn when desires aretotally eradicated
When you reduce your desires you advancetowards the state of renunciation You have many
desires What do you get out of them You are
bound to face the consequences when you claimsomething as yours When you claim a piece ofland as yours then you will have to reap the har-vest Tis instinct of ego and attachment will putyou to suffering You will be blissful the momentyou give up ego and attachment
Sathya Sai Speaks Volume 32 Part 1Chapter 6 Put a Ceiling on Your Desires
Ceiling on Desires
3
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5
Nothing Accompanies You When You
Leave the World
Wherever you look today there are only de-sires desires and more desires Put a ceiling onthese desires Only then will your mind becomesteady You say ldquoI want this I want thatrdquo etcTus you develop many wants Tey are like pass-ing clouds Why should you multiply your wantsthese passing clouds Ultimately nothing accom-panies you at the time of your leaving this mortal
bodyGreat kings and emperors ruled over this
world Tey conquered many countries and ac-cumulated boundless wealth Even Alexander theGreat who conquered several parts of the worldcould not take with him even a miniscule part ofthe wealth he accumulated He had to leave this world with empty hands
o demonstrate this truth he instructed his
ministers to take his dead body in a procession
through the streets of his capital keeping both hishands in a raised position pointing towards thesky Te ministers were curious to know the rea-son for this strange request He said ldquoI have con-quered many countries and accumulated so much wealth Tere is a vast army under my control Yetnone is accompanying me at the time of my leav-ing this body I am going with empty hands Tishas to be demonstrated to all peoplerdquo
Sathya Sai Speaks Volume 41
Chapter 19 Contemplate on God the Real Hero forVictory
Ceiling on Desires
4
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6
Excessive Desire Causes Imbalance in
Nature
Man should put a ceiling on his desires Asmanrsquos conduct is perverted today we find natu-ral calamities taking place You are aware of thedevastation caused by the earthquake in GujaratTousands of people lost their lives Te reason forthis is that man is entertaining excessive desiresGod maintains perfect balance in His creation InGodrsquos creation the Earth and the oceans are en-
dowed with balance But man is indiscriminatelyexploiting the Earth for extracting oil
Every day tonnes of fish are caught from theoceans Tis indiscriminate exploitation of Natureresults in imbalance in Earth which is playinghavoc with human lives Only when man is freefrom unsteadiness within will he not be troubledby earthquake
Do Not Rob Nature of Its Resources toSatisfy Your Greed
Not only the people of India but also the peo-ple of the entire world should strive to maintainbalance Te five elements are nothing but mani-festations of the divine Manrsquos life will be secureonly when he realises this truth and acts accord-ingly A few days ago I sent lorry loads of ricegrams etc to the earthquake victims of Gujarat
Some people asked ldquoSwami why should youtake the trouble to spend so much money for send-ing relief material to Gujarat You could have in-stead averted the earthquakerdquo I replied ldquoMy dearman has to blame himself for the earthquakesDue to excessive greed for wealth he is disturbingthe balance of the Earth Hence the earthquakeTat is the law of Naturerdquo
You have to express your love for man by help-ing the needy Love is your nature Just as balance
is very much essential for Nature so also love isvery much needed for man Know that whatev-
er God has created is for your own welfare Youshould enjoy Nature according to your need Youshould not rob Nature of its resources to satisfyyour greed
Science Should Be Utilised Only to the
Extent Needed
Here is an example Once a greedy personowned a duck which used to lay a golden egg ev-ery day One day he ripped open the stomach of
the duck thinking that he would get many goldeneggs at a time oday man also is indulging in suchfoolish and greedy acts Instead of being satisfied with what Nature is giving him he aspires formore and more and in the process he is creatingimbalance in Nature
oday scientists are interested in new inven-tions Te advancement in science and technologyhas also led to imbalance in Nature As a result
there are earthquakes and no timely rains Scienceshould be utilised only to the extent needed Sci-ence has its limitations and crossing those limitsleads to danger
You have a long way to go Adhere to truthand righteousness Our ancient sages said ldquoSpeaktruth speak pleasantly and do not speak unpleas-ant truthrdquo Make proper use of natural resourcesand do not put them to misuse Help everybodyand make them happy Share all the good thingsyou have learnt with others Tis is your foremostduty
Sathya Sai Speaks Volume 34Chapter 3 Vision of the Atma
Ceiling on Desires
5
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7
Desires Are the Root Cause of Manrsquos
Disturbance
All the spiritual practices that man performsaims at making his mind steady Tere is no use inconstantly repeating Godrsquos name meditating andpractising spiritual austerities if the mind is notsteady Once you have the five senses under con-trol you can experience God He is not far awayfrom you He is in you below you above you andall around you God in fact is the indweller of
man Yet man is not able to see Him What is thereason Manrsquos limitless and wayward desires pre-vent him from seeing God
Desires are the root cause of manrsquos disturbanceSense control and ceiling on desires will help himto see God all around and experience bliss So wehave to keep our desires in check We should notbe worried by the evil talk that others indulge in We should not be affected by calumny and criti-
cism
Control the Five Senses
Buddha wanted to control the five senses Hedecided first and foremost to acquire right visionMan today is not able to control his vision becauseof the fickleness of his mind Cinema video Vetc have polluted the mind of man He does notsee good and hear good Man is the cause of hisown restlessness
Besides right vision Buddha emphasised theneed for right hearing right speech right feelingand right thinking Due to lack of these human-ness is fast giving way to devilishness and beastli-ness Animal qualities are fast increasing in man Animals have a season and a reason but man hasnone Man today has become worse than animalsHuman qualities like compassion kindness loveand forbearance are absent in him He should be
free from evil thoughts which are the root causeof his worries Tis requires constant and sustainedpractice
Master the Mind and Be a Mastermind
Man can control the mind and attain peaceby constant and sustained practice It is only ina peaceful mind that noble thoughts arise Temind should be under the control of man Mas-ter the mind and be a mastermind Unfortunatelyinstead of controlling the mind man has becomethe slave of his senses Tat is the main cause of hisunsteadiness Moreover he has body attachmentTis is the reason he gets easily disturbed if people
find fault with him Why should he worry aboutthe body when the body is like a water bubble You should get rid of body attachment
Summer Showers in Brindavan 2002Chapter 11 Sense Control Is the Highest Sadhana
Ceiling on Desires
6
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8
Learn a Lesson from Nature
Tere are four components in the term ldquoCeil-ing on Desiresrdquo Tey are curb on excessive talkcurb on excessive desires and expenditure controlof consumption of food and check on waste ofenergy Man needs some essential commodities forhis sustenance and he should not aspire for more
We can learn a lesson in this respect from Na-ture Only if air is available in sufficient quantity will it be comfortable and good If it is excessiveand there is a gale you will feel uncomfortable When you are thirsty you can consume only alimited quantity of water You canrsquot consume theentire water of the River Ganga We take only asmuch as is needed for the sustenance of the body
Doctors know that the body temperature isnormally 986 degrees If this goes up to 99 de-grees they say fever has set in due to some disorderin the body We inhale and exhale at a normal rate
If there is a slight increase or decrease in the rateit indicates disorder in the body Changes in thepulse rate or blood pressure also indicate disorderSo you find that if you exceed the limits even to alittle extent it is dangerous or harmful to the body
Tere is a limit for everything to function in anormal way When your eyes happen to see a flashof lightning or a flash of light while taking photo-graphs they automatically close because they canrsquot
withstand such high illumination Eardrums alsocannot tolerate hearing beyond a certain volumeand we cover our ears or keep cotton inside theears From these we see that our life is a limitedcompany
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 reason-
able number of saris but not a huge collectionfor pomp or show Misuse of money is a great evilEven men will have to do their own bit in control-ling the expenditure on unwanted and unnecessarythings
Money is the embodiment of Divinity Whenyou talk of wealth you should be careful to avoidavaricious accumulation and extravagant expendi-ture Even in the preparation of food you shouldbe careful in avoiding wastage We are only doinga disservice by consuming more food than what isnecessary for the body
Tirdly you should be careful about ldquotimerdquo which is the yardstick of life Seconds becomehours hours become years years make ages andso on You should not waste this most valuableldquotimerdquo ime lost in wasteful pursuits canrsquot be gotback by any means All our activities should beplanned for utilising the available time to maxi-
mum advantage So we should not waste foodmoney time and energy
Sathya Sai Speaks Volume 16Chapter 3 Ceiling on Desires-I
Ceiling on Desires
7
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9
Aims of the ldquoCeiling on Desires
Programmerdquo
Tere is a programme connected with ldquoCeilingon Desiresrdquo You must realise that this programmehas not been launched to raise funds Te object ofthe programme is to prevent waste of money timefood or other resources and to use all these forthe welfare of the people Te money that is savedneed not be kept for the Sathya Sai OrganisationsIt may be used in the best way you choose for the
benefit of others Do not waste time ime wastedis life wasted ime is God Sanctify all the time atyour disposal by undertaking service activities in apure and unselfish spirit
oday we waste time on unnecessary and un- wanted things in indulging in unnecessary talkand doing meaningless actions In all these ac-tions 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 gooddeeds Every second of your daily existence youmust ask these questions ldquoHow am I utilisingtime Is it for a good or bad purposerdquo
Likewise with regard to food you must askldquoAm I just eating what I need or more Am I wast-ing foodrdquo So also with regard to money ldquoAm Iusing this money for my own selfish needs or forboosting my name and fame or to satisfy my egoand vanityrdquo Once you start seeking answers tothese questions there is no greater spiritual prac-tice
Tese are the aims of the ldquoCeiling on DesiresProgrammerdquo It was never the purpose of thisprogramme to collect money for the Sathya SaiOrganisations Te object was to encourage youto share your money with others to give you anopportunity to utilise your surplus resources forsome good and noble purpose that will sanctify
your life
Make Your Lives Sacred and Worthwhile
Tree types of strength are given to a personphysical strength mental strength and the powerof money It has been said that all these should beoffered as yajna (sacrifice) Tis sacrifice is not of-fered to God God who has given you your bodyand your mind does not need them for HimselfGod is also the source of all wealth What does He want with your wealth
Use it for sacred purposes Te service pro-gramme is intended only to provide you with op-portunities to make your lives sacred and worth- while 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 discoverSita in Lanka Himself What need was there forHim to send Hanuman Rama wanted Hanumanto go on the search so that He could show to the
world the devotion and steadfastness and faith ofHanuman It is a case of grace on the part of Rama
In the same manner if Sai wants to do so manythings Himself He can do anything Tis endeav-our is not for the sake of Sai It is done throughthese service organisations so that members ofthe organisation get the chance to do service andredeem themselves ry to understand the basictruth that these avenues of service have been pro-vided so that you will get a good name for yourselfand not for the sake of Sai
Sathya Sai Speaks Volume 17Chapter 16 Ceiling on Desires-II
Ceiling on Desires
8
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10
Always Be Happy
Whatever trouble you may face you mustlearn to feel happy in any circumstance If you arestung by a scorpion you must console yourselfthat you were not bitten by a snake and when youare bitten by a snake you must console yourselfthat it has not proved fatal Even if you are not ableto own a vehicle be happy that your legs are intactto enable you to walk Even if you are not a mil-lionaire be happy that you have enough resourcesto feed yourself and your family Tis 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 peace-ful and meaningful life You must curb the desireto seek more and more wealth and turn your effortto realise the Reality within In pursuing this ef-fort you must avoid waste of food money timeenergy and knowledge as all these are forms ofGod Unnecessary talk should be avoided as thisresults in waste of energy and reduction of mem-ory power
Sathya Sai Speaks Volume 27Chapter 20 Spiritual Orientation to Education
Peace Can Be Attained Only by Godrsquos
GraceIn the modern world every person tries hard
to attain peace Peace cannot be attained by spiri-tual precepts nor can it be obtained from a mar-ket as a commodity It cannot be acquired even byknowledge of the texts or a high position in lifePeace can be attained only by Godrsquos grace
Tough man is eager to attain peace he con-fronts many obstacles in the path Tose who trav-
el by train may be well acquainted with the sloganldquoLess luggage more comfort makes travel a plea-surerdquo Now man is burdening himself with limit-less desires Because of this extra heavy luggage ofdesires he finds it extremely difficult to carry onthe journey of life By such proliferation of desireshe loses his balance moves far away from his goaland even tends to go mad
It is for this reason that I have been stressingthe need for ceiling on desires By limiting yourdesires you can attain peace to a certain extent You have to exercise a check on your desires andmake efforts to get the grace of the divine
Sathya Sai Speaks Volume 31Chapter 19 Faith Love and Grace
Bad Qualities Are the Result of Your Own
Thoughts
Suppose you get angry From where did thisanger come Tis has come from you only Simi-larly jealousy is a quality that manifested fromyour mind Tus each one of these bad qualities isthe result of your own thoughts Hence if only you
are able to control your thoughts properly you willbe able to achieve anything in life
Ceiling on Desires
9Ceiling on Desires
10
Ceiling on Desires
11Te mind intellect and awareness are the re-
flections of the Atma Te mind has no stabilityIt is the repository of thoughts and desires It issaid ldquoTe mind alone is the cause of bondage orliberationrdquo Hence one has to keep the mind underproper control by putting some ceiling on desires
Sathya Sai Speaks Volume 42
Chapter 1 Know Tyself You Will Know Everything
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12
Cultivate Four Desirable Practices
Te Sai Organisations have been enjoined tocarry out a programme of ceiling on desires Every-one should try to control desires as much as pos-sible Te promotion of human values is anotheritem in the programme Tese human values areinherent in every person All that is needed is foreveryone to manifest them in his daily life ruthrighteousness and peace are all in you
You are the embodiment of truth peace loveand God Recognise this fact Members of SaiOrganisations should cultivate certain desirablepractices For instance they should regulate theirdiet because onersquos food influences onersquos thoughtsSmoking and intoxicating drinks have to be givenup Tey are ruinous for the health Meat eatingshould also be given up because eating animalfood promotes animal tendencies Te fourth evilthat has to be eliminated is gambling
Tose who take to the spiritual path shouldavoid as much as possible these four bad practicesIt is sinful to slaughter poor animals for onersquos foodSai members should follow the motto ldquoHelp everhurt neverrdquo
Tere is no meaning in professing to respecthuman values without observing the rule that youshould cause no harm to others in any form what-soever God loves those who serve others becauseHe is in all of them Whomever you may serveconsider it as service to God Divinise all youractions reat every action you perform as Godrsquos work
Sathya Sai Speaks Volume 28Chapter 34 Spiritual Significance of Loving Service
Ceiling on Desires
13
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13
Eight Flowers of Worship
Non-violence Control of Senses
Compassion for All Living Beings
Forebearance
Peace
Penance
Meditation
ruth
It is the experience and practice of the citizens of India that they generally wor-ship God with flowers offer ritual adoration and make obeisance to God Butthere is something that is more sacred than this Tere is a distinctive type of
devotion by which you worship God with a good clean mind and good conductTis has been given the name of para bhakthi (supreme devotion) By always wor-shipping God with ritual worship and flowers the spiritual aspirant will remainstationary in his place Tis is good in a way but to remain in one place all thetime and failing to rise to a higher position is not good
Tere is a superior type of worship mdash to worship God through good qualitiesgood conduct good thoughts and good company Te scriptures have describedthis kind of worship as worship through good qualities By offering what kind ofgood qualities can we please God
Eight Flowers of Worship
Te first flower with which we can worship God is non-violence Te second
flower is control of senses Te third flower is compassion Te fourth one is for-bearance Te fifth flower is peace Te sixth flower is penance Te seventh one isthe flower of meditation Te eighth is the flower of truth Te inner meaning ofthis statement is that God will shower grace on you if you worship him throughthese eight flowers
Te flowers in nature always fade drop down lose fragrance and also de-velop an odour that is not pleasant Instead of worshipping with such worldlyflowers which are impermanent and receiving impermanent rewards from God
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14
we should worship Him with what is truthful andthereby attain a stage that is higher
Te flowers that you are using for worship havenot been created by you You are bringing flowersthat have been created by the Will of God on some
tree or in some garden and are offering them backto the Creator Himself What is the greatness inusing the flowers created by God and giving themback to God Himself Many people bathe in theGanges River take the water from the Ganges intotheir palms and offer it back to the Ganges itselfTis is not what you have created Tis is not whatyou have the right to offer
From the tree of your life picking such fruits
that you have protected and that you have grownin the form of good qualities and offering themto God there is some distinctiveness in that Inorder to promote good qualities you have to un-dergo several troubles So it is through these goodqualities that your mind can also acquire a divineconcentration Without good qualities and with-out good thoughts how can you fix your mind inmeditation1
FIRST FLOWERTe first flower is the flower of non-violence
We regard the word non-violence to mean notcausing harm and hurt to other living things Tetrue meaning of the word is not to cause hurtand harm to any other living being through yourthought word or deed Cleansing and purifyingthese threemdashthought word and deedmdashhas beencalled a Triputi (summit of three) in spiritualparlance All of them should be harmonised and
brought together as one unit of flower1
We find doctors performing surgeries on pa-tients to cure them of their ailments In the processof surgery the doctors cut the body with a knife You cannot call it an act of violence because it isbeneficial to the patient Some people may arguethat even cutting vegetables is an act of violencebecause vegetables and trees have life in them Nodoubt vegetables and trees have life but they do
not have the mind Consequently they do not suf-fer any pain
Only man has got five sheaths namely foodsheath life sheath mind sheath wisdom sheathand bliss sheath One with the mind experiencespain and pleasure Men animals birds and in-sects are endowed with the mind not trees and
vegetables In some trees you find the sap oozingout when you pluck their fruit Oozing of sap froma tree is a natural phenomenon but some peoplemistake it for the tears of suffering Te trees donot suffer any pain because they do not have thefaculty of mind2
SECOND FLOWER
Te second flower is the control of sensoryorgans Our senses run without any control If
running horses or animals are not controlled theypose a danger God has created each organ of thehuman body for a specific purpose It is only when we use these sensory organs along the right pathfor which they have been created that we will beentitled to Godrsquos grace God has given us a nose We should make an attempt to breathe in andbreathe out through the nose and only accept fra-grance through the nose If we use such a nose totake snuff the purpose will become useless In the
same manner He has given us the mouth and atongue in order that we may take in pure food If we use the mouth to take in unholy food or intoxi-cating drinks then we will be using the mouth fora wrong purpose
In the same manner we should understandunder what conditions and in what times and in what manner we should use each of these organsand put them under control Our inner strength
will become less and less on account of excitementor unnecessary sorrow Te body will become ill bymental agitations and distractions Man ages veryquickly through excitement and sorrow Te rea-son for your not preserving this sacred instrumentin sound condition is lack of control over thesesensory organs Te second flower of sensory con-trol should be used for worshipping God1
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15
Lack of Sense Control Is the Main Cause
of Unrest and Agitation
All spiritual practices will prove futile if onelacks sense control Control of the senses is veryessential for one and all Lack of sense control is
the main cause of all the unrest and agitation thatyou find in the world today How can one controlthe senses First of all one should exercise controlover the tongue
You must control your tongue as it alwayscraves a variety of delicacies You must ask thisquestion ldquoO tongue how many bags of rice wheat and vegetables have you devoured Howmany delicacies have you consumed Fie on you
if you are still not satisfiedrdquo A morsel of food isenough to sustain the body You should eat forthe sake of satisfying your hunger and sustain-ing the body Do not give undue importance totaste Likewise tell your eyes to see God instead of watching unsacred things on television or videoeach your ears to listen to the stories of the Lordinstead of listening to vain gossip
O ears you are interested in listening to vain gos-sip and tales about others but you pay least attentionwhen the wonderful stories of the Lord are narrated
(elugu Song)
Tink for a while how you benefit by listen-ing to unsacred things In fact you are pollutingyour heart in the process All that you see and heargets imprinted on your heart Once your heart ispolluted your life will become meaningless Tehuman heart is like a pen Te colour of the wordsthat 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 besuffused with love God expects you to fill yourheart with love and lead a sacred life2
THIRD FLOWER
Te third flower is compassion for all livingthings Looking merely and superficially at humannature which has diverse aspects we are forgettingGod in this field From the seed of Divinity the
tree of creation has grown On this tree of creationthe fruits are the human beings that are the indi-vidual souls In each of these human fruits there
is Divinity in the form of seed Tat is why in theBhagavad Gita Krishna has said ldquoI am the seed inall the living beingsrdquo Recognising the truth thatGod is present in the form of the Atma in all livingbeings we say compassion for all living beings is
the next flower1
The Story of Abou Ben Adhem
Students might have heard the story of AbouBen Adhem who always offered compassion to- wards all beings as a form of service to the LordEvery day he traveled the streets to serve the desti-tute and the handicapped and returned home latein the night One night when he returned homehe found in his bedroom an angel writing some-
thing When he asked her what she was writingshe replied that she was making a list of those wholoved God She replied in the negative when heasked her if his name was on that list
Te following night when he returned homehe again found the angel writing something Hequeried ldquoMother what is it that you are writingnowrdquo She said ldquoSon I am writing the names ofthose who are dear to Godrdquo He again wanted to
know if his name was on the list She replied thathis name was at the top of this list
Te sum and substance of this story is thatGod is pleased when you serve your fellow humanbeings Te scriptures have prescribed nine pathsof devotion namely listening to the Lordrsquos storiessinging His glories remembrance of the Lordrsquosname service to the Lordrsquos Lotus Feet worshipsalutation servitude friendship and offering one-
self to the Lord ie complete self-surrender Butthe 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 oceanof worldly life
One can redeem onersquos life only through service(Sanskrit Verse)
Abou Ben Adhem became the recipient ofGodrsquos love because he spent all his time in the ser-
vice of his fellow men God loves all for He is theembodiment of love But He will give Himself tothose who show compassion for all beings2
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16
Have Compassion towards All as God
Resides in All
Among all the flowers compassion for all crea-tures is most important Man alone is endowed with this virtue of compassion Tis is the flower
that you should offer to God God is the indwellerof all beings Names and forms may vary but thesame God is present in all Terefore you shouldhave compassion towards all beings with the broadfeeling that God is present in all Only then canyou understand how expansive and fragrant thisquality of compassion for all creatures is
You need not waste your time gathering theflowers that fade away and wither away in no time
Te flower of your heart is eternal ever fresh andever fragrant for which you need not spend evena penny Tat is the real flower One who under-stands the secret of this flower is one of supreme wisdom3
FOURTH FLOWER
Te fourth one is the flower of forbearanceForbearance truly is the highest quality of a humanbeing But in human life because he develops nar-row ideas man wants to live in a constricted placeHe thinks ldquoIrdquo and ldquomy familyrdquo are what mattersothers are all different from ldquomerdquo It is not possiblefor us to develop the flower of forbearance as longas these ideas are in us It is only when we lovethat we can have patience and forbearance Onersquoslove should encompass all living beings Tat willfructify as forbearance
Here is a brief example In our home thereare our children Along with our children there is
also a servant In the house a son may be pilfer-ing something or other and developing bad habitsIn many ways we will try and control that son bybeating scolding and persuading him to return togood ways but we will never take him and handhim over to the police In the same house if theservant steals a small spoon at once we will takehim 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 dayafter day but we hand over a servant immediatelyto the police when he steals even a small thing
Te reason for this is the narrow idea that ldquothis boyis my sonrdquo Because the servant does not belong toyou there is no place for forbearance and patienceSo you see that when you have the broad idea thatldquoeveryone is minerdquo there is room for patience and
forbearance It is only then that our love will alsogrow1
Forbearance Promotes Divine Qualities
Forbearance is identified by the scriptures withtruth righteousness knowledge sacrifice and joy Without forbearance man cannot be happy foreven a moment It promotes divine qualities Itreveals inner Divinity One has to undertake spiri-tual practices to earn it and establish oneself in it
Nourish the idea that God is equally present in allin spite of ridicule from the ignorant and sarcasticcriticism from the blind or even praise from ad-mirers Do not mind them4
Forbearance Is Very Dear to the Lord
Te Pandavas suffered a lot at the hands ofthe Kauravas But never did Dharmaraja lose for-bearance even when Droupadi was being humili-ated by the Kauravas It was the virtue of forbear-ance that protected the Pandavas and made theman ideal for the rest of the world Tis flower offorbearance is very dear to the Lord God will bepleased with you and confer boons on you only when you offer Him the ldquoflowersrdquo which are dearto Him No benefit accrues from offering the flow-ers that fade away and decay Te ever-bloomingflowers of non-violence sense control compassionfor all living beings and forbearance are liked by
God2
FIFTH FLOWER
Te fifth is the flower of peace Tis flower ofpeace should not be interpreted to mean that youshould be silent no matter who is attacking you or who is blaming you It is not that If you are un-moved and unperturbed in spite of anyone findingfaults with you this can be called real peace Ifyou can fill your heart with love then peace willcome into you from outside Trough bad quali-ties to some extent we lose peace With truthfulthoughts a man will have peace With untruthful
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17
thoughts a man will not have peace If you can getrid of all thoughts you will become a saint It isonly when you can be free from all thoughts thatyou can have peace
Your own bad thoughts are responsible for all
your pain and sorrow By good thoughts and bygood ideas you will become a holy man Holyman does not mean one who merely wears an or-ange robe shaves the head and wears holy beadsHe who has good thoughts and good ideas is aholy man A holy man is one who is the embodi-ment of truthful thoughts1
Peace Has Detachment as the Basic
Quality
Peace does not mean that a person should notreact at all whatever others may say or howeverthey may abuse him It does not mean that hemust be silent as a rock It involves mastery of allthe senses and all the passions inner peace mustbecome onersquos nature Peace has detachment as thebasic quality Te sea which likes to gather andpossess lies low the cloud that likes to renounceand give up is high in the sky Peace endows man
with an unruffled mind and steady visionTe prayer for shanthi (peace) is usually repeat-
ed thrice ldquoOm shanthi shanthi shanthihirdquo sincepeace is prayed for in the physical mental andspiritual planes Man should not bring his bloodto boil nor should he yield to fear Spiritual calmis exemplified by Emperor Janaka of the Upani-shadhic texts He was known as vidheha (withoutbody attachment) not because he was disembod-
ied but because he lived in utter forgetfulness ofthe body and its needs He saw heard and spokeonly from the Atmic plane of consciousness4
Bear All Sufferings With Fortitude and
Patience
One should remain peaceful through all thevicissitudes of life Only then can one attain divinegrace Great devotees like Tyagaraja ukaramand Droupadi underwent many hardships Tey
bore all sufferings with patience Tyagaraja saidldquoOne cannot attain happiness without innerpeacerdquo Man needs peace at the physical mental
and spiritual levels Peace is not present in theexternal world It is present within
You are the embodiment of peace In the worldly life there are bound to be many hardshipsbut one should not be perturbed One should bear
all sufferings with fortitude and patience Humanlife is given not merely to enjoy the worldly plea-sures like birds and beasts Life becomes meaning-ful only when one experiences the peace that origi-nates from the heart2
SIXTH FLOWER
Te sixth one is the flower of penance Pen-ance is not to give up your wife and children goto a forest put your head down and feet up that
is not penance When we think of real penance weshould eliminate bad thoughts from our mindsTe co-ordination of thought word and deed ispenance Whatever thoughts sprout in your mindto utter them as word and to put them in practiceas your work that is penance It is in this contextthat it is said ldquoA great soul practises harmony ofthought word and deedrdquo Giving up bad thoughtsin your mind will become a sacrifice Tat sacri-fice will become yoga (spiritual practice leading tounion with God) But giving up onersquos propertyand onersquos wife and going to the forest is not yoga1
Be Even-Minded in Happiness or Sorrow
One should contemplate on God at all timesand achieve harmony of thought word and deedHe is a noble one whose thoughts words anddeeds are in complete harmony Do not be car-ried away by pain or pleasure Te Bhagavad Gita
teaches ldquoOne should be even-minded in happi-ness or sorrow gain or loss victory or defeatrdquo Oneshould discharge onersquos duty and serve society with-out any expectation of reward Such even-minded-ness and desireless state is true penance2
SEVENTH FLOWER
Te seventh flower is the flower of meditationoday meditation is taking many forms Manytypes of meditation that people are adopting todayare against the culture and tradition of India o sitin a lotus posture and to make the kundalini shakti (kundalini power) rise from basal plexus to the cra-
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18
nium is not meditation rue meditation consistsin recognising the presence of God in all types of work God is the indweller of all and is all per-vading o make an attempt in your meditation toconfine 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 marketthe market is your God According to the cultureof 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 TeUpanishads are teaching us ldquoTe work I have todo I regard as God and make obeisance to God
in that formrdquoLet us consider the person who plays the
drums Before he begins to play on them he paysobeisance to the drums Te harmonium player will make obeisance to the harmonium before hestarts A dancer before she begins her dance willmake obeisance to her anklets Even a driver whois going to drive a lifeless car before he holds thesteering wheel makes salutations to the steering wheel You do not have to go so far While driv-ing if the car hits another person immediately wemake salutations to that person Te significanceof all this is the faith and belief that God is presentin all things Tus to regard the entire creation asthe form of God and to perform your duty in thatspirit is meditation1
Contemplate On God at All Times
Meditation does not mean sitting in lotus pos-
ture with eyes closed in contemplation on GodTis is physical worldly activity No doubt this isalso needed but true meditation lies in unifyingthe mind with God Just as milk and water can-not be separated likewise the mind once merged with God cannot be separated An iron ball castin fire will become one with it Likewise your loveshould become one with divine love Tis truthis contained in the Vedic dictum ldquoTe knower ofBrahman becomes Brahman Himselfrdquo
Some people contemplate on God for a lim-ited period in the morning and evening Tis can-
not be called meditation Contemplate on Godat all times at all places and under all circum-stances Perform all tasks with your mind firmlyfixed on God Tat is true meditation Tinking ofGod for a limited period cannot be termed medi-
tation Tat is only part-time devotion Part-timedevotion confers only part-time grace You shouldhave full-time devotion in order to attain full-timegrace2
EIGHTH FLOWER
Te next flower is the flower of truth If yousimply speak what you feel and tell what you havedone this can be called worldly truth mdash state-ment of facts Tis cannot be called truth ruth
is that which does not change at any time Whatyou have seen is truth at that moment At the nextmoment it becomes untruth All material thingsthat you see in this creation are things that willdecay that are bound to change In this transientchanging world how can what you see and whatyou hear become truth ruth is God Tis truth isthe eighth flower Tis truth is the form of Divin-ity In the world we experience truths of a relativenature
Let us take chemistry as an example You takesome chemicals and mix them together Teychange and you get some other chemical If youmix turmeric in lime you get red colour Tis ischemistry Another example is physics If you takea 3-inch needle and put it in fire it will becomea longer needle Tis is the truth of physics Howlong do these truths of chemistry and physics re-main Tese are temporary worldly scientific
truths But spiritual truths are such that they willremain unchanged whatever you may do to them whatever fire you may use on them and howsoeveryou may change the circumstances
So what does not change at all is truth Cru-elty and harshness are predominant in the worldtoday because we are not attempting to promotesuch sacred qualities oday among believersnon-believers and the believing the same kind ofattitude is developing Tat day when we can pro-mote such good qualities in the minds of believersthe non-believers will disappear from this world1
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19
ruth is changeless in all the three periods oftime ie past present and future Everythingmay disappear but truth remains forever So truthis God live in truth2
Win Godrsquos Grace by Worshipping EightFlowers
Worship the Lord and offer Him these flow-ers Now when other flowers are used devotiondoes not last after one comes out of the worshiproom When one crosses that door-step angerhatred and anxiety possess him and degrade him Without developing the qualities indicated by theeight flowers how can anyone win the grace ofGod Engaged in wrong worship on all 364 days
what good do you derive by doing true worship onthe 365th day of the year When you claim to beSai devotees justify the claim by cultivating theseflowers of virtue and offering them to God4
Serve Society to Your Utmost Capacity
God will be pleased only when you wor-ship Him with these eight types of flowers Tepriests in temples worship God with various typesof flowers But God does not want these flowersHe says ldquoO priest is this what you have learntall these years You are worshipping Me with lorryloads of roses and jasmines which fade away in ashort time Tese are not the flowers that I expectfrom you Worship Me with the flowers of peacelove non-violence etc which will never faderdquo
Embodiments of Love
People worship God with devotion and sincer-
ity but God is not satisfied with external worship You should serve society Only service can conferbliss on you By rendering service to society notonly can you alleviate the sufferings of the peoplebut you can also bring about transformation intheir lives As is the feeling so is the result If youserve with sacred feelings it is bound to yield sa-cred results Serve society to your utmost capacity You are singing devotional songs in the morningand evening Te satisfaction that you get by par-
ticipating in singing devotional songs is temporary whereas service confers permanent satisfaction
Te Vedas say the objective of actions is to pu-rify the mind Service alone is undertaken to pu-rify the mind oday people waste a lot of time wealth and energy in performing activities that donot foster purity of the mind Tat is why they
are unable to experience peace of mind Te peacethat one gets out of worldly activities comes andgoes like a passing cloud One should aspire forthe true and eternal peace which originates fromthe heart2
References
1 Sathya Sai Speaks Volume 15 Chapter 9 TeFlowers Tat God Loves
2 Sathya Sai Speaks Volume 33 Chapter 12
Flowers Tat Never Fade3 Sanathana Sarathi March 2012 Chapter Hu-
manness Blossoms in a Compassionate Heart
4 Sathya Sai Speaks Volume 15 Chapter 25Te Garden of the Heart
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20
Glossary
AtmaAtmic
Self Soul Embodied Self is jiva (the individ-ual soul) Self with no limitations is Brahman (the Supreme Cosmic Reality)
SatwaSatwic
It is the quality of purity brightness peacegoodness and harmony It leads to knowledge
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L983151983158983141 A983148983148 S983141983154983158983141 A983148983148
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Dedicated with love and reverence to
B983144aga983159a983150 S983154i S983137t983161983137 S983137i B983137983138983137
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i
eachings of Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba Volume 1
copy2013 Sri Sathya Sai World Foundation
publicationsssswforg
About printing this book
o print this book please use the ldquofit to printable areardquooption on your computer
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ii
Contents
Do Not Waste Food
Do Not Waste Money
Do Not Waste ime
Do Not Waste Energy
Do Not Exploit Nature
1
Ceiling on Desires
Non-violence
Control of Senses
Compassion for All Living Beings
Forbearance
Peace
Penance Meditation
ruth
13
Eight Flowers of Worship
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1
Desires Are a Prison What is the meaning of ldquoCeiling on Desiresrdquo
Man is deluded by his unlimited desires He isliving in a dream world He is forgetting the Su-preme Consciousness Tat is why it is importantto keep our desires under control to place a ceilingon them We are spending too much money In-stead of inordinate spending for our own pleasure we should be spending for the relief of the poor
and needy Tis is the real meaning of ldquoCeiling onDesiresrdquo
Do not make the mistake of thinking that giv-ing money is all that is needed however Do notgive to others while allowing your own desires tocontinue to multiply Curtail your desires as ma-terialistic desires lead to a restless and disastrouslife Desires are a prison Man can be freed only bylimiting his wants You should have desire only forlifersquos bare necessities
How Can You Reduce Desires
First food Eat only what you need to eatDonrsquot be greedy Do not take more than you caneat and waste the rest because wasting food is agreat sin Te surplus food can feed another stom-ach Do not waste food because food is God lifeis God and man is born from food Food is themain source of manrsquos life body mind and char-
acter
Te gross part of the food which is the ma- jor portion of the food consumed by the body isthrown out as waste matter A minute amount ofthe food which is the subtle part is assimilatedby the body and flows as blood And a minusculeamount which is the subtlest part of the foodmakes up the mind Terefore the mind is thereflection of the food consumed Te reason forthe present beastly and demonic tendencies in our
minds is because of the food we consumeInstead of kindness compassion love and pa-
tience only bad qualities such as hatred and attach-ment are being perpetrated Terefore the qualityof the food that we eat should be very pure veryclean very sanctified and satwic Man receives realnourishment from such food
A large part of the water we drink is expelledas urine A minute part of the water consumed be-
comes the life force Terefore the nature of thefood and water that we take in decides our char-acter Only by controlling the quality of our foodand water can we attain Divinity Tat is why foodis said to be God Hence to waste food is to wasteGod Do not waste food Eat only what you needand be sure that what you eat is satwic Give anysurplus 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 tobad qualities bad ideas and bad habits Use your
Reproduced below are thirteen divine discourses delivered by Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba in which He explains the ldquoCeiling on Desires Programmerdquo
Ceiling on DesiresDo Not Waste Food
Do Not Waste Money
Do Not Waste ime
Do Not Waste Energy
Do Not Exploit Nature
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2
money wisely for good deeds Do not waste moneyas misuse of money is evil It will lead you alongthe wrong path
Tird time Te most important the mostneeded factor is time One should not waste time
ime should be spent in a useful manner imeshould be sanctified because everything in this cre-ation is dependent on time Even our scripturessay that God is referred to as time and as non-timeGod is not limited by time He is beyond time Heis time He restricts time ime is the embodimentof God Everything depends on time
Te main reason for manrsquos birth and death istime ime is the main factor in our growth If we
waste time our lives will be wasted Terefore timeis an essential part of our life Do not degrade timeby spending it participating in unnecessary con-versations or by getting involved in othersrsquo per-sonal matters Te truth behind the saying ldquoDonrsquot waste timerdquo is that no time should be wasted inevil thoughts and acts Instead make use of timein an efficient way
Fourth energy Our physical mental and
spiritual energies should never be wasted You might ask me ldquoHow are we wasting our ener-giesrdquo If you see bad things your energy is wastedHearing bad things speaking evil thinking evilthoughts and doing evil deeds wastes your ener-gy Conserve your energy in all these five areas andmake your life more meaningful
See no evilmdashsee what is goodHear no evilmdashhear what is good
Speak no evilmdashspeak what is goodTink no evilmdashthink what is goodDo no evilmdashdo what is goodTis is the way to God
Te path of Divinity is not seeing listeningspeaking 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 arelosing our memory power intelligence power ofdiscrimination and power of justice
odayrsquos man is not capable of discriminatingbetween good and bad Ten how can he enter the
path of right action You might be wondering howthis is possible how are we wasting time For ex-ample when you turn on the radio to listen to acertain programme whether you raise or lower thevolume of the sound as long as the radio is on the
current is being usedOur mind is like the radio Whether you talk
with others or only think within yourself you areconsuming energy Your mind is working all thetime Since it is always turned on you are consum-ing a lot of energy Instead of wasting that powerenergy or force in mental meandering isnrsquot it bet-ter to spend your time in thinking good thoughts
Te Ceiling on Desires Programme has been
proposed so that man does not waste anything inthe areas of food money time or energy
Main Goal of the Sathya Sai Organisation
oday however some service-oriented peopleand workers in the Sri Sathya Sai World Organisa-tion have not fully realised this Instead they aregiving money thinking that it is service Tey arecleverly getting out of serving while their desiresare growing out of bounds We should graduallytry to change these attitudes Te main goal of theSai Organisation is to enable members workersand officers to lead ideal perfect and happy livesTerefore we must live up to the high ideals of theorganisation and transform ourselves into ideal be-ings 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
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3
Easiest Way of Achieving Control of the
Mind
You should be established in the awarenessthat the Lord is ever present You must also beprompted by the feeling that you are performingdeeds for the pleasure of the Lord Tis is the easi-est way of achieving control of the mind
If you are prompted by feelings that your bodybelongs to the Lord you will not sin with yourbody On the other hand all your efforts and en-deavours will proceed towards Divinity If you aresaturated with the conviction that your energy be-longs to God you will not misuse it It is in lightof this that we have prescribed the principle ofceiling on desires in the Sri Sathya Sai Centres
Fourfold Programme
Te first ceiling on desires is ldquoDonrsquot wastefood Food is Godrdquo Your body is made of food
and you are the result of the food eaten by yourparents Food is God Eat as much as it is necessaryto eat But do not throw away food by taking toomuch on your plate By wasting food you will be wasting the energy divine
Te second instruction is ldquoDonrsquot waste mon-ey God is wealthrdquo Since God is wealth misuseof money is evil Practice charity by gifting awaymoney food clothes houses etc instead of mis-using money in extravagance Misuse of money isnot only evil but a sin as well Te third instruc-tion is ldquoDonrsquot waste time ime waste is life wasterdquo
God is exalted as time He is beyond timetranscends time and is the embodiment of timeSpend the time by using sanctifying words Do not waste time Wasting time is wasting God
Te fourth instruction is ldquoDonrsquot waste energyrdquoPeople waste their energy by indulging in bad
thoughts seeing bad things hearing bad thingsand taking bad actions
Te right royal road is the followingSee no evilmdashsee what is goodHear no evilmdashhear what is goodSpeak no evilmdashspeak what is goodTink no evilmdashthink what is goodDo no evilmdashdo what is good
By translating the above instructions into
practice you will be sanctifying your time Tis isthe spiritual practice and the service that you haveto undertake A time will come when the mind will be extinguished and merger with the divine will be achieved
Summer Showers in Brindavan 1993Chapter 6 Te Conquest of the Mind
Ceiling on Desires
2
8132019 Teachings of Sri Sathya Sai Baba - Vol 1
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4
Light the Lamp of Love Within
Man is making every attempt today to be hap-py blissful Where do you get bliss Is it in the ma-terial things in the world in individuals in booksNo not at all Bliss is within onersquos own Self Youhave forgotten your true Self the source of bliss You are struggling hard for artificial happiness out-side You are not aware of the reality that lies in theheart In fact all the bliss is there Te principle oflove originates from the heart not from the world
Everyone should develop love more and moreBut today there is hatred and anger everywhere Wherever you look there is desire enmity andfear How do you expect to be at peace How doyou expect to be blissful Light the lamp of love within Ten fear and illusion can be removedand you can have the vision of the Self Otherwiseyou are bound to suffer
You have to exercise a ceiling on your desires
Tere are rules for a ceiling with regard to land and property But you have no ceiling on your desires Ceiling on desires means exercising controlover them You can be happy once the desires arecontrolled
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 Tere-fore it is said ldquoLess luggage more comfort makestravel a pleasurerdquo So ceiling on desires is what youhave to adopt today You have to cut short your de-sires day by day You are under the mistaken notionthat happiness lies in the fulfillment of desires Butin fact happiness begins to dawn when desires aretotally eradicated
When you reduce your desires you advancetowards the state of renunciation You have many
desires What do you get out of them You are
bound to face the consequences when you claimsomething as yours When you claim a piece ofland as yours then you will have to reap the har-vest Tis instinct of ego and attachment will putyou to suffering You will be blissful the momentyou give up ego and attachment
Sathya Sai Speaks Volume 32 Part 1Chapter 6 Put a Ceiling on Your Desires
Ceiling on Desires
3
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5
Nothing Accompanies You When You
Leave the World
Wherever you look today there are only de-sires desires and more desires Put a ceiling onthese desires Only then will your mind becomesteady You say ldquoI want this I want thatrdquo etcTus you develop many wants Tey are like pass-ing clouds Why should you multiply your wantsthese passing clouds Ultimately nothing accom-panies you at the time of your leaving this mortal
bodyGreat kings and emperors ruled over this
world Tey conquered many countries and ac-cumulated boundless wealth Even Alexander theGreat who conquered several parts of the worldcould not take with him even a miniscule part ofthe wealth he accumulated He had to leave this world with empty hands
o demonstrate this truth he instructed his
ministers to take his dead body in a procession
through the streets of his capital keeping both hishands in a raised position pointing towards thesky Te ministers were curious to know the rea-son for this strange request He said ldquoI have con-quered many countries and accumulated so much wealth Tere is a vast army under my control Yetnone is accompanying me at the time of my leav-ing this body I am going with empty hands Tishas to be demonstrated to all peoplerdquo
Sathya Sai Speaks Volume 41
Chapter 19 Contemplate on God the Real Hero forVictory
Ceiling on Desires
4
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6
Excessive Desire Causes Imbalance in
Nature
Man should put a ceiling on his desires Asmanrsquos conduct is perverted today we find natu-ral calamities taking place You are aware of thedevastation caused by the earthquake in GujaratTousands of people lost their lives Te reason forthis is that man is entertaining excessive desiresGod maintains perfect balance in His creation InGodrsquos creation the Earth and the oceans are en-
dowed with balance But man is indiscriminatelyexploiting the Earth for extracting oil
Every day tonnes of fish are caught from theoceans Tis indiscriminate exploitation of Natureresults in imbalance in Earth which is playinghavoc with human lives Only when man is freefrom unsteadiness within will he not be troubledby earthquake
Do Not Rob Nature of Its Resources toSatisfy Your Greed
Not only the people of India but also the peo-ple of the entire world should strive to maintainbalance Te five elements are nothing but mani-festations of the divine Manrsquos life will be secureonly when he realises this truth and acts accord-ingly A few days ago I sent lorry loads of ricegrams etc to the earthquake victims of Gujarat
Some people asked ldquoSwami why should youtake the trouble to spend so much money for send-ing relief material to Gujarat You could have in-stead averted the earthquakerdquo I replied ldquoMy dearman has to blame himself for the earthquakesDue to excessive greed for wealth he is disturbingthe balance of the Earth Hence the earthquakeTat is the law of Naturerdquo
You have to express your love for man by help-ing the needy Love is your nature Just as balance
is very much essential for Nature so also love isvery much needed for man Know that whatev-
er God has created is for your own welfare Youshould enjoy Nature according to your need Youshould not rob Nature of its resources to satisfyyour greed
Science Should Be Utilised Only to the
Extent Needed
Here is an example Once a greedy personowned a duck which used to lay a golden egg ev-ery day One day he ripped open the stomach of
the duck thinking that he would get many goldeneggs at a time oday man also is indulging in suchfoolish and greedy acts Instead of being satisfied with what Nature is giving him he aspires formore and more and in the process he is creatingimbalance in Nature
oday scientists are interested in new inven-tions Te advancement in science and technologyhas also led to imbalance in Nature As a result
there are earthquakes and no timely rains Scienceshould be utilised only to the extent needed Sci-ence has its limitations and crossing those limitsleads to danger
You have a long way to go Adhere to truthand righteousness Our ancient sages said ldquoSpeaktruth speak pleasantly and do not speak unpleas-ant truthrdquo Make proper use of natural resourcesand do not put them to misuse Help everybodyand make them happy Share all the good thingsyou have learnt with others Tis is your foremostduty
Sathya Sai Speaks Volume 34Chapter 3 Vision of the Atma
Ceiling on Desires
5
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7
Desires Are the Root Cause of Manrsquos
Disturbance
All the spiritual practices that man performsaims at making his mind steady Tere is no use inconstantly repeating Godrsquos name meditating andpractising spiritual austerities if the mind is notsteady Once you have the five senses under con-trol you can experience God He is not far awayfrom you He is in you below you above you andall around you God in fact is the indweller of
man Yet man is not able to see Him What is thereason Manrsquos limitless and wayward desires pre-vent him from seeing God
Desires are the root cause of manrsquos disturbanceSense control and ceiling on desires will help himto see God all around and experience bliss So wehave to keep our desires in check We should notbe worried by the evil talk that others indulge in We should not be affected by calumny and criti-
cism
Control the Five Senses
Buddha wanted to control the five senses Hedecided first and foremost to acquire right visionMan today is not able to control his vision becauseof the fickleness of his mind Cinema video Vetc have polluted the mind of man He does notsee good and hear good Man is the cause of hisown restlessness
Besides right vision Buddha emphasised theneed for right hearing right speech right feelingand right thinking Due to lack of these human-ness is fast giving way to devilishness and beastli-ness Animal qualities are fast increasing in man Animals have a season and a reason but man hasnone Man today has become worse than animalsHuman qualities like compassion kindness loveand forbearance are absent in him He should be
free from evil thoughts which are the root causeof his worries Tis requires constant and sustainedpractice
Master the Mind and Be a Mastermind
Man can control the mind and attain peaceby constant and sustained practice It is only ina peaceful mind that noble thoughts arise Temind should be under the control of man Mas-ter the mind and be a mastermind Unfortunatelyinstead of controlling the mind man has becomethe slave of his senses Tat is the main cause of hisunsteadiness Moreover he has body attachmentTis is the reason he gets easily disturbed if people
find fault with him Why should he worry aboutthe body when the body is like a water bubble You should get rid of body attachment
Summer Showers in Brindavan 2002Chapter 11 Sense Control Is the Highest Sadhana
Ceiling on Desires
6
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8
Learn a Lesson from Nature
Tere are four components in the term ldquoCeil-ing on Desiresrdquo Tey are curb on excessive talkcurb on excessive desires and expenditure controlof consumption of food and check on waste ofenergy Man needs some essential commodities forhis sustenance and he should not aspire for more
We can learn a lesson in this respect from Na-ture Only if air is available in sufficient quantity will it be comfortable and good If it is excessiveand there is a gale you will feel uncomfortable When you are thirsty you can consume only alimited quantity of water You canrsquot consume theentire water of the River Ganga We take only asmuch as is needed for the sustenance of the body
Doctors know that the body temperature isnormally 986 degrees If this goes up to 99 de-grees they say fever has set in due to some disorderin the body We inhale and exhale at a normal rate
If there is a slight increase or decrease in the rateit indicates disorder in the body Changes in thepulse rate or blood pressure also indicate disorderSo you find that if you exceed the limits even to alittle extent it is dangerous or harmful to the body
Tere is a limit for everything to function in anormal way When your eyes happen to see a flashof lightning or a flash of light while taking photo-graphs they automatically close because they canrsquot
withstand such high illumination Eardrums alsocannot tolerate hearing beyond a certain volumeand we cover our ears or keep cotton inside theears From these we see that our life is a limitedcompany
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 reason-
able number of saris but not a huge collectionfor pomp or show Misuse of money is a great evilEven men will have to do their own bit in control-ling the expenditure on unwanted and unnecessarythings
Money is the embodiment of Divinity Whenyou talk of wealth you should be careful to avoidavaricious accumulation and extravagant expendi-ture Even in the preparation of food you shouldbe careful in avoiding wastage We are only doinga disservice by consuming more food than what isnecessary for the body
Tirdly you should be careful about ldquotimerdquo which is the yardstick of life Seconds becomehours hours become years years make ages andso on You should not waste this most valuableldquotimerdquo ime lost in wasteful pursuits canrsquot be gotback by any means All our activities should beplanned for utilising the available time to maxi-
mum advantage So we should not waste foodmoney time and energy
Sathya Sai Speaks Volume 16Chapter 3 Ceiling on Desires-I
Ceiling on Desires
7
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9
Aims of the ldquoCeiling on Desires
Programmerdquo
Tere is a programme connected with ldquoCeilingon Desiresrdquo You must realise that this programmehas not been launched to raise funds Te object ofthe programme is to prevent waste of money timefood or other resources and to use all these forthe welfare of the people Te money that is savedneed not be kept for the Sathya Sai OrganisationsIt may be used in the best way you choose for the
benefit of others Do not waste time ime wastedis life wasted ime is God Sanctify all the time atyour disposal by undertaking service activities in apure and unselfish spirit
oday we waste time on unnecessary and un- wanted things in indulging in unnecessary talkand doing meaningless actions In all these ac-tions 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 gooddeeds Every second of your daily existence youmust ask these questions ldquoHow am I utilisingtime Is it for a good or bad purposerdquo
Likewise with regard to food you must askldquoAm I just eating what I need or more Am I wast-ing foodrdquo So also with regard to money ldquoAm Iusing this money for my own selfish needs or forboosting my name and fame or to satisfy my egoand vanityrdquo Once you start seeking answers tothese questions there is no greater spiritual prac-tice
Tese are the aims of the ldquoCeiling on DesiresProgrammerdquo It was never the purpose of thisprogramme to collect money for the Sathya SaiOrganisations Te object was to encourage youto share your money with others to give you anopportunity to utilise your surplus resources forsome good and noble purpose that will sanctify
your life
Make Your Lives Sacred and Worthwhile
Tree types of strength are given to a personphysical strength mental strength and the powerof money It has been said that all these should beoffered as yajna (sacrifice) Tis sacrifice is not of-fered to God God who has given you your bodyand your mind does not need them for HimselfGod is also the source of all wealth What does He want with your wealth
Use it for sacred purposes Te service pro-gramme is intended only to provide you with op-portunities to make your lives sacred and worth- while 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 discoverSita in Lanka Himself What need was there forHim to send Hanuman Rama wanted Hanumanto go on the search so that He could show to the
world the devotion and steadfastness and faith ofHanuman It is a case of grace on the part of Rama
In the same manner if Sai wants to do so manythings Himself He can do anything Tis endeav-our is not for the sake of Sai It is done throughthese service organisations so that members ofthe organisation get the chance to do service andredeem themselves ry to understand the basictruth that these avenues of service have been pro-vided so that you will get a good name for yourselfand not for the sake of Sai
Sathya Sai Speaks Volume 17Chapter 16 Ceiling on Desires-II
Ceiling on Desires
8
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10
Always Be Happy
Whatever trouble you may face you mustlearn to feel happy in any circumstance If you arestung by a scorpion you must console yourselfthat you were not bitten by a snake and when youare bitten by a snake you must console yourselfthat it has not proved fatal Even if you are not ableto own a vehicle be happy that your legs are intactto enable you to walk Even if you are not a mil-lionaire be happy that you have enough resourcesto feed yourself and your family Tis 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 peace-ful and meaningful life You must curb the desireto seek more and more wealth and turn your effortto realise the Reality within In pursuing this ef-fort you must avoid waste of food money timeenergy and knowledge as all these are forms ofGod Unnecessary talk should be avoided as thisresults in waste of energy and reduction of mem-ory power
Sathya Sai Speaks Volume 27Chapter 20 Spiritual Orientation to Education
Peace Can Be Attained Only by Godrsquos
GraceIn the modern world every person tries hard
to attain peace Peace cannot be attained by spiri-tual precepts nor can it be obtained from a mar-ket as a commodity It cannot be acquired even byknowledge of the texts or a high position in lifePeace can be attained only by Godrsquos grace
Tough man is eager to attain peace he con-fronts many obstacles in the path Tose who trav-
el by train may be well acquainted with the sloganldquoLess luggage more comfort makes travel a plea-surerdquo Now man is burdening himself with limit-less desires Because of this extra heavy luggage ofdesires he finds it extremely difficult to carry onthe journey of life By such proliferation of desireshe loses his balance moves far away from his goaland even tends to go mad
It is for this reason that I have been stressingthe need for ceiling on desires By limiting yourdesires you can attain peace to a certain extent You have to exercise a check on your desires andmake efforts to get the grace of the divine
Sathya Sai Speaks Volume 31Chapter 19 Faith Love and Grace
Bad Qualities Are the Result of Your Own
Thoughts
Suppose you get angry From where did thisanger come Tis has come from you only Simi-larly jealousy is a quality that manifested fromyour mind Tus each one of these bad qualities isthe result of your own thoughts Hence if only you
are able to control your thoughts properly you willbe able to achieve anything in life
Ceiling on Desires
9Ceiling on Desires
10
Ceiling on Desires
11Te mind intellect and awareness are the re-
flections of the Atma Te mind has no stabilityIt is the repository of thoughts and desires It issaid ldquoTe mind alone is the cause of bondage orliberationrdquo Hence one has to keep the mind underproper control by putting some ceiling on desires
Sathya Sai Speaks Volume 42
Chapter 1 Know Tyself You Will Know Everything
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12
Cultivate Four Desirable Practices
Te Sai Organisations have been enjoined tocarry out a programme of ceiling on desires Every-one should try to control desires as much as pos-sible Te promotion of human values is anotheritem in the programme Tese human values areinherent in every person All that is needed is foreveryone to manifest them in his daily life ruthrighteousness and peace are all in you
You are the embodiment of truth peace loveand God Recognise this fact Members of SaiOrganisations should cultivate certain desirablepractices For instance they should regulate theirdiet because onersquos food influences onersquos thoughtsSmoking and intoxicating drinks have to be givenup Tey are ruinous for the health Meat eatingshould also be given up because eating animalfood promotes animal tendencies Te fourth evilthat has to be eliminated is gambling
Tose who take to the spiritual path shouldavoid as much as possible these four bad practicesIt is sinful to slaughter poor animals for onersquos foodSai members should follow the motto ldquoHelp everhurt neverrdquo
Tere is no meaning in professing to respecthuman values without observing the rule that youshould cause no harm to others in any form what-soever God loves those who serve others becauseHe is in all of them Whomever you may serveconsider it as service to God Divinise all youractions reat every action you perform as Godrsquos work
Sathya Sai Speaks Volume 28Chapter 34 Spiritual Significance of Loving Service
Ceiling on Desires
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13
Eight Flowers of Worship
Non-violence Control of Senses
Compassion for All Living Beings
Forebearance
Peace
Penance
Meditation
ruth
It is the experience and practice of the citizens of India that they generally wor-ship God with flowers offer ritual adoration and make obeisance to God Butthere is something that is more sacred than this Tere is a distinctive type of
devotion by which you worship God with a good clean mind and good conductTis has been given the name of para bhakthi (supreme devotion) By always wor-shipping God with ritual worship and flowers the spiritual aspirant will remainstationary in his place Tis is good in a way but to remain in one place all thetime and failing to rise to a higher position is not good
Tere is a superior type of worship mdash to worship God through good qualitiesgood conduct good thoughts and good company Te scriptures have describedthis kind of worship as worship through good qualities By offering what kind ofgood qualities can we please God
Eight Flowers of Worship
Te first flower with which we can worship God is non-violence Te second
flower is control of senses Te third flower is compassion Te fourth one is for-bearance Te fifth flower is peace Te sixth flower is penance Te seventh one isthe flower of meditation Te eighth is the flower of truth Te inner meaning ofthis statement is that God will shower grace on you if you worship him throughthese eight flowers
Te flowers in nature always fade drop down lose fragrance and also de-velop an odour that is not pleasant Instead of worshipping with such worldlyflowers which are impermanent and receiving impermanent rewards from God
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14
we should worship Him with what is truthful andthereby attain a stage that is higher
Te flowers that you are using for worship havenot been created by you You are bringing flowersthat have been created by the Will of God on some
tree or in some garden and are offering them backto the Creator Himself What is the greatness inusing the flowers created by God and giving themback to God Himself Many people bathe in theGanges River take the water from the Ganges intotheir palms and offer it back to the Ganges itselfTis is not what you have created Tis is not whatyou have the right to offer
From the tree of your life picking such fruits
that you have protected and that you have grownin the form of good qualities and offering themto God there is some distinctiveness in that Inorder to promote good qualities you have to un-dergo several troubles So it is through these goodqualities that your mind can also acquire a divineconcentration Without good qualities and with-out good thoughts how can you fix your mind inmeditation1
FIRST FLOWERTe first flower is the flower of non-violence
We regard the word non-violence to mean notcausing harm and hurt to other living things Tetrue meaning of the word is not to cause hurtand harm to any other living being through yourthought word or deed Cleansing and purifyingthese threemdashthought word and deedmdashhas beencalled a Triputi (summit of three) in spiritualparlance All of them should be harmonised and
brought together as one unit of flower1
We find doctors performing surgeries on pa-tients to cure them of their ailments In the processof surgery the doctors cut the body with a knife You cannot call it an act of violence because it isbeneficial to the patient Some people may arguethat even cutting vegetables is an act of violencebecause vegetables and trees have life in them Nodoubt vegetables and trees have life but they do
not have the mind Consequently they do not suf-fer any pain
Only man has got five sheaths namely foodsheath life sheath mind sheath wisdom sheathand bliss sheath One with the mind experiencespain and pleasure Men animals birds and in-sects are endowed with the mind not trees and
vegetables In some trees you find the sap oozingout when you pluck their fruit Oozing of sap froma tree is a natural phenomenon but some peoplemistake it for the tears of suffering Te trees donot suffer any pain because they do not have thefaculty of mind2
SECOND FLOWER
Te second flower is the control of sensoryorgans Our senses run without any control If
running horses or animals are not controlled theypose a danger God has created each organ of thehuman body for a specific purpose It is only when we use these sensory organs along the right pathfor which they have been created that we will beentitled to Godrsquos grace God has given us a nose We should make an attempt to breathe in andbreathe out through the nose and only accept fra-grance through the nose If we use such a nose totake snuff the purpose will become useless In the
same manner He has given us the mouth and atongue in order that we may take in pure food If we use the mouth to take in unholy food or intoxi-cating drinks then we will be using the mouth fora wrong purpose
In the same manner we should understandunder what conditions and in what times and in what manner we should use each of these organsand put them under control Our inner strength
will become less and less on account of excitementor unnecessary sorrow Te body will become ill bymental agitations and distractions Man ages veryquickly through excitement and sorrow Te rea-son for your not preserving this sacred instrumentin sound condition is lack of control over thesesensory organs Te second flower of sensory con-trol should be used for worshipping God1
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15
Lack of Sense Control Is the Main Cause
of Unrest and Agitation
All spiritual practices will prove futile if onelacks sense control Control of the senses is veryessential for one and all Lack of sense control is
the main cause of all the unrest and agitation thatyou find in the world today How can one controlthe senses First of all one should exercise controlover the tongue
You must control your tongue as it alwayscraves a variety of delicacies You must ask thisquestion ldquoO tongue how many bags of rice wheat and vegetables have you devoured Howmany delicacies have you consumed Fie on you
if you are still not satisfiedrdquo A morsel of food isenough to sustain the body You should eat forthe sake of satisfying your hunger and sustain-ing the body Do not give undue importance totaste Likewise tell your eyes to see God instead of watching unsacred things on television or videoeach your ears to listen to the stories of the Lordinstead of listening to vain gossip
O ears you are interested in listening to vain gos-sip and tales about others but you pay least attentionwhen the wonderful stories of the Lord are narrated
(elugu Song)
Tink for a while how you benefit by listen-ing to unsacred things In fact you are pollutingyour heart in the process All that you see and heargets imprinted on your heart Once your heart ispolluted your life will become meaningless Tehuman heart is like a pen Te colour of the wordsthat 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 besuffused with love God expects you to fill yourheart with love and lead a sacred life2
THIRD FLOWER
Te third flower is compassion for all livingthings Looking merely and superficially at humannature which has diverse aspects we are forgettingGod in this field From the seed of Divinity the
tree of creation has grown On this tree of creationthe fruits are the human beings that are the indi-vidual souls In each of these human fruits there
is Divinity in the form of seed Tat is why in theBhagavad Gita Krishna has said ldquoI am the seed inall the living beingsrdquo Recognising the truth thatGod is present in the form of the Atma in all livingbeings we say compassion for all living beings is
the next flower1
The Story of Abou Ben Adhem
Students might have heard the story of AbouBen Adhem who always offered compassion to- wards all beings as a form of service to the LordEvery day he traveled the streets to serve the desti-tute and the handicapped and returned home latein the night One night when he returned homehe found in his bedroom an angel writing some-
thing When he asked her what she was writingshe replied that she was making a list of those wholoved God She replied in the negative when heasked her if his name was on that list
Te following night when he returned homehe again found the angel writing something Hequeried ldquoMother what is it that you are writingnowrdquo She said ldquoSon I am writing the names ofthose who are dear to Godrdquo He again wanted to
know if his name was on the list She replied thathis name was at the top of this list
Te sum and substance of this story is thatGod is pleased when you serve your fellow humanbeings Te scriptures have prescribed nine pathsof devotion namely listening to the Lordrsquos storiessinging His glories remembrance of the Lordrsquosname service to the Lordrsquos Lotus Feet worshipsalutation servitude friendship and offering one-
self to the Lord ie complete self-surrender Butthe 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 oceanof worldly life
One can redeem onersquos life only through service(Sanskrit Verse)
Abou Ben Adhem became the recipient ofGodrsquos love because he spent all his time in the ser-
vice of his fellow men God loves all for He is theembodiment of love But He will give Himself tothose who show compassion for all beings2
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16
Have Compassion towards All as God
Resides in All
Among all the flowers compassion for all crea-tures is most important Man alone is endowed with this virtue of compassion Tis is the flower
that you should offer to God God is the indwellerof all beings Names and forms may vary but thesame God is present in all Terefore you shouldhave compassion towards all beings with the broadfeeling that God is present in all Only then canyou understand how expansive and fragrant thisquality of compassion for all creatures is
You need not waste your time gathering theflowers that fade away and wither away in no time
Te flower of your heart is eternal ever fresh andever fragrant for which you need not spend evena penny Tat is the real flower One who under-stands the secret of this flower is one of supreme wisdom3
FOURTH FLOWER
Te fourth one is the flower of forbearanceForbearance truly is the highest quality of a humanbeing But in human life because he develops nar-row ideas man wants to live in a constricted placeHe thinks ldquoIrdquo and ldquomy familyrdquo are what mattersothers are all different from ldquomerdquo It is not possiblefor us to develop the flower of forbearance as longas these ideas are in us It is only when we lovethat we can have patience and forbearance Onersquoslove should encompass all living beings Tat willfructify as forbearance
Here is a brief example In our home thereare our children Along with our children there is
also a servant In the house a son may be pilfer-ing something or other and developing bad habitsIn many ways we will try and control that son bybeating scolding and persuading him to return togood ways but we will never take him and handhim over to the police In the same house if theservant steals a small spoon at once we will takehim 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 dayafter day but we hand over a servant immediatelyto the police when he steals even a small thing
Te reason for this is the narrow idea that ldquothis boyis my sonrdquo Because the servant does not belong toyou there is no place for forbearance and patienceSo you see that when you have the broad idea thatldquoeveryone is minerdquo there is room for patience and
forbearance It is only then that our love will alsogrow1
Forbearance Promotes Divine Qualities
Forbearance is identified by the scriptures withtruth righteousness knowledge sacrifice and joy Without forbearance man cannot be happy foreven a moment It promotes divine qualities Itreveals inner Divinity One has to undertake spiri-tual practices to earn it and establish oneself in it
Nourish the idea that God is equally present in allin spite of ridicule from the ignorant and sarcasticcriticism from the blind or even praise from ad-mirers Do not mind them4
Forbearance Is Very Dear to the Lord
Te Pandavas suffered a lot at the hands ofthe Kauravas But never did Dharmaraja lose for-bearance even when Droupadi was being humili-ated by the Kauravas It was the virtue of forbear-ance that protected the Pandavas and made theman ideal for the rest of the world Tis flower offorbearance is very dear to the Lord God will bepleased with you and confer boons on you only when you offer Him the ldquoflowersrdquo which are dearto Him No benefit accrues from offering the flow-ers that fade away and decay Te ever-bloomingflowers of non-violence sense control compassionfor all living beings and forbearance are liked by
God2
FIFTH FLOWER
Te fifth is the flower of peace Tis flower ofpeace should not be interpreted to mean that youshould be silent no matter who is attacking you or who is blaming you It is not that If you are un-moved and unperturbed in spite of anyone findingfaults with you this can be called real peace Ifyou can fill your heart with love then peace willcome into you from outside Trough bad quali-ties to some extent we lose peace With truthfulthoughts a man will have peace With untruthful
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17
thoughts a man will not have peace If you can getrid of all thoughts you will become a saint It isonly when you can be free from all thoughts thatyou can have peace
Your own bad thoughts are responsible for all
your pain and sorrow By good thoughts and bygood ideas you will become a holy man Holyman does not mean one who merely wears an or-ange robe shaves the head and wears holy beadsHe who has good thoughts and good ideas is aholy man A holy man is one who is the embodi-ment of truthful thoughts1
Peace Has Detachment as the Basic
Quality
Peace does not mean that a person should notreact at all whatever others may say or howeverthey may abuse him It does not mean that hemust be silent as a rock It involves mastery of allthe senses and all the passions inner peace mustbecome onersquos nature Peace has detachment as thebasic quality Te sea which likes to gather andpossess lies low the cloud that likes to renounceand give up is high in the sky Peace endows man
with an unruffled mind and steady visionTe prayer for shanthi (peace) is usually repeat-
ed thrice ldquoOm shanthi shanthi shanthihirdquo sincepeace is prayed for in the physical mental andspiritual planes Man should not bring his bloodto boil nor should he yield to fear Spiritual calmis exemplified by Emperor Janaka of the Upani-shadhic texts He was known as vidheha (withoutbody attachment) not because he was disembod-
ied but because he lived in utter forgetfulness ofthe body and its needs He saw heard and spokeonly from the Atmic plane of consciousness4
Bear All Sufferings With Fortitude and
Patience
One should remain peaceful through all thevicissitudes of life Only then can one attain divinegrace Great devotees like Tyagaraja ukaramand Droupadi underwent many hardships Tey
bore all sufferings with patience Tyagaraja saidldquoOne cannot attain happiness without innerpeacerdquo Man needs peace at the physical mental
and spiritual levels Peace is not present in theexternal world It is present within
You are the embodiment of peace In the worldly life there are bound to be many hardshipsbut one should not be perturbed One should bear
all sufferings with fortitude and patience Humanlife is given not merely to enjoy the worldly plea-sures like birds and beasts Life becomes meaning-ful only when one experiences the peace that origi-nates from the heart2
SIXTH FLOWER
Te sixth one is the flower of penance Pen-ance is not to give up your wife and children goto a forest put your head down and feet up that
is not penance When we think of real penance weshould eliminate bad thoughts from our mindsTe co-ordination of thought word and deed ispenance Whatever thoughts sprout in your mindto utter them as word and to put them in practiceas your work that is penance It is in this contextthat it is said ldquoA great soul practises harmony ofthought word and deedrdquo Giving up bad thoughtsin your mind will become a sacrifice Tat sacri-fice will become yoga (spiritual practice leading tounion with God) But giving up onersquos propertyand onersquos wife and going to the forest is not yoga1
Be Even-Minded in Happiness or Sorrow
One should contemplate on God at all timesand achieve harmony of thought word and deedHe is a noble one whose thoughts words anddeeds are in complete harmony Do not be car-ried away by pain or pleasure Te Bhagavad Gita
teaches ldquoOne should be even-minded in happi-ness or sorrow gain or loss victory or defeatrdquo Oneshould discharge onersquos duty and serve society with-out any expectation of reward Such even-minded-ness and desireless state is true penance2
SEVENTH FLOWER
Te seventh flower is the flower of meditationoday meditation is taking many forms Manytypes of meditation that people are adopting todayare against the culture and tradition of India o sitin a lotus posture and to make the kundalini shakti (kundalini power) rise from basal plexus to the cra-
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18
nium is not meditation rue meditation consistsin recognising the presence of God in all types of work God is the indweller of all and is all per-vading o make an attempt in your meditation toconfine 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 marketthe market is your God According to the cultureof 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 TeUpanishads are teaching us ldquoTe work I have todo I regard as God and make obeisance to God
in that formrdquoLet us consider the person who plays the
drums Before he begins to play on them he paysobeisance to the drums Te harmonium player will make obeisance to the harmonium before hestarts A dancer before she begins her dance willmake obeisance to her anklets Even a driver whois going to drive a lifeless car before he holds thesteering wheel makes salutations to the steering wheel You do not have to go so far While driv-ing if the car hits another person immediately wemake salutations to that person Te significanceof all this is the faith and belief that God is presentin all things Tus to regard the entire creation asthe form of God and to perform your duty in thatspirit is meditation1
Contemplate On God at All Times
Meditation does not mean sitting in lotus pos-
ture with eyes closed in contemplation on GodTis is physical worldly activity No doubt this isalso needed but true meditation lies in unifyingthe mind with God Just as milk and water can-not be separated likewise the mind once merged with God cannot be separated An iron ball castin fire will become one with it Likewise your loveshould become one with divine love Tis truthis contained in the Vedic dictum ldquoTe knower ofBrahman becomes Brahman Himselfrdquo
Some people contemplate on God for a lim-ited period in the morning and evening Tis can-
not be called meditation Contemplate on Godat all times at all places and under all circum-stances Perform all tasks with your mind firmlyfixed on God Tat is true meditation Tinking ofGod for a limited period cannot be termed medi-
tation Tat is only part-time devotion Part-timedevotion confers only part-time grace You shouldhave full-time devotion in order to attain full-timegrace2
EIGHTH FLOWER
Te next flower is the flower of truth If yousimply speak what you feel and tell what you havedone this can be called worldly truth mdash state-ment of facts Tis cannot be called truth ruth
is that which does not change at any time Whatyou have seen is truth at that moment At the nextmoment it becomes untruth All material thingsthat you see in this creation are things that willdecay that are bound to change In this transientchanging world how can what you see and whatyou hear become truth ruth is God Tis truth isthe eighth flower Tis truth is the form of Divin-ity In the world we experience truths of a relativenature
Let us take chemistry as an example You takesome chemicals and mix them together Teychange and you get some other chemical If youmix turmeric in lime you get red colour Tis ischemistry Another example is physics If you takea 3-inch needle and put it in fire it will becomea longer needle Tis is the truth of physics Howlong do these truths of chemistry and physics re-main Tese are temporary worldly scientific
truths But spiritual truths are such that they willremain unchanged whatever you may do to them whatever fire you may use on them and howsoeveryou may change the circumstances
So what does not change at all is truth Cru-elty and harshness are predominant in the worldtoday because we are not attempting to promotesuch sacred qualities oday among believersnon-believers and the believing the same kind ofattitude is developing Tat day when we can pro-mote such good qualities in the minds of believersthe non-believers will disappear from this world1
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19
ruth is changeless in all the three periods oftime ie past present and future Everythingmay disappear but truth remains forever So truthis God live in truth2
Win Godrsquos Grace by Worshipping EightFlowers
Worship the Lord and offer Him these flow-ers Now when other flowers are used devotiondoes not last after one comes out of the worshiproom When one crosses that door-step angerhatred and anxiety possess him and degrade him Without developing the qualities indicated by theeight flowers how can anyone win the grace ofGod Engaged in wrong worship on all 364 days
what good do you derive by doing true worship onthe 365th day of the year When you claim to beSai devotees justify the claim by cultivating theseflowers of virtue and offering them to God4
Serve Society to Your Utmost Capacity
God will be pleased only when you wor-ship Him with these eight types of flowers Tepriests in temples worship God with various typesof flowers But God does not want these flowersHe says ldquoO priest is this what you have learntall these years You are worshipping Me with lorryloads of roses and jasmines which fade away in ashort time Tese are not the flowers that I expectfrom you Worship Me with the flowers of peacelove non-violence etc which will never faderdquo
Embodiments of Love
People worship God with devotion and sincer-
ity but God is not satisfied with external worship You should serve society Only service can conferbliss on you By rendering service to society notonly can you alleviate the sufferings of the peoplebut you can also bring about transformation intheir lives As is the feeling so is the result If youserve with sacred feelings it is bound to yield sa-cred results Serve society to your utmost capacity You are singing devotional songs in the morningand evening Te satisfaction that you get by par-
ticipating in singing devotional songs is temporary whereas service confers permanent satisfaction
Te Vedas say the objective of actions is to pu-rify the mind Service alone is undertaken to pu-rify the mind oday people waste a lot of time wealth and energy in performing activities that donot foster purity of the mind Tat is why they
are unable to experience peace of mind Te peacethat one gets out of worldly activities comes andgoes like a passing cloud One should aspire forthe true and eternal peace which originates fromthe heart2
References
1 Sathya Sai Speaks Volume 15 Chapter 9 TeFlowers Tat God Loves
2 Sathya Sai Speaks Volume 33 Chapter 12
Flowers Tat Never Fade3 Sanathana Sarathi March 2012 Chapter Hu-
manness Blossoms in a Compassionate Heart
4 Sathya Sai Speaks Volume 15 Chapter 25Te Garden of the Heart
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20
Glossary
AtmaAtmic
Self Soul Embodied Self is jiva (the individ-ual soul) Self with no limitations is Brahman (the Supreme Cosmic Reality)
SatwaSatwic
It is the quality of purity brightness peacegoodness and harmony It leads to knowledge
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L983151983158983141 A983148983148 S983141983154983158983141 A983148983148
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i
eachings of Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba Volume 1
copy2013 Sri Sathya Sai World Foundation
publicationsssswforg
About printing this book
o print this book please use the ldquofit to printable areardquooption on your computer
8132019 Teachings of Sri Sathya Sai Baba - Vol 1
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ii
Contents
Do Not Waste Food
Do Not Waste Money
Do Not Waste ime
Do Not Waste Energy
Do Not Exploit Nature
1
Ceiling on Desires
Non-violence
Control of Senses
Compassion for All Living Beings
Forbearance
Peace
Penance Meditation
ruth
13
Eight Flowers of Worship
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1
Desires Are a Prison What is the meaning of ldquoCeiling on Desiresrdquo
Man is deluded by his unlimited desires He isliving in a dream world He is forgetting the Su-preme Consciousness Tat is why it is importantto keep our desires under control to place a ceilingon them We are spending too much money In-stead of inordinate spending for our own pleasure we should be spending for the relief of the poor
and needy Tis is the real meaning of ldquoCeiling onDesiresrdquo
Do not make the mistake of thinking that giv-ing money is all that is needed however Do notgive to others while allowing your own desires tocontinue to multiply Curtail your desires as ma-terialistic desires lead to a restless and disastrouslife Desires are a prison Man can be freed only bylimiting his wants You should have desire only forlifersquos bare necessities
How Can You Reduce Desires
First food Eat only what you need to eatDonrsquot be greedy Do not take more than you caneat and waste the rest because wasting food is agreat sin Te surplus food can feed another stom-ach Do not waste food because food is God lifeis God and man is born from food Food is themain source of manrsquos life body mind and char-
acter
Te gross part of the food which is the ma- jor portion of the food consumed by the body isthrown out as waste matter A minute amount ofthe food which is the subtle part is assimilatedby the body and flows as blood And a minusculeamount which is the subtlest part of the foodmakes up the mind Terefore the mind is thereflection of the food consumed Te reason forthe present beastly and demonic tendencies in our
minds is because of the food we consumeInstead of kindness compassion love and pa-
tience only bad qualities such as hatred and attach-ment are being perpetrated Terefore the qualityof the food that we eat should be very pure veryclean very sanctified and satwic Man receives realnourishment from such food
A large part of the water we drink is expelledas urine A minute part of the water consumed be-
comes the life force Terefore the nature of thefood and water that we take in decides our char-acter Only by controlling the quality of our foodand water can we attain Divinity Tat is why foodis said to be God Hence to waste food is to wasteGod Do not waste food Eat only what you needand be sure that what you eat is satwic Give anysurplus 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 tobad qualities bad ideas and bad habits Use your
Reproduced below are thirteen divine discourses delivered by Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba in which He explains the ldquoCeiling on Desires Programmerdquo
Ceiling on DesiresDo Not Waste Food
Do Not Waste Money
Do Not Waste ime
Do Not Waste Energy
Do Not Exploit Nature
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2
money wisely for good deeds Do not waste moneyas misuse of money is evil It will lead you alongthe wrong path
Tird time Te most important the mostneeded factor is time One should not waste time
ime should be spent in a useful manner imeshould be sanctified because everything in this cre-ation is dependent on time Even our scripturessay that God is referred to as time and as non-timeGod is not limited by time He is beyond time Heis time He restricts time ime is the embodimentof God Everything depends on time
Te main reason for manrsquos birth and death istime ime is the main factor in our growth If we
waste time our lives will be wasted Terefore timeis an essential part of our life Do not degrade timeby spending it participating in unnecessary con-versations or by getting involved in othersrsquo per-sonal matters Te truth behind the saying ldquoDonrsquot waste timerdquo is that no time should be wasted inevil thoughts and acts Instead make use of timein an efficient way
Fourth energy Our physical mental and
spiritual energies should never be wasted You might ask me ldquoHow are we wasting our ener-giesrdquo If you see bad things your energy is wastedHearing bad things speaking evil thinking evilthoughts and doing evil deeds wastes your ener-gy Conserve your energy in all these five areas andmake your life more meaningful
See no evilmdashsee what is goodHear no evilmdashhear what is good
Speak no evilmdashspeak what is goodTink no evilmdashthink what is goodDo no evilmdashdo what is goodTis is the way to God
Te path of Divinity is not seeing listeningspeaking 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 arelosing our memory power intelligence power ofdiscrimination and power of justice
odayrsquos man is not capable of discriminatingbetween good and bad Ten how can he enter the
path of right action You might be wondering howthis is possible how are we wasting time For ex-ample when you turn on the radio to listen to acertain programme whether you raise or lower thevolume of the sound as long as the radio is on the
current is being usedOur mind is like the radio Whether you talk
with others or only think within yourself you areconsuming energy Your mind is working all thetime Since it is always turned on you are consum-ing a lot of energy Instead of wasting that powerenergy or force in mental meandering isnrsquot it bet-ter to spend your time in thinking good thoughts
Te Ceiling on Desires Programme has been
proposed so that man does not waste anything inthe areas of food money time or energy
Main Goal of the Sathya Sai Organisation
oday however some service-oriented peopleand workers in the Sri Sathya Sai World Organisa-tion have not fully realised this Instead they aregiving money thinking that it is service Tey arecleverly getting out of serving while their desiresare growing out of bounds We should graduallytry to change these attitudes Te main goal of theSai Organisation is to enable members workersand officers to lead ideal perfect and happy livesTerefore we must live up to the high ideals of theorganisation and transform ourselves into ideal be-ings 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
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3
Easiest Way of Achieving Control of the
Mind
You should be established in the awarenessthat the Lord is ever present You must also beprompted by the feeling that you are performingdeeds for the pleasure of the Lord Tis is the easi-est way of achieving control of the mind
If you are prompted by feelings that your bodybelongs to the Lord you will not sin with yourbody On the other hand all your efforts and en-deavours will proceed towards Divinity If you aresaturated with the conviction that your energy be-longs to God you will not misuse it It is in lightof this that we have prescribed the principle ofceiling on desires in the Sri Sathya Sai Centres
Fourfold Programme
Te first ceiling on desires is ldquoDonrsquot wastefood Food is Godrdquo Your body is made of food
and you are the result of the food eaten by yourparents Food is God Eat as much as it is necessaryto eat But do not throw away food by taking toomuch on your plate By wasting food you will be wasting the energy divine
Te second instruction is ldquoDonrsquot waste mon-ey God is wealthrdquo Since God is wealth misuseof money is evil Practice charity by gifting awaymoney food clothes houses etc instead of mis-using money in extravagance Misuse of money isnot only evil but a sin as well Te third instruc-tion is ldquoDonrsquot waste time ime waste is life wasterdquo
God is exalted as time He is beyond timetranscends time and is the embodiment of timeSpend the time by using sanctifying words Do not waste time Wasting time is wasting God
Te fourth instruction is ldquoDonrsquot waste energyrdquoPeople waste their energy by indulging in bad
thoughts seeing bad things hearing bad thingsand taking bad actions
Te right royal road is the followingSee no evilmdashsee what is goodHear no evilmdashhear what is goodSpeak no evilmdashspeak what is goodTink no evilmdashthink what is goodDo no evilmdashdo what is good
By translating the above instructions into
practice you will be sanctifying your time Tis isthe spiritual practice and the service that you haveto undertake A time will come when the mind will be extinguished and merger with the divine will be achieved
Summer Showers in Brindavan 1993Chapter 6 Te Conquest of the Mind
Ceiling on Desires
2
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4
Light the Lamp of Love Within
Man is making every attempt today to be hap-py blissful Where do you get bliss Is it in the ma-terial things in the world in individuals in booksNo not at all Bliss is within onersquos own Self Youhave forgotten your true Self the source of bliss You are struggling hard for artificial happiness out-side You are not aware of the reality that lies in theheart In fact all the bliss is there Te principle oflove originates from the heart not from the world
Everyone should develop love more and moreBut today there is hatred and anger everywhere Wherever you look there is desire enmity andfear How do you expect to be at peace How doyou expect to be blissful Light the lamp of love within Ten fear and illusion can be removedand you can have the vision of the Self Otherwiseyou are bound to suffer
You have to exercise a ceiling on your desires
Tere are rules for a ceiling with regard to land and property But you have no ceiling on your desires Ceiling on desires means exercising controlover them You can be happy once the desires arecontrolled
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 Tere-fore it is said ldquoLess luggage more comfort makestravel a pleasurerdquo So ceiling on desires is what youhave to adopt today You have to cut short your de-sires day by day You are under the mistaken notionthat happiness lies in the fulfillment of desires Butin fact happiness begins to dawn when desires aretotally eradicated
When you reduce your desires you advancetowards the state of renunciation You have many
desires What do you get out of them You are
bound to face the consequences when you claimsomething as yours When you claim a piece ofland as yours then you will have to reap the har-vest Tis instinct of ego and attachment will putyou to suffering You will be blissful the momentyou give up ego and attachment
Sathya Sai Speaks Volume 32 Part 1Chapter 6 Put a Ceiling on Your Desires
Ceiling on Desires
3
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5
Nothing Accompanies You When You
Leave the World
Wherever you look today there are only de-sires desires and more desires Put a ceiling onthese desires Only then will your mind becomesteady You say ldquoI want this I want thatrdquo etcTus you develop many wants Tey are like pass-ing clouds Why should you multiply your wantsthese passing clouds Ultimately nothing accom-panies you at the time of your leaving this mortal
bodyGreat kings and emperors ruled over this
world Tey conquered many countries and ac-cumulated boundless wealth Even Alexander theGreat who conquered several parts of the worldcould not take with him even a miniscule part ofthe wealth he accumulated He had to leave this world with empty hands
o demonstrate this truth he instructed his
ministers to take his dead body in a procession
through the streets of his capital keeping both hishands in a raised position pointing towards thesky Te ministers were curious to know the rea-son for this strange request He said ldquoI have con-quered many countries and accumulated so much wealth Tere is a vast army under my control Yetnone is accompanying me at the time of my leav-ing this body I am going with empty hands Tishas to be demonstrated to all peoplerdquo
Sathya Sai Speaks Volume 41
Chapter 19 Contemplate on God the Real Hero forVictory
Ceiling on Desires
4
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6
Excessive Desire Causes Imbalance in
Nature
Man should put a ceiling on his desires Asmanrsquos conduct is perverted today we find natu-ral calamities taking place You are aware of thedevastation caused by the earthquake in GujaratTousands of people lost their lives Te reason forthis is that man is entertaining excessive desiresGod maintains perfect balance in His creation InGodrsquos creation the Earth and the oceans are en-
dowed with balance But man is indiscriminatelyexploiting the Earth for extracting oil
Every day tonnes of fish are caught from theoceans Tis indiscriminate exploitation of Natureresults in imbalance in Earth which is playinghavoc with human lives Only when man is freefrom unsteadiness within will he not be troubledby earthquake
Do Not Rob Nature of Its Resources toSatisfy Your Greed
Not only the people of India but also the peo-ple of the entire world should strive to maintainbalance Te five elements are nothing but mani-festations of the divine Manrsquos life will be secureonly when he realises this truth and acts accord-ingly A few days ago I sent lorry loads of ricegrams etc to the earthquake victims of Gujarat
Some people asked ldquoSwami why should youtake the trouble to spend so much money for send-ing relief material to Gujarat You could have in-stead averted the earthquakerdquo I replied ldquoMy dearman has to blame himself for the earthquakesDue to excessive greed for wealth he is disturbingthe balance of the Earth Hence the earthquakeTat is the law of Naturerdquo
You have to express your love for man by help-ing the needy Love is your nature Just as balance
is very much essential for Nature so also love isvery much needed for man Know that whatev-
er God has created is for your own welfare Youshould enjoy Nature according to your need Youshould not rob Nature of its resources to satisfyyour greed
Science Should Be Utilised Only to the
Extent Needed
Here is an example Once a greedy personowned a duck which used to lay a golden egg ev-ery day One day he ripped open the stomach of
the duck thinking that he would get many goldeneggs at a time oday man also is indulging in suchfoolish and greedy acts Instead of being satisfied with what Nature is giving him he aspires formore and more and in the process he is creatingimbalance in Nature
oday scientists are interested in new inven-tions Te advancement in science and technologyhas also led to imbalance in Nature As a result
there are earthquakes and no timely rains Scienceshould be utilised only to the extent needed Sci-ence has its limitations and crossing those limitsleads to danger
You have a long way to go Adhere to truthand righteousness Our ancient sages said ldquoSpeaktruth speak pleasantly and do not speak unpleas-ant truthrdquo Make proper use of natural resourcesand do not put them to misuse Help everybodyand make them happy Share all the good thingsyou have learnt with others Tis is your foremostduty
Sathya Sai Speaks Volume 34Chapter 3 Vision of the Atma
Ceiling on Desires
5
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7
Desires Are the Root Cause of Manrsquos
Disturbance
All the spiritual practices that man performsaims at making his mind steady Tere is no use inconstantly repeating Godrsquos name meditating andpractising spiritual austerities if the mind is notsteady Once you have the five senses under con-trol you can experience God He is not far awayfrom you He is in you below you above you andall around you God in fact is the indweller of
man Yet man is not able to see Him What is thereason Manrsquos limitless and wayward desires pre-vent him from seeing God
Desires are the root cause of manrsquos disturbanceSense control and ceiling on desires will help himto see God all around and experience bliss So wehave to keep our desires in check We should notbe worried by the evil talk that others indulge in We should not be affected by calumny and criti-
cism
Control the Five Senses
Buddha wanted to control the five senses Hedecided first and foremost to acquire right visionMan today is not able to control his vision becauseof the fickleness of his mind Cinema video Vetc have polluted the mind of man He does notsee good and hear good Man is the cause of hisown restlessness
Besides right vision Buddha emphasised theneed for right hearing right speech right feelingand right thinking Due to lack of these human-ness is fast giving way to devilishness and beastli-ness Animal qualities are fast increasing in man Animals have a season and a reason but man hasnone Man today has become worse than animalsHuman qualities like compassion kindness loveand forbearance are absent in him He should be
free from evil thoughts which are the root causeof his worries Tis requires constant and sustainedpractice
Master the Mind and Be a Mastermind
Man can control the mind and attain peaceby constant and sustained practice It is only ina peaceful mind that noble thoughts arise Temind should be under the control of man Mas-ter the mind and be a mastermind Unfortunatelyinstead of controlling the mind man has becomethe slave of his senses Tat is the main cause of hisunsteadiness Moreover he has body attachmentTis is the reason he gets easily disturbed if people
find fault with him Why should he worry aboutthe body when the body is like a water bubble You should get rid of body attachment
Summer Showers in Brindavan 2002Chapter 11 Sense Control Is the Highest Sadhana
Ceiling on Desires
6
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8
Learn a Lesson from Nature
Tere are four components in the term ldquoCeil-ing on Desiresrdquo Tey are curb on excessive talkcurb on excessive desires and expenditure controlof consumption of food and check on waste ofenergy Man needs some essential commodities forhis sustenance and he should not aspire for more
We can learn a lesson in this respect from Na-ture Only if air is available in sufficient quantity will it be comfortable and good If it is excessiveand there is a gale you will feel uncomfortable When you are thirsty you can consume only alimited quantity of water You canrsquot consume theentire water of the River Ganga We take only asmuch as is needed for the sustenance of the body
Doctors know that the body temperature isnormally 986 degrees If this goes up to 99 de-grees they say fever has set in due to some disorderin the body We inhale and exhale at a normal rate
If there is a slight increase or decrease in the rateit indicates disorder in the body Changes in thepulse rate or blood pressure also indicate disorderSo you find that if you exceed the limits even to alittle extent it is dangerous or harmful to the body
Tere is a limit for everything to function in anormal way When your eyes happen to see a flashof lightning or a flash of light while taking photo-graphs they automatically close because they canrsquot
withstand such high illumination Eardrums alsocannot tolerate hearing beyond a certain volumeand we cover our ears or keep cotton inside theears From these we see that our life is a limitedcompany
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 reason-
able number of saris but not a huge collectionfor pomp or show Misuse of money is a great evilEven men will have to do their own bit in control-ling the expenditure on unwanted and unnecessarythings
Money is the embodiment of Divinity Whenyou talk of wealth you should be careful to avoidavaricious accumulation and extravagant expendi-ture Even in the preparation of food you shouldbe careful in avoiding wastage We are only doinga disservice by consuming more food than what isnecessary for the body
Tirdly you should be careful about ldquotimerdquo which is the yardstick of life Seconds becomehours hours become years years make ages andso on You should not waste this most valuableldquotimerdquo ime lost in wasteful pursuits canrsquot be gotback by any means All our activities should beplanned for utilising the available time to maxi-
mum advantage So we should not waste foodmoney time and energy
Sathya Sai Speaks Volume 16Chapter 3 Ceiling on Desires-I
Ceiling on Desires
7
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9
Aims of the ldquoCeiling on Desires
Programmerdquo
Tere is a programme connected with ldquoCeilingon Desiresrdquo You must realise that this programmehas not been launched to raise funds Te object ofthe programme is to prevent waste of money timefood or other resources and to use all these forthe welfare of the people Te money that is savedneed not be kept for the Sathya Sai OrganisationsIt may be used in the best way you choose for the
benefit of others Do not waste time ime wastedis life wasted ime is God Sanctify all the time atyour disposal by undertaking service activities in apure and unselfish spirit
oday we waste time on unnecessary and un- wanted things in indulging in unnecessary talkand doing meaningless actions In all these ac-tions 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 gooddeeds Every second of your daily existence youmust ask these questions ldquoHow am I utilisingtime Is it for a good or bad purposerdquo
Likewise with regard to food you must askldquoAm I just eating what I need or more Am I wast-ing foodrdquo So also with regard to money ldquoAm Iusing this money for my own selfish needs or forboosting my name and fame or to satisfy my egoand vanityrdquo Once you start seeking answers tothese questions there is no greater spiritual prac-tice
Tese are the aims of the ldquoCeiling on DesiresProgrammerdquo It was never the purpose of thisprogramme to collect money for the Sathya SaiOrganisations Te object was to encourage youto share your money with others to give you anopportunity to utilise your surplus resources forsome good and noble purpose that will sanctify
your life
Make Your Lives Sacred and Worthwhile
Tree types of strength are given to a personphysical strength mental strength and the powerof money It has been said that all these should beoffered as yajna (sacrifice) Tis sacrifice is not of-fered to God God who has given you your bodyand your mind does not need them for HimselfGod is also the source of all wealth What does He want with your wealth
Use it for sacred purposes Te service pro-gramme is intended only to provide you with op-portunities to make your lives sacred and worth- while 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 discoverSita in Lanka Himself What need was there forHim to send Hanuman Rama wanted Hanumanto go on the search so that He could show to the
world the devotion and steadfastness and faith ofHanuman It is a case of grace on the part of Rama
In the same manner if Sai wants to do so manythings Himself He can do anything Tis endeav-our is not for the sake of Sai It is done throughthese service organisations so that members ofthe organisation get the chance to do service andredeem themselves ry to understand the basictruth that these avenues of service have been pro-vided so that you will get a good name for yourselfand not for the sake of Sai
Sathya Sai Speaks Volume 17Chapter 16 Ceiling on Desires-II
Ceiling on Desires
8
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10
Always Be Happy
Whatever trouble you may face you mustlearn to feel happy in any circumstance If you arestung by a scorpion you must console yourselfthat you were not bitten by a snake and when youare bitten by a snake you must console yourselfthat it has not proved fatal Even if you are not ableto own a vehicle be happy that your legs are intactto enable you to walk Even if you are not a mil-lionaire be happy that you have enough resourcesto feed yourself and your family Tis 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 peace-ful and meaningful life You must curb the desireto seek more and more wealth and turn your effortto realise the Reality within In pursuing this ef-fort you must avoid waste of food money timeenergy and knowledge as all these are forms ofGod Unnecessary talk should be avoided as thisresults in waste of energy and reduction of mem-ory power
Sathya Sai Speaks Volume 27Chapter 20 Spiritual Orientation to Education
Peace Can Be Attained Only by Godrsquos
GraceIn the modern world every person tries hard
to attain peace Peace cannot be attained by spiri-tual precepts nor can it be obtained from a mar-ket as a commodity It cannot be acquired even byknowledge of the texts or a high position in lifePeace can be attained only by Godrsquos grace
Tough man is eager to attain peace he con-fronts many obstacles in the path Tose who trav-
el by train may be well acquainted with the sloganldquoLess luggage more comfort makes travel a plea-surerdquo Now man is burdening himself with limit-less desires Because of this extra heavy luggage ofdesires he finds it extremely difficult to carry onthe journey of life By such proliferation of desireshe loses his balance moves far away from his goaland even tends to go mad
It is for this reason that I have been stressingthe need for ceiling on desires By limiting yourdesires you can attain peace to a certain extent You have to exercise a check on your desires andmake efforts to get the grace of the divine
Sathya Sai Speaks Volume 31Chapter 19 Faith Love and Grace
Bad Qualities Are the Result of Your Own
Thoughts
Suppose you get angry From where did thisanger come Tis has come from you only Simi-larly jealousy is a quality that manifested fromyour mind Tus each one of these bad qualities isthe result of your own thoughts Hence if only you
are able to control your thoughts properly you willbe able to achieve anything in life
Ceiling on Desires
9Ceiling on Desires
10
Ceiling on Desires
11Te mind intellect and awareness are the re-
flections of the Atma Te mind has no stabilityIt is the repository of thoughts and desires It issaid ldquoTe mind alone is the cause of bondage orliberationrdquo Hence one has to keep the mind underproper control by putting some ceiling on desires
Sathya Sai Speaks Volume 42
Chapter 1 Know Tyself You Will Know Everything
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12
Cultivate Four Desirable Practices
Te Sai Organisations have been enjoined tocarry out a programme of ceiling on desires Every-one should try to control desires as much as pos-sible Te promotion of human values is anotheritem in the programme Tese human values areinherent in every person All that is needed is foreveryone to manifest them in his daily life ruthrighteousness and peace are all in you
You are the embodiment of truth peace loveand God Recognise this fact Members of SaiOrganisations should cultivate certain desirablepractices For instance they should regulate theirdiet because onersquos food influences onersquos thoughtsSmoking and intoxicating drinks have to be givenup Tey are ruinous for the health Meat eatingshould also be given up because eating animalfood promotes animal tendencies Te fourth evilthat has to be eliminated is gambling
Tose who take to the spiritual path shouldavoid as much as possible these four bad practicesIt is sinful to slaughter poor animals for onersquos foodSai members should follow the motto ldquoHelp everhurt neverrdquo
Tere is no meaning in professing to respecthuman values without observing the rule that youshould cause no harm to others in any form what-soever God loves those who serve others becauseHe is in all of them Whomever you may serveconsider it as service to God Divinise all youractions reat every action you perform as Godrsquos work
Sathya Sai Speaks Volume 28Chapter 34 Spiritual Significance of Loving Service
Ceiling on Desires
13
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13
Eight Flowers of Worship
Non-violence Control of Senses
Compassion for All Living Beings
Forebearance
Peace
Penance
Meditation
ruth
It is the experience and practice of the citizens of India that they generally wor-ship God with flowers offer ritual adoration and make obeisance to God Butthere is something that is more sacred than this Tere is a distinctive type of
devotion by which you worship God with a good clean mind and good conductTis has been given the name of para bhakthi (supreme devotion) By always wor-shipping God with ritual worship and flowers the spiritual aspirant will remainstationary in his place Tis is good in a way but to remain in one place all thetime and failing to rise to a higher position is not good
Tere is a superior type of worship mdash to worship God through good qualitiesgood conduct good thoughts and good company Te scriptures have describedthis kind of worship as worship through good qualities By offering what kind ofgood qualities can we please God
Eight Flowers of Worship
Te first flower with which we can worship God is non-violence Te second
flower is control of senses Te third flower is compassion Te fourth one is for-bearance Te fifth flower is peace Te sixth flower is penance Te seventh one isthe flower of meditation Te eighth is the flower of truth Te inner meaning ofthis statement is that God will shower grace on you if you worship him throughthese eight flowers
Te flowers in nature always fade drop down lose fragrance and also de-velop an odour that is not pleasant Instead of worshipping with such worldlyflowers which are impermanent and receiving impermanent rewards from God
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we should worship Him with what is truthful andthereby attain a stage that is higher
Te flowers that you are using for worship havenot been created by you You are bringing flowersthat have been created by the Will of God on some
tree or in some garden and are offering them backto the Creator Himself What is the greatness inusing the flowers created by God and giving themback to God Himself Many people bathe in theGanges River take the water from the Ganges intotheir palms and offer it back to the Ganges itselfTis is not what you have created Tis is not whatyou have the right to offer
From the tree of your life picking such fruits
that you have protected and that you have grownin the form of good qualities and offering themto God there is some distinctiveness in that Inorder to promote good qualities you have to un-dergo several troubles So it is through these goodqualities that your mind can also acquire a divineconcentration Without good qualities and with-out good thoughts how can you fix your mind inmeditation1
FIRST FLOWERTe first flower is the flower of non-violence
We regard the word non-violence to mean notcausing harm and hurt to other living things Tetrue meaning of the word is not to cause hurtand harm to any other living being through yourthought word or deed Cleansing and purifyingthese threemdashthought word and deedmdashhas beencalled a Triputi (summit of three) in spiritualparlance All of them should be harmonised and
brought together as one unit of flower1
We find doctors performing surgeries on pa-tients to cure them of their ailments In the processof surgery the doctors cut the body with a knife You cannot call it an act of violence because it isbeneficial to the patient Some people may arguethat even cutting vegetables is an act of violencebecause vegetables and trees have life in them Nodoubt vegetables and trees have life but they do
not have the mind Consequently they do not suf-fer any pain
Only man has got five sheaths namely foodsheath life sheath mind sheath wisdom sheathand bliss sheath One with the mind experiencespain and pleasure Men animals birds and in-sects are endowed with the mind not trees and
vegetables In some trees you find the sap oozingout when you pluck their fruit Oozing of sap froma tree is a natural phenomenon but some peoplemistake it for the tears of suffering Te trees donot suffer any pain because they do not have thefaculty of mind2
SECOND FLOWER
Te second flower is the control of sensoryorgans Our senses run without any control If
running horses or animals are not controlled theypose a danger God has created each organ of thehuman body for a specific purpose It is only when we use these sensory organs along the right pathfor which they have been created that we will beentitled to Godrsquos grace God has given us a nose We should make an attempt to breathe in andbreathe out through the nose and only accept fra-grance through the nose If we use such a nose totake snuff the purpose will become useless In the
same manner He has given us the mouth and atongue in order that we may take in pure food If we use the mouth to take in unholy food or intoxi-cating drinks then we will be using the mouth fora wrong purpose
In the same manner we should understandunder what conditions and in what times and in what manner we should use each of these organsand put them under control Our inner strength
will become less and less on account of excitementor unnecessary sorrow Te body will become ill bymental agitations and distractions Man ages veryquickly through excitement and sorrow Te rea-son for your not preserving this sacred instrumentin sound condition is lack of control over thesesensory organs Te second flower of sensory con-trol should be used for worshipping God1
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15
Lack of Sense Control Is the Main Cause
of Unrest and Agitation
All spiritual practices will prove futile if onelacks sense control Control of the senses is veryessential for one and all Lack of sense control is
the main cause of all the unrest and agitation thatyou find in the world today How can one controlthe senses First of all one should exercise controlover the tongue
You must control your tongue as it alwayscraves a variety of delicacies You must ask thisquestion ldquoO tongue how many bags of rice wheat and vegetables have you devoured Howmany delicacies have you consumed Fie on you
if you are still not satisfiedrdquo A morsel of food isenough to sustain the body You should eat forthe sake of satisfying your hunger and sustain-ing the body Do not give undue importance totaste Likewise tell your eyes to see God instead of watching unsacred things on television or videoeach your ears to listen to the stories of the Lordinstead of listening to vain gossip
O ears you are interested in listening to vain gos-sip and tales about others but you pay least attentionwhen the wonderful stories of the Lord are narrated
(elugu Song)
Tink for a while how you benefit by listen-ing to unsacred things In fact you are pollutingyour heart in the process All that you see and heargets imprinted on your heart Once your heart ispolluted your life will become meaningless Tehuman heart is like a pen Te colour of the wordsthat 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 besuffused with love God expects you to fill yourheart with love and lead a sacred life2
THIRD FLOWER
Te third flower is compassion for all livingthings Looking merely and superficially at humannature which has diverse aspects we are forgettingGod in this field From the seed of Divinity the
tree of creation has grown On this tree of creationthe fruits are the human beings that are the indi-vidual souls In each of these human fruits there
is Divinity in the form of seed Tat is why in theBhagavad Gita Krishna has said ldquoI am the seed inall the living beingsrdquo Recognising the truth thatGod is present in the form of the Atma in all livingbeings we say compassion for all living beings is
the next flower1
The Story of Abou Ben Adhem
Students might have heard the story of AbouBen Adhem who always offered compassion to- wards all beings as a form of service to the LordEvery day he traveled the streets to serve the desti-tute and the handicapped and returned home latein the night One night when he returned homehe found in his bedroom an angel writing some-
thing When he asked her what she was writingshe replied that she was making a list of those wholoved God She replied in the negative when heasked her if his name was on that list
Te following night when he returned homehe again found the angel writing something Hequeried ldquoMother what is it that you are writingnowrdquo She said ldquoSon I am writing the names ofthose who are dear to Godrdquo He again wanted to
know if his name was on the list She replied thathis name was at the top of this list
Te sum and substance of this story is thatGod is pleased when you serve your fellow humanbeings Te scriptures have prescribed nine pathsof devotion namely listening to the Lordrsquos storiessinging His glories remembrance of the Lordrsquosname service to the Lordrsquos Lotus Feet worshipsalutation servitude friendship and offering one-
self to the Lord ie complete self-surrender Butthe 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 oceanof worldly life
One can redeem onersquos life only through service(Sanskrit Verse)
Abou Ben Adhem became the recipient ofGodrsquos love because he spent all his time in the ser-
vice of his fellow men God loves all for He is theembodiment of love But He will give Himself tothose who show compassion for all beings2
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Have Compassion towards All as God
Resides in All
Among all the flowers compassion for all crea-tures is most important Man alone is endowed with this virtue of compassion Tis is the flower
that you should offer to God God is the indwellerof all beings Names and forms may vary but thesame God is present in all Terefore you shouldhave compassion towards all beings with the broadfeeling that God is present in all Only then canyou understand how expansive and fragrant thisquality of compassion for all creatures is
You need not waste your time gathering theflowers that fade away and wither away in no time
Te flower of your heart is eternal ever fresh andever fragrant for which you need not spend evena penny Tat is the real flower One who under-stands the secret of this flower is one of supreme wisdom3
FOURTH FLOWER
Te fourth one is the flower of forbearanceForbearance truly is the highest quality of a humanbeing But in human life because he develops nar-row ideas man wants to live in a constricted placeHe thinks ldquoIrdquo and ldquomy familyrdquo are what mattersothers are all different from ldquomerdquo It is not possiblefor us to develop the flower of forbearance as longas these ideas are in us It is only when we lovethat we can have patience and forbearance Onersquoslove should encompass all living beings Tat willfructify as forbearance
Here is a brief example In our home thereare our children Along with our children there is
also a servant In the house a son may be pilfer-ing something or other and developing bad habitsIn many ways we will try and control that son bybeating scolding and persuading him to return togood ways but we will never take him and handhim over to the police In the same house if theservant steals a small spoon at once we will takehim 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 dayafter day but we hand over a servant immediatelyto the police when he steals even a small thing
Te reason for this is the narrow idea that ldquothis boyis my sonrdquo Because the servant does not belong toyou there is no place for forbearance and patienceSo you see that when you have the broad idea thatldquoeveryone is minerdquo there is room for patience and
forbearance It is only then that our love will alsogrow1
Forbearance Promotes Divine Qualities
Forbearance is identified by the scriptures withtruth righteousness knowledge sacrifice and joy Without forbearance man cannot be happy foreven a moment It promotes divine qualities Itreveals inner Divinity One has to undertake spiri-tual practices to earn it and establish oneself in it
Nourish the idea that God is equally present in allin spite of ridicule from the ignorant and sarcasticcriticism from the blind or even praise from ad-mirers Do not mind them4
Forbearance Is Very Dear to the Lord
Te Pandavas suffered a lot at the hands ofthe Kauravas But never did Dharmaraja lose for-bearance even when Droupadi was being humili-ated by the Kauravas It was the virtue of forbear-ance that protected the Pandavas and made theman ideal for the rest of the world Tis flower offorbearance is very dear to the Lord God will bepleased with you and confer boons on you only when you offer Him the ldquoflowersrdquo which are dearto Him No benefit accrues from offering the flow-ers that fade away and decay Te ever-bloomingflowers of non-violence sense control compassionfor all living beings and forbearance are liked by
God2
FIFTH FLOWER
Te fifth is the flower of peace Tis flower ofpeace should not be interpreted to mean that youshould be silent no matter who is attacking you or who is blaming you It is not that If you are un-moved and unperturbed in spite of anyone findingfaults with you this can be called real peace Ifyou can fill your heart with love then peace willcome into you from outside Trough bad quali-ties to some extent we lose peace With truthfulthoughts a man will have peace With untruthful
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thoughts a man will not have peace If you can getrid of all thoughts you will become a saint It isonly when you can be free from all thoughts thatyou can have peace
Your own bad thoughts are responsible for all
your pain and sorrow By good thoughts and bygood ideas you will become a holy man Holyman does not mean one who merely wears an or-ange robe shaves the head and wears holy beadsHe who has good thoughts and good ideas is aholy man A holy man is one who is the embodi-ment of truthful thoughts1
Peace Has Detachment as the Basic
Quality
Peace does not mean that a person should notreact at all whatever others may say or howeverthey may abuse him It does not mean that hemust be silent as a rock It involves mastery of allthe senses and all the passions inner peace mustbecome onersquos nature Peace has detachment as thebasic quality Te sea which likes to gather andpossess lies low the cloud that likes to renounceand give up is high in the sky Peace endows man
with an unruffled mind and steady visionTe prayer for shanthi (peace) is usually repeat-
ed thrice ldquoOm shanthi shanthi shanthihirdquo sincepeace is prayed for in the physical mental andspiritual planes Man should not bring his bloodto boil nor should he yield to fear Spiritual calmis exemplified by Emperor Janaka of the Upani-shadhic texts He was known as vidheha (withoutbody attachment) not because he was disembod-
ied but because he lived in utter forgetfulness ofthe body and its needs He saw heard and spokeonly from the Atmic plane of consciousness4
Bear All Sufferings With Fortitude and
Patience
One should remain peaceful through all thevicissitudes of life Only then can one attain divinegrace Great devotees like Tyagaraja ukaramand Droupadi underwent many hardships Tey
bore all sufferings with patience Tyagaraja saidldquoOne cannot attain happiness without innerpeacerdquo Man needs peace at the physical mental
and spiritual levels Peace is not present in theexternal world It is present within
You are the embodiment of peace In the worldly life there are bound to be many hardshipsbut one should not be perturbed One should bear
all sufferings with fortitude and patience Humanlife is given not merely to enjoy the worldly plea-sures like birds and beasts Life becomes meaning-ful only when one experiences the peace that origi-nates from the heart2
SIXTH FLOWER
Te sixth one is the flower of penance Pen-ance is not to give up your wife and children goto a forest put your head down and feet up that
is not penance When we think of real penance weshould eliminate bad thoughts from our mindsTe co-ordination of thought word and deed ispenance Whatever thoughts sprout in your mindto utter them as word and to put them in practiceas your work that is penance It is in this contextthat it is said ldquoA great soul practises harmony ofthought word and deedrdquo Giving up bad thoughtsin your mind will become a sacrifice Tat sacri-fice will become yoga (spiritual practice leading tounion with God) But giving up onersquos propertyand onersquos wife and going to the forest is not yoga1
Be Even-Minded in Happiness or Sorrow
One should contemplate on God at all timesand achieve harmony of thought word and deedHe is a noble one whose thoughts words anddeeds are in complete harmony Do not be car-ried away by pain or pleasure Te Bhagavad Gita
teaches ldquoOne should be even-minded in happi-ness or sorrow gain or loss victory or defeatrdquo Oneshould discharge onersquos duty and serve society with-out any expectation of reward Such even-minded-ness and desireless state is true penance2
SEVENTH FLOWER
Te seventh flower is the flower of meditationoday meditation is taking many forms Manytypes of meditation that people are adopting todayare against the culture and tradition of India o sitin a lotus posture and to make the kundalini shakti (kundalini power) rise from basal plexus to the cra-
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18
nium is not meditation rue meditation consistsin recognising the presence of God in all types of work God is the indweller of all and is all per-vading o make an attempt in your meditation toconfine 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 marketthe market is your God According to the cultureof 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 TeUpanishads are teaching us ldquoTe work I have todo I regard as God and make obeisance to God
in that formrdquoLet us consider the person who plays the
drums Before he begins to play on them he paysobeisance to the drums Te harmonium player will make obeisance to the harmonium before hestarts A dancer before she begins her dance willmake obeisance to her anklets Even a driver whois going to drive a lifeless car before he holds thesteering wheel makes salutations to the steering wheel You do not have to go so far While driv-ing if the car hits another person immediately wemake salutations to that person Te significanceof all this is the faith and belief that God is presentin all things Tus to regard the entire creation asthe form of God and to perform your duty in thatspirit is meditation1
Contemplate On God at All Times
Meditation does not mean sitting in lotus pos-
ture with eyes closed in contemplation on GodTis is physical worldly activity No doubt this isalso needed but true meditation lies in unifyingthe mind with God Just as milk and water can-not be separated likewise the mind once merged with God cannot be separated An iron ball castin fire will become one with it Likewise your loveshould become one with divine love Tis truthis contained in the Vedic dictum ldquoTe knower ofBrahman becomes Brahman Himselfrdquo
Some people contemplate on God for a lim-ited period in the morning and evening Tis can-
not be called meditation Contemplate on Godat all times at all places and under all circum-stances Perform all tasks with your mind firmlyfixed on God Tat is true meditation Tinking ofGod for a limited period cannot be termed medi-
tation Tat is only part-time devotion Part-timedevotion confers only part-time grace You shouldhave full-time devotion in order to attain full-timegrace2
EIGHTH FLOWER
Te next flower is the flower of truth If yousimply speak what you feel and tell what you havedone this can be called worldly truth mdash state-ment of facts Tis cannot be called truth ruth
is that which does not change at any time Whatyou have seen is truth at that moment At the nextmoment it becomes untruth All material thingsthat you see in this creation are things that willdecay that are bound to change In this transientchanging world how can what you see and whatyou hear become truth ruth is God Tis truth isthe eighth flower Tis truth is the form of Divin-ity In the world we experience truths of a relativenature
Let us take chemistry as an example You takesome chemicals and mix them together Teychange and you get some other chemical If youmix turmeric in lime you get red colour Tis ischemistry Another example is physics If you takea 3-inch needle and put it in fire it will becomea longer needle Tis is the truth of physics Howlong do these truths of chemistry and physics re-main Tese are temporary worldly scientific
truths But spiritual truths are such that they willremain unchanged whatever you may do to them whatever fire you may use on them and howsoeveryou may change the circumstances
So what does not change at all is truth Cru-elty and harshness are predominant in the worldtoday because we are not attempting to promotesuch sacred qualities oday among believersnon-believers and the believing the same kind ofattitude is developing Tat day when we can pro-mote such good qualities in the minds of believersthe non-believers will disappear from this world1
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ruth is changeless in all the three periods oftime ie past present and future Everythingmay disappear but truth remains forever So truthis God live in truth2
Win Godrsquos Grace by Worshipping EightFlowers
Worship the Lord and offer Him these flow-ers Now when other flowers are used devotiondoes not last after one comes out of the worshiproom When one crosses that door-step angerhatred and anxiety possess him and degrade him Without developing the qualities indicated by theeight flowers how can anyone win the grace ofGod Engaged in wrong worship on all 364 days
what good do you derive by doing true worship onthe 365th day of the year When you claim to beSai devotees justify the claim by cultivating theseflowers of virtue and offering them to God4
Serve Society to Your Utmost Capacity
God will be pleased only when you wor-ship Him with these eight types of flowers Tepriests in temples worship God with various typesof flowers But God does not want these flowersHe says ldquoO priest is this what you have learntall these years You are worshipping Me with lorryloads of roses and jasmines which fade away in ashort time Tese are not the flowers that I expectfrom you Worship Me with the flowers of peacelove non-violence etc which will never faderdquo
Embodiments of Love
People worship God with devotion and sincer-
ity but God is not satisfied with external worship You should serve society Only service can conferbliss on you By rendering service to society notonly can you alleviate the sufferings of the peoplebut you can also bring about transformation intheir lives As is the feeling so is the result If youserve with sacred feelings it is bound to yield sa-cred results Serve society to your utmost capacity You are singing devotional songs in the morningand evening Te satisfaction that you get by par-
ticipating in singing devotional songs is temporary whereas service confers permanent satisfaction
Te Vedas say the objective of actions is to pu-rify the mind Service alone is undertaken to pu-rify the mind oday people waste a lot of time wealth and energy in performing activities that donot foster purity of the mind Tat is why they
are unable to experience peace of mind Te peacethat one gets out of worldly activities comes andgoes like a passing cloud One should aspire forthe true and eternal peace which originates fromthe heart2
References
1 Sathya Sai Speaks Volume 15 Chapter 9 TeFlowers Tat God Loves
2 Sathya Sai Speaks Volume 33 Chapter 12
Flowers Tat Never Fade3 Sanathana Sarathi March 2012 Chapter Hu-
manness Blossoms in a Compassionate Heart
4 Sathya Sai Speaks Volume 15 Chapter 25Te Garden of the Heart
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20
Glossary
AtmaAtmic
Self Soul Embodied Self is jiva (the individ-ual soul) Self with no limitations is Brahman (the Supreme Cosmic Reality)
SatwaSatwic
It is the quality of purity brightness peacegoodness and harmony It leads to knowledge
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8132019 Teachings of Sri Sathya Sai Baba - Vol 1
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L983151983158983141 A983148983148 S983141983154983158983141 A983148983148
8132019 Teachings of Sri Sathya Sai Baba - Vol 1
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ii
Contents
Do Not Waste Food
Do Not Waste Money
Do Not Waste ime
Do Not Waste Energy
Do Not Exploit Nature
1
Ceiling on Desires
Non-violence
Control of Senses
Compassion for All Living Beings
Forbearance
Peace
Penance Meditation
ruth
13
Eight Flowers of Worship
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1
Desires Are a Prison What is the meaning of ldquoCeiling on Desiresrdquo
Man is deluded by his unlimited desires He isliving in a dream world He is forgetting the Su-preme Consciousness Tat is why it is importantto keep our desires under control to place a ceilingon them We are spending too much money In-stead of inordinate spending for our own pleasure we should be spending for the relief of the poor
and needy Tis is the real meaning of ldquoCeiling onDesiresrdquo
Do not make the mistake of thinking that giv-ing money is all that is needed however Do notgive to others while allowing your own desires tocontinue to multiply Curtail your desires as ma-terialistic desires lead to a restless and disastrouslife Desires are a prison Man can be freed only bylimiting his wants You should have desire only forlifersquos bare necessities
How Can You Reduce Desires
First food Eat only what you need to eatDonrsquot be greedy Do not take more than you caneat and waste the rest because wasting food is agreat sin Te surplus food can feed another stom-ach Do not waste food because food is God lifeis God and man is born from food Food is themain source of manrsquos life body mind and char-
acter
Te gross part of the food which is the ma- jor portion of the food consumed by the body isthrown out as waste matter A minute amount ofthe food which is the subtle part is assimilatedby the body and flows as blood And a minusculeamount which is the subtlest part of the foodmakes up the mind Terefore the mind is thereflection of the food consumed Te reason forthe present beastly and demonic tendencies in our
minds is because of the food we consumeInstead of kindness compassion love and pa-
tience only bad qualities such as hatred and attach-ment are being perpetrated Terefore the qualityof the food that we eat should be very pure veryclean very sanctified and satwic Man receives realnourishment from such food
A large part of the water we drink is expelledas urine A minute part of the water consumed be-
comes the life force Terefore the nature of thefood and water that we take in decides our char-acter Only by controlling the quality of our foodand water can we attain Divinity Tat is why foodis said to be God Hence to waste food is to wasteGod Do not waste food Eat only what you needand be sure that what you eat is satwic Give anysurplus 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 tobad qualities bad ideas and bad habits Use your
Reproduced below are thirteen divine discourses delivered by Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba in which He explains the ldquoCeiling on Desires Programmerdquo
Ceiling on DesiresDo Not Waste Food
Do Not Waste Money
Do Not Waste ime
Do Not Waste Energy
Do Not Exploit Nature
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2
money wisely for good deeds Do not waste moneyas misuse of money is evil It will lead you alongthe wrong path
Tird time Te most important the mostneeded factor is time One should not waste time
ime should be spent in a useful manner imeshould be sanctified because everything in this cre-ation is dependent on time Even our scripturessay that God is referred to as time and as non-timeGod is not limited by time He is beyond time Heis time He restricts time ime is the embodimentof God Everything depends on time
Te main reason for manrsquos birth and death istime ime is the main factor in our growth If we
waste time our lives will be wasted Terefore timeis an essential part of our life Do not degrade timeby spending it participating in unnecessary con-versations or by getting involved in othersrsquo per-sonal matters Te truth behind the saying ldquoDonrsquot waste timerdquo is that no time should be wasted inevil thoughts and acts Instead make use of timein an efficient way
Fourth energy Our physical mental and
spiritual energies should never be wasted You might ask me ldquoHow are we wasting our ener-giesrdquo If you see bad things your energy is wastedHearing bad things speaking evil thinking evilthoughts and doing evil deeds wastes your ener-gy Conserve your energy in all these five areas andmake your life more meaningful
See no evilmdashsee what is goodHear no evilmdashhear what is good
Speak no evilmdashspeak what is goodTink no evilmdashthink what is goodDo no evilmdashdo what is goodTis is the way to God
Te path of Divinity is not seeing listeningspeaking 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 arelosing our memory power intelligence power ofdiscrimination and power of justice
odayrsquos man is not capable of discriminatingbetween good and bad Ten how can he enter the
path of right action You might be wondering howthis is possible how are we wasting time For ex-ample when you turn on the radio to listen to acertain programme whether you raise or lower thevolume of the sound as long as the radio is on the
current is being usedOur mind is like the radio Whether you talk
with others or only think within yourself you areconsuming energy Your mind is working all thetime Since it is always turned on you are consum-ing a lot of energy Instead of wasting that powerenergy or force in mental meandering isnrsquot it bet-ter to spend your time in thinking good thoughts
Te Ceiling on Desires Programme has been
proposed so that man does not waste anything inthe areas of food money time or energy
Main Goal of the Sathya Sai Organisation
oday however some service-oriented peopleand workers in the Sri Sathya Sai World Organisa-tion have not fully realised this Instead they aregiving money thinking that it is service Tey arecleverly getting out of serving while their desiresare growing out of bounds We should graduallytry to change these attitudes Te main goal of theSai Organisation is to enable members workersand officers to lead ideal perfect and happy livesTerefore we must live up to the high ideals of theorganisation and transform ourselves into ideal be-ings 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
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3
Easiest Way of Achieving Control of the
Mind
You should be established in the awarenessthat the Lord is ever present You must also beprompted by the feeling that you are performingdeeds for the pleasure of the Lord Tis is the easi-est way of achieving control of the mind
If you are prompted by feelings that your bodybelongs to the Lord you will not sin with yourbody On the other hand all your efforts and en-deavours will proceed towards Divinity If you aresaturated with the conviction that your energy be-longs to God you will not misuse it It is in lightof this that we have prescribed the principle ofceiling on desires in the Sri Sathya Sai Centres
Fourfold Programme
Te first ceiling on desires is ldquoDonrsquot wastefood Food is Godrdquo Your body is made of food
and you are the result of the food eaten by yourparents Food is God Eat as much as it is necessaryto eat But do not throw away food by taking toomuch on your plate By wasting food you will be wasting the energy divine
Te second instruction is ldquoDonrsquot waste mon-ey God is wealthrdquo Since God is wealth misuseof money is evil Practice charity by gifting awaymoney food clothes houses etc instead of mis-using money in extravagance Misuse of money isnot only evil but a sin as well Te third instruc-tion is ldquoDonrsquot waste time ime waste is life wasterdquo
God is exalted as time He is beyond timetranscends time and is the embodiment of timeSpend the time by using sanctifying words Do not waste time Wasting time is wasting God
Te fourth instruction is ldquoDonrsquot waste energyrdquoPeople waste their energy by indulging in bad
thoughts seeing bad things hearing bad thingsand taking bad actions
Te right royal road is the followingSee no evilmdashsee what is goodHear no evilmdashhear what is goodSpeak no evilmdashspeak what is goodTink no evilmdashthink what is goodDo no evilmdashdo what is good
By translating the above instructions into
practice you will be sanctifying your time Tis isthe spiritual practice and the service that you haveto undertake A time will come when the mind will be extinguished and merger with the divine will be achieved
Summer Showers in Brindavan 1993Chapter 6 Te Conquest of the Mind
Ceiling on Desires
2
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4
Light the Lamp of Love Within
Man is making every attempt today to be hap-py blissful Where do you get bliss Is it in the ma-terial things in the world in individuals in booksNo not at all Bliss is within onersquos own Self Youhave forgotten your true Self the source of bliss You are struggling hard for artificial happiness out-side You are not aware of the reality that lies in theheart In fact all the bliss is there Te principle oflove originates from the heart not from the world
Everyone should develop love more and moreBut today there is hatred and anger everywhere Wherever you look there is desire enmity andfear How do you expect to be at peace How doyou expect to be blissful Light the lamp of love within Ten fear and illusion can be removedand you can have the vision of the Self Otherwiseyou are bound to suffer
You have to exercise a ceiling on your desires
Tere are rules for a ceiling with regard to land and property But you have no ceiling on your desires Ceiling on desires means exercising controlover them You can be happy once the desires arecontrolled
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 Tere-fore it is said ldquoLess luggage more comfort makestravel a pleasurerdquo So ceiling on desires is what youhave to adopt today You have to cut short your de-sires day by day You are under the mistaken notionthat happiness lies in the fulfillment of desires Butin fact happiness begins to dawn when desires aretotally eradicated
When you reduce your desires you advancetowards the state of renunciation You have many
desires What do you get out of them You are
bound to face the consequences when you claimsomething as yours When you claim a piece ofland as yours then you will have to reap the har-vest Tis instinct of ego and attachment will putyou to suffering You will be blissful the momentyou give up ego and attachment
Sathya Sai Speaks Volume 32 Part 1Chapter 6 Put a Ceiling on Your Desires
Ceiling on Desires
3
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5
Nothing Accompanies You When You
Leave the World
Wherever you look today there are only de-sires desires and more desires Put a ceiling onthese desires Only then will your mind becomesteady You say ldquoI want this I want thatrdquo etcTus you develop many wants Tey are like pass-ing clouds Why should you multiply your wantsthese passing clouds Ultimately nothing accom-panies you at the time of your leaving this mortal
bodyGreat kings and emperors ruled over this
world Tey conquered many countries and ac-cumulated boundless wealth Even Alexander theGreat who conquered several parts of the worldcould not take with him even a miniscule part ofthe wealth he accumulated He had to leave this world with empty hands
o demonstrate this truth he instructed his
ministers to take his dead body in a procession
through the streets of his capital keeping both hishands in a raised position pointing towards thesky Te ministers were curious to know the rea-son for this strange request He said ldquoI have con-quered many countries and accumulated so much wealth Tere is a vast army under my control Yetnone is accompanying me at the time of my leav-ing this body I am going with empty hands Tishas to be demonstrated to all peoplerdquo
Sathya Sai Speaks Volume 41
Chapter 19 Contemplate on God the Real Hero forVictory
Ceiling on Desires
4
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6
Excessive Desire Causes Imbalance in
Nature
Man should put a ceiling on his desires Asmanrsquos conduct is perverted today we find natu-ral calamities taking place You are aware of thedevastation caused by the earthquake in GujaratTousands of people lost their lives Te reason forthis is that man is entertaining excessive desiresGod maintains perfect balance in His creation InGodrsquos creation the Earth and the oceans are en-
dowed with balance But man is indiscriminatelyexploiting the Earth for extracting oil
Every day tonnes of fish are caught from theoceans Tis indiscriminate exploitation of Natureresults in imbalance in Earth which is playinghavoc with human lives Only when man is freefrom unsteadiness within will he not be troubledby earthquake
Do Not Rob Nature of Its Resources toSatisfy Your Greed
Not only the people of India but also the peo-ple of the entire world should strive to maintainbalance Te five elements are nothing but mani-festations of the divine Manrsquos life will be secureonly when he realises this truth and acts accord-ingly A few days ago I sent lorry loads of ricegrams etc to the earthquake victims of Gujarat
Some people asked ldquoSwami why should youtake the trouble to spend so much money for send-ing relief material to Gujarat You could have in-stead averted the earthquakerdquo I replied ldquoMy dearman has to blame himself for the earthquakesDue to excessive greed for wealth he is disturbingthe balance of the Earth Hence the earthquakeTat is the law of Naturerdquo
You have to express your love for man by help-ing the needy Love is your nature Just as balance
is very much essential for Nature so also love isvery much needed for man Know that whatev-
er God has created is for your own welfare Youshould enjoy Nature according to your need Youshould not rob Nature of its resources to satisfyyour greed
Science Should Be Utilised Only to the
Extent Needed
Here is an example Once a greedy personowned a duck which used to lay a golden egg ev-ery day One day he ripped open the stomach of
the duck thinking that he would get many goldeneggs at a time oday man also is indulging in suchfoolish and greedy acts Instead of being satisfied with what Nature is giving him he aspires formore and more and in the process he is creatingimbalance in Nature
oday scientists are interested in new inven-tions Te advancement in science and technologyhas also led to imbalance in Nature As a result
there are earthquakes and no timely rains Scienceshould be utilised only to the extent needed Sci-ence has its limitations and crossing those limitsleads to danger
You have a long way to go Adhere to truthand righteousness Our ancient sages said ldquoSpeaktruth speak pleasantly and do not speak unpleas-ant truthrdquo Make proper use of natural resourcesand do not put them to misuse Help everybodyand make them happy Share all the good thingsyou have learnt with others Tis is your foremostduty
Sathya Sai Speaks Volume 34Chapter 3 Vision of the Atma
Ceiling on Desires
5
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7
Desires Are the Root Cause of Manrsquos
Disturbance
All the spiritual practices that man performsaims at making his mind steady Tere is no use inconstantly repeating Godrsquos name meditating andpractising spiritual austerities if the mind is notsteady Once you have the five senses under con-trol you can experience God He is not far awayfrom you He is in you below you above you andall around you God in fact is the indweller of
man Yet man is not able to see Him What is thereason Manrsquos limitless and wayward desires pre-vent him from seeing God
Desires are the root cause of manrsquos disturbanceSense control and ceiling on desires will help himto see God all around and experience bliss So wehave to keep our desires in check We should notbe worried by the evil talk that others indulge in We should not be affected by calumny and criti-
cism
Control the Five Senses
Buddha wanted to control the five senses Hedecided first and foremost to acquire right visionMan today is not able to control his vision becauseof the fickleness of his mind Cinema video Vetc have polluted the mind of man He does notsee good and hear good Man is the cause of hisown restlessness
Besides right vision Buddha emphasised theneed for right hearing right speech right feelingand right thinking Due to lack of these human-ness is fast giving way to devilishness and beastli-ness Animal qualities are fast increasing in man Animals have a season and a reason but man hasnone Man today has become worse than animalsHuman qualities like compassion kindness loveand forbearance are absent in him He should be
free from evil thoughts which are the root causeof his worries Tis requires constant and sustainedpractice
Master the Mind and Be a Mastermind
Man can control the mind and attain peaceby constant and sustained practice It is only ina peaceful mind that noble thoughts arise Temind should be under the control of man Mas-ter the mind and be a mastermind Unfortunatelyinstead of controlling the mind man has becomethe slave of his senses Tat is the main cause of hisunsteadiness Moreover he has body attachmentTis is the reason he gets easily disturbed if people
find fault with him Why should he worry aboutthe body when the body is like a water bubble You should get rid of body attachment
Summer Showers in Brindavan 2002Chapter 11 Sense Control Is the Highest Sadhana
Ceiling on Desires
6
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8
Learn a Lesson from Nature
Tere are four components in the term ldquoCeil-ing on Desiresrdquo Tey are curb on excessive talkcurb on excessive desires and expenditure controlof consumption of food and check on waste ofenergy Man needs some essential commodities forhis sustenance and he should not aspire for more
We can learn a lesson in this respect from Na-ture Only if air is available in sufficient quantity will it be comfortable and good If it is excessiveand there is a gale you will feel uncomfortable When you are thirsty you can consume only alimited quantity of water You canrsquot consume theentire water of the River Ganga We take only asmuch as is needed for the sustenance of the body
Doctors know that the body temperature isnormally 986 degrees If this goes up to 99 de-grees they say fever has set in due to some disorderin the body We inhale and exhale at a normal rate
If there is a slight increase or decrease in the rateit indicates disorder in the body Changes in thepulse rate or blood pressure also indicate disorderSo you find that if you exceed the limits even to alittle extent it is dangerous or harmful to the body
Tere is a limit for everything to function in anormal way When your eyes happen to see a flashof lightning or a flash of light while taking photo-graphs they automatically close because they canrsquot
withstand such high illumination Eardrums alsocannot tolerate hearing beyond a certain volumeand we cover our ears or keep cotton inside theears From these we see that our life is a limitedcompany
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 reason-
able number of saris but not a huge collectionfor pomp or show Misuse of money is a great evilEven men will have to do their own bit in control-ling the expenditure on unwanted and unnecessarythings
Money is the embodiment of Divinity Whenyou talk of wealth you should be careful to avoidavaricious accumulation and extravagant expendi-ture Even in the preparation of food you shouldbe careful in avoiding wastage We are only doinga disservice by consuming more food than what isnecessary for the body
Tirdly you should be careful about ldquotimerdquo which is the yardstick of life Seconds becomehours hours become years years make ages andso on You should not waste this most valuableldquotimerdquo ime lost in wasteful pursuits canrsquot be gotback by any means All our activities should beplanned for utilising the available time to maxi-
mum advantage So we should not waste foodmoney time and energy
Sathya Sai Speaks Volume 16Chapter 3 Ceiling on Desires-I
Ceiling on Desires
7
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9
Aims of the ldquoCeiling on Desires
Programmerdquo
Tere is a programme connected with ldquoCeilingon Desiresrdquo You must realise that this programmehas not been launched to raise funds Te object ofthe programme is to prevent waste of money timefood or other resources and to use all these forthe welfare of the people Te money that is savedneed not be kept for the Sathya Sai OrganisationsIt may be used in the best way you choose for the
benefit of others Do not waste time ime wastedis life wasted ime is God Sanctify all the time atyour disposal by undertaking service activities in apure and unselfish spirit
oday we waste time on unnecessary and un- wanted things in indulging in unnecessary talkand doing meaningless actions In all these ac-tions 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 gooddeeds Every second of your daily existence youmust ask these questions ldquoHow am I utilisingtime Is it for a good or bad purposerdquo
Likewise with regard to food you must askldquoAm I just eating what I need or more Am I wast-ing foodrdquo So also with regard to money ldquoAm Iusing this money for my own selfish needs or forboosting my name and fame or to satisfy my egoand vanityrdquo Once you start seeking answers tothese questions there is no greater spiritual prac-tice
Tese are the aims of the ldquoCeiling on DesiresProgrammerdquo It was never the purpose of thisprogramme to collect money for the Sathya SaiOrganisations Te object was to encourage youto share your money with others to give you anopportunity to utilise your surplus resources forsome good and noble purpose that will sanctify
your life
Make Your Lives Sacred and Worthwhile
Tree types of strength are given to a personphysical strength mental strength and the powerof money It has been said that all these should beoffered as yajna (sacrifice) Tis sacrifice is not of-fered to God God who has given you your bodyand your mind does not need them for HimselfGod is also the source of all wealth What does He want with your wealth
Use it for sacred purposes Te service pro-gramme is intended only to provide you with op-portunities to make your lives sacred and worth- while 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 discoverSita in Lanka Himself What need was there forHim to send Hanuman Rama wanted Hanumanto go on the search so that He could show to the
world the devotion and steadfastness and faith ofHanuman It is a case of grace on the part of Rama
In the same manner if Sai wants to do so manythings Himself He can do anything Tis endeav-our is not for the sake of Sai It is done throughthese service organisations so that members ofthe organisation get the chance to do service andredeem themselves ry to understand the basictruth that these avenues of service have been pro-vided so that you will get a good name for yourselfand not for the sake of Sai
Sathya Sai Speaks Volume 17Chapter 16 Ceiling on Desires-II
Ceiling on Desires
8
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10
Always Be Happy
Whatever trouble you may face you mustlearn to feel happy in any circumstance If you arestung by a scorpion you must console yourselfthat you were not bitten by a snake and when youare bitten by a snake you must console yourselfthat it has not proved fatal Even if you are not ableto own a vehicle be happy that your legs are intactto enable you to walk Even if you are not a mil-lionaire be happy that you have enough resourcesto feed yourself and your family Tis 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 peace-ful and meaningful life You must curb the desireto seek more and more wealth and turn your effortto realise the Reality within In pursuing this ef-fort you must avoid waste of food money timeenergy and knowledge as all these are forms ofGod Unnecessary talk should be avoided as thisresults in waste of energy and reduction of mem-ory power
Sathya Sai Speaks Volume 27Chapter 20 Spiritual Orientation to Education
Peace Can Be Attained Only by Godrsquos
GraceIn the modern world every person tries hard
to attain peace Peace cannot be attained by spiri-tual precepts nor can it be obtained from a mar-ket as a commodity It cannot be acquired even byknowledge of the texts or a high position in lifePeace can be attained only by Godrsquos grace
Tough man is eager to attain peace he con-fronts many obstacles in the path Tose who trav-
el by train may be well acquainted with the sloganldquoLess luggage more comfort makes travel a plea-surerdquo Now man is burdening himself with limit-less desires Because of this extra heavy luggage ofdesires he finds it extremely difficult to carry onthe journey of life By such proliferation of desireshe loses his balance moves far away from his goaland even tends to go mad
It is for this reason that I have been stressingthe need for ceiling on desires By limiting yourdesires you can attain peace to a certain extent You have to exercise a check on your desires andmake efforts to get the grace of the divine
Sathya Sai Speaks Volume 31Chapter 19 Faith Love and Grace
Bad Qualities Are the Result of Your Own
Thoughts
Suppose you get angry From where did thisanger come Tis has come from you only Simi-larly jealousy is a quality that manifested fromyour mind Tus each one of these bad qualities isthe result of your own thoughts Hence if only you
are able to control your thoughts properly you willbe able to achieve anything in life
Ceiling on Desires
9Ceiling on Desires
10
Ceiling on Desires
11Te mind intellect and awareness are the re-
flections of the Atma Te mind has no stabilityIt is the repository of thoughts and desires It issaid ldquoTe mind alone is the cause of bondage orliberationrdquo Hence one has to keep the mind underproper control by putting some ceiling on desires
Sathya Sai Speaks Volume 42
Chapter 1 Know Tyself You Will Know Everything
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12
Cultivate Four Desirable Practices
Te Sai Organisations have been enjoined tocarry out a programme of ceiling on desires Every-one should try to control desires as much as pos-sible Te promotion of human values is anotheritem in the programme Tese human values areinherent in every person All that is needed is foreveryone to manifest them in his daily life ruthrighteousness and peace are all in you
You are the embodiment of truth peace loveand God Recognise this fact Members of SaiOrganisations should cultivate certain desirablepractices For instance they should regulate theirdiet because onersquos food influences onersquos thoughtsSmoking and intoxicating drinks have to be givenup Tey are ruinous for the health Meat eatingshould also be given up because eating animalfood promotes animal tendencies Te fourth evilthat has to be eliminated is gambling
Tose who take to the spiritual path shouldavoid as much as possible these four bad practicesIt is sinful to slaughter poor animals for onersquos foodSai members should follow the motto ldquoHelp everhurt neverrdquo
Tere is no meaning in professing to respecthuman values without observing the rule that youshould cause no harm to others in any form what-soever God loves those who serve others becauseHe is in all of them Whomever you may serveconsider it as service to God Divinise all youractions reat every action you perform as Godrsquos work
Sathya Sai Speaks Volume 28Chapter 34 Spiritual Significance of Loving Service
Ceiling on Desires
13
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13
Eight Flowers of Worship
Non-violence Control of Senses
Compassion for All Living Beings
Forebearance
Peace
Penance
Meditation
ruth
It is the experience and practice of the citizens of India that they generally wor-ship God with flowers offer ritual adoration and make obeisance to God Butthere is something that is more sacred than this Tere is a distinctive type of
devotion by which you worship God with a good clean mind and good conductTis has been given the name of para bhakthi (supreme devotion) By always wor-shipping God with ritual worship and flowers the spiritual aspirant will remainstationary in his place Tis is good in a way but to remain in one place all thetime and failing to rise to a higher position is not good
Tere is a superior type of worship mdash to worship God through good qualitiesgood conduct good thoughts and good company Te scriptures have describedthis kind of worship as worship through good qualities By offering what kind ofgood qualities can we please God
Eight Flowers of Worship
Te first flower with which we can worship God is non-violence Te second
flower is control of senses Te third flower is compassion Te fourth one is for-bearance Te fifth flower is peace Te sixth flower is penance Te seventh one isthe flower of meditation Te eighth is the flower of truth Te inner meaning ofthis statement is that God will shower grace on you if you worship him throughthese eight flowers
Te flowers in nature always fade drop down lose fragrance and also de-velop an odour that is not pleasant Instead of worshipping with such worldlyflowers which are impermanent and receiving impermanent rewards from God
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14
we should worship Him with what is truthful andthereby attain a stage that is higher
Te flowers that you are using for worship havenot been created by you You are bringing flowersthat have been created by the Will of God on some
tree or in some garden and are offering them backto the Creator Himself What is the greatness inusing the flowers created by God and giving themback to God Himself Many people bathe in theGanges River take the water from the Ganges intotheir palms and offer it back to the Ganges itselfTis is not what you have created Tis is not whatyou have the right to offer
From the tree of your life picking such fruits
that you have protected and that you have grownin the form of good qualities and offering themto God there is some distinctiveness in that Inorder to promote good qualities you have to un-dergo several troubles So it is through these goodqualities that your mind can also acquire a divineconcentration Without good qualities and with-out good thoughts how can you fix your mind inmeditation1
FIRST FLOWERTe first flower is the flower of non-violence
We regard the word non-violence to mean notcausing harm and hurt to other living things Tetrue meaning of the word is not to cause hurtand harm to any other living being through yourthought word or deed Cleansing and purifyingthese threemdashthought word and deedmdashhas beencalled a Triputi (summit of three) in spiritualparlance All of them should be harmonised and
brought together as one unit of flower1
We find doctors performing surgeries on pa-tients to cure them of their ailments In the processof surgery the doctors cut the body with a knife You cannot call it an act of violence because it isbeneficial to the patient Some people may arguethat even cutting vegetables is an act of violencebecause vegetables and trees have life in them Nodoubt vegetables and trees have life but they do
not have the mind Consequently they do not suf-fer any pain
Only man has got five sheaths namely foodsheath life sheath mind sheath wisdom sheathand bliss sheath One with the mind experiencespain and pleasure Men animals birds and in-sects are endowed with the mind not trees and
vegetables In some trees you find the sap oozingout when you pluck their fruit Oozing of sap froma tree is a natural phenomenon but some peoplemistake it for the tears of suffering Te trees donot suffer any pain because they do not have thefaculty of mind2
SECOND FLOWER
Te second flower is the control of sensoryorgans Our senses run without any control If
running horses or animals are not controlled theypose a danger God has created each organ of thehuman body for a specific purpose It is only when we use these sensory organs along the right pathfor which they have been created that we will beentitled to Godrsquos grace God has given us a nose We should make an attempt to breathe in andbreathe out through the nose and only accept fra-grance through the nose If we use such a nose totake snuff the purpose will become useless In the
same manner He has given us the mouth and atongue in order that we may take in pure food If we use the mouth to take in unholy food or intoxi-cating drinks then we will be using the mouth fora wrong purpose
In the same manner we should understandunder what conditions and in what times and in what manner we should use each of these organsand put them under control Our inner strength
will become less and less on account of excitementor unnecessary sorrow Te body will become ill bymental agitations and distractions Man ages veryquickly through excitement and sorrow Te rea-son for your not preserving this sacred instrumentin sound condition is lack of control over thesesensory organs Te second flower of sensory con-trol should be used for worshipping God1
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15
Lack of Sense Control Is the Main Cause
of Unrest and Agitation
All spiritual practices will prove futile if onelacks sense control Control of the senses is veryessential for one and all Lack of sense control is
the main cause of all the unrest and agitation thatyou find in the world today How can one controlthe senses First of all one should exercise controlover the tongue
You must control your tongue as it alwayscraves a variety of delicacies You must ask thisquestion ldquoO tongue how many bags of rice wheat and vegetables have you devoured Howmany delicacies have you consumed Fie on you
if you are still not satisfiedrdquo A morsel of food isenough to sustain the body You should eat forthe sake of satisfying your hunger and sustain-ing the body Do not give undue importance totaste Likewise tell your eyes to see God instead of watching unsacred things on television or videoeach your ears to listen to the stories of the Lordinstead of listening to vain gossip
O ears you are interested in listening to vain gos-sip and tales about others but you pay least attentionwhen the wonderful stories of the Lord are narrated
(elugu Song)
Tink for a while how you benefit by listen-ing to unsacred things In fact you are pollutingyour heart in the process All that you see and heargets imprinted on your heart Once your heart ispolluted your life will become meaningless Tehuman heart is like a pen Te colour of the wordsthat 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 besuffused with love God expects you to fill yourheart with love and lead a sacred life2
THIRD FLOWER
Te third flower is compassion for all livingthings Looking merely and superficially at humannature which has diverse aspects we are forgettingGod in this field From the seed of Divinity the
tree of creation has grown On this tree of creationthe fruits are the human beings that are the indi-vidual souls In each of these human fruits there
is Divinity in the form of seed Tat is why in theBhagavad Gita Krishna has said ldquoI am the seed inall the living beingsrdquo Recognising the truth thatGod is present in the form of the Atma in all livingbeings we say compassion for all living beings is
the next flower1
The Story of Abou Ben Adhem
Students might have heard the story of AbouBen Adhem who always offered compassion to- wards all beings as a form of service to the LordEvery day he traveled the streets to serve the desti-tute and the handicapped and returned home latein the night One night when he returned homehe found in his bedroom an angel writing some-
thing When he asked her what she was writingshe replied that she was making a list of those wholoved God She replied in the negative when heasked her if his name was on that list
Te following night when he returned homehe again found the angel writing something Hequeried ldquoMother what is it that you are writingnowrdquo She said ldquoSon I am writing the names ofthose who are dear to Godrdquo He again wanted to
know if his name was on the list She replied thathis name was at the top of this list
Te sum and substance of this story is thatGod is pleased when you serve your fellow humanbeings Te scriptures have prescribed nine pathsof devotion namely listening to the Lordrsquos storiessinging His glories remembrance of the Lordrsquosname service to the Lordrsquos Lotus Feet worshipsalutation servitude friendship and offering one-
self to the Lord ie complete self-surrender Butthe 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 oceanof worldly life
One can redeem onersquos life only through service(Sanskrit Verse)
Abou Ben Adhem became the recipient ofGodrsquos love because he spent all his time in the ser-
vice of his fellow men God loves all for He is theembodiment of love But He will give Himself tothose who show compassion for all beings2
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Have Compassion towards All as God
Resides in All
Among all the flowers compassion for all crea-tures is most important Man alone is endowed with this virtue of compassion Tis is the flower
that you should offer to God God is the indwellerof all beings Names and forms may vary but thesame God is present in all Terefore you shouldhave compassion towards all beings with the broadfeeling that God is present in all Only then canyou understand how expansive and fragrant thisquality of compassion for all creatures is
You need not waste your time gathering theflowers that fade away and wither away in no time
Te flower of your heart is eternal ever fresh andever fragrant for which you need not spend evena penny Tat is the real flower One who under-stands the secret of this flower is one of supreme wisdom3
FOURTH FLOWER
Te fourth one is the flower of forbearanceForbearance truly is the highest quality of a humanbeing But in human life because he develops nar-row ideas man wants to live in a constricted placeHe thinks ldquoIrdquo and ldquomy familyrdquo are what mattersothers are all different from ldquomerdquo It is not possiblefor us to develop the flower of forbearance as longas these ideas are in us It is only when we lovethat we can have patience and forbearance Onersquoslove should encompass all living beings Tat willfructify as forbearance
Here is a brief example In our home thereare our children Along with our children there is
also a servant In the house a son may be pilfer-ing something or other and developing bad habitsIn many ways we will try and control that son bybeating scolding and persuading him to return togood ways but we will never take him and handhim over to the police In the same house if theservant steals a small spoon at once we will takehim 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 dayafter day but we hand over a servant immediatelyto the police when he steals even a small thing
Te reason for this is the narrow idea that ldquothis boyis my sonrdquo Because the servant does not belong toyou there is no place for forbearance and patienceSo you see that when you have the broad idea thatldquoeveryone is minerdquo there is room for patience and
forbearance It is only then that our love will alsogrow1
Forbearance Promotes Divine Qualities
Forbearance is identified by the scriptures withtruth righteousness knowledge sacrifice and joy Without forbearance man cannot be happy foreven a moment It promotes divine qualities Itreveals inner Divinity One has to undertake spiri-tual practices to earn it and establish oneself in it
Nourish the idea that God is equally present in allin spite of ridicule from the ignorant and sarcasticcriticism from the blind or even praise from ad-mirers Do not mind them4
Forbearance Is Very Dear to the Lord
Te Pandavas suffered a lot at the hands ofthe Kauravas But never did Dharmaraja lose for-bearance even when Droupadi was being humili-ated by the Kauravas It was the virtue of forbear-ance that protected the Pandavas and made theman ideal for the rest of the world Tis flower offorbearance is very dear to the Lord God will bepleased with you and confer boons on you only when you offer Him the ldquoflowersrdquo which are dearto Him No benefit accrues from offering the flow-ers that fade away and decay Te ever-bloomingflowers of non-violence sense control compassionfor all living beings and forbearance are liked by
God2
FIFTH FLOWER
Te fifth is the flower of peace Tis flower ofpeace should not be interpreted to mean that youshould be silent no matter who is attacking you or who is blaming you It is not that If you are un-moved and unperturbed in spite of anyone findingfaults with you this can be called real peace Ifyou can fill your heart with love then peace willcome into you from outside Trough bad quali-ties to some extent we lose peace With truthfulthoughts a man will have peace With untruthful
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17
thoughts a man will not have peace If you can getrid of all thoughts you will become a saint It isonly when you can be free from all thoughts thatyou can have peace
Your own bad thoughts are responsible for all
your pain and sorrow By good thoughts and bygood ideas you will become a holy man Holyman does not mean one who merely wears an or-ange robe shaves the head and wears holy beadsHe who has good thoughts and good ideas is aholy man A holy man is one who is the embodi-ment of truthful thoughts1
Peace Has Detachment as the Basic
Quality
Peace does not mean that a person should notreact at all whatever others may say or howeverthey may abuse him It does not mean that hemust be silent as a rock It involves mastery of allthe senses and all the passions inner peace mustbecome onersquos nature Peace has detachment as thebasic quality Te sea which likes to gather andpossess lies low the cloud that likes to renounceand give up is high in the sky Peace endows man
with an unruffled mind and steady visionTe prayer for shanthi (peace) is usually repeat-
ed thrice ldquoOm shanthi shanthi shanthihirdquo sincepeace is prayed for in the physical mental andspiritual planes Man should not bring his bloodto boil nor should he yield to fear Spiritual calmis exemplified by Emperor Janaka of the Upani-shadhic texts He was known as vidheha (withoutbody attachment) not because he was disembod-
ied but because he lived in utter forgetfulness ofthe body and its needs He saw heard and spokeonly from the Atmic plane of consciousness4
Bear All Sufferings With Fortitude and
Patience
One should remain peaceful through all thevicissitudes of life Only then can one attain divinegrace Great devotees like Tyagaraja ukaramand Droupadi underwent many hardships Tey
bore all sufferings with patience Tyagaraja saidldquoOne cannot attain happiness without innerpeacerdquo Man needs peace at the physical mental
and spiritual levels Peace is not present in theexternal world It is present within
You are the embodiment of peace In the worldly life there are bound to be many hardshipsbut one should not be perturbed One should bear
all sufferings with fortitude and patience Humanlife is given not merely to enjoy the worldly plea-sures like birds and beasts Life becomes meaning-ful only when one experiences the peace that origi-nates from the heart2
SIXTH FLOWER
Te sixth one is the flower of penance Pen-ance is not to give up your wife and children goto a forest put your head down and feet up that
is not penance When we think of real penance weshould eliminate bad thoughts from our mindsTe co-ordination of thought word and deed ispenance Whatever thoughts sprout in your mindto utter them as word and to put them in practiceas your work that is penance It is in this contextthat it is said ldquoA great soul practises harmony ofthought word and deedrdquo Giving up bad thoughtsin your mind will become a sacrifice Tat sacri-fice will become yoga (spiritual practice leading tounion with God) But giving up onersquos propertyand onersquos wife and going to the forest is not yoga1
Be Even-Minded in Happiness or Sorrow
One should contemplate on God at all timesand achieve harmony of thought word and deedHe is a noble one whose thoughts words anddeeds are in complete harmony Do not be car-ried away by pain or pleasure Te Bhagavad Gita
teaches ldquoOne should be even-minded in happi-ness or sorrow gain or loss victory or defeatrdquo Oneshould discharge onersquos duty and serve society with-out any expectation of reward Such even-minded-ness and desireless state is true penance2
SEVENTH FLOWER
Te seventh flower is the flower of meditationoday meditation is taking many forms Manytypes of meditation that people are adopting todayare against the culture and tradition of India o sitin a lotus posture and to make the kundalini shakti (kundalini power) rise from basal plexus to the cra-
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18
nium is not meditation rue meditation consistsin recognising the presence of God in all types of work God is the indweller of all and is all per-vading o make an attempt in your meditation toconfine 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 marketthe market is your God According to the cultureof 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 TeUpanishads are teaching us ldquoTe work I have todo I regard as God and make obeisance to God
in that formrdquoLet us consider the person who plays the
drums Before he begins to play on them he paysobeisance to the drums Te harmonium player will make obeisance to the harmonium before hestarts A dancer before she begins her dance willmake obeisance to her anklets Even a driver whois going to drive a lifeless car before he holds thesteering wheel makes salutations to the steering wheel You do not have to go so far While driv-ing if the car hits another person immediately wemake salutations to that person Te significanceof all this is the faith and belief that God is presentin all things Tus to regard the entire creation asthe form of God and to perform your duty in thatspirit is meditation1
Contemplate On God at All Times
Meditation does not mean sitting in lotus pos-
ture with eyes closed in contemplation on GodTis is physical worldly activity No doubt this isalso needed but true meditation lies in unifyingthe mind with God Just as milk and water can-not be separated likewise the mind once merged with God cannot be separated An iron ball castin fire will become one with it Likewise your loveshould become one with divine love Tis truthis contained in the Vedic dictum ldquoTe knower ofBrahman becomes Brahman Himselfrdquo
Some people contemplate on God for a lim-ited period in the morning and evening Tis can-
not be called meditation Contemplate on Godat all times at all places and under all circum-stances Perform all tasks with your mind firmlyfixed on God Tat is true meditation Tinking ofGod for a limited period cannot be termed medi-
tation Tat is only part-time devotion Part-timedevotion confers only part-time grace You shouldhave full-time devotion in order to attain full-timegrace2
EIGHTH FLOWER
Te next flower is the flower of truth If yousimply speak what you feel and tell what you havedone this can be called worldly truth mdash state-ment of facts Tis cannot be called truth ruth
is that which does not change at any time Whatyou have seen is truth at that moment At the nextmoment it becomes untruth All material thingsthat you see in this creation are things that willdecay that are bound to change In this transientchanging world how can what you see and whatyou hear become truth ruth is God Tis truth isthe eighth flower Tis truth is the form of Divin-ity In the world we experience truths of a relativenature
Let us take chemistry as an example You takesome chemicals and mix them together Teychange and you get some other chemical If youmix turmeric in lime you get red colour Tis ischemistry Another example is physics If you takea 3-inch needle and put it in fire it will becomea longer needle Tis is the truth of physics Howlong do these truths of chemistry and physics re-main Tese are temporary worldly scientific
truths But spiritual truths are such that they willremain unchanged whatever you may do to them whatever fire you may use on them and howsoeveryou may change the circumstances
So what does not change at all is truth Cru-elty and harshness are predominant in the worldtoday because we are not attempting to promotesuch sacred qualities oday among believersnon-believers and the believing the same kind ofattitude is developing Tat day when we can pro-mote such good qualities in the minds of believersthe non-believers will disappear from this world1
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19
ruth is changeless in all the three periods oftime ie past present and future Everythingmay disappear but truth remains forever So truthis God live in truth2
Win Godrsquos Grace by Worshipping EightFlowers
Worship the Lord and offer Him these flow-ers Now when other flowers are used devotiondoes not last after one comes out of the worshiproom When one crosses that door-step angerhatred and anxiety possess him and degrade him Without developing the qualities indicated by theeight flowers how can anyone win the grace ofGod Engaged in wrong worship on all 364 days
what good do you derive by doing true worship onthe 365th day of the year When you claim to beSai devotees justify the claim by cultivating theseflowers of virtue and offering them to God4
Serve Society to Your Utmost Capacity
God will be pleased only when you wor-ship Him with these eight types of flowers Tepriests in temples worship God with various typesof flowers But God does not want these flowersHe says ldquoO priest is this what you have learntall these years You are worshipping Me with lorryloads of roses and jasmines which fade away in ashort time Tese are not the flowers that I expectfrom you Worship Me with the flowers of peacelove non-violence etc which will never faderdquo
Embodiments of Love
People worship God with devotion and sincer-
ity but God is not satisfied with external worship You should serve society Only service can conferbliss on you By rendering service to society notonly can you alleviate the sufferings of the peoplebut you can also bring about transformation intheir lives As is the feeling so is the result If youserve with sacred feelings it is bound to yield sa-cred results Serve society to your utmost capacity You are singing devotional songs in the morningand evening Te satisfaction that you get by par-
ticipating in singing devotional songs is temporary whereas service confers permanent satisfaction
Te Vedas say the objective of actions is to pu-rify the mind Service alone is undertaken to pu-rify the mind oday people waste a lot of time wealth and energy in performing activities that donot foster purity of the mind Tat is why they
are unable to experience peace of mind Te peacethat one gets out of worldly activities comes andgoes like a passing cloud One should aspire forthe true and eternal peace which originates fromthe heart2
References
1 Sathya Sai Speaks Volume 15 Chapter 9 TeFlowers Tat God Loves
2 Sathya Sai Speaks Volume 33 Chapter 12
Flowers Tat Never Fade3 Sanathana Sarathi March 2012 Chapter Hu-
manness Blossoms in a Compassionate Heart
4 Sathya Sai Speaks Volume 15 Chapter 25Te Garden of the Heart
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20
Glossary
AtmaAtmic
Self Soul Embodied Self is jiva (the individ-ual soul) Self with no limitations is Brahman (the Supreme Cosmic Reality)
SatwaSatwic
It is the quality of purity brightness peacegoodness and harmony It leads to knowledge
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L983151983158983141 A983148983148 S983141983154983158983141 A983148983148
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1
Desires Are a Prison What is the meaning of ldquoCeiling on Desiresrdquo
Man is deluded by his unlimited desires He isliving in a dream world He is forgetting the Su-preme Consciousness Tat is why it is importantto keep our desires under control to place a ceilingon them We are spending too much money In-stead of inordinate spending for our own pleasure we should be spending for the relief of the poor
and needy Tis is the real meaning of ldquoCeiling onDesiresrdquo
Do not make the mistake of thinking that giv-ing money is all that is needed however Do notgive to others while allowing your own desires tocontinue to multiply Curtail your desires as ma-terialistic desires lead to a restless and disastrouslife Desires are a prison Man can be freed only bylimiting his wants You should have desire only forlifersquos bare necessities
How Can You Reduce Desires
First food Eat only what you need to eatDonrsquot be greedy Do not take more than you caneat and waste the rest because wasting food is agreat sin Te surplus food can feed another stom-ach Do not waste food because food is God lifeis God and man is born from food Food is themain source of manrsquos life body mind and char-
acter
Te gross part of the food which is the ma- jor portion of the food consumed by the body isthrown out as waste matter A minute amount ofthe food which is the subtle part is assimilatedby the body and flows as blood And a minusculeamount which is the subtlest part of the foodmakes up the mind Terefore the mind is thereflection of the food consumed Te reason forthe present beastly and demonic tendencies in our
minds is because of the food we consumeInstead of kindness compassion love and pa-
tience only bad qualities such as hatred and attach-ment are being perpetrated Terefore the qualityof the food that we eat should be very pure veryclean very sanctified and satwic Man receives realnourishment from such food
A large part of the water we drink is expelledas urine A minute part of the water consumed be-
comes the life force Terefore the nature of thefood and water that we take in decides our char-acter Only by controlling the quality of our foodand water can we attain Divinity Tat is why foodis said to be God Hence to waste food is to wasteGod Do not waste food Eat only what you needand be sure that what you eat is satwic Give anysurplus 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 tobad qualities bad ideas and bad habits Use your
Reproduced below are thirteen divine discourses delivered by Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba in which He explains the ldquoCeiling on Desires Programmerdquo
Ceiling on DesiresDo Not Waste Food
Do Not Waste Money
Do Not Waste ime
Do Not Waste Energy
Do Not Exploit Nature
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2
money wisely for good deeds Do not waste moneyas misuse of money is evil It will lead you alongthe wrong path
Tird time Te most important the mostneeded factor is time One should not waste time
ime should be spent in a useful manner imeshould be sanctified because everything in this cre-ation is dependent on time Even our scripturessay that God is referred to as time and as non-timeGod is not limited by time He is beyond time Heis time He restricts time ime is the embodimentof God Everything depends on time
Te main reason for manrsquos birth and death istime ime is the main factor in our growth If we
waste time our lives will be wasted Terefore timeis an essential part of our life Do not degrade timeby spending it participating in unnecessary con-versations or by getting involved in othersrsquo per-sonal matters Te truth behind the saying ldquoDonrsquot waste timerdquo is that no time should be wasted inevil thoughts and acts Instead make use of timein an efficient way
Fourth energy Our physical mental and
spiritual energies should never be wasted You might ask me ldquoHow are we wasting our ener-giesrdquo If you see bad things your energy is wastedHearing bad things speaking evil thinking evilthoughts and doing evil deeds wastes your ener-gy Conserve your energy in all these five areas andmake your life more meaningful
See no evilmdashsee what is goodHear no evilmdashhear what is good
Speak no evilmdashspeak what is goodTink no evilmdashthink what is goodDo no evilmdashdo what is goodTis is the way to God
Te path of Divinity is not seeing listeningspeaking 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 arelosing our memory power intelligence power ofdiscrimination and power of justice
odayrsquos man is not capable of discriminatingbetween good and bad Ten how can he enter the
path of right action You might be wondering howthis is possible how are we wasting time For ex-ample when you turn on the radio to listen to acertain programme whether you raise or lower thevolume of the sound as long as the radio is on the
current is being usedOur mind is like the radio Whether you talk
with others or only think within yourself you areconsuming energy Your mind is working all thetime Since it is always turned on you are consum-ing a lot of energy Instead of wasting that powerenergy or force in mental meandering isnrsquot it bet-ter to spend your time in thinking good thoughts
Te Ceiling on Desires Programme has been
proposed so that man does not waste anything inthe areas of food money time or energy
Main Goal of the Sathya Sai Organisation
oday however some service-oriented peopleand workers in the Sri Sathya Sai World Organisa-tion have not fully realised this Instead they aregiving money thinking that it is service Tey arecleverly getting out of serving while their desiresare growing out of bounds We should graduallytry to change these attitudes Te main goal of theSai Organisation is to enable members workersand officers to lead ideal perfect and happy livesTerefore we must live up to the high ideals of theorganisation and transform ourselves into ideal be-ings 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
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3
Easiest Way of Achieving Control of the
Mind
You should be established in the awarenessthat the Lord is ever present You must also beprompted by the feeling that you are performingdeeds for the pleasure of the Lord Tis is the easi-est way of achieving control of the mind
If you are prompted by feelings that your bodybelongs to the Lord you will not sin with yourbody On the other hand all your efforts and en-deavours will proceed towards Divinity If you aresaturated with the conviction that your energy be-longs to God you will not misuse it It is in lightof this that we have prescribed the principle ofceiling on desires in the Sri Sathya Sai Centres
Fourfold Programme
Te first ceiling on desires is ldquoDonrsquot wastefood Food is Godrdquo Your body is made of food
and you are the result of the food eaten by yourparents Food is God Eat as much as it is necessaryto eat But do not throw away food by taking toomuch on your plate By wasting food you will be wasting the energy divine
Te second instruction is ldquoDonrsquot waste mon-ey God is wealthrdquo Since God is wealth misuseof money is evil Practice charity by gifting awaymoney food clothes houses etc instead of mis-using money in extravagance Misuse of money isnot only evil but a sin as well Te third instruc-tion is ldquoDonrsquot waste time ime waste is life wasterdquo
God is exalted as time He is beyond timetranscends time and is the embodiment of timeSpend the time by using sanctifying words Do not waste time Wasting time is wasting God
Te fourth instruction is ldquoDonrsquot waste energyrdquoPeople waste their energy by indulging in bad
thoughts seeing bad things hearing bad thingsand taking bad actions
Te right royal road is the followingSee no evilmdashsee what is goodHear no evilmdashhear what is goodSpeak no evilmdashspeak what is goodTink no evilmdashthink what is goodDo no evilmdashdo what is good
By translating the above instructions into
practice you will be sanctifying your time Tis isthe spiritual practice and the service that you haveto undertake A time will come when the mind will be extinguished and merger with the divine will be achieved
Summer Showers in Brindavan 1993Chapter 6 Te Conquest of the Mind
Ceiling on Desires
2
8132019 Teachings of Sri Sathya Sai Baba - Vol 1
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4
Light the Lamp of Love Within
Man is making every attempt today to be hap-py blissful Where do you get bliss Is it in the ma-terial things in the world in individuals in booksNo not at all Bliss is within onersquos own Self Youhave forgotten your true Self the source of bliss You are struggling hard for artificial happiness out-side You are not aware of the reality that lies in theheart In fact all the bliss is there Te principle oflove originates from the heart not from the world
Everyone should develop love more and moreBut today there is hatred and anger everywhere Wherever you look there is desire enmity andfear How do you expect to be at peace How doyou expect to be blissful Light the lamp of love within Ten fear and illusion can be removedand you can have the vision of the Self Otherwiseyou are bound to suffer
You have to exercise a ceiling on your desires
Tere are rules for a ceiling with regard to land and property But you have no ceiling on your desires Ceiling on desires means exercising controlover them You can be happy once the desires arecontrolled
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 Tere-fore it is said ldquoLess luggage more comfort makestravel a pleasurerdquo So ceiling on desires is what youhave to adopt today You have to cut short your de-sires day by day You are under the mistaken notionthat happiness lies in the fulfillment of desires Butin fact happiness begins to dawn when desires aretotally eradicated
When you reduce your desires you advancetowards the state of renunciation You have many
desires What do you get out of them You are
bound to face the consequences when you claimsomething as yours When you claim a piece ofland as yours then you will have to reap the har-vest Tis instinct of ego and attachment will putyou to suffering You will be blissful the momentyou give up ego and attachment
Sathya Sai Speaks Volume 32 Part 1Chapter 6 Put a Ceiling on Your Desires
Ceiling on Desires
3
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5
Nothing Accompanies You When You
Leave the World
Wherever you look today there are only de-sires desires and more desires Put a ceiling onthese desires Only then will your mind becomesteady You say ldquoI want this I want thatrdquo etcTus you develop many wants Tey are like pass-ing clouds Why should you multiply your wantsthese passing clouds Ultimately nothing accom-panies you at the time of your leaving this mortal
bodyGreat kings and emperors ruled over this
world Tey conquered many countries and ac-cumulated boundless wealth Even Alexander theGreat who conquered several parts of the worldcould not take with him even a miniscule part ofthe wealth he accumulated He had to leave this world with empty hands
o demonstrate this truth he instructed his
ministers to take his dead body in a procession
through the streets of his capital keeping both hishands in a raised position pointing towards thesky Te ministers were curious to know the rea-son for this strange request He said ldquoI have con-quered many countries and accumulated so much wealth Tere is a vast army under my control Yetnone is accompanying me at the time of my leav-ing this body I am going with empty hands Tishas to be demonstrated to all peoplerdquo
Sathya Sai Speaks Volume 41
Chapter 19 Contemplate on God the Real Hero forVictory
Ceiling on Desires
4
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6
Excessive Desire Causes Imbalance in
Nature
Man should put a ceiling on his desires Asmanrsquos conduct is perverted today we find natu-ral calamities taking place You are aware of thedevastation caused by the earthquake in GujaratTousands of people lost their lives Te reason forthis is that man is entertaining excessive desiresGod maintains perfect balance in His creation InGodrsquos creation the Earth and the oceans are en-
dowed with balance But man is indiscriminatelyexploiting the Earth for extracting oil
Every day tonnes of fish are caught from theoceans Tis indiscriminate exploitation of Natureresults in imbalance in Earth which is playinghavoc with human lives Only when man is freefrom unsteadiness within will he not be troubledby earthquake
Do Not Rob Nature of Its Resources toSatisfy Your Greed
Not only the people of India but also the peo-ple of the entire world should strive to maintainbalance Te five elements are nothing but mani-festations of the divine Manrsquos life will be secureonly when he realises this truth and acts accord-ingly A few days ago I sent lorry loads of ricegrams etc to the earthquake victims of Gujarat
Some people asked ldquoSwami why should youtake the trouble to spend so much money for send-ing relief material to Gujarat You could have in-stead averted the earthquakerdquo I replied ldquoMy dearman has to blame himself for the earthquakesDue to excessive greed for wealth he is disturbingthe balance of the Earth Hence the earthquakeTat is the law of Naturerdquo
You have to express your love for man by help-ing the needy Love is your nature Just as balance
is very much essential for Nature so also love isvery much needed for man Know that whatev-
er God has created is for your own welfare Youshould enjoy Nature according to your need Youshould not rob Nature of its resources to satisfyyour greed
Science Should Be Utilised Only to the
Extent Needed
Here is an example Once a greedy personowned a duck which used to lay a golden egg ev-ery day One day he ripped open the stomach of
the duck thinking that he would get many goldeneggs at a time oday man also is indulging in suchfoolish and greedy acts Instead of being satisfied with what Nature is giving him he aspires formore and more and in the process he is creatingimbalance in Nature
oday scientists are interested in new inven-tions Te advancement in science and technologyhas also led to imbalance in Nature As a result
there are earthquakes and no timely rains Scienceshould be utilised only to the extent needed Sci-ence has its limitations and crossing those limitsleads to danger
You have a long way to go Adhere to truthand righteousness Our ancient sages said ldquoSpeaktruth speak pleasantly and do not speak unpleas-ant truthrdquo Make proper use of natural resourcesand do not put them to misuse Help everybodyand make them happy Share all the good thingsyou have learnt with others Tis is your foremostduty
Sathya Sai Speaks Volume 34Chapter 3 Vision of the Atma
Ceiling on Desires
5
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7
Desires Are the Root Cause of Manrsquos
Disturbance
All the spiritual practices that man performsaims at making his mind steady Tere is no use inconstantly repeating Godrsquos name meditating andpractising spiritual austerities if the mind is notsteady Once you have the five senses under con-trol you can experience God He is not far awayfrom you He is in you below you above you andall around you God in fact is the indweller of
man Yet man is not able to see Him What is thereason Manrsquos limitless and wayward desires pre-vent him from seeing God
Desires are the root cause of manrsquos disturbanceSense control and ceiling on desires will help himto see God all around and experience bliss So wehave to keep our desires in check We should notbe worried by the evil talk that others indulge in We should not be affected by calumny and criti-
cism
Control the Five Senses
Buddha wanted to control the five senses Hedecided first and foremost to acquire right visionMan today is not able to control his vision becauseof the fickleness of his mind Cinema video Vetc have polluted the mind of man He does notsee good and hear good Man is the cause of hisown restlessness
Besides right vision Buddha emphasised theneed for right hearing right speech right feelingand right thinking Due to lack of these human-ness is fast giving way to devilishness and beastli-ness Animal qualities are fast increasing in man Animals have a season and a reason but man hasnone Man today has become worse than animalsHuman qualities like compassion kindness loveand forbearance are absent in him He should be
free from evil thoughts which are the root causeof his worries Tis requires constant and sustainedpractice
Master the Mind and Be a Mastermind
Man can control the mind and attain peaceby constant and sustained practice It is only ina peaceful mind that noble thoughts arise Temind should be under the control of man Mas-ter the mind and be a mastermind Unfortunatelyinstead of controlling the mind man has becomethe slave of his senses Tat is the main cause of hisunsteadiness Moreover he has body attachmentTis is the reason he gets easily disturbed if people
find fault with him Why should he worry aboutthe body when the body is like a water bubble You should get rid of body attachment
Summer Showers in Brindavan 2002Chapter 11 Sense Control Is the Highest Sadhana
Ceiling on Desires
6
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8
Learn a Lesson from Nature
Tere are four components in the term ldquoCeil-ing on Desiresrdquo Tey are curb on excessive talkcurb on excessive desires and expenditure controlof consumption of food and check on waste ofenergy Man needs some essential commodities forhis sustenance and he should not aspire for more
We can learn a lesson in this respect from Na-ture Only if air is available in sufficient quantity will it be comfortable and good If it is excessiveand there is a gale you will feel uncomfortable When you are thirsty you can consume only alimited quantity of water You canrsquot consume theentire water of the River Ganga We take only asmuch as is needed for the sustenance of the body
Doctors know that the body temperature isnormally 986 degrees If this goes up to 99 de-grees they say fever has set in due to some disorderin the body We inhale and exhale at a normal rate
If there is a slight increase or decrease in the rateit indicates disorder in the body Changes in thepulse rate or blood pressure also indicate disorderSo you find that if you exceed the limits even to alittle extent it is dangerous or harmful to the body
Tere is a limit for everything to function in anormal way When your eyes happen to see a flashof lightning or a flash of light while taking photo-graphs they automatically close because they canrsquot
withstand such high illumination Eardrums alsocannot tolerate hearing beyond a certain volumeand we cover our ears or keep cotton inside theears From these we see that our life is a limitedcompany
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 reason-
able number of saris but not a huge collectionfor pomp or show Misuse of money is a great evilEven men will have to do their own bit in control-ling the expenditure on unwanted and unnecessarythings
Money is the embodiment of Divinity Whenyou talk of wealth you should be careful to avoidavaricious accumulation and extravagant expendi-ture Even in the preparation of food you shouldbe careful in avoiding wastage We are only doinga disservice by consuming more food than what isnecessary for the body
Tirdly you should be careful about ldquotimerdquo which is the yardstick of life Seconds becomehours hours become years years make ages andso on You should not waste this most valuableldquotimerdquo ime lost in wasteful pursuits canrsquot be gotback by any means All our activities should beplanned for utilising the available time to maxi-
mum advantage So we should not waste foodmoney time and energy
Sathya Sai Speaks Volume 16Chapter 3 Ceiling on Desires-I
Ceiling on Desires
7
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9
Aims of the ldquoCeiling on Desires
Programmerdquo
Tere is a programme connected with ldquoCeilingon Desiresrdquo You must realise that this programmehas not been launched to raise funds Te object ofthe programme is to prevent waste of money timefood or other resources and to use all these forthe welfare of the people Te money that is savedneed not be kept for the Sathya Sai OrganisationsIt may be used in the best way you choose for the
benefit of others Do not waste time ime wastedis life wasted ime is God Sanctify all the time atyour disposal by undertaking service activities in apure and unselfish spirit
oday we waste time on unnecessary and un- wanted things in indulging in unnecessary talkand doing meaningless actions In all these ac-tions 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 gooddeeds Every second of your daily existence youmust ask these questions ldquoHow am I utilisingtime Is it for a good or bad purposerdquo
Likewise with regard to food you must askldquoAm I just eating what I need or more Am I wast-ing foodrdquo So also with regard to money ldquoAm Iusing this money for my own selfish needs or forboosting my name and fame or to satisfy my egoand vanityrdquo Once you start seeking answers tothese questions there is no greater spiritual prac-tice
Tese are the aims of the ldquoCeiling on DesiresProgrammerdquo It was never the purpose of thisprogramme to collect money for the Sathya SaiOrganisations Te object was to encourage youto share your money with others to give you anopportunity to utilise your surplus resources forsome good and noble purpose that will sanctify
your life
Make Your Lives Sacred and Worthwhile
Tree types of strength are given to a personphysical strength mental strength and the powerof money It has been said that all these should beoffered as yajna (sacrifice) Tis sacrifice is not of-fered to God God who has given you your bodyand your mind does not need them for HimselfGod is also the source of all wealth What does He want with your wealth
Use it for sacred purposes Te service pro-gramme is intended only to provide you with op-portunities to make your lives sacred and worth- while 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 discoverSita in Lanka Himself What need was there forHim to send Hanuman Rama wanted Hanumanto go on the search so that He could show to the
world the devotion and steadfastness and faith ofHanuman It is a case of grace on the part of Rama
In the same manner if Sai wants to do so manythings Himself He can do anything Tis endeav-our is not for the sake of Sai It is done throughthese service organisations so that members ofthe organisation get the chance to do service andredeem themselves ry to understand the basictruth that these avenues of service have been pro-vided so that you will get a good name for yourselfand not for the sake of Sai
Sathya Sai Speaks Volume 17Chapter 16 Ceiling on Desires-II
Ceiling on Desires
8
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10
Always Be Happy
Whatever trouble you may face you mustlearn to feel happy in any circumstance If you arestung by a scorpion you must console yourselfthat you were not bitten by a snake and when youare bitten by a snake you must console yourselfthat it has not proved fatal Even if you are not ableto own a vehicle be happy that your legs are intactto enable you to walk Even if you are not a mil-lionaire be happy that you have enough resourcesto feed yourself and your family Tis 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 peace-ful and meaningful life You must curb the desireto seek more and more wealth and turn your effortto realise the Reality within In pursuing this ef-fort you must avoid waste of food money timeenergy and knowledge as all these are forms ofGod Unnecessary talk should be avoided as thisresults in waste of energy and reduction of mem-ory power
Sathya Sai Speaks Volume 27Chapter 20 Spiritual Orientation to Education
Peace Can Be Attained Only by Godrsquos
GraceIn the modern world every person tries hard
to attain peace Peace cannot be attained by spiri-tual precepts nor can it be obtained from a mar-ket as a commodity It cannot be acquired even byknowledge of the texts or a high position in lifePeace can be attained only by Godrsquos grace
Tough man is eager to attain peace he con-fronts many obstacles in the path Tose who trav-
el by train may be well acquainted with the sloganldquoLess luggage more comfort makes travel a plea-surerdquo Now man is burdening himself with limit-less desires Because of this extra heavy luggage ofdesires he finds it extremely difficult to carry onthe journey of life By such proliferation of desireshe loses his balance moves far away from his goaland even tends to go mad
It is for this reason that I have been stressingthe need for ceiling on desires By limiting yourdesires you can attain peace to a certain extent You have to exercise a check on your desires andmake efforts to get the grace of the divine
Sathya Sai Speaks Volume 31Chapter 19 Faith Love and Grace
Bad Qualities Are the Result of Your Own
Thoughts
Suppose you get angry From where did thisanger come Tis has come from you only Simi-larly jealousy is a quality that manifested fromyour mind Tus each one of these bad qualities isthe result of your own thoughts Hence if only you
are able to control your thoughts properly you willbe able to achieve anything in life
Ceiling on Desires
9Ceiling on Desires
10
Ceiling on Desires
11Te mind intellect and awareness are the re-
flections of the Atma Te mind has no stabilityIt is the repository of thoughts and desires It issaid ldquoTe mind alone is the cause of bondage orliberationrdquo Hence one has to keep the mind underproper control by putting some ceiling on desires
Sathya Sai Speaks Volume 42
Chapter 1 Know Tyself You Will Know Everything
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12
Cultivate Four Desirable Practices
Te Sai Organisations have been enjoined tocarry out a programme of ceiling on desires Every-one should try to control desires as much as pos-sible Te promotion of human values is anotheritem in the programme Tese human values areinherent in every person All that is needed is foreveryone to manifest them in his daily life ruthrighteousness and peace are all in you
You are the embodiment of truth peace loveand God Recognise this fact Members of SaiOrganisations should cultivate certain desirablepractices For instance they should regulate theirdiet because onersquos food influences onersquos thoughtsSmoking and intoxicating drinks have to be givenup Tey are ruinous for the health Meat eatingshould also be given up because eating animalfood promotes animal tendencies Te fourth evilthat has to be eliminated is gambling
Tose who take to the spiritual path shouldavoid as much as possible these four bad practicesIt is sinful to slaughter poor animals for onersquos foodSai members should follow the motto ldquoHelp everhurt neverrdquo
Tere is no meaning in professing to respecthuman values without observing the rule that youshould cause no harm to others in any form what-soever God loves those who serve others becauseHe is in all of them Whomever you may serveconsider it as service to God Divinise all youractions reat every action you perform as Godrsquos work
Sathya Sai Speaks Volume 28Chapter 34 Spiritual Significance of Loving Service
Ceiling on Desires
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13
Eight Flowers of Worship
Non-violence Control of Senses
Compassion for All Living Beings
Forebearance
Peace
Penance
Meditation
ruth
It is the experience and practice of the citizens of India that they generally wor-ship God with flowers offer ritual adoration and make obeisance to God Butthere is something that is more sacred than this Tere is a distinctive type of
devotion by which you worship God with a good clean mind and good conductTis has been given the name of para bhakthi (supreme devotion) By always wor-shipping God with ritual worship and flowers the spiritual aspirant will remainstationary in his place Tis is good in a way but to remain in one place all thetime and failing to rise to a higher position is not good
Tere is a superior type of worship mdash to worship God through good qualitiesgood conduct good thoughts and good company Te scriptures have describedthis kind of worship as worship through good qualities By offering what kind ofgood qualities can we please God
Eight Flowers of Worship
Te first flower with which we can worship God is non-violence Te second
flower is control of senses Te third flower is compassion Te fourth one is for-bearance Te fifth flower is peace Te sixth flower is penance Te seventh one isthe flower of meditation Te eighth is the flower of truth Te inner meaning ofthis statement is that God will shower grace on you if you worship him throughthese eight flowers
Te flowers in nature always fade drop down lose fragrance and also de-velop an odour that is not pleasant Instead of worshipping with such worldlyflowers which are impermanent and receiving impermanent rewards from God
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14
we should worship Him with what is truthful andthereby attain a stage that is higher
Te flowers that you are using for worship havenot been created by you You are bringing flowersthat have been created by the Will of God on some
tree or in some garden and are offering them backto the Creator Himself What is the greatness inusing the flowers created by God and giving themback to God Himself Many people bathe in theGanges River take the water from the Ganges intotheir palms and offer it back to the Ganges itselfTis is not what you have created Tis is not whatyou have the right to offer
From the tree of your life picking such fruits
that you have protected and that you have grownin the form of good qualities and offering themto God there is some distinctiveness in that Inorder to promote good qualities you have to un-dergo several troubles So it is through these goodqualities that your mind can also acquire a divineconcentration Without good qualities and with-out good thoughts how can you fix your mind inmeditation1
FIRST FLOWERTe first flower is the flower of non-violence
We regard the word non-violence to mean notcausing harm and hurt to other living things Tetrue meaning of the word is not to cause hurtand harm to any other living being through yourthought word or deed Cleansing and purifyingthese threemdashthought word and deedmdashhas beencalled a Triputi (summit of three) in spiritualparlance All of them should be harmonised and
brought together as one unit of flower1
We find doctors performing surgeries on pa-tients to cure them of their ailments In the processof surgery the doctors cut the body with a knife You cannot call it an act of violence because it isbeneficial to the patient Some people may arguethat even cutting vegetables is an act of violencebecause vegetables and trees have life in them Nodoubt vegetables and trees have life but they do
not have the mind Consequently they do not suf-fer any pain
Only man has got five sheaths namely foodsheath life sheath mind sheath wisdom sheathand bliss sheath One with the mind experiencespain and pleasure Men animals birds and in-sects are endowed with the mind not trees and
vegetables In some trees you find the sap oozingout when you pluck their fruit Oozing of sap froma tree is a natural phenomenon but some peoplemistake it for the tears of suffering Te trees donot suffer any pain because they do not have thefaculty of mind2
SECOND FLOWER
Te second flower is the control of sensoryorgans Our senses run without any control If
running horses or animals are not controlled theypose a danger God has created each organ of thehuman body for a specific purpose It is only when we use these sensory organs along the right pathfor which they have been created that we will beentitled to Godrsquos grace God has given us a nose We should make an attempt to breathe in andbreathe out through the nose and only accept fra-grance through the nose If we use such a nose totake snuff the purpose will become useless In the
same manner He has given us the mouth and atongue in order that we may take in pure food If we use the mouth to take in unholy food or intoxi-cating drinks then we will be using the mouth fora wrong purpose
In the same manner we should understandunder what conditions and in what times and in what manner we should use each of these organsand put them under control Our inner strength
will become less and less on account of excitementor unnecessary sorrow Te body will become ill bymental agitations and distractions Man ages veryquickly through excitement and sorrow Te rea-son for your not preserving this sacred instrumentin sound condition is lack of control over thesesensory organs Te second flower of sensory con-trol should be used for worshipping God1
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15
Lack of Sense Control Is the Main Cause
of Unrest and Agitation
All spiritual practices will prove futile if onelacks sense control Control of the senses is veryessential for one and all Lack of sense control is
the main cause of all the unrest and agitation thatyou find in the world today How can one controlthe senses First of all one should exercise controlover the tongue
You must control your tongue as it alwayscraves a variety of delicacies You must ask thisquestion ldquoO tongue how many bags of rice wheat and vegetables have you devoured Howmany delicacies have you consumed Fie on you
if you are still not satisfiedrdquo A morsel of food isenough to sustain the body You should eat forthe sake of satisfying your hunger and sustain-ing the body Do not give undue importance totaste Likewise tell your eyes to see God instead of watching unsacred things on television or videoeach your ears to listen to the stories of the Lordinstead of listening to vain gossip
O ears you are interested in listening to vain gos-sip and tales about others but you pay least attentionwhen the wonderful stories of the Lord are narrated
(elugu Song)
Tink for a while how you benefit by listen-ing to unsacred things In fact you are pollutingyour heart in the process All that you see and heargets imprinted on your heart Once your heart ispolluted your life will become meaningless Tehuman heart is like a pen Te colour of the wordsthat 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 besuffused with love God expects you to fill yourheart with love and lead a sacred life2
THIRD FLOWER
Te third flower is compassion for all livingthings Looking merely and superficially at humannature which has diverse aspects we are forgettingGod in this field From the seed of Divinity the
tree of creation has grown On this tree of creationthe fruits are the human beings that are the indi-vidual souls In each of these human fruits there
is Divinity in the form of seed Tat is why in theBhagavad Gita Krishna has said ldquoI am the seed inall the living beingsrdquo Recognising the truth thatGod is present in the form of the Atma in all livingbeings we say compassion for all living beings is
the next flower1
The Story of Abou Ben Adhem
Students might have heard the story of AbouBen Adhem who always offered compassion to- wards all beings as a form of service to the LordEvery day he traveled the streets to serve the desti-tute and the handicapped and returned home latein the night One night when he returned homehe found in his bedroom an angel writing some-
thing When he asked her what she was writingshe replied that she was making a list of those wholoved God She replied in the negative when heasked her if his name was on that list
Te following night when he returned homehe again found the angel writing something Hequeried ldquoMother what is it that you are writingnowrdquo She said ldquoSon I am writing the names ofthose who are dear to Godrdquo He again wanted to
know if his name was on the list She replied thathis name was at the top of this list
Te sum and substance of this story is thatGod is pleased when you serve your fellow humanbeings Te scriptures have prescribed nine pathsof devotion namely listening to the Lordrsquos storiessinging His glories remembrance of the Lordrsquosname service to the Lordrsquos Lotus Feet worshipsalutation servitude friendship and offering one-
self to the Lord ie complete self-surrender Butthe 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 oceanof worldly life
One can redeem onersquos life only through service(Sanskrit Verse)
Abou Ben Adhem became the recipient ofGodrsquos love because he spent all his time in the ser-
vice of his fellow men God loves all for He is theembodiment of love But He will give Himself tothose who show compassion for all beings2
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16
Have Compassion towards All as God
Resides in All
Among all the flowers compassion for all crea-tures is most important Man alone is endowed with this virtue of compassion Tis is the flower
that you should offer to God God is the indwellerof all beings Names and forms may vary but thesame God is present in all Terefore you shouldhave compassion towards all beings with the broadfeeling that God is present in all Only then canyou understand how expansive and fragrant thisquality of compassion for all creatures is
You need not waste your time gathering theflowers that fade away and wither away in no time
Te flower of your heart is eternal ever fresh andever fragrant for which you need not spend evena penny Tat is the real flower One who under-stands the secret of this flower is one of supreme wisdom3
FOURTH FLOWER
Te fourth one is the flower of forbearanceForbearance truly is the highest quality of a humanbeing But in human life because he develops nar-row ideas man wants to live in a constricted placeHe thinks ldquoIrdquo and ldquomy familyrdquo are what mattersothers are all different from ldquomerdquo It is not possiblefor us to develop the flower of forbearance as longas these ideas are in us It is only when we lovethat we can have patience and forbearance Onersquoslove should encompass all living beings Tat willfructify as forbearance
Here is a brief example In our home thereare our children Along with our children there is
also a servant In the house a son may be pilfer-ing something or other and developing bad habitsIn many ways we will try and control that son bybeating scolding and persuading him to return togood ways but we will never take him and handhim over to the police In the same house if theservant steals a small spoon at once we will takehim 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 dayafter day but we hand over a servant immediatelyto the police when he steals even a small thing
Te reason for this is the narrow idea that ldquothis boyis my sonrdquo Because the servant does not belong toyou there is no place for forbearance and patienceSo you see that when you have the broad idea thatldquoeveryone is minerdquo there is room for patience and
forbearance It is only then that our love will alsogrow1
Forbearance Promotes Divine Qualities
Forbearance is identified by the scriptures withtruth righteousness knowledge sacrifice and joy Without forbearance man cannot be happy foreven a moment It promotes divine qualities Itreveals inner Divinity One has to undertake spiri-tual practices to earn it and establish oneself in it
Nourish the idea that God is equally present in allin spite of ridicule from the ignorant and sarcasticcriticism from the blind or even praise from ad-mirers Do not mind them4
Forbearance Is Very Dear to the Lord
Te Pandavas suffered a lot at the hands ofthe Kauravas But never did Dharmaraja lose for-bearance even when Droupadi was being humili-ated by the Kauravas It was the virtue of forbear-ance that protected the Pandavas and made theman ideal for the rest of the world Tis flower offorbearance is very dear to the Lord God will bepleased with you and confer boons on you only when you offer Him the ldquoflowersrdquo which are dearto Him No benefit accrues from offering the flow-ers that fade away and decay Te ever-bloomingflowers of non-violence sense control compassionfor all living beings and forbearance are liked by
God2
FIFTH FLOWER
Te fifth is the flower of peace Tis flower ofpeace should not be interpreted to mean that youshould be silent no matter who is attacking you or who is blaming you It is not that If you are un-moved and unperturbed in spite of anyone findingfaults with you this can be called real peace Ifyou can fill your heart with love then peace willcome into you from outside Trough bad quali-ties to some extent we lose peace With truthfulthoughts a man will have peace With untruthful
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17
thoughts a man will not have peace If you can getrid of all thoughts you will become a saint It isonly when you can be free from all thoughts thatyou can have peace
Your own bad thoughts are responsible for all
your pain and sorrow By good thoughts and bygood ideas you will become a holy man Holyman does not mean one who merely wears an or-ange robe shaves the head and wears holy beadsHe who has good thoughts and good ideas is aholy man A holy man is one who is the embodi-ment of truthful thoughts1
Peace Has Detachment as the Basic
Quality
Peace does not mean that a person should notreact at all whatever others may say or howeverthey may abuse him It does not mean that hemust be silent as a rock It involves mastery of allthe senses and all the passions inner peace mustbecome onersquos nature Peace has detachment as thebasic quality Te sea which likes to gather andpossess lies low the cloud that likes to renounceand give up is high in the sky Peace endows man
with an unruffled mind and steady visionTe prayer for shanthi (peace) is usually repeat-
ed thrice ldquoOm shanthi shanthi shanthihirdquo sincepeace is prayed for in the physical mental andspiritual planes Man should not bring his bloodto boil nor should he yield to fear Spiritual calmis exemplified by Emperor Janaka of the Upani-shadhic texts He was known as vidheha (withoutbody attachment) not because he was disembod-
ied but because he lived in utter forgetfulness ofthe body and its needs He saw heard and spokeonly from the Atmic plane of consciousness4
Bear All Sufferings With Fortitude and
Patience
One should remain peaceful through all thevicissitudes of life Only then can one attain divinegrace Great devotees like Tyagaraja ukaramand Droupadi underwent many hardships Tey
bore all sufferings with patience Tyagaraja saidldquoOne cannot attain happiness without innerpeacerdquo Man needs peace at the physical mental
and spiritual levels Peace is not present in theexternal world It is present within
You are the embodiment of peace In the worldly life there are bound to be many hardshipsbut one should not be perturbed One should bear
all sufferings with fortitude and patience Humanlife is given not merely to enjoy the worldly plea-sures like birds and beasts Life becomes meaning-ful only when one experiences the peace that origi-nates from the heart2
SIXTH FLOWER
Te sixth one is the flower of penance Pen-ance is not to give up your wife and children goto a forest put your head down and feet up that
is not penance When we think of real penance weshould eliminate bad thoughts from our mindsTe co-ordination of thought word and deed ispenance Whatever thoughts sprout in your mindto utter them as word and to put them in practiceas your work that is penance It is in this contextthat it is said ldquoA great soul practises harmony ofthought word and deedrdquo Giving up bad thoughtsin your mind will become a sacrifice Tat sacri-fice will become yoga (spiritual practice leading tounion with God) But giving up onersquos propertyand onersquos wife and going to the forest is not yoga1
Be Even-Minded in Happiness or Sorrow
One should contemplate on God at all timesand achieve harmony of thought word and deedHe is a noble one whose thoughts words anddeeds are in complete harmony Do not be car-ried away by pain or pleasure Te Bhagavad Gita
teaches ldquoOne should be even-minded in happi-ness or sorrow gain or loss victory or defeatrdquo Oneshould discharge onersquos duty and serve society with-out any expectation of reward Such even-minded-ness and desireless state is true penance2
SEVENTH FLOWER
Te seventh flower is the flower of meditationoday meditation is taking many forms Manytypes of meditation that people are adopting todayare against the culture and tradition of India o sitin a lotus posture and to make the kundalini shakti (kundalini power) rise from basal plexus to the cra-
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18
nium is not meditation rue meditation consistsin recognising the presence of God in all types of work God is the indweller of all and is all per-vading o make an attempt in your meditation toconfine 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 marketthe market is your God According to the cultureof 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 TeUpanishads are teaching us ldquoTe work I have todo I regard as God and make obeisance to God
in that formrdquoLet us consider the person who plays the
drums Before he begins to play on them he paysobeisance to the drums Te harmonium player will make obeisance to the harmonium before hestarts A dancer before she begins her dance willmake obeisance to her anklets Even a driver whois going to drive a lifeless car before he holds thesteering wheel makes salutations to the steering wheel You do not have to go so far While driv-ing if the car hits another person immediately wemake salutations to that person Te significanceof all this is the faith and belief that God is presentin all things Tus to regard the entire creation asthe form of God and to perform your duty in thatspirit is meditation1
Contemplate On God at All Times
Meditation does not mean sitting in lotus pos-
ture with eyes closed in contemplation on GodTis is physical worldly activity No doubt this isalso needed but true meditation lies in unifyingthe mind with God Just as milk and water can-not be separated likewise the mind once merged with God cannot be separated An iron ball castin fire will become one with it Likewise your loveshould become one with divine love Tis truthis contained in the Vedic dictum ldquoTe knower ofBrahman becomes Brahman Himselfrdquo
Some people contemplate on God for a lim-ited period in the morning and evening Tis can-
not be called meditation Contemplate on Godat all times at all places and under all circum-stances Perform all tasks with your mind firmlyfixed on God Tat is true meditation Tinking ofGod for a limited period cannot be termed medi-
tation Tat is only part-time devotion Part-timedevotion confers only part-time grace You shouldhave full-time devotion in order to attain full-timegrace2
EIGHTH FLOWER
Te next flower is the flower of truth If yousimply speak what you feel and tell what you havedone this can be called worldly truth mdash state-ment of facts Tis cannot be called truth ruth
is that which does not change at any time Whatyou have seen is truth at that moment At the nextmoment it becomes untruth All material thingsthat you see in this creation are things that willdecay that are bound to change In this transientchanging world how can what you see and whatyou hear become truth ruth is God Tis truth isthe eighth flower Tis truth is the form of Divin-ity In the world we experience truths of a relativenature
Let us take chemistry as an example You takesome chemicals and mix them together Teychange and you get some other chemical If youmix turmeric in lime you get red colour Tis ischemistry Another example is physics If you takea 3-inch needle and put it in fire it will becomea longer needle Tis is the truth of physics Howlong do these truths of chemistry and physics re-main Tese are temporary worldly scientific
truths But spiritual truths are such that they willremain unchanged whatever you may do to them whatever fire you may use on them and howsoeveryou may change the circumstances
So what does not change at all is truth Cru-elty and harshness are predominant in the worldtoday because we are not attempting to promotesuch sacred qualities oday among believersnon-believers and the believing the same kind ofattitude is developing Tat day when we can pro-mote such good qualities in the minds of believersthe non-believers will disappear from this world1
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19
ruth is changeless in all the three periods oftime ie past present and future Everythingmay disappear but truth remains forever So truthis God live in truth2
Win Godrsquos Grace by Worshipping EightFlowers
Worship the Lord and offer Him these flow-ers Now when other flowers are used devotiondoes not last after one comes out of the worshiproom When one crosses that door-step angerhatred and anxiety possess him and degrade him Without developing the qualities indicated by theeight flowers how can anyone win the grace ofGod Engaged in wrong worship on all 364 days
what good do you derive by doing true worship onthe 365th day of the year When you claim to beSai devotees justify the claim by cultivating theseflowers of virtue and offering them to God4
Serve Society to Your Utmost Capacity
God will be pleased only when you wor-ship Him with these eight types of flowers Tepriests in temples worship God with various typesof flowers But God does not want these flowersHe says ldquoO priest is this what you have learntall these years You are worshipping Me with lorryloads of roses and jasmines which fade away in ashort time Tese are not the flowers that I expectfrom you Worship Me with the flowers of peacelove non-violence etc which will never faderdquo
Embodiments of Love
People worship God with devotion and sincer-
ity but God is not satisfied with external worship You should serve society Only service can conferbliss on you By rendering service to society notonly can you alleviate the sufferings of the peoplebut you can also bring about transformation intheir lives As is the feeling so is the result If youserve with sacred feelings it is bound to yield sa-cred results Serve society to your utmost capacity You are singing devotional songs in the morningand evening Te satisfaction that you get by par-
ticipating in singing devotional songs is temporary whereas service confers permanent satisfaction
Te Vedas say the objective of actions is to pu-rify the mind Service alone is undertaken to pu-rify the mind oday people waste a lot of time wealth and energy in performing activities that donot foster purity of the mind Tat is why they
are unable to experience peace of mind Te peacethat one gets out of worldly activities comes andgoes like a passing cloud One should aspire forthe true and eternal peace which originates fromthe heart2
References
1 Sathya Sai Speaks Volume 15 Chapter 9 TeFlowers Tat God Loves
2 Sathya Sai Speaks Volume 33 Chapter 12
Flowers Tat Never Fade3 Sanathana Sarathi March 2012 Chapter Hu-
manness Blossoms in a Compassionate Heart
4 Sathya Sai Speaks Volume 15 Chapter 25Te Garden of the Heart
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20
Glossary
AtmaAtmic
Self Soul Embodied Self is jiva (the individ-ual soul) Self with no limitations is Brahman (the Supreme Cosmic Reality)
SatwaSatwic
It is the quality of purity brightness peacegoodness and harmony It leads to knowledge
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L983151983158983141 A983148983148 S983141983154983158983141 A983148983148
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2
money wisely for good deeds Do not waste moneyas misuse of money is evil It will lead you alongthe wrong path
Tird time Te most important the mostneeded factor is time One should not waste time
ime should be spent in a useful manner imeshould be sanctified because everything in this cre-ation is dependent on time Even our scripturessay that God is referred to as time and as non-timeGod is not limited by time He is beyond time Heis time He restricts time ime is the embodimentof God Everything depends on time
Te main reason for manrsquos birth and death istime ime is the main factor in our growth If we
waste time our lives will be wasted Terefore timeis an essential part of our life Do not degrade timeby spending it participating in unnecessary con-versations or by getting involved in othersrsquo per-sonal matters Te truth behind the saying ldquoDonrsquot waste timerdquo is that no time should be wasted inevil thoughts and acts Instead make use of timein an efficient way
Fourth energy Our physical mental and
spiritual energies should never be wasted You might ask me ldquoHow are we wasting our ener-giesrdquo If you see bad things your energy is wastedHearing bad things speaking evil thinking evilthoughts and doing evil deeds wastes your ener-gy Conserve your energy in all these five areas andmake your life more meaningful
See no evilmdashsee what is goodHear no evilmdashhear what is good
Speak no evilmdashspeak what is goodTink no evilmdashthink what is goodDo no evilmdashdo what is goodTis is the way to God
Te path of Divinity is not seeing listeningspeaking 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 arelosing our memory power intelligence power ofdiscrimination and power of justice
odayrsquos man is not capable of discriminatingbetween good and bad Ten how can he enter the
path of right action You might be wondering howthis is possible how are we wasting time For ex-ample when you turn on the radio to listen to acertain programme whether you raise or lower thevolume of the sound as long as the radio is on the
current is being usedOur mind is like the radio Whether you talk
with others or only think within yourself you areconsuming energy Your mind is working all thetime Since it is always turned on you are consum-ing a lot of energy Instead of wasting that powerenergy or force in mental meandering isnrsquot it bet-ter to spend your time in thinking good thoughts
Te Ceiling on Desires Programme has been
proposed so that man does not waste anything inthe areas of food money time or energy
Main Goal of the Sathya Sai Organisation
oday however some service-oriented peopleand workers in the Sri Sathya Sai World Organisa-tion have not fully realised this Instead they aregiving money thinking that it is service Tey arecleverly getting out of serving while their desiresare growing out of bounds We should graduallytry to change these attitudes Te main goal of theSai Organisation is to enable members workersand officers to lead ideal perfect and happy livesTerefore we must live up to the high ideals of theorganisation and transform ourselves into ideal be-ings 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
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3
Easiest Way of Achieving Control of the
Mind
You should be established in the awarenessthat the Lord is ever present You must also beprompted by the feeling that you are performingdeeds for the pleasure of the Lord Tis is the easi-est way of achieving control of the mind
If you are prompted by feelings that your bodybelongs to the Lord you will not sin with yourbody On the other hand all your efforts and en-deavours will proceed towards Divinity If you aresaturated with the conviction that your energy be-longs to God you will not misuse it It is in lightof this that we have prescribed the principle ofceiling on desires in the Sri Sathya Sai Centres
Fourfold Programme
Te first ceiling on desires is ldquoDonrsquot wastefood Food is Godrdquo Your body is made of food
and you are the result of the food eaten by yourparents Food is God Eat as much as it is necessaryto eat But do not throw away food by taking toomuch on your plate By wasting food you will be wasting the energy divine
Te second instruction is ldquoDonrsquot waste mon-ey God is wealthrdquo Since God is wealth misuseof money is evil Practice charity by gifting awaymoney food clothes houses etc instead of mis-using money in extravagance Misuse of money isnot only evil but a sin as well Te third instruc-tion is ldquoDonrsquot waste time ime waste is life wasterdquo
God is exalted as time He is beyond timetranscends time and is the embodiment of timeSpend the time by using sanctifying words Do not waste time Wasting time is wasting God
Te fourth instruction is ldquoDonrsquot waste energyrdquoPeople waste their energy by indulging in bad
thoughts seeing bad things hearing bad thingsand taking bad actions
Te right royal road is the followingSee no evilmdashsee what is goodHear no evilmdashhear what is goodSpeak no evilmdashspeak what is goodTink no evilmdashthink what is goodDo no evilmdashdo what is good
By translating the above instructions into
practice you will be sanctifying your time Tis isthe spiritual practice and the service that you haveto undertake A time will come when the mind will be extinguished and merger with the divine will be achieved
Summer Showers in Brindavan 1993Chapter 6 Te Conquest of the Mind
Ceiling on Desires
2
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4
Light the Lamp of Love Within
Man is making every attempt today to be hap-py blissful Where do you get bliss Is it in the ma-terial things in the world in individuals in booksNo not at all Bliss is within onersquos own Self Youhave forgotten your true Self the source of bliss You are struggling hard for artificial happiness out-side You are not aware of the reality that lies in theheart In fact all the bliss is there Te principle oflove originates from the heart not from the world
Everyone should develop love more and moreBut today there is hatred and anger everywhere Wherever you look there is desire enmity andfear How do you expect to be at peace How doyou expect to be blissful Light the lamp of love within Ten fear and illusion can be removedand you can have the vision of the Self Otherwiseyou are bound to suffer
You have to exercise a ceiling on your desires
Tere are rules for a ceiling with regard to land and property But you have no ceiling on your desires Ceiling on desires means exercising controlover them You can be happy once the desires arecontrolled
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 Tere-fore it is said ldquoLess luggage more comfort makestravel a pleasurerdquo So ceiling on desires is what youhave to adopt today You have to cut short your de-sires day by day You are under the mistaken notionthat happiness lies in the fulfillment of desires Butin fact happiness begins to dawn when desires aretotally eradicated
When you reduce your desires you advancetowards the state of renunciation You have many
desires What do you get out of them You are
bound to face the consequences when you claimsomething as yours When you claim a piece ofland as yours then you will have to reap the har-vest Tis instinct of ego and attachment will putyou to suffering You will be blissful the momentyou give up ego and attachment
Sathya Sai Speaks Volume 32 Part 1Chapter 6 Put a Ceiling on Your Desires
Ceiling on Desires
3
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5
Nothing Accompanies You When You
Leave the World
Wherever you look today there are only de-sires desires and more desires Put a ceiling onthese desires Only then will your mind becomesteady You say ldquoI want this I want thatrdquo etcTus you develop many wants Tey are like pass-ing clouds Why should you multiply your wantsthese passing clouds Ultimately nothing accom-panies you at the time of your leaving this mortal
bodyGreat kings and emperors ruled over this
world Tey conquered many countries and ac-cumulated boundless wealth Even Alexander theGreat who conquered several parts of the worldcould not take with him even a miniscule part ofthe wealth he accumulated He had to leave this world with empty hands
o demonstrate this truth he instructed his
ministers to take his dead body in a procession
through the streets of his capital keeping both hishands in a raised position pointing towards thesky Te ministers were curious to know the rea-son for this strange request He said ldquoI have con-quered many countries and accumulated so much wealth Tere is a vast army under my control Yetnone is accompanying me at the time of my leav-ing this body I am going with empty hands Tishas to be demonstrated to all peoplerdquo
Sathya Sai Speaks Volume 41
Chapter 19 Contemplate on God the Real Hero forVictory
Ceiling on Desires
4
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6
Excessive Desire Causes Imbalance in
Nature
Man should put a ceiling on his desires Asmanrsquos conduct is perverted today we find natu-ral calamities taking place You are aware of thedevastation caused by the earthquake in GujaratTousands of people lost their lives Te reason forthis is that man is entertaining excessive desiresGod maintains perfect balance in His creation InGodrsquos creation the Earth and the oceans are en-
dowed with balance But man is indiscriminatelyexploiting the Earth for extracting oil
Every day tonnes of fish are caught from theoceans Tis indiscriminate exploitation of Natureresults in imbalance in Earth which is playinghavoc with human lives Only when man is freefrom unsteadiness within will he not be troubledby earthquake
Do Not Rob Nature of Its Resources toSatisfy Your Greed
Not only the people of India but also the peo-ple of the entire world should strive to maintainbalance Te five elements are nothing but mani-festations of the divine Manrsquos life will be secureonly when he realises this truth and acts accord-ingly A few days ago I sent lorry loads of ricegrams etc to the earthquake victims of Gujarat
Some people asked ldquoSwami why should youtake the trouble to spend so much money for send-ing relief material to Gujarat You could have in-stead averted the earthquakerdquo I replied ldquoMy dearman has to blame himself for the earthquakesDue to excessive greed for wealth he is disturbingthe balance of the Earth Hence the earthquakeTat is the law of Naturerdquo
You have to express your love for man by help-ing the needy Love is your nature Just as balance
is very much essential for Nature so also love isvery much needed for man Know that whatev-
er God has created is for your own welfare Youshould enjoy Nature according to your need Youshould not rob Nature of its resources to satisfyyour greed
Science Should Be Utilised Only to the
Extent Needed
Here is an example Once a greedy personowned a duck which used to lay a golden egg ev-ery day One day he ripped open the stomach of
the duck thinking that he would get many goldeneggs at a time oday man also is indulging in suchfoolish and greedy acts Instead of being satisfied with what Nature is giving him he aspires formore and more and in the process he is creatingimbalance in Nature
oday scientists are interested in new inven-tions Te advancement in science and technologyhas also led to imbalance in Nature As a result
there are earthquakes and no timely rains Scienceshould be utilised only to the extent needed Sci-ence has its limitations and crossing those limitsleads to danger
You have a long way to go Adhere to truthand righteousness Our ancient sages said ldquoSpeaktruth speak pleasantly and do not speak unpleas-ant truthrdquo Make proper use of natural resourcesand do not put them to misuse Help everybodyand make them happy Share all the good thingsyou have learnt with others Tis is your foremostduty
Sathya Sai Speaks Volume 34Chapter 3 Vision of the Atma
Ceiling on Desires
5
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7
Desires Are the Root Cause of Manrsquos
Disturbance
All the spiritual practices that man performsaims at making his mind steady Tere is no use inconstantly repeating Godrsquos name meditating andpractising spiritual austerities if the mind is notsteady Once you have the five senses under con-trol you can experience God He is not far awayfrom you He is in you below you above you andall around you God in fact is the indweller of
man Yet man is not able to see Him What is thereason Manrsquos limitless and wayward desires pre-vent him from seeing God
Desires are the root cause of manrsquos disturbanceSense control and ceiling on desires will help himto see God all around and experience bliss So wehave to keep our desires in check We should notbe worried by the evil talk that others indulge in We should not be affected by calumny and criti-
cism
Control the Five Senses
Buddha wanted to control the five senses Hedecided first and foremost to acquire right visionMan today is not able to control his vision becauseof the fickleness of his mind Cinema video Vetc have polluted the mind of man He does notsee good and hear good Man is the cause of hisown restlessness
Besides right vision Buddha emphasised theneed for right hearing right speech right feelingand right thinking Due to lack of these human-ness is fast giving way to devilishness and beastli-ness Animal qualities are fast increasing in man Animals have a season and a reason but man hasnone Man today has become worse than animalsHuman qualities like compassion kindness loveand forbearance are absent in him He should be
free from evil thoughts which are the root causeof his worries Tis requires constant and sustainedpractice
Master the Mind and Be a Mastermind
Man can control the mind and attain peaceby constant and sustained practice It is only ina peaceful mind that noble thoughts arise Temind should be under the control of man Mas-ter the mind and be a mastermind Unfortunatelyinstead of controlling the mind man has becomethe slave of his senses Tat is the main cause of hisunsteadiness Moreover he has body attachmentTis is the reason he gets easily disturbed if people
find fault with him Why should he worry aboutthe body when the body is like a water bubble You should get rid of body attachment
Summer Showers in Brindavan 2002Chapter 11 Sense Control Is the Highest Sadhana
Ceiling on Desires
6
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8
Learn a Lesson from Nature
Tere are four components in the term ldquoCeil-ing on Desiresrdquo Tey are curb on excessive talkcurb on excessive desires and expenditure controlof consumption of food and check on waste ofenergy Man needs some essential commodities forhis sustenance and he should not aspire for more
We can learn a lesson in this respect from Na-ture Only if air is available in sufficient quantity will it be comfortable and good If it is excessiveand there is a gale you will feel uncomfortable When you are thirsty you can consume only alimited quantity of water You canrsquot consume theentire water of the River Ganga We take only asmuch as is needed for the sustenance of the body
Doctors know that the body temperature isnormally 986 degrees If this goes up to 99 de-grees they say fever has set in due to some disorderin the body We inhale and exhale at a normal rate
If there is a slight increase or decrease in the rateit indicates disorder in the body Changes in thepulse rate or blood pressure also indicate disorderSo you find that if you exceed the limits even to alittle extent it is dangerous or harmful to the body
Tere is a limit for everything to function in anormal way When your eyes happen to see a flashof lightning or a flash of light while taking photo-graphs they automatically close because they canrsquot
withstand such high illumination Eardrums alsocannot tolerate hearing beyond a certain volumeand we cover our ears or keep cotton inside theears From these we see that our life is a limitedcompany
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 reason-
able number of saris but not a huge collectionfor pomp or show Misuse of money is a great evilEven men will have to do their own bit in control-ling the expenditure on unwanted and unnecessarythings
Money is the embodiment of Divinity Whenyou talk of wealth you should be careful to avoidavaricious accumulation and extravagant expendi-ture Even in the preparation of food you shouldbe careful in avoiding wastage We are only doinga disservice by consuming more food than what isnecessary for the body
Tirdly you should be careful about ldquotimerdquo which is the yardstick of life Seconds becomehours hours become years years make ages andso on You should not waste this most valuableldquotimerdquo ime lost in wasteful pursuits canrsquot be gotback by any means All our activities should beplanned for utilising the available time to maxi-
mum advantage So we should not waste foodmoney time and energy
Sathya Sai Speaks Volume 16Chapter 3 Ceiling on Desires-I
Ceiling on Desires
7
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9
Aims of the ldquoCeiling on Desires
Programmerdquo
Tere is a programme connected with ldquoCeilingon Desiresrdquo You must realise that this programmehas not been launched to raise funds Te object ofthe programme is to prevent waste of money timefood or other resources and to use all these forthe welfare of the people Te money that is savedneed not be kept for the Sathya Sai OrganisationsIt may be used in the best way you choose for the
benefit of others Do not waste time ime wastedis life wasted ime is God Sanctify all the time atyour disposal by undertaking service activities in apure and unselfish spirit
oday we waste time on unnecessary and un- wanted things in indulging in unnecessary talkand doing meaningless actions In all these ac-tions 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 gooddeeds Every second of your daily existence youmust ask these questions ldquoHow am I utilisingtime Is it for a good or bad purposerdquo
Likewise with regard to food you must askldquoAm I just eating what I need or more Am I wast-ing foodrdquo So also with regard to money ldquoAm Iusing this money for my own selfish needs or forboosting my name and fame or to satisfy my egoand vanityrdquo Once you start seeking answers tothese questions there is no greater spiritual prac-tice
Tese are the aims of the ldquoCeiling on DesiresProgrammerdquo It was never the purpose of thisprogramme to collect money for the Sathya SaiOrganisations Te object was to encourage youto share your money with others to give you anopportunity to utilise your surplus resources forsome good and noble purpose that will sanctify
your life
Make Your Lives Sacred and Worthwhile
Tree types of strength are given to a personphysical strength mental strength and the powerof money It has been said that all these should beoffered as yajna (sacrifice) Tis sacrifice is not of-fered to God God who has given you your bodyand your mind does not need them for HimselfGod is also the source of all wealth What does He want with your wealth
Use it for sacred purposes Te service pro-gramme is intended only to provide you with op-portunities to make your lives sacred and worth- while 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 discoverSita in Lanka Himself What need was there forHim to send Hanuman Rama wanted Hanumanto go on the search so that He could show to the
world the devotion and steadfastness and faith ofHanuman It is a case of grace on the part of Rama
In the same manner if Sai wants to do so manythings Himself He can do anything Tis endeav-our is not for the sake of Sai It is done throughthese service organisations so that members ofthe organisation get the chance to do service andredeem themselves ry to understand the basictruth that these avenues of service have been pro-vided so that you will get a good name for yourselfand not for the sake of Sai
Sathya Sai Speaks Volume 17Chapter 16 Ceiling on Desires-II
Ceiling on Desires
8
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10
Always Be Happy
Whatever trouble you may face you mustlearn to feel happy in any circumstance If you arestung by a scorpion you must console yourselfthat you were not bitten by a snake and when youare bitten by a snake you must console yourselfthat it has not proved fatal Even if you are not ableto own a vehicle be happy that your legs are intactto enable you to walk Even if you are not a mil-lionaire be happy that you have enough resourcesto feed yourself and your family Tis 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 peace-ful and meaningful life You must curb the desireto seek more and more wealth and turn your effortto realise the Reality within In pursuing this ef-fort you must avoid waste of food money timeenergy and knowledge as all these are forms ofGod Unnecessary talk should be avoided as thisresults in waste of energy and reduction of mem-ory power
Sathya Sai Speaks Volume 27Chapter 20 Spiritual Orientation to Education
Peace Can Be Attained Only by Godrsquos
GraceIn the modern world every person tries hard
to attain peace Peace cannot be attained by spiri-tual precepts nor can it be obtained from a mar-ket as a commodity It cannot be acquired even byknowledge of the texts or a high position in lifePeace can be attained only by Godrsquos grace
Tough man is eager to attain peace he con-fronts many obstacles in the path Tose who trav-
el by train may be well acquainted with the sloganldquoLess luggage more comfort makes travel a plea-surerdquo Now man is burdening himself with limit-less desires Because of this extra heavy luggage ofdesires he finds it extremely difficult to carry onthe journey of life By such proliferation of desireshe loses his balance moves far away from his goaland even tends to go mad
It is for this reason that I have been stressingthe need for ceiling on desires By limiting yourdesires you can attain peace to a certain extent You have to exercise a check on your desires andmake efforts to get the grace of the divine
Sathya Sai Speaks Volume 31Chapter 19 Faith Love and Grace
Bad Qualities Are the Result of Your Own
Thoughts
Suppose you get angry From where did thisanger come Tis has come from you only Simi-larly jealousy is a quality that manifested fromyour mind Tus each one of these bad qualities isthe result of your own thoughts Hence if only you
are able to control your thoughts properly you willbe able to achieve anything in life
Ceiling on Desires
9Ceiling on Desires
10
Ceiling on Desires
11Te mind intellect and awareness are the re-
flections of the Atma Te mind has no stabilityIt is the repository of thoughts and desires It issaid ldquoTe mind alone is the cause of bondage orliberationrdquo Hence one has to keep the mind underproper control by putting some ceiling on desires
Sathya Sai Speaks Volume 42
Chapter 1 Know Tyself You Will Know Everything
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12
Cultivate Four Desirable Practices
Te Sai Organisations have been enjoined tocarry out a programme of ceiling on desires Every-one should try to control desires as much as pos-sible Te promotion of human values is anotheritem in the programme Tese human values areinherent in every person All that is needed is foreveryone to manifest them in his daily life ruthrighteousness and peace are all in you
You are the embodiment of truth peace loveand God Recognise this fact Members of SaiOrganisations should cultivate certain desirablepractices For instance they should regulate theirdiet because onersquos food influences onersquos thoughtsSmoking and intoxicating drinks have to be givenup Tey are ruinous for the health Meat eatingshould also be given up because eating animalfood promotes animal tendencies Te fourth evilthat has to be eliminated is gambling
Tose who take to the spiritual path shouldavoid as much as possible these four bad practicesIt is sinful to slaughter poor animals for onersquos foodSai members should follow the motto ldquoHelp everhurt neverrdquo
Tere is no meaning in professing to respecthuman values without observing the rule that youshould cause no harm to others in any form what-soever God loves those who serve others becauseHe is in all of them Whomever you may serveconsider it as service to God Divinise all youractions reat every action you perform as Godrsquos work
Sathya Sai Speaks Volume 28Chapter 34 Spiritual Significance of Loving Service
Ceiling on Desires
13
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13
Eight Flowers of Worship
Non-violence Control of Senses
Compassion for All Living Beings
Forebearance
Peace
Penance
Meditation
ruth
It is the experience and practice of the citizens of India that they generally wor-ship God with flowers offer ritual adoration and make obeisance to God Butthere is something that is more sacred than this Tere is a distinctive type of
devotion by which you worship God with a good clean mind and good conductTis has been given the name of para bhakthi (supreme devotion) By always wor-shipping God with ritual worship and flowers the spiritual aspirant will remainstationary in his place Tis is good in a way but to remain in one place all thetime and failing to rise to a higher position is not good
Tere is a superior type of worship mdash to worship God through good qualitiesgood conduct good thoughts and good company Te scriptures have describedthis kind of worship as worship through good qualities By offering what kind ofgood qualities can we please God
Eight Flowers of Worship
Te first flower with which we can worship God is non-violence Te second
flower is control of senses Te third flower is compassion Te fourth one is for-bearance Te fifth flower is peace Te sixth flower is penance Te seventh one isthe flower of meditation Te eighth is the flower of truth Te inner meaning ofthis statement is that God will shower grace on you if you worship him throughthese eight flowers
Te flowers in nature always fade drop down lose fragrance and also de-velop an odour that is not pleasant Instead of worshipping with such worldlyflowers which are impermanent and receiving impermanent rewards from God
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14
we should worship Him with what is truthful andthereby attain a stage that is higher
Te flowers that you are using for worship havenot been created by you You are bringing flowersthat have been created by the Will of God on some
tree or in some garden and are offering them backto the Creator Himself What is the greatness inusing the flowers created by God and giving themback to God Himself Many people bathe in theGanges River take the water from the Ganges intotheir palms and offer it back to the Ganges itselfTis is not what you have created Tis is not whatyou have the right to offer
From the tree of your life picking such fruits
that you have protected and that you have grownin the form of good qualities and offering themto God there is some distinctiveness in that Inorder to promote good qualities you have to un-dergo several troubles So it is through these goodqualities that your mind can also acquire a divineconcentration Without good qualities and with-out good thoughts how can you fix your mind inmeditation1
FIRST FLOWERTe first flower is the flower of non-violence
We regard the word non-violence to mean notcausing harm and hurt to other living things Tetrue meaning of the word is not to cause hurtand harm to any other living being through yourthought word or deed Cleansing and purifyingthese threemdashthought word and deedmdashhas beencalled a Triputi (summit of three) in spiritualparlance All of them should be harmonised and
brought together as one unit of flower1
We find doctors performing surgeries on pa-tients to cure them of their ailments In the processof surgery the doctors cut the body with a knife You cannot call it an act of violence because it isbeneficial to the patient Some people may arguethat even cutting vegetables is an act of violencebecause vegetables and trees have life in them Nodoubt vegetables and trees have life but they do
not have the mind Consequently they do not suf-fer any pain
Only man has got five sheaths namely foodsheath life sheath mind sheath wisdom sheathand bliss sheath One with the mind experiencespain and pleasure Men animals birds and in-sects are endowed with the mind not trees and
vegetables In some trees you find the sap oozingout when you pluck their fruit Oozing of sap froma tree is a natural phenomenon but some peoplemistake it for the tears of suffering Te trees donot suffer any pain because they do not have thefaculty of mind2
SECOND FLOWER
Te second flower is the control of sensoryorgans Our senses run without any control If
running horses or animals are not controlled theypose a danger God has created each organ of thehuman body for a specific purpose It is only when we use these sensory organs along the right pathfor which they have been created that we will beentitled to Godrsquos grace God has given us a nose We should make an attempt to breathe in andbreathe out through the nose and only accept fra-grance through the nose If we use such a nose totake snuff the purpose will become useless In the
same manner He has given us the mouth and atongue in order that we may take in pure food If we use the mouth to take in unholy food or intoxi-cating drinks then we will be using the mouth fora wrong purpose
In the same manner we should understandunder what conditions and in what times and in what manner we should use each of these organsand put them under control Our inner strength
will become less and less on account of excitementor unnecessary sorrow Te body will become ill bymental agitations and distractions Man ages veryquickly through excitement and sorrow Te rea-son for your not preserving this sacred instrumentin sound condition is lack of control over thesesensory organs Te second flower of sensory con-trol should be used for worshipping God1
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15
Lack of Sense Control Is the Main Cause
of Unrest and Agitation
All spiritual practices will prove futile if onelacks sense control Control of the senses is veryessential for one and all Lack of sense control is
the main cause of all the unrest and agitation thatyou find in the world today How can one controlthe senses First of all one should exercise controlover the tongue
You must control your tongue as it alwayscraves a variety of delicacies You must ask thisquestion ldquoO tongue how many bags of rice wheat and vegetables have you devoured Howmany delicacies have you consumed Fie on you
if you are still not satisfiedrdquo A morsel of food isenough to sustain the body You should eat forthe sake of satisfying your hunger and sustain-ing the body Do not give undue importance totaste Likewise tell your eyes to see God instead of watching unsacred things on television or videoeach your ears to listen to the stories of the Lordinstead of listening to vain gossip
O ears you are interested in listening to vain gos-sip and tales about others but you pay least attentionwhen the wonderful stories of the Lord are narrated
(elugu Song)
Tink for a while how you benefit by listen-ing to unsacred things In fact you are pollutingyour heart in the process All that you see and heargets imprinted on your heart Once your heart ispolluted your life will become meaningless Tehuman heart is like a pen Te colour of the wordsthat 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 besuffused with love God expects you to fill yourheart with love and lead a sacred life2
THIRD FLOWER
Te third flower is compassion for all livingthings Looking merely and superficially at humannature which has diverse aspects we are forgettingGod in this field From the seed of Divinity the
tree of creation has grown On this tree of creationthe fruits are the human beings that are the indi-vidual souls In each of these human fruits there
is Divinity in the form of seed Tat is why in theBhagavad Gita Krishna has said ldquoI am the seed inall the living beingsrdquo Recognising the truth thatGod is present in the form of the Atma in all livingbeings we say compassion for all living beings is
the next flower1
The Story of Abou Ben Adhem
Students might have heard the story of AbouBen Adhem who always offered compassion to- wards all beings as a form of service to the LordEvery day he traveled the streets to serve the desti-tute and the handicapped and returned home latein the night One night when he returned homehe found in his bedroom an angel writing some-
thing When he asked her what she was writingshe replied that she was making a list of those wholoved God She replied in the negative when heasked her if his name was on that list
Te following night when he returned homehe again found the angel writing something Hequeried ldquoMother what is it that you are writingnowrdquo She said ldquoSon I am writing the names ofthose who are dear to Godrdquo He again wanted to
know if his name was on the list She replied thathis name was at the top of this list
Te sum and substance of this story is thatGod is pleased when you serve your fellow humanbeings Te scriptures have prescribed nine pathsof devotion namely listening to the Lordrsquos storiessinging His glories remembrance of the Lordrsquosname service to the Lordrsquos Lotus Feet worshipsalutation servitude friendship and offering one-
self to the Lord ie complete self-surrender Butthe 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 oceanof worldly life
One can redeem onersquos life only through service(Sanskrit Verse)
Abou Ben Adhem became the recipient ofGodrsquos love because he spent all his time in the ser-
vice of his fellow men God loves all for He is theembodiment of love But He will give Himself tothose who show compassion for all beings2
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Have Compassion towards All as God
Resides in All
Among all the flowers compassion for all crea-tures is most important Man alone is endowed with this virtue of compassion Tis is the flower
that you should offer to God God is the indwellerof all beings Names and forms may vary but thesame God is present in all Terefore you shouldhave compassion towards all beings with the broadfeeling that God is present in all Only then canyou understand how expansive and fragrant thisquality of compassion for all creatures is
You need not waste your time gathering theflowers that fade away and wither away in no time
Te flower of your heart is eternal ever fresh andever fragrant for which you need not spend evena penny Tat is the real flower One who under-stands the secret of this flower is one of supreme wisdom3
FOURTH FLOWER
Te fourth one is the flower of forbearanceForbearance truly is the highest quality of a humanbeing But in human life because he develops nar-row ideas man wants to live in a constricted placeHe thinks ldquoIrdquo and ldquomy familyrdquo are what mattersothers are all different from ldquomerdquo It is not possiblefor us to develop the flower of forbearance as longas these ideas are in us It is only when we lovethat we can have patience and forbearance Onersquoslove should encompass all living beings Tat willfructify as forbearance
Here is a brief example In our home thereare our children Along with our children there is
also a servant In the house a son may be pilfer-ing something or other and developing bad habitsIn many ways we will try and control that son bybeating scolding and persuading him to return togood ways but we will never take him and handhim over to the police In the same house if theservant steals a small spoon at once we will takehim 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 dayafter day but we hand over a servant immediatelyto the police when he steals even a small thing
Te reason for this is the narrow idea that ldquothis boyis my sonrdquo Because the servant does not belong toyou there is no place for forbearance and patienceSo you see that when you have the broad idea thatldquoeveryone is minerdquo there is room for patience and
forbearance It is only then that our love will alsogrow1
Forbearance Promotes Divine Qualities
Forbearance is identified by the scriptures withtruth righteousness knowledge sacrifice and joy Without forbearance man cannot be happy foreven a moment It promotes divine qualities Itreveals inner Divinity One has to undertake spiri-tual practices to earn it and establish oneself in it
Nourish the idea that God is equally present in allin spite of ridicule from the ignorant and sarcasticcriticism from the blind or even praise from ad-mirers Do not mind them4
Forbearance Is Very Dear to the Lord
Te Pandavas suffered a lot at the hands ofthe Kauravas But never did Dharmaraja lose for-bearance even when Droupadi was being humili-ated by the Kauravas It was the virtue of forbear-ance that protected the Pandavas and made theman ideal for the rest of the world Tis flower offorbearance is very dear to the Lord God will bepleased with you and confer boons on you only when you offer Him the ldquoflowersrdquo which are dearto Him No benefit accrues from offering the flow-ers that fade away and decay Te ever-bloomingflowers of non-violence sense control compassionfor all living beings and forbearance are liked by
God2
FIFTH FLOWER
Te fifth is the flower of peace Tis flower ofpeace should not be interpreted to mean that youshould be silent no matter who is attacking you or who is blaming you It is not that If you are un-moved and unperturbed in spite of anyone findingfaults with you this can be called real peace Ifyou can fill your heart with love then peace willcome into you from outside Trough bad quali-ties to some extent we lose peace With truthfulthoughts a man will have peace With untruthful
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thoughts a man will not have peace If you can getrid of all thoughts you will become a saint It isonly when you can be free from all thoughts thatyou can have peace
Your own bad thoughts are responsible for all
your pain and sorrow By good thoughts and bygood ideas you will become a holy man Holyman does not mean one who merely wears an or-ange robe shaves the head and wears holy beadsHe who has good thoughts and good ideas is aholy man A holy man is one who is the embodi-ment of truthful thoughts1
Peace Has Detachment as the Basic
Quality
Peace does not mean that a person should notreact at all whatever others may say or howeverthey may abuse him It does not mean that hemust be silent as a rock It involves mastery of allthe senses and all the passions inner peace mustbecome onersquos nature Peace has detachment as thebasic quality Te sea which likes to gather andpossess lies low the cloud that likes to renounceand give up is high in the sky Peace endows man
with an unruffled mind and steady visionTe prayer for shanthi (peace) is usually repeat-
ed thrice ldquoOm shanthi shanthi shanthihirdquo sincepeace is prayed for in the physical mental andspiritual planes Man should not bring his bloodto boil nor should he yield to fear Spiritual calmis exemplified by Emperor Janaka of the Upani-shadhic texts He was known as vidheha (withoutbody attachment) not because he was disembod-
ied but because he lived in utter forgetfulness ofthe body and its needs He saw heard and spokeonly from the Atmic plane of consciousness4
Bear All Sufferings With Fortitude and
Patience
One should remain peaceful through all thevicissitudes of life Only then can one attain divinegrace Great devotees like Tyagaraja ukaramand Droupadi underwent many hardships Tey
bore all sufferings with patience Tyagaraja saidldquoOne cannot attain happiness without innerpeacerdquo Man needs peace at the physical mental
and spiritual levels Peace is not present in theexternal world It is present within
You are the embodiment of peace In the worldly life there are bound to be many hardshipsbut one should not be perturbed One should bear
all sufferings with fortitude and patience Humanlife is given not merely to enjoy the worldly plea-sures like birds and beasts Life becomes meaning-ful only when one experiences the peace that origi-nates from the heart2
SIXTH FLOWER
Te sixth one is the flower of penance Pen-ance is not to give up your wife and children goto a forest put your head down and feet up that
is not penance When we think of real penance weshould eliminate bad thoughts from our mindsTe co-ordination of thought word and deed ispenance Whatever thoughts sprout in your mindto utter them as word and to put them in practiceas your work that is penance It is in this contextthat it is said ldquoA great soul practises harmony ofthought word and deedrdquo Giving up bad thoughtsin your mind will become a sacrifice Tat sacri-fice will become yoga (spiritual practice leading tounion with God) But giving up onersquos propertyand onersquos wife and going to the forest is not yoga1
Be Even-Minded in Happiness or Sorrow
One should contemplate on God at all timesand achieve harmony of thought word and deedHe is a noble one whose thoughts words anddeeds are in complete harmony Do not be car-ried away by pain or pleasure Te Bhagavad Gita
teaches ldquoOne should be even-minded in happi-ness or sorrow gain or loss victory or defeatrdquo Oneshould discharge onersquos duty and serve society with-out any expectation of reward Such even-minded-ness and desireless state is true penance2
SEVENTH FLOWER
Te seventh flower is the flower of meditationoday meditation is taking many forms Manytypes of meditation that people are adopting todayare against the culture and tradition of India o sitin a lotus posture and to make the kundalini shakti (kundalini power) rise from basal plexus to the cra-
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18
nium is not meditation rue meditation consistsin recognising the presence of God in all types of work God is the indweller of all and is all per-vading o make an attempt in your meditation toconfine 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 marketthe market is your God According to the cultureof 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 TeUpanishads are teaching us ldquoTe work I have todo I regard as God and make obeisance to God
in that formrdquoLet us consider the person who plays the
drums Before he begins to play on them he paysobeisance to the drums Te harmonium player will make obeisance to the harmonium before hestarts A dancer before she begins her dance willmake obeisance to her anklets Even a driver whois going to drive a lifeless car before he holds thesteering wheel makes salutations to the steering wheel You do not have to go so far While driv-ing if the car hits another person immediately wemake salutations to that person Te significanceof all this is the faith and belief that God is presentin all things Tus to regard the entire creation asthe form of God and to perform your duty in thatspirit is meditation1
Contemplate On God at All Times
Meditation does not mean sitting in lotus pos-
ture with eyes closed in contemplation on GodTis is physical worldly activity No doubt this isalso needed but true meditation lies in unifyingthe mind with God Just as milk and water can-not be separated likewise the mind once merged with God cannot be separated An iron ball castin fire will become one with it Likewise your loveshould become one with divine love Tis truthis contained in the Vedic dictum ldquoTe knower ofBrahman becomes Brahman Himselfrdquo
Some people contemplate on God for a lim-ited period in the morning and evening Tis can-
not be called meditation Contemplate on Godat all times at all places and under all circum-stances Perform all tasks with your mind firmlyfixed on God Tat is true meditation Tinking ofGod for a limited period cannot be termed medi-
tation Tat is only part-time devotion Part-timedevotion confers only part-time grace You shouldhave full-time devotion in order to attain full-timegrace2
EIGHTH FLOWER
Te next flower is the flower of truth If yousimply speak what you feel and tell what you havedone this can be called worldly truth mdash state-ment of facts Tis cannot be called truth ruth
is that which does not change at any time Whatyou have seen is truth at that moment At the nextmoment it becomes untruth All material thingsthat you see in this creation are things that willdecay that are bound to change In this transientchanging world how can what you see and whatyou hear become truth ruth is God Tis truth isthe eighth flower Tis truth is the form of Divin-ity In the world we experience truths of a relativenature
Let us take chemistry as an example You takesome chemicals and mix them together Teychange and you get some other chemical If youmix turmeric in lime you get red colour Tis ischemistry Another example is physics If you takea 3-inch needle and put it in fire it will becomea longer needle Tis is the truth of physics Howlong do these truths of chemistry and physics re-main Tese are temporary worldly scientific
truths But spiritual truths are such that they willremain unchanged whatever you may do to them whatever fire you may use on them and howsoeveryou may change the circumstances
So what does not change at all is truth Cru-elty and harshness are predominant in the worldtoday because we are not attempting to promotesuch sacred qualities oday among believersnon-believers and the believing the same kind ofattitude is developing Tat day when we can pro-mote such good qualities in the minds of believersthe non-believers will disappear from this world1
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19
ruth is changeless in all the three periods oftime ie past present and future Everythingmay disappear but truth remains forever So truthis God live in truth2
Win Godrsquos Grace by Worshipping EightFlowers
Worship the Lord and offer Him these flow-ers Now when other flowers are used devotiondoes not last after one comes out of the worshiproom When one crosses that door-step angerhatred and anxiety possess him and degrade him Without developing the qualities indicated by theeight flowers how can anyone win the grace ofGod Engaged in wrong worship on all 364 days
what good do you derive by doing true worship onthe 365th day of the year When you claim to beSai devotees justify the claim by cultivating theseflowers of virtue and offering them to God4
Serve Society to Your Utmost Capacity
God will be pleased only when you wor-ship Him with these eight types of flowers Tepriests in temples worship God with various typesof flowers But God does not want these flowersHe says ldquoO priest is this what you have learntall these years You are worshipping Me with lorryloads of roses and jasmines which fade away in ashort time Tese are not the flowers that I expectfrom you Worship Me with the flowers of peacelove non-violence etc which will never faderdquo
Embodiments of Love
People worship God with devotion and sincer-
ity but God is not satisfied with external worship You should serve society Only service can conferbliss on you By rendering service to society notonly can you alleviate the sufferings of the peoplebut you can also bring about transformation intheir lives As is the feeling so is the result If youserve with sacred feelings it is bound to yield sa-cred results Serve society to your utmost capacity You are singing devotional songs in the morningand evening Te satisfaction that you get by par-
ticipating in singing devotional songs is temporary whereas service confers permanent satisfaction
Te Vedas say the objective of actions is to pu-rify the mind Service alone is undertaken to pu-rify the mind oday people waste a lot of time wealth and energy in performing activities that donot foster purity of the mind Tat is why they
are unable to experience peace of mind Te peacethat one gets out of worldly activities comes andgoes like a passing cloud One should aspire forthe true and eternal peace which originates fromthe heart2
References
1 Sathya Sai Speaks Volume 15 Chapter 9 TeFlowers Tat God Loves
2 Sathya Sai Speaks Volume 33 Chapter 12
Flowers Tat Never Fade3 Sanathana Sarathi March 2012 Chapter Hu-
manness Blossoms in a Compassionate Heart
4 Sathya Sai Speaks Volume 15 Chapter 25Te Garden of the Heart
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20
Glossary
AtmaAtmic
Self Soul Embodied Self is jiva (the individ-ual soul) Self with no limitations is Brahman (the Supreme Cosmic Reality)
SatwaSatwic
It is the quality of purity brightness peacegoodness and harmony It leads to knowledge
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L983151983158983141 A983148983148 S983141983154983158983141 A983148983148
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3
Easiest Way of Achieving Control of the
Mind
You should be established in the awarenessthat the Lord is ever present You must also beprompted by the feeling that you are performingdeeds for the pleasure of the Lord Tis is the easi-est way of achieving control of the mind
If you are prompted by feelings that your bodybelongs to the Lord you will not sin with yourbody On the other hand all your efforts and en-deavours will proceed towards Divinity If you aresaturated with the conviction that your energy be-longs to God you will not misuse it It is in lightof this that we have prescribed the principle ofceiling on desires in the Sri Sathya Sai Centres
Fourfold Programme
Te first ceiling on desires is ldquoDonrsquot wastefood Food is Godrdquo Your body is made of food
and you are the result of the food eaten by yourparents Food is God Eat as much as it is necessaryto eat But do not throw away food by taking toomuch on your plate By wasting food you will be wasting the energy divine
Te second instruction is ldquoDonrsquot waste mon-ey God is wealthrdquo Since God is wealth misuseof money is evil Practice charity by gifting awaymoney food clothes houses etc instead of mis-using money in extravagance Misuse of money isnot only evil but a sin as well Te third instruc-tion is ldquoDonrsquot waste time ime waste is life wasterdquo
God is exalted as time He is beyond timetranscends time and is the embodiment of timeSpend the time by using sanctifying words Do not waste time Wasting time is wasting God
Te fourth instruction is ldquoDonrsquot waste energyrdquoPeople waste their energy by indulging in bad
thoughts seeing bad things hearing bad thingsand taking bad actions
Te right royal road is the followingSee no evilmdashsee what is goodHear no evilmdashhear what is goodSpeak no evilmdashspeak what is goodTink no evilmdashthink what is goodDo no evilmdashdo what is good
By translating the above instructions into
practice you will be sanctifying your time Tis isthe spiritual practice and the service that you haveto undertake A time will come when the mind will be extinguished and merger with the divine will be achieved
Summer Showers in Brindavan 1993Chapter 6 Te Conquest of the Mind
Ceiling on Desires
2
8132019 Teachings of Sri Sathya Sai Baba - Vol 1
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4
Light the Lamp of Love Within
Man is making every attempt today to be hap-py blissful Where do you get bliss Is it in the ma-terial things in the world in individuals in booksNo not at all Bliss is within onersquos own Self Youhave forgotten your true Self the source of bliss You are struggling hard for artificial happiness out-side You are not aware of the reality that lies in theheart In fact all the bliss is there Te principle oflove originates from the heart not from the world
Everyone should develop love more and moreBut today there is hatred and anger everywhere Wherever you look there is desire enmity andfear How do you expect to be at peace How doyou expect to be blissful Light the lamp of love within Ten fear and illusion can be removedand you can have the vision of the Self Otherwiseyou are bound to suffer
You have to exercise a ceiling on your desires
Tere are rules for a ceiling with regard to land and property But you have no ceiling on your desires Ceiling on desires means exercising controlover them You can be happy once the desires arecontrolled
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 Tere-fore it is said ldquoLess luggage more comfort makestravel a pleasurerdquo So ceiling on desires is what youhave to adopt today You have to cut short your de-sires day by day You are under the mistaken notionthat happiness lies in the fulfillment of desires Butin fact happiness begins to dawn when desires aretotally eradicated
When you reduce your desires you advancetowards the state of renunciation You have many
desires What do you get out of them You are
bound to face the consequences when you claimsomething as yours When you claim a piece ofland as yours then you will have to reap the har-vest Tis instinct of ego and attachment will putyou to suffering You will be blissful the momentyou give up ego and attachment
Sathya Sai Speaks Volume 32 Part 1Chapter 6 Put a Ceiling on Your Desires
Ceiling on Desires
3
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5
Nothing Accompanies You When You
Leave the World
Wherever you look today there are only de-sires desires and more desires Put a ceiling onthese desires Only then will your mind becomesteady You say ldquoI want this I want thatrdquo etcTus you develop many wants Tey are like pass-ing clouds Why should you multiply your wantsthese passing clouds Ultimately nothing accom-panies you at the time of your leaving this mortal
bodyGreat kings and emperors ruled over this
world Tey conquered many countries and ac-cumulated boundless wealth Even Alexander theGreat who conquered several parts of the worldcould not take with him even a miniscule part ofthe wealth he accumulated He had to leave this world with empty hands
o demonstrate this truth he instructed his
ministers to take his dead body in a procession
through the streets of his capital keeping both hishands in a raised position pointing towards thesky Te ministers were curious to know the rea-son for this strange request He said ldquoI have con-quered many countries and accumulated so much wealth Tere is a vast army under my control Yetnone is accompanying me at the time of my leav-ing this body I am going with empty hands Tishas to be demonstrated to all peoplerdquo
Sathya Sai Speaks Volume 41
Chapter 19 Contemplate on God the Real Hero forVictory
Ceiling on Desires
4
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6
Excessive Desire Causes Imbalance in
Nature
Man should put a ceiling on his desires Asmanrsquos conduct is perverted today we find natu-ral calamities taking place You are aware of thedevastation caused by the earthquake in GujaratTousands of people lost their lives Te reason forthis is that man is entertaining excessive desiresGod maintains perfect balance in His creation InGodrsquos creation the Earth and the oceans are en-
dowed with balance But man is indiscriminatelyexploiting the Earth for extracting oil
Every day tonnes of fish are caught from theoceans Tis indiscriminate exploitation of Natureresults in imbalance in Earth which is playinghavoc with human lives Only when man is freefrom unsteadiness within will he not be troubledby earthquake
Do Not Rob Nature of Its Resources toSatisfy Your Greed
Not only the people of India but also the peo-ple of the entire world should strive to maintainbalance Te five elements are nothing but mani-festations of the divine Manrsquos life will be secureonly when he realises this truth and acts accord-ingly A few days ago I sent lorry loads of ricegrams etc to the earthquake victims of Gujarat
Some people asked ldquoSwami why should youtake the trouble to spend so much money for send-ing relief material to Gujarat You could have in-stead averted the earthquakerdquo I replied ldquoMy dearman has to blame himself for the earthquakesDue to excessive greed for wealth he is disturbingthe balance of the Earth Hence the earthquakeTat is the law of Naturerdquo
You have to express your love for man by help-ing the needy Love is your nature Just as balance
is very much essential for Nature so also love isvery much needed for man Know that whatev-
er God has created is for your own welfare Youshould enjoy Nature according to your need Youshould not rob Nature of its resources to satisfyyour greed
Science Should Be Utilised Only to the
Extent Needed
Here is an example Once a greedy personowned a duck which used to lay a golden egg ev-ery day One day he ripped open the stomach of
the duck thinking that he would get many goldeneggs at a time oday man also is indulging in suchfoolish and greedy acts Instead of being satisfied with what Nature is giving him he aspires formore and more and in the process he is creatingimbalance in Nature
oday scientists are interested in new inven-tions Te advancement in science and technologyhas also led to imbalance in Nature As a result
there are earthquakes and no timely rains Scienceshould be utilised only to the extent needed Sci-ence has its limitations and crossing those limitsleads to danger
You have a long way to go Adhere to truthand righteousness Our ancient sages said ldquoSpeaktruth speak pleasantly and do not speak unpleas-ant truthrdquo Make proper use of natural resourcesand do not put them to misuse Help everybodyand make them happy Share all the good thingsyou have learnt with others Tis is your foremostduty
Sathya Sai Speaks Volume 34Chapter 3 Vision of the Atma
Ceiling on Desires
5
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7
Desires Are the Root Cause of Manrsquos
Disturbance
All the spiritual practices that man performsaims at making his mind steady Tere is no use inconstantly repeating Godrsquos name meditating andpractising spiritual austerities if the mind is notsteady Once you have the five senses under con-trol you can experience God He is not far awayfrom you He is in you below you above you andall around you God in fact is the indweller of
man Yet man is not able to see Him What is thereason Manrsquos limitless and wayward desires pre-vent him from seeing God
Desires are the root cause of manrsquos disturbanceSense control and ceiling on desires will help himto see God all around and experience bliss So wehave to keep our desires in check We should notbe worried by the evil talk that others indulge in We should not be affected by calumny and criti-
cism
Control the Five Senses
Buddha wanted to control the five senses Hedecided first and foremost to acquire right visionMan today is not able to control his vision becauseof the fickleness of his mind Cinema video Vetc have polluted the mind of man He does notsee good and hear good Man is the cause of hisown restlessness
Besides right vision Buddha emphasised theneed for right hearing right speech right feelingand right thinking Due to lack of these human-ness is fast giving way to devilishness and beastli-ness Animal qualities are fast increasing in man Animals have a season and a reason but man hasnone Man today has become worse than animalsHuman qualities like compassion kindness loveand forbearance are absent in him He should be
free from evil thoughts which are the root causeof his worries Tis requires constant and sustainedpractice
Master the Mind and Be a Mastermind
Man can control the mind and attain peaceby constant and sustained practice It is only ina peaceful mind that noble thoughts arise Temind should be under the control of man Mas-ter the mind and be a mastermind Unfortunatelyinstead of controlling the mind man has becomethe slave of his senses Tat is the main cause of hisunsteadiness Moreover he has body attachmentTis is the reason he gets easily disturbed if people
find fault with him Why should he worry aboutthe body when the body is like a water bubble You should get rid of body attachment
Summer Showers in Brindavan 2002Chapter 11 Sense Control Is the Highest Sadhana
Ceiling on Desires
6
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8
Learn a Lesson from Nature
Tere are four components in the term ldquoCeil-ing on Desiresrdquo Tey are curb on excessive talkcurb on excessive desires and expenditure controlof consumption of food and check on waste ofenergy Man needs some essential commodities forhis sustenance and he should not aspire for more
We can learn a lesson in this respect from Na-ture Only if air is available in sufficient quantity will it be comfortable and good If it is excessiveand there is a gale you will feel uncomfortable When you are thirsty you can consume only alimited quantity of water You canrsquot consume theentire water of the River Ganga We take only asmuch as is needed for the sustenance of the body
Doctors know that the body temperature isnormally 986 degrees If this goes up to 99 de-grees they say fever has set in due to some disorderin the body We inhale and exhale at a normal rate
If there is a slight increase or decrease in the rateit indicates disorder in the body Changes in thepulse rate or blood pressure also indicate disorderSo you find that if you exceed the limits even to alittle extent it is dangerous or harmful to the body
Tere is a limit for everything to function in anormal way When your eyes happen to see a flashof lightning or a flash of light while taking photo-graphs they automatically close because they canrsquot
withstand such high illumination Eardrums alsocannot tolerate hearing beyond a certain volumeand we cover our ears or keep cotton inside theears From these we see that our life is a limitedcompany
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 reason-
able number of saris but not a huge collectionfor pomp or show Misuse of money is a great evilEven men will have to do their own bit in control-ling the expenditure on unwanted and unnecessarythings
Money is the embodiment of Divinity Whenyou talk of wealth you should be careful to avoidavaricious accumulation and extravagant expendi-ture Even in the preparation of food you shouldbe careful in avoiding wastage We are only doinga disservice by consuming more food than what isnecessary for the body
Tirdly you should be careful about ldquotimerdquo which is the yardstick of life Seconds becomehours hours become years years make ages andso on You should not waste this most valuableldquotimerdquo ime lost in wasteful pursuits canrsquot be gotback by any means All our activities should beplanned for utilising the available time to maxi-
mum advantage So we should not waste foodmoney time and energy
Sathya Sai Speaks Volume 16Chapter 3 Ceiling on Desires-I
Ceiling on Desires
7
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9
Aims of the ldquoCeiling on Desires
Programmerdquo
Tere is a programme connected with ldquoCeilingon Desiresrdquo You must realise that this programmehas not been launched to raise funds Te object ofthe programme is to prevent waste of money timefood or other resources and to use all these forthe welfare of the people Te money that is savedneed not be kept for the Sathya Sai OrganisationsIt may be used in the best way you choose for the
benefit of others Do not waste time ime wastedis life wasted ime is God Sanctify all the time atyour disposal by undertaking service activities in apure and unselfish spirit
oday we waste time on unnecessary and un- wanted things in indulging in unnecessary talkand doing meaningless actions In all these ac-tions 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 gooddeeds Every second of your daily existence youmust ask these questions ldquoHow am I utilisingtime Is it for a good or bad purposerdquo
Likewise with regard to food you must askldquoAm I just eating what I need or more Am I wast-ing foodrdquo So also with regard to money ldquoAm Iusing this money for my own selfish needs or forboosting my name and fame or to satisfy my egoand vanityrdquo Once you start seeking answers tothese questions there is no greater spiritual prac-tice
Tese are the aims of the ldquoCeiling on DesiresProgrammerdquo It was never the purpose of thisprogramme to collect money for the Sathya SaiOrganisations Te object was to encourage youto share your money with others to give you anopportunity to utilise your surplus resources forsome good and noble purpose that will sanctify
your life
Make Your Lives Sacred and Worthwhile
Tree types of strength are given to a personphysical strength mental strength and the powerof money It has been said that all these should beoffered as yajna (sacrifice) Tis sacrifice is not of-fered to God God who has given you your bodyand your mind does not need them for HimselfGod is also the source of all wealth What does He want with your wealth
Use it for sacred purposes Te service pro-gramme is intended only to provide you with op-portunities to make your lives sacred and worth- while 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 discoverSita in Lanka Himself What need was there forHim to send Hanuman Rama wanted Hanumanto go on the search so that He could show to the
world the devotion and steadfastness and faith ofHanuman It is a case of grace on the part of Rama
In the same manner if Sai wants to do so manythings Himself He can do anything Tis endeav-our is not for the sake of Sai It is done throughthese service organisations so that members ofthe organisation get the chance to do service andredeem themselves ry to understand the basictruth that these avenues of service have been pro-vided so that you will get a good name for yourselfand not for the sake of Sai
Sathya Sai Speaks Volume 17Chapter 16 Ceiling on Desires-II
Ceiling on Desires
8
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10
Always Be Happy
Whatever trouble you may face you mustlearn to feel happy in any circumstance If you arestung by a scorpion you must console yourselfthat you were not bitten by a snake and when youare bitten by a snake you must console yourselfthat it has not proved fatal Even if you are not ableto own a vehicle be happy that your legs are intactto enable you to walk Even if you are not a mil-lionaire be happy that you have enough resourcesto feed yourself and your family Tis 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 peace-ful and meaningful life You must curb the desireto seek more and more wealth and turn your effortto realise the Reality within In pursuing this ef-fort you must avoid waste of food money timeenergy and knowledge as all these are forms ofGod Unnecessary talk should be avoided as thisresults in waste of energy and reduction of mem-ory power
Sathya Sai Speaks Volume 27Chapter 20 Spiritual Orientation to Education
Peace Can Be Attained Only by Godrsquos
GraceIn the modern world every person tries hard
to attain peace Peace cannot be attained by spiri-tual precepts nor can it be obtained from a mar-ket as a commodity It cannot be acquired even byknowledge of the texts or a high position in lifePeace can be attained only by Godrsquos grace
Tough man is eager to attain peace he con-fronts many obstacles in the path Tose who trav-
el by train may be well acquainted with the sloganldquoLess luggage more comfort makes travel a plea-surerdquo Now man is burdening himself with limit-less desires Because of this extra heavy luggage ofdesires he finds it extremely difficult to carry onthe journey of life By such proliferation of desireshe loses his balance moves far away from his goaland even tends to go mad
It is for this reason that I have been stressingthe need for ceiling on desires By limiting yourdesires you can attain peace to a certain extent You have to exercise a check on your desires andmake efforts to get the grace of the divine
Sathya Sai Speaks Volume 31Chapter 19 Faith Love and Grace
Bad Qualities Are the Result of Your Own
Thoughts
Suppose you get angry From where did thisanger come Tis has come from you only Simi-larly jealousy is a quality that manifested fromyour mind Tus each one of these bad qualities isthe result of your own thoughts Hence if only you
are able to control your thoughts properly you willbe able to achieve anything in life
Ceiling on Desires
9Ceiling on Desires
10
Ceiling on Desires
11Te mind intellect and awareness are the re-
flections of the Atma Te mind has no stabilityIt is the repository of thoughts and desires It issaid ldquoTe mind alone is the cause of bondage orliberationrdquo Hence one has to keep the mind underproper control by putting some ceiling on desires
Sathya Sai Speaks Volume 42
Chapter 1 Know Tyself You Will Know Everything
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12
Cultivate Four Desirable Practices
Te Sai Organisations have been enjoined tocarry out a programme of ceiling on desires Every-one should try to control desires as much as pos-sible Te promotion of human values is anotheritem in the programme Tese human values areinherent in every person All that is needed is foreveryone to manifest them in his daily life ruthrighteousness and peace are all in you
You are the embodiment of truth peace loveand God Recognise this fact Members of SaiOrganisations should cultivate certain desirablepractices For instance they should regulate theirdiet because onersquos food influences onersquos thoughtsSmoking and intoxicating drinks have to be givenup Tey are ruinous for the health Meat eatingshould also be given up because eating animalfood promotes animal tendencies Te fourth evilthat has to be eliminated is gambling
Tose who take to the spiritual path shouldavoid as much as possible these four bad practicesIt is sinful to slaughter poor animals for onersquos foodSai members should follow the motto ldquoHelp everhurt neverrdquo
Tere is no meaning in professing to respecthuman values without observing the rule that youshould cause no harm to others in any form what-soever God loves those who serve others becauseHe is in all of them Whomever you may serveconsider it as service to God Divinise all youractions reat every action you perform as Godrsquos work
Sathya Sai Speaks Volume 28Chapter 34 Spiritual Significance of Loving Service
Ceiling on Desires
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13
Eight Flowers of Worship
Non-violence Control of Senses
Compassion for All Living Beings
Forebearance
Peace
Penance
Meditation
ruth
It is the experience and practice of the citizens of India that they generally wor-ship God with flowers offer ritual adoration and make obeisance to God Butthere is something that is more sacred than this Tere is a distinctive type of
devotion by which you worship God with a good clean mind and good conductTis has been given the name of para bhakthi (supreme devotion) By always wor-shipping God with ritual worship and flowers the spiritual aspirant will remainstationary in his place Tis is good in a way but to remain in one place all thetime and failing to rise to a higher position is not good
Tere is a superior type of worship mdash to worship God through good qualitiesgood conduct good thoughts and good company Te scriptures have describedthis kind of worship as worship through good qualities By offering what kind ofgood qualities can we please God
Eight Flowers of Worship
Te first flower with which we can worship God is non-violence Te second
flower is control of senses Te third flower is compassion Te fourth one is for-bearance Te fifth flower is peace Te sixth flower is penance Te seventh one isthe flower of meditation Te eighth is the flower of truth Te inner meaning ofthis statement is that God will shower grace on you if you worship him throughthese eight flowers
Te flowers in nature always fade drop down lose fragrance and also de-velop an odour that is not pleasant Instead of worshipping with such worldlyflowers which are impermanent and receiving impermanent rewards from God
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14
we should worship Him with what is truthful andthereby attain a stage that is higher
Te flowers that you are using for worship havenot been created by you You are bringing flowersthat have been created by the Will of God on some
tree or in some garden and are offering them backto the Creator Himself What is the greatness inusing the flowers created by God and giving themback to God Himself Many people bathe in theGanges River take the water from the Ganges intotheir palms and offer it back to the Ganges itselfTis is not what you have created Tis is not whatyou have the right to offer
From the tree of your life picking such fruits
that you have protected and that you have grownin the form of good qualities and offering themto God there is some distinctiveness in that Inorder to promote good qualities you have to un-dergo several troubles So it is through these goodqualities that your mind can also acquire a divineconcentration Without good qualities and with-out good thoughts how can you fix your mind inmeditation1
FIRST FLOWERTe first flower is the flower of non-violence
We regard the word non-violence to mean notcausing harm and hurt to other living things Tetrue meaning of the word is not to cause hurtand harm to any other living being through yourthought word or deed Cleansing and purifyingthese threemdashthought word and deedmdashhas beencalled a Triputi (summit of three) in spiritualparlance All of them should be harmonised and
brought together as one unit of flower1
We find doctors performing surgeries on pa-tients to cure them of their ailments In the processof surgery the doctors cut the body with a knife You cannot call it an act of violence because it isbeneficial to the patient Some people may arguethat even cutting vegetables is an act of violencebecause vegetables and trees have life in them Nodoubt vegetables and trees have life but they do
not have the mind Consequently they do not suf-fer any pain
Only man has got five sheaths namely foodsheath life sheath mind sheath wisdom sheathand bliss sheath One with the mind experiencespain and pleasure Men animals birds and in-sects are endowed with the mind not trees and
vegetables In some trees you find the sap oozingout when you pluck their fruit Oozing of sap froma tree is a natural phenomenon but some peoplemistake it for the tears of suffering Te trees donot suffer any pain because they do not have thefaculty of mind2
SECOND FLOWER
Te second flower is the control of sensoryorgans Our senses run without any control If
running horses or animals are not controlled theypose a danger God has created each organ of thehuman body for a specific purpose It is only when we use these sensory organs along the right pathfor which they have been created that we will beentitled to Godrsquos grace God has given us a nose We should make an attempt to breathe in andbreathe out through the nose and only accept fra-grance through the nose If we use such a nose totake snuff the purpose will become useless In the
same manner He has given us the mouth and atongue in order that we may take in pure food If we use the mouth to take in unholy food or intoxi-cating drinks then we will be using the mouth fora wrong purpose
In the same manner we should understandunder what conditions and in what times and in what manner we should use each of these organsand put them under control Our inner strength
will become less and less on account of excitementor unnecessary sorrow Te body will become ill bymental agitations and distractions Man ages veryquickly through excitement and sorrow Te rea-son for your not preserving this sacred instrumentin sound condition is lack of control over thesesensory organs Te second flower of sensory con-trol should be used for worshipping God1
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15
Lack of Sense Control Is the Main Cause
of Unrest and Agitation
All spiritual practices will prove futile if onelacks sense control Control of the senses is veryessential for one and all Lack of sense control is
the main cause of all the unrest and agitation thatyou find in the world today How can one controlthe senses First of all one should exercise controlover the tongue
You must control your tongue as it alwayscraves a variety of delicacies You must ask thisquestion ldquoO tongue how many bags of rice wheat and vegetables have you devoured Howmany delicacies have you consumed Fie on you
if you are still not satisfiedrdquo A morsel of food isenough to sustain the body You should eat forthe sake of satisfying your hunger and sustain-ing the body Do not give undue importance totaste Likewise tell your eyes to see God instead of watching unsacred things on television or videoeach your ears to listen to the stories of the Lordinstead of listening to vain gossip
O ears you are interested in listening to vain gos-sip and tales about others but you pay least attentionwhen the wonderful stories of the Lord are narrated
(elugu Song)
Tink for a while how you benefit by listen-ing to unsacred things In fact you are pollutingyour heart in the process All that you see and heargets imprinted on your heart Once your heart ispolluted your life will become meaningless Tehuman heart is like a pen Te colour of the wordsthat 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 besuffused with love God expects you to fill yourheart with love and lead a sacred life2
THIRD FLOWER
Te third flower is compassion for all livingthings Looking merely and superficially at humannature which has diverse aspects we are forgettingGod in this field From the seed of Divinity the
tree of creation has grown On this tree of creationthe fruits are the human beings that are the indi-vidual souls In each of these human fruits there
is Divinity in the form of seed Tat is why in theBhagavad Gita Krishna has said ldquoI am the seed inall the living beingsrdquo Recognising the truth thatGod is present in the form of the Atma in all livingbeings we say compassion for all living beings is
the next flower1
The Story of Abou Ben Adhem
Students might have heard the story of AbouBen Adhem who always offered compassion to- wards all beings as a form of service to the LordEvery day he traveled the streets to serve the desti-tute and the handicapped and returned home latein the night One night when he returned homehe found in his bedroom an angel writing some-
thing When he asked her what she was writingshe replied that she was making a list of those wholoved God She replied in the negative when heasked her if his name was on that list
Te following night when he returned homehe again found the angel writing something Hequeried ldquoMother what is it that you are writingnowrdquo She said ldquoSon I am writing the names ofthose who are dear to Godrdquo He again wanted to
know if his name was on the list She replied thathis name was at the top of this list
Te sum and substance of this story is thatGod is pleased when you serve your fellow humanbeings Te scriptures have prescribed nine pathsof devotion namely listening to the Lordrsquos storiessinging His glories remembrance of the Lordrsquosname service to the Lordrsquos Lotus Feet worshipsalutation servitude friendship and offering one-
self to the Lord ie complete self-surrender Butthe 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 oceanof worldly life
One can redeem onersquos life only through service(Sanskrit Verse)
Abou Ben Adhem became the recipient ofGodrsquos love because he spent all his time in the ser-
vice of his fellow men God loves all for He is theembodiment of love But He will give Himself tothose who show compassion for all beings2
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16
Have Compassion towards All as God
Resides in All
Among all the flowers compassion for all crea-tures is most important Man alone is endowed with this virtue of compassion Tis is the flower
that you should offer to God God is the indwellerof all beings Names and forms may vary but thesame God is present in all Terefore you shouldhave compassion towards all beings with the broadfeeling that God is present in all Only then canyou understand how expansive and fragrant thisquality of compassion for all creatures is
You need not waste your time gathering theflowers that fade away and wither away in no time
Te flower of your heart is eternal ever fresh andever fragrant for which you need not spend evena penny Tat is the real flower One who under-stands the secret of this flower is one of supreme wisdom3
FOURTH FLOWER
Te fourth one is the flower of forbearanceForbearance truly is the highest quality of a humanbeing But in human life because he develops nar-row ideas man wants to live in a constricted placeHe thinks ldquoIrdquo and ldquomy familyrdquo are what mattersothers are all different from ldquomerdquo It is not possiblefor us to develop the flower of forbearance as longas these ideas are in us It is only when we lovethat we can have patience and forbearance Onersquoslove should encompass all living beings Tat willfructify as forbearance
Here is a brief example In our home thereare our children Along with our children there is
also a servant In the house a son may be pilfer-ing something or other and developing bad habitsIn many ways we will try and control that son bybeating scolding and persuading him to return togood ways but we will never take him and handhim over to the police In the same house if theservant steals a small spoon at once we will takehim 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 dayafter day but we hand over a servant immediatelyto the police when he steals even a small thing
Te reason for this is the narrow idea that ldquothis boyis my sonrdquo Because the servant does not belong toyou there is no place for forbearance and patienceSo you see that when you have the broad idea thatldquoeveryone is minerdquo there is room for patience and
forbearance It is only then that our love will alsogrow1
Forbearance Promotes Divine Qualities
Forbearance is identified by the scriptures withtruth righteousness knowledge sacrifice and joy Without forbearance man cannot be happy foreven a moment It promotes divine qualities Itreveals inner Divinity One has to undertake spiri-tual practices to earn it and establish oneself in it
Nourish the idea that God is equally present in allin spite of ridicule from the ignorant and sarcasticcriticism from the blind or even praise from ad-mirers Do not mind them4
Forbearance Is Very Dear to the Lord
Te Pandavas suffered a lot at the hands ofthe Kauravas But never did Dharmaraja lose for-bearance even when Droupadi was being humili-ated by the Kauravas It was the virtue of forbear-ance that protected the Pandavas and made theman ideal for the rest of the world Tis flower offorbearance is very dear to the Lord God will bepleased with you and confer boons on you only when you offer Him the ldquoflowersrdquo which are dearto Him No benefit accrues from offering the flow-ers that fade away and decay Te ever-bloomingflowers of non-violence sense control compassionfor all living beings and forbearance are liked by
God2
FIFTH FLOWER
Te fifth is the flower of peace Tis flower ofpeace should not be interpreted to mean that youshould be silent no matter who is attacking you or who is blaming you It is not that If you are un-moved and unperturbed in spite of anyone findingfaults with you this can be called real peace Ifyou can fill your heart with love then peace willcome into you from outside Trough bad quali-ties to some extent we lose peace With truthfulthoughts a man will have peace With untruthful
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17
thoughts a man will not have peace If you can getrid of all thoughts you will become a saint It isonly when you can be free from all thoughts thatyou can have peace
Your own bad thoughts are responsible for all
your pain and sorrow By good thoughts and bygood ideas you will become a holy man Holyman does not mean one who merely wears an or-ange robe shaves the head and wears holy beadsHe who has good thoughts and good ideas is aholy man A holy man is one who is the embodi-ment of truthful thoughts1
Peace Has Detachment as the Basic
Quality
Peace does not mean that a person should notreact at all whatever others may say or howeverthey may abuse him It does not mean that hemust be silent as a rock It involves mastery of allthe senses and all the passions inner peace mustbecome onersquos nature Peace has detachment as thebasic quality Te sea which likes to gather andpossess lies low the cloud that likes to renounceand give up is high in the sky Peace endows man
with an unruffled mind and steady visionTe prayer for shanthi (peace) is usually repeat-
ed thrice ldquoOm shanthi shanthi shanthihirdquo sincepeace is prayed for in the physical mental andspiritual planes Man should not bring his bloodto boil nor should he yield to fear Spiritual calmis exemplified by Emperor Janaka of the Upani-shadhic texts He was known as vidheha (withoutbody attachment) not because he was disembod-
ied but because he lived in utter forgetfulness ofthe body and its needs He saw heard and spokeonly from the Atmic plane of consciousness4
Bear All Sufferings With Fortitude and
Patience
One should remain peaceful through all thevicissitudes of life Only then can one attain divinegrace Great devotees like Tyagaraja ukaramand Droupadi underwent many hardships Tey
bore all sufferings with patience Tyagaraja saidldquoOne cannot attain happiness without innerpeacerdquo Man needs peace at the physical mental
and spiritual levels Peace is not present in theexternal world It is present within
You are the embodiment of peace In the worldly life there are bound to be many hardshipsbut one should not be perturbed One should bear
all sufferings with fortitude and patience Humanlife is given not merely to enjoy the worldly plea-sures like birds and beasts Life becomes meaning-ful only when one experiences the peace that origi-nates from the heart2
SIXTH FLOWER
Te sixth one is the flower of penance Pen-ance is not to give up your wife and children goto a forest put your head down and feet up that
is not penance When we think of real penance weshould eliminate bad thoughts from our mindsTe co-ordination of thought word and deed ispenance Whatever thoughts sprout in your mindto utter them as word and to put them in practiceas your work that is penance It is in this contextthat it is said ldquoA great soul practises harmony ofthought word and deedrdquo Giving up bad thoughtsin your mind will become a sacrifice Tat sacri-fice will become yoga (spiritual practice leading tounion with God) But giving up onersquos propertyand onersquos wife and going to the forest is not yoga1
Be Even-Minded in Happiness or Sorrow
One should contemplate on God at all timesand achieve harmony of thought word and deedHe is a noble one whose thoughts words anddeeds are in complete harmony Do not be car-ried away by pain or pleasure Te Bhagavad Gita
teaches ldquoOne should be even-minded in happi-ness or sorrow gain or loss victory or defeatrdquo Oneshould discharge onersquos duty and serve society with-out any expectation of reward Such even-minded-ness and desireless state is true penance2
SEVENTH FLOWER
Te seventh flower is the flower of meditationoday meditation is taking many forms Manytypes of meditation that people are adopting todayare against the culture and tradition of India o sitin a lotus posture and to make the kundalini shakti (kundalini power) rise from basal plexus to the cra-
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18
nium is not meditation rue meditation consistsin recognising the presence of God in all types of work God is the indweller of all and is all per-vading o make an attempt in your meditation toconfine 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 marketthe market is your God According to the cultureof 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 TeUpanishads are teaching us ldquoTe work I have todo I regard as God and make obeisance to God
in that formrdquoLet us consider the person who plays the
drums Before he begins to play on them he paysobeisance to the drums Te harmonium player will make obeisance to the harmonium before hestarts A dancer before she begins her dance willmake obeisance to her anklets Even a driver whois going to drive a lifeless car before he holds thesteering wheel makes salutations to the steering wheel You do not have to go so far While driv-ing if the car hits another person immediately wemake salutations to that person Te significanceof all this is the faith and belief that God is presentin all things Tus to regard the entire creation asthe form of God and to perform your duty in thatspirit is meditation1
Contemplate On God at All Times
Meditation does not mean sitting in lotus pos-
ture with eyes closed in contemplation on GodTis is physical worldly activity No doubt this isalso needed but true meditation lies in unifyingthe mind with God Just as milk and water can-not be separated likewise the mind once merged with God cannot be separated An iron ball castin fire will become one with it Likewise your loveshould become one with divine love Tis truthis contained in the Vedic dictum ldquoTe knower ofBrahman becomes Brahman Himselfrdquo
Some people contemplate on God for a lim-ited period in the morning and evening Tis can-
not be called meditation Contemplate on Godat all times at all places and under all circum-stances Perform all tasks with your mind firmlyfixed on God Tat is true meditation Tinking ofGod for a limited period cannot be termed medi-
tation Tat is only part-time devotion Part-timedevotion confers only part-time grace You shouldhave full-time devotion in order to attain full-timegrace2
EIGHTH FLOWER
Te next flower is the flower of truth If yousimply speak what you feel and tell what you havedone this can be called worldly truth mdash state-ment of facts Tis cannot be called truth ruth
is that which does not change at any time Whatyou have seen is truth at that moment At the nextmoment it becomes untruth All material thingsthat you see in this creation are things that willdecay that are bound to change In this transientchanging world how can what you see and whatyou hear become truth ruth is God Tis truth isthe eighth flower Tis truth is the form of Divin-ity In the world we experience truths of a relativenature
Let us take chemistry as an example You takesome chemicals and mix them together Teychange and you get some other chemical If youmix turmeric in lime you get red colour Tis ischemistry Another example is physics If you takea 3-inch needle and put it in fire it will becomea longer needle Tis is the truth of physics Howlong do these truths of chemistry and physics re-main Tese are temporary worldly scientific
truths But spiritual truths are such that they willremain unchanged whatever you may do to them whatever fire you may use on them and howsoeveryou may change the circumstances
So what does not change at all is truth Cru-elty and harshness are predominant in the worldtoday because we are not attempting to promotesuch sacred qualities oday among believersnon-believers and the believing the same kind ofattitude is developing Tat day when we can pro-mote such good qualities in the minds of believersthe non-believers will disappear from this world1
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19
ruth is changeless in all the three periods oftime ie past present and future Everythingmay disappear but truth remains forever So truthis God live in truth2
Win Godrsquos Grace by Worshipping EightFlowers
Worship the Lord and offer Him these flow-ers Now when other flowers are used devotiondoes not last after one comes out of the worshiproom When one crosses that door-step angerhatred and anxiety possess him and degrade him Without developing the qualities indicated by theeight flowers how can anyone win the grace ofGod Engaged in wrong worship on all 364 days
what good do you derive by doing true worship onthe 365th day of the year When you claim to beSai devotees justify the claim by cultivating theseflowers of virtue and offering them to God4
Serve Society to Your Utmost Capacity
God will be pleased only when you wor-ship Him with these eight types of flowers Tepriests in temples worship God with various typesof flowers But God does not want these flowersHe says ldquoO priest is this what you have learntall these years You are worshipping Me with lorryloads of roses and jasmines which fade away in ashort time Tese are not the flowers that I expectfrom you Worship Me with the flowers of peacelove non-violence etc which will never faderdquo
Embodiments of Love
People worship God with devotion and sincer-
ity but God is not satisfied with external worship You should serve society Only service can conferbliss on you By rendering service to society notonly can you alleviate the sufferings of the peoplebut you can also bring about transformation intheir lives As is the feeling so is the result If youserve with sacred feelings it is bound to yield sa-cred results Serve society to your utmost capacity You are singing devotional songs in the morningand evening Te satisfaction that you get by par-
ticipating in singing devotional songs is temporary whereas service confers permanent satisfaction
Te Vedas say the objective of actions is to pu-rify the mind Service alone is undertaken to pu-rify the mind oday people waste a lot of time wealth and energy in performing activities that donot foster purity of the mind Tat is why they
are unable to experience peace of mind Te peacethat one gets out of worldly activities comes andgoes like a passing cloud One should aspire forthe true and eternal peace which originates fromthe heart2
References
1 Sathya Sai Speaks Volume 15 Chapter 9 TeFlowers Tat God Loves
2 Sathya Sai Speaks Volume 33 Chapter 12
Flowers Tat Never Fade3 Sanathana Sarathi March 2012 Chapter Hu-
manness Blossoms in a Compassionate Heart
4 Sathya Sai Speaks Volume 15 Chapter 25Te Garden of the Heart
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20
Glossary
AtmaAtmic
Self Soul Embodied Self is jiva (the individ-ual soul) Self with no limitations is Brahman (the Supreme Cosmic Reality)
SatwaSatwic
It is the quality of purity brightness peacegoodness and harmony It leads to knowledge
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L983151983158983141 A983148983148 S983141983154983158983141 A983148983148
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4
Light the Lamp of Love Within
Man is making every attempt today to be hap-py blissful Where do you get bliss Is it in the ma-terial things in the world in individuals in booksNo not at all Bliss is within onersquos own Self Youhave forgotten your true Self the source of bliss You are struggling hard for artificial happiness out-side You are not aware of the reality that lies in theheart In fact all the bliss is there Te principle oflove originates from the heart not from the world
Everyone should develop love more and moreBut today there is hatred and anger everywhere Wherever you look there is desire enmity andfear How do you expect to be at peace How doyou expect to be blissful Light the lamp of love within Ten fear and illusion can be removedand you can have the vision of the Self Otherwiseyou are bound to suffer
You have to exercise a ceiling on your desires
Tere are rules for a ceiling with regard to land and property But you have no ceiling on your desires Ceiling on desires means exercising controlover them You can be happy once the desires arecontrolled
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 Tere-fore it is said ldquoLess luggage more comfort makestravel a pleasurerdquo So ceiling on desires is what youhave to adopt today You have to cut short your de-sires day by day You are under the mistaken notionthat happiness lies in the fulfillment of desires Butin fact happiness begins to dawn when desires aretotally eradicated
When you reduce your desires you advancetowards the state of renunciation You have many
desires What do you get out of them You are
bound to face the consequences when you claimsomething as yours When you claim a piece ofland as yours then you will have to reap the har-vest Tis instinct of ego and attachment will putyou to suffering You will be blissful the momentyou give up ego and attachment
Sathya Sai Speaks Volume 32 Part 1Chapter 6 Put a Ceiling on Your Desires
Ceiling on Desires
3
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5
Nothing Accompanies You When You
Leave the World
Wherever you look today there are only de-sires desires and more desires Put a ceiling onthese desires Only then will your mind becomesteady You say ldquoI want this I want thatrdquo etcTus you develop many wants Tey are like pass-ing clouds Why should you multiply your wantsthese passing clouds Ultimately nothing accom-panies you at the time of your leaving this mortal
bodyGreat kings and emperors ruled over this
world Tey conquered many countries and ac-cumulated boundless wealth Even Alexander theGreat who conquered several parts of the worldcould not take with him even a miniscule part ofthe wealth he accumulated He had to leave this world with empty hands
o demonstrate this truth he instructed his
ministers to take his dead body in a procession
through the streets of his capital keeping both hishands in a raised position pointing towards thesky Te ministers were curious to know the rea-son for this strange request He said ldquoI have con-quered many countries and accumulated so much wealth Tere is a vast army under my control Yetnone is accompanying me at the time of my leav-ing this body I am going with empty hands Tishas to be demonstrated to all peoplerdquo
Sathya Sai Speaks Volume 41
Chapter 19 Contemplate on God the Real Hero forVictory
Ceiling on Desires
4
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6
Excessive Desire Causes Imbalance in
Nature
Man should put a ceiling on his desires Asmanrsquos conduct is perverted today we find natu-ral calamities taking place You are aware of thedevastation caused by the earthquake in GujaratTousands of people lost their lives Te reason forthis is that man is entertaining excessive desiresGod maintains perfect balance in His creation InGodrsquos creation the Earth and the oceans are en-
dowed with balance But man is indiscriminatelyexploiting the Earth for extracting oil
Every day tonnes of fish are caught from theoceans Tis indiscriminate exploitation of Natureresults in imbalance in Earth which is playinghavoc with human lives Only when man is freefrom unsteadiness within will he not be troubledby earthquake
Do Not Rob Nature of Its Resources toSatisfy Your Greed
Not only the people of India but also the peo-ple of the entire world should strive to maintainbalance Te five elements are nothing but mani-festations of the divine Manrsquos life will be secureonly when he realises this truth and acts accord-ingly A few days ago I sent lorry loads of ricegrams etc to the earthquake victims of Gujarat
Some people asked ldquoSwami why should youtake the trouble to spend so much money for send-ing relief material to Gujarat You could have in-stead averted the earthquakerdquo I replied ldquoMy dearman has to blame himself for the earthquakesDue to excessive greed for wealth he is disturbingthe balance of the Earth Hence the earthquakeTat is the law of Naturerdquo
You have to express your love for man by help-ing the needy Love is your nature Just as balance
is very much essential for Nature so also love isvery much needed for man Know that whatev-
er God has created is for your own welfare Youshould enjoy Nature according to your need Youshould not rob Nature of its resources to satisfyyour greed
Science Should Be Utilised Only to the
Extent Needed
Here is an example Once a greedy personowned a duck which used to lay a golden egg ev-ery day One day he ripped open the stomach of
the duck thinking that he would get many goldeneggs at a time oday man also is indulging in suchfoolish and greedy acts Instead of being satisfied with what Nature is giving him he aspires formore and more and in the process he is creatingimbalance in Nature
oday scientists are interested in new inven-tions Te advancement in science and technologyhas also led to imbalance in Nature As a result
there are earthquakes and no timely rains Scienceshould be utilised only to the extent needed Sci-ence has its limitations and crossing those limitsleads to danger
You have a long way to go Adhere to truthand righteousness Our ancient sages said ldquoSpeaktruth speak pleasantly and do not speak unpleas-ant truthrdquo Make proper use of natural resourcesand do not put them to misuse Help everybodyand make them happy Share all the good thingsyou have learnt with others Tis is your foremostduty
Sathya Sai Speaks Volume 34Chapter 3 Vision of the Atma
Ceiling on Desires
5
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7
Desires Are the Root Cause of Manrsquos
Disturbance
All the spiritual practices that man performsaims at making his mind steady Tere is no use inconstantly repeating Godrsquos name meditating andpractising spiritual austerities if the mind is notsteady Once you have the five senses under con-trol you can experience God He is not far awayfrom you He is in you below you above you andall around you God in fact is the indweller of
man Yet man is not able to see Him What is thereason Manrsquos limitless and wayward desires pre-vent him from seeing God
Desires are the root cause of manrsquos disturbanceSense control and ceiling on desires will help himto see God all around and experience bliss So wehave to keep our desires in check We should notbe worried by the evil talk that others indulge in We should not be affected by calumny and criti-
cism
Control the Five Senses
Buddha wanted to control the five senses Hedecided first and foremost to acquire right visionMan today is not able to control his vision becauseof the fickleness of his mind Cinema video Vetc have polluted the mind of man He does notsee good and hear good Man is the cause of hisown restlessness
Besides right vision Buddha emphasised theneed for right hearing right speech right feelingand right thinking Due to lack of these human-ness is fast giving way to devilishness and beastli-ness Animal qualities are fast increasing in man Animals have a season and a reason but man hasnone Man today has become worse than animalsHuman qualities like compassion kindness loveand forbearance are absent in him He should be
free from evil thoughts which are the root causeof his worries Tis requires constant and sustainedpractice
Master the Mind and Be a Mastermind
Man can control the mind and attain peaceby constant and sustained practice It is only ina peaceful mind that noble thoughts arise Temind should be under the control of man Mas-ter the mind and be a mastermind Unfortunatelyinstead of controlling the mind man has becomethe slave of his senses Tat is the main cause of hisunsteadiness Moreover he has body attachmentTis is the reason he gets easily disturbed if people
find fault with him Why should he worry aboutthe body when the body is like a water bubble You should get rid of body attachment
Summer Showers in Brindavan 2002Chapter 11 Sense Control Is the Highest Sadhana
Ceiling on Desires
6
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8
Learn a Lesson from Nature
Tere are four components in the term ldquoCeil-ing on Desiresrdquo Tey are curb on excessive talkcurb on excessive desires and expenditure controlof consumption of food and check on waste ofenergy Man needs some essential commodities forhis sustenance and he should not aspire for more
We can learn a lesson in this respect from Na-ture Only if air is available in sufficient quantity will it be comfortable and good If it is excessiveand there is a gale you will feel uncomfortable When you are thirsty you can consume only alimited quantity of water You canrsquot consume theentire water of the River Ganga We take only asmuch as is needed for the sustenance of the body
Doctors know that the body temperature isnormally 986 degrees If this goes up to 99 de-grees they say fever has set in due to some disorderin the body We inhale and exhale at a normal rate
If there is a slight increase or decrease in the rateit indicates disorder in the body Changes in thepulse rate or blood pressure also indicate disorderSo you find that if you exceed the limits even to alittle extent it is dangerous or harmful to the body
Tere is a limit for everything to function in anormal way When your eyes happen to see a flashof lightning or a flash of light while taking photo-graphs they automatically close because they canrsquot
withstand such high illumination Eardrums alsocannot tolerate hearing beyond a certain volumeand we cover our ears or keep cotton inside theears From these we see that our life is a limitedcompany
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 reason-
able number of saris but not a huge collectionfor pomp or show Misuse of money is a great evilEven men will have to do their own bit in control-ling the expenditure on unwanted and unnecessarythings
Money is the embodiment of Divinity Whenyou talk of wealth you should be careful to avoidavaricious accumulation and extravagant expendi-ture Even in the preparation of food you shouldbe careful in avoiding wastage We are only doinga disservice by consuming more food than what isnecessary for the body
Tirdly you should be careful about ldquotimerdquo which is the yardstick of life Seconds becomehours hours become years years make ages andso on You should not waste this most valuableldquotimerdquo ime lost in wasteful pursuits canrsquot be gotback by any means All our activities should beplanned for utilising the available time to maxi-
mum advantage So we should not waste foodmoney time and energy
Sathya Sai Speaks Volume 16Chapter 3 Ceiling on Desires-I
Ceiling on Desires
7
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9
Aims of the ldquoCeiling on Desires
Programmerdquo
Tere is a programme connected with ldquoCeilingon Desiresrdquo You must realise that this programmehas not been launched to raise funds Te object ofthe programme is to prevent waste of money timefood or other resources and to use all these forthe welfare of the people Te money that is savedneed not be kept for the Sathya Sai OrganisationsIt may be used in the best way you choose for the
benefit of others Do not waste time ime wastedis life wasted ime is God Sanctify all the time atyour disposal by undertaking service activities in apure and unselfish spirit
oday we waste time on unnecessary and un- wanted things in indulging in unnecessary talkand doing meaningless actions In all these ac-tions 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 gooddeeds Every second of your daily existence youmust ask these questions ldquoHow am I utilisingtime Is it for a good or bad purposerdquo
Likewise with regard to food you must askldquoAm I just eating what I need or more Am I wast-ing foodrdquo So also with regard to money ldquoAm Iusing this money for my own selfish needs or forboosting my name and fame or to satisfy my egoand vanityrdquo Once you start seeking answers tothese questions there is no greater spiritual prac-tice
Tese are the aims of the ldquoCeiling on DesiresProgrammerdquo It was never the purpose of thisprogramme to collect money for the Sathya SaiOrganisations Te object was to encourage youto share your money with others to give you anopportunity to utilise your surplus resources forsome good and noble purpose that will sanctify
your life
Make Your Lives Sacred and Worthwhile
Tree types of strength are given to a personphysical strength mental strength and the powerof money It has been said that all these should beoffered as yajna (sacrifice) Tis sacrifice is not of-fered to God God who has given you your bodyand your mind does not need them for HimselfGod is also the source of all wealth What does He want with your wealth
Use it for sacred purposes Te service pro-gramme is intended only to provide you with op-portunities to make your lives sacred and worth- while 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 discoverSita in Lanka Himself What need was there forHim to send Hanuman Rama wanted Hanumanto go on the search so that He could show to the
world the devotion and steadfastness and faith ofHanuman It is a case of grace on the part of Rama
In the same manner if Sai wants to do so manythings Himself He can do anything Tis endeav-our is not for the sake of Sai It is done throughthese service organisations so that members ofthe organisation get the chance to do service andredeem themselves ry to understand the basictruth that these avenues of service have been pro-vided so that you will get a good name for yourselfand not for the sake of Sai
Sathya Sai Speaks Volume 17Chapter 16 Ceiling on Desires-II
Ceiling on Desires
8
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10
Always Be Happy
Whatever trouble you may face you mustlearn to feel happy in any circumstance If you arestung by a scorpion you must console yourselfthat you were not bitten by a snake and when youare bitten by a snake you must console yourselfthat it has not proved fatal Even if you are not ableto own a vehicle be happy that your legs are intactto enable you to walk Even if you are not a mil-lionaire be happy that you have enough resourcesto feed yourself and your family Tis 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 peace-ful and meaningful life You must curb the desireto seek more and more wealth and turn your effortto realise the Reality within In pursuing this ef-fort you must avoid waste of food money timeenergy and knowledge as all these are forms ofGod Unnecessary talk should be avoided as thisresults in waste of energy and reduction of mem-ory power
Sathya Sai Speaks Volume 27Chapter 20 Spiritual Orientation to Education
Peace Can Be Attained Only by Godrsquos
GraceIn the modern world every person tries hard
to attain peace Peace cannot be attained by spiri-tual precepts nor can it be obtained from a mar-ket as a commodity It cannot be acquired even byknowledge of the texts or a high position in lifePeace can be attained only by Godrsquos grace
Tough man is eager to attain peace he con-fronts many obstacles in the path Tose who trav-
el by train may be well acquainted with the sloganldquoLess luggage more comfort makes travel a plea-surerdquo Now man is burdening himself with limit-less desires Because of this extra heavy luggage ofdesires he finds it extremely difficult to carry onthe journey of life By such proliferation of desireshe loses his balance moves far away from his goaland even tends to go mad
It is for this reason that I have been stressingthe need for ceiling on desires By limiting yourdesires you can attain peace to a certain extent You have to exercise a check on your desires andmake efforts to get the grace of the divine
Sathya Sai Speaks Volume 31Chapter 19 Faith Love and Grace
Bad Qualities Are the Result of Your Own
Thoughts
Suppose you get angry From where did thisanger come Tis has come from you only Simi-larly jealousy is a quality that manifested fromyour mind Tus each one of these bad qualities isthe result of your own thoughts Hence if only you
are able to control your thoughts properly you willbe able to achieve anything in life
Ceiling on Desires
9Ceiling on Desires
10
Ceiling on Desires
11Te mind intellect and awareness are the re-
flections of the Atma Te mind has no stabilityIt is the repository of thoughts and desires It issaid ldquoTe mind alone is the cause of bondage orliberationrdquo Hence one has to keep the mind underproper control by putting some ceiling on desires
Sathya Sai Speaks Volume 42
Chapter 1 Know Tyself You Will Know Everything
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12
Cultivate Four Desirable Practices
Te Sai Organisations have been enjoined tocarry out a programme of ceiling on desires Every-one should try to control desires as much as pos-sible Te promotion of human values is anotheritem in the programme Tese human values areinherent in every person All that is needed is foreveryone to manifest them in his daily life ruthrighteousness and peace are all in you
You are the embodiment of truth peace loveand God Recognise this fact Members of SaiOrganisations should cultivate certain desirablepractices For instance they should regulate theirdiet because onersquos food influences onersquos thoughtsSmoking and intoxicating drinks have to be givenup Tey are ruinous for the health Meat eatingshould also be given up because eating animalfood promotes animal tendencies Te fourth evilthat has to be eliminated is gambling
Tose who take to the spiritual path shouldavoid as much as possible these four bad practicesIt is sinful to slaughter poor animals for onersquos foodSai members should follow the motto ldquoHelp everhurt neverrdquo
Tere is no meaning in professing to respecthuman values without observing the rule that youshould cause no harm to others in any form what-soever God loves those who serve others becauseHe is in all of them Whomever you may serveconsider it as service to God Divinise all youractions reat every action you perform as Godrsquos work
Sathya Sai Speaks Volume 28Chapter 34 Spiritual Significance of Loving Service
Ceiling on Desires
13
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13
Eight Flowers of Worship
Non-violence Control of Senses
Compassion for All Living Beings
Forebearance
Peace
Penance
Meditation
ruth
It is the experience and practice of the citizens of India that they generally wor-ship God with flowers offer ritual adoration and make obeisance to God Butthere is something that is more sacred than this Tere is a distinctive type of
devotion by which you worship God with a good clean mind and good conductTis has been given the name of para bhakthi (supreme devotion) By always wor-shipping God with ritual worship and flowers the spiritual aspirant will remainstationary in his place Tis is good in a way but to remain in one place all thetime and failing to rise to a higher position is not good
Tere is a superior type of worship mdash to worship God through good qualitiesgood conduct good thoughts and good company Te scriptures have describedthis kind of worship as worship through good qualities By offering what kind ofgood qualities can we please God
Eight Flowers of Worship
Te first flower with which we can worship God is non-violence Te second
flower is control of senses Te third flower is compassion Te fourth one is for-bearance Te fifth flower is peace Te sixth flower is penance Te seventh one isthe flower of meditation Te eighth is the flower of truth Te inner meaning ofthis statement is that God will shower grace on you if you worship him throughthese eight flowers
Te flowers in nature always fade drop down lose fragrance and also de-velop an odour that is not pleasant Instead of worshipping with such worldlyflowers which are impermanent and receiving impermanent rewards from God
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we should worship Him with what is truthful andthereby attain a stage that is higher
Te flowers that you are using for worship havenot been created by you You are bringing flowersthat have been created by the Will of God on some
tree or in some garden and are offering them backto the Creator Himself What is the greatness inusing the flowers created by God and giving themback to God Himself Many people bathe in theGanges River take the water from the Ganges intotheir palms and offer it back to the Ganges itselfTis is not what you have created Tis is not whatyou have the right to offer
From the tree of your life picking such fruits
that you have protected and that you have grownin the form of good qualities and offering themto God there is some distinctiveness in that Inorder to promote good qualities you have to un-dergo several troubles So it is through these goodqualities that your mind can also acquire a divineconcentration Without good qualities and with-out good thoughts how can you fix your mind inmeditation1
FIRST FLOWERTe first flower is the flower of non-violence
We regard the word non-violence to mean notcausing harm and hurt to other living things Tetrue meaning of the word is not to cause hurtand harm to any other living being through yourthought word or deed Cleansing and purifyingthese threemdashthought word and deedmdashhas beencalled a Triputi (summit of three) in spiritualparlance All of them should be harmonised and
brought together as one unit of flower1
We find doctors performing surgeries on pa-tients to cure them of their ailments In the processof surgery the doctors cut the body with a knife You cannot call it an act of violence because it isbeneficial to the patient Some people may arguethat even cutting vegetables is an act of violencebecause vegetables and trees have life in them Nodoubt vegetables and trees have life but they do
not have the mind Consequently they do not suf-fer any pain
Only man has got five sheaths namely foodsheath life sheath mind sheath wisdom sheathand bliss sheath One with the mind experiencespain and pleasure Men animals birds and in-sects are endowed with the mind not trees and
vegetables In some trees you find the sap oozingout when you pluck their fruit Oozing of sap froma tree is a natural phenomenon but some peoplemistake it for the tears of suffering Te trees donot suffer any pain because they do not have thefaculty of mind2
SECOND FLOWER
Te second flower is the control of sensoryorgans Our senses run without any control If
running horses or animals are not controlled theypose a danger God has created each organ of thehuman body for a specific purpose It is only when we use these sensory organs along the right pathfor which they have been created that we will beentitled to Godrsquos grace God has given us a nose We should make an attempt to breathe in andbreathe out through the nose and only accept fra-grance through the nose If we use such a nose totake snuff the purpose will become useless In the
same manner He has given us the mouth and atongue in order that we may take in pure food If we use the mouth to take in unholy food or intoxi-cating drinks then we will be using the mouth fora wrong purpose
In the same manner we should understandunder what conditions and in what times and in what manner we should use each of these organsand put them under control Our inner strength
will become less and less on account of excitementor unnecessary sorrow Te body will become ill bymental agitations and distractions Man ages veryquickly through excitement and sorrow Te rea-son for your not preserving this sacred instrumentin sound condition is lack of control over thesesensory organs Te second flower of sensory con-trol should be used for worshipping God1
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15
Lack of Sense Control Is the Main Cause
of Unrest and Agitation
All spiritual practices will prove futile if onelacks sense control Control of the senses is veryessential for one and all Lack of sense control is
the main cause of all the unrest and agitation thatyou find in the world today How can one controlthe senses First of all one should exercise controlover the tongue
You must control your tongue as it alwayscraves a variety of delicacies You must ask thisquestion ldquoO tongue how many bags of rice wheat and vegetables have you devoured Howmany delicacies have you consumed Fie on you
if you are still not satisfiedrdquo A morsel of food isenough to sustain the body You should eat forthe sake of satisfying your hunger and sustain-ing the body Do not give undue importance totaste Likewise tell your eyes to see God instead of watching unsacred things on television or videoeach your ears to listen to the stories of the Lordinstead of listening to vain gossip
O ears you are interested in listening to vain gos-sip and tales about others but you pay least attentionwhen the wonderful stories of the Lord are narrated
(elugu Song)
Tink for a while how you benefit by listen-ing to unsacred things In fact you are pollutingyour heart in the process All that you see and heargets imprinted on your heart Once your heart ispolluted your life will become meaningless Tehuman heart is like a pen Te colour of the wordsthat 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 besuffused with love God expects you to fill yourheart with love and lead a sacred life2
THIRD FLOWER
Te third flower is compassion for all livingthings Looking merely and superficially at humannature which has diverse aspects we are forgettingGod in this field From the seed of Divinity the
tree of creation has grown On this tree of creationthe fruits are the human beings that are the indi-vidual souls In each of these human fruits there
is Divinity in the form of seed Tat is why in theBhagavad Gita Krishna has said ldquoI am the seed inall the living beingsrdquo Recognising the truth thatGod is present in the form of the Atma in all livingbeings we say compassion for all living beings is
the next flower1
The Story of Abou Ben Adhem
Students might have heard the story of AbouBen Adhem who always offered compassion to- wards all beings as a form of service to the LordEvery day he traveled the streets to serve the desti-tute and the handicapped and returned home latein the night One night when he returned homehe found in his bedroom an angel writing some-
thing When he asked her what she was writingshe replied that she was making a list of those wholoved God She replied in the negative when heasked her if his name was on that list
Te following night when he returned homehe again found the angel writing something Hequeried ldquoMother what is it that you are writingnowrdquo She said ldquoSon I am writing the names ofthose who are dear to Godrdquo He again wanted to
know if his name was on the list She replied thathis name was at the top of this list
Te sum and substance of this story is thatGod is pleased when you serve your fellow humanbeings Te scriptures have prescribed nine pathsof devotion namely listening to the Lordrsquos storiessinging His glories remembrance of the Lordrsquosname service to the Lordrsquos Lotus Feet worshipsalutation servitude friendship and offering one-
self to the Lord ie complete self-surrender Butthe 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 oceanof worldly life
One can redeem onersquos life only through service(Sanskrit Verse)
Abou Ben Adhem became the recipient ofGodrsquos love because he spent all his time in the ser-
vice of his fellow men God loves all for He is theembodiment of love But He will give Himself tothose who show compassion for all beings2
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Have Compassion towards All as God
Resides in All
Among all the flowers compassion for all crea-tures is most important Man alone is endowed with this virtue of compassion Tis is the flower
that you should offer to God God is the indwellerof all beings Names and forms may vary but thesame God is present in all Terefore you shouldhave compassion towards all beings with the broadfeeling that God is present in all Only then canyou understand how expansive and fragrant thisquality of compassion for all creatures is
You need not waste your time gathering theflowers that fade away and wither away in no time
Te flower of your heart is eternal ever fresh andever fragrant for which you need not spend evena penny Tat is the real flower One who under-stands the secret of this flower is one of supreme wisdom3
FOURTH FLOWER
Te fourth one is the flower of forbearanceForbearance truly is the highest quality of a humanbeing But in human life because he develops nar-row ideas man wants to live in a constricted placeHe thinks ldquoIrdquo and ldquomy familyrdquo are what mattersothers are all different from ldquomerdquo It is not possiblefor us to develop the flower of forbearance as longas these ideas are in us It is only when we lovethat we can have patience and forbearance Onersquoslove should encompass all living beings Tat willfructify as forbearance
Here is a brief example In our home thereare our children Along with our children there is
also a servant In the house a son may be pilfer-ing something or other and developing bad habitsIn many ways we will try and control that son bybeating scolding and persuading him to return togood ways but we will never take him and handhim over to the police In the same house if theservant steals a small spoon at once we will takehim 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 dayafter day but we hand over a servant immediatelyto the police when he steals even a small thing
Te reason for this is the narrow idea that ldquothis boyis my sonrdquo Because the servant does not belong toyou there is no place for forbearance and patienceSo you see that when you have the broad idea thatldquoeveryone is minerdquo there is room for patience and
forbearance It is only then that our love will alsogrow1
Forbearance Promotes Divine Qualities
Forbearance is identified by the scriptures withtruth righteousness knowledge sacrifice and joy Without forbearance man cannot be happy foreven a moment It promotes divine qualities Itreveals inner Divinity One has to undertake spiri-tual practices to earn it and establish oneself in it
Nourish the idea that God is equally present in allin spite of ridicule from the ignorant and sarcasticcriticism from the blind or even praise from ad-mirers Do not mind them4
Forbearance Is Very Dear to the Lord
Te Pandavas suffered a lot at the hands ofthe Kauravas But never did Dharmaraja lose for-bearance even when Droupadi was being humili-ated by the Kauravas It was the virtue of forbear-ance that protected the Pandavas and made theman ideal for the rest of the world Tis flower offorbearance is very dear to the Lord God will bepleased with you and confer boons on you only when you offer Him the ldquoflowersrdquo which are dearto Him No benefit accrues from offering the flow-ers that fade away and decay Te ever-bloomingflowers of non-violence sense control compassionfor all living beings and forbearance are liked by
God2
FIFTH FLOWER
Te fifth is the flower of peace Tis flower ofpeace should not be interpreted to mean that youshould be silent no matter who is attacking you or who is blaming you It is not that If you are un-moved and unperturbed in spite of anyone findingfaults with you this can be called real peace Ifyou can fill your heart with love then peace willcome into you from outside Trough bad quali-ties to some extent we lose peace With truthfulthoughts a man will have peace With untruthful
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17
thoughts a man will not have peace If you can getrid of all thoughts you will become a saint It isonly when you can be free from all thoughts thatyou can have peace
Your own bad thoughts are responsible for all
your pain and sorrow By good thoughts and bygood ideas you will become a holy man Holyman does not mean one who merely wears an or-ange robe shaves the head and wears holy beadsHe who has good thoughts and good ideas is aholy man A holy man is one who is the embodi-ment of truthful thoughts1
Peace Has Detachment as the Basic
Quality
Peace does not mean that a person should notreact at all whatever others may say or howeverthey may abuse him It does not mean that hemust be silent as a rock It involves mastery of allthe senses and all the passions inner peace mustbecome onersquos nature Peace has detachment as thebasic quality Te sea which likes to gather andpossess lies low the cloud that likes to renounceand give up is high in the sky Peace endows man
with an unruffled mind and steady visionTe prayer for shanthi (peace) is usually repeat-
ed thrice ldquoOm shanthi shanthi shanthihirdquo sincepeace is prayed for in the physical mental andspiritual planes Man should not bring his bloodto boil nor should he yield to fear Spiritual calmis exemplified by Emperor Janaka of the Upani-shadhic texts He was known as vidheha (withoutbody attachment) not because he was disembod-
ied but because he lived in utter forgetfulness ofthe body and its needs He saw heard and spokeonly from the Atmic plane of consciousness4
Bear All Sufferings With Fortitude and
Patience
One should remain peaceful through all thevicissitudes of life Only then can one attain divinegrace Great devotees like Tyagaraja ukaramand Droupadi underwent many hardships Tey
bore all sufferings with patience Tyagaraja saidldquoOne cannot attain happiness without innerpeacerdquo Man needs peace at the physical mental
and spiritual levels Peace is not present in theexternal world It is present within
You are the embodiment of peace In the worldly life there are bound to be many hardshipsbut one should not be perturbed One should bear
all sufferings with fortitude and patience Humanlife is given not merely to enjoy the worldly plea-sures like birds and beasts Life becomes meaning-ful only when one experiences the peace that origi-nates from the heart2
SIXTH FLOWER
Te sixth one is the flower of penance Pen-ance is not to give up your wife and children goto a forest put your head down and feet up that
is not penance When we think of real penance weshould eliminate bad thoughts from our mindsTe co-ordination of thought word and deed ispenance Whatever thoughts sprout in your mindto utter them as word and to put them in practiceas your work that is penance It is in this contextthat it is said ldquoA great soul practises harmony ofthought word and deedrdquo Giving up bad thoughtsin your mind will become a sacrifice Tat sacri-fice will become yoga (spiritual practice leading tounion with God) But giving up onersquos propertyand onersquos wife and going to the forest is not yoga1
Be Even-Minded in Happiness or Sorrow
One should contemplate on God at all timesand achieve harmony of thought word and deedHe is a noble one whose thoughts words anddeeds are in complete harmony Do not be car-ried away by pain or pleasure Te Bhagavad Gita
teaches ldquoOne should be even-minded in happi-ness or sorrow gain or loss victory or defeatrdquo Oneshould discharge onersquos duty and serve society with-out any expectation of reward Such even-minded-ness and desireless state is true penance2
SEVENTH FLOWER
Te seventh flower is the flower of meditationoday meditation is taking many forms Manytypes of meditation that people are adopting todayare against the culture and tradition of India o sitin a lotus posture and to make the kundalini shakti (kundalini power) rise from basal plexus to the cra-
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18
nium is not meditation rue meditation consistsin recognising the presence of God in all types of work God is the indweller of all and is all per-vading o make an attempt in your meditation toconfine 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 marketthe market is your God According to the cultureof 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 TeUpanishads are teaching us ldquoTe work I have todo I regard as God and make obeisance to God
in that formrdquoLet us consider the person who plays the
drums Before he begins to play on them he paysobeisance to the drums Te harmonium player will make obeisance to the harmonium before hestarts A dancer before she begins her dance willmake obeisance to her anklets Even a driver whois going to drive a lifeless car before he holds thesteering wheel makes salutations to the steering wheel You do not have to go so far While driv-ing if the car hits another person immediately wemake salutations to that person Te significanceof all this is the faith and belief that God is presentin all things Tus to regard the entire creation asthe form of God and to perform your duty in thatspirit is meditation1
Contemplate On God at All Times
Meditation does not mean sitting in lotus pos-
ture with eyes closed in contemplation on GodTis is physical worldly activity No doubt this isalso needed but true meditation lies in unifyingthe mind with God Just as milk and water can-not be separated likewise the mind once merged with God cannot be separated An iron ball castin fire will become one with it Likewise your loveshould become one with divine love Tis truthis contained in the Vedic dictum ldquoTe knower ofBrahman becomes Brahman Himselfrdquo
Some people contemplate on God for a lim-ited period in the morning and evening Tis can-
not be called meditation Contemplate on Godat all times at all places and under all circum-stances Perform all tasks with your mind firmlyfixed on God Tat is true meditation Tinking ofGod for a limited period cannot be termed medi-
tation Tat is only part-time devotion Part-timedevotion confers only part-time grace You shouldhave full-time devotion in order to attain full-timegrace2
EIGHTH FLOWER
Te next flower is the flower of truth If yousimply speak what you feel and tell what you havedone this can be called worldly truth mdash state-ment of facts Tis cannot be called truth ruth
is that which does not change at any time Whatyou have seen is truth at that moment At the nextmoment it becomes untruth All material thingsthat you see in this creation are things that willdecay that are bound to change In this transientchanging world how can what you see and whatyou hear become truth ruth is God Tis truth isthe eighth flower Tis truth is the form of Divin-ity In the world we experience truths of a relativenature
Let us take chemistry as an example You takesome chemicals and mix them together Teychange and you get some other chemical If youmix turmeric in lime you get red colour Tis ischemistry Another example is physics If you takea 3-inch needle and put it in fire it will becomea longer needle Tis is the truth of physics Howlong do these truths of chemistry and physics re-main Tese are temporary worldly scientific
truths But spiritual truths are such that they willremain unchanged whatever you may do to them whatever fire you may use on them and howsoeveryou may change the circumstances
So what does not change at all is truth Cru-elty and harshness are predominant in the worldtoday because we are not attempting to promotesuch sacred qualities oday among believersnon-believers and the believing the same kind ofattitude is developing Tat day when we can pro-mote such good qualities in the minds of believersthe non-believers will disappear from this world1
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19
ruth is changeless in all the three periods oftime ie past present and future Everythingmay disappear but truth remains forever So truthis God live in truth2
Win Godrsquos Grace by Worshipping EightFlowers
Worship the Lord and offer Him these flow-ers Now when other flowers are used devotiondoes not last after one comes out of the worshiproom When one crosses that door-step angerhatred and anxiety possess him and degrade him Without developing the qualities indicated by theeight flowers how can anyone win the grace ofGod Engaged in wrong worship on all 364 days
what good do you derive by doing true worship onthe 365th day of the year When you claim to beSai devotees justify the claim by cultivating theseflowers of virtue and offering them to God4
Serve Society to Your Utmost Capacity
God will be pleased only when you wor-ship Him with these eight types of flowers Tepriests in temples worship God with various typesof flowers But God does not want these flowersHe says ldquoO priest is this what you have learntall these years You are worshipping Me with lorryloads of roses and jasmines which fade away in ashort time Tese are not the flowers that I expectfrom you Worship Me with the flowers of peacelove non-violence etc which will never faderdquo
Embodiments of Love
People worship God with devotion and sincer-
ity but God is not satisfied with external worship You should serve society Only service can conferbliss on you By rendering service to society notonly can you alleviate the sufferings of the peoplebut you can also bring about transformation intheir lives As is the feeling so is the result If youserve with sacred feelings it is bound to yield sa-cred results Serve society to your utmost capacity You are singing devotional songs in the morningand evening Te satisfaction that you get by par-
ticipating in singing devotional songs is temporary whereas service confers permanent satisfaction
Te Vedas say the objective of actions is to pu-rify the mind Service alone is undertaken to pu-rify the mind oday people waste a lot of time wealth and energy in performing activities that donot foster purity of the mind Tat is why they
are unable to experience peace of mind Te peacethat one gets out of worldly activities comes andgoes like a passing cloud One should aspire forthe true and eternal peace which originates fromthe heart2
References
1 Sathya Sai Speaks Volume 15 Chapter 9 TeFlowers Tat God Loves
2 Sathya Sai Speaks Volume 33 Chapter 12
Flowers Tat Never Fade3 Sanathana Sarathi March 2012 Chapter Hu-
manness Blossoms in a Compassionate Heart
4 Sathya Sai Speaks Volume 15 Chapter 25Te Garden of the Heart
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20
Glossary
AtmaAtmic
Self Soul Embodied Self is jiva (the individ-ual soul) Self with no limitations is Brahman (the Supreme Cosmic Reality)
SatwaSatwic
It is the quality of purity brightness peacegoodness and harmony It leads to knowledge
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L983151983158983141 A983148983148 S983141983154983158983141 A983148983148
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5
Nothing Accompanies You When You
Leave the World
Wherever you look today there are only de-sires desires and more desires Put a ceiling onthese desires Only then will your mind becomesteady You say ldquoI want this I want thatrdquo etcTus you develop many wants Tey are like pass-ing clouds Why should you multiply your wantsthese passing clouds Ultimately nothing accom-panies you at the time of your leaving this mortal
bodyGreat kings and emperors ruled over this
world Tey conquered many countries and ac-cumulated boundless wealth Even Alexander theGreat who conquered several parts of the worldcould not take with him even a miniscule part ofthe wealth he accumulated He had to leave this world with empty hands
o demonstrate this truth he instructed his
ministers to take his dead body in a procession
through the streets of his capital keeping both hishands in a raised position pointing towards thesky Te ministers were curious to know the rea-son for this strange request He said ldquoI have con-quered many countries and accumulated so much wealth Tere is a vast army under my control Yetnone is accompanying me at the time of my leav-ing this body I am going with empty hands Tishas to be demonstrated to all peoplerdquo
Sathya Sai Speaks Volume 41
Chapter 19 Contemplate on God the Real Hero forVictory
Ceiling on Desires
4
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6
Excessive Desire Causes Imbalance in
Nature
Man should put a ceiling on his desires Asmanrsquos conduct is perverted today we find natu-ral calamities taking place You are aware of thedevastation caused by the earthquake in GujaratTousands of people lost their lives Te reason forthis is that man is entertaining excessive desiresGod maintains perfect balance in His creation InGodrsquos creation the Earth and the oceans are en-
dowed with balance But man is indiscriminatelyexploiting the Earth for extracting oil
Every day tonnes of fish are caught from theoceans Tis indiscriminate exploitation of Natureresults in imbalance in Earth which is playinghavoc with human lives Only when man is freefrom unsteadiness within will he not be troubledby earthquake
Do Not Rob Nature of Its Resources toSatisfy Your Greed
Not only the people of India but also the peo-ple of the entire world should strive to maintainbalance Te five elements are nothing but mani-festations of the divine Manrsquos life will be secureonly when he realises this truth and acts accord-ingly A few days ago I sent lorry loads of ricegrams etc to the earthquake victims of Gujarat
Some people asked ldquoSwami why should youtake the trouble to spend so much money for send-ing relief material to Gujarat You could have in-stead averted the earthquakerdquo I replied ldquoMy dearman has to blame himself for the earthquakesDue to excessive greed for wealth he is disturbingthe balance of the Earth Hence the earthquakeTat is the law of Naturerdquo
You have to express your love for man by help-ing the needy Love is your nature Just as balance
is very much essential for Nature so also love isvery much needed for man Know that whatev-
er God has created is for your own welfare Youshould enjoy Nature according to your need Youshould not rob Nature of its resources to satisfyyour greed
Science Should Be Utilised Only to the
Extent Needed
Here is an example Once a greedy personowned a duck which used to lay a golden egg ev-ery day One day he ripped open the stomach of
the duck thinking that he would get many goldeneggs at a time oday man also is indulging in suchfoolish and greedy acts Instead of being satisfied with what Nature is giving him he aspires formore and more and in the process he is creatingimbalance in Nature
oday scientists are interested in new inven-tions Te advancement in science and technologyhas also led to imbalance in Nature As a result
there are earthquakes and no timely rains Scienceshould be utilised only to the extent needed Sci-ence has its limitations and crossing those limitsleads to danger
You have a long way to go Adhere to truthand righteousness Our ancient sages said ldquoSpeaktruth speak pleasantly and do not speak unpleas-ant truthrdquo Make proper use of natural resourcesand do not put them to misuse Help everybodyand make them happy Share all the good thingsyou have learnt with others Tis is your foremostduty
Sathya Sai Speaks Volume 34Chapter 3 Vision of the Atma
Ceiling on Desires
5
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7
Desires Are the Root Cause of Manrsquos
Disturbance
All the spiritual practices that man performsaims at making his mind steady Tere is no use inconstantly repeating Godrsquos name meditating andpractising spiritual austerities if the mind is notsteady Once you have the five senses under con-trol you can experience God He is not far awayfrom you He is in you below you above you andall around you God in fact is the indweller of
man Yet man is not able to see Him What is thereason Manrsquos limitless and wayward desires pre-vent him from seeing God
Desires are the root cause of manrsquos disturbanceSense control and ceiling on desires will help himto see God all around and experience bliss So wehave to keep our desires in check We should notbe worried by the evil talk that others indulge in We should not be affected by calumny and criti-
cism
Control the Five Senses
Buddha wanted to control the five senses Hedecided first and foremost to acquire right visionMan today is not able to control his vision becauseof the fickleness of his mind Cinema video Vetc have polluted the mind of man He does notsee good and hear good Man is the cause of hisown restlessness
Besides right vision Buddha emphasised theneed for right hearing right speech right feelingand right thinking Due to lack of these human-ness is fast giving way to devilishness and beastli-ness Animal qualities are fast increasing in man Animals have a season and a reason but man hasnone Man today has become worse than animalsHuman qualities like compassion kindness loveand forbearance are absent in him He should be
free from evil thoughts which are the root causeof his worries Tis requires constant and sustainedpractice
Master the Mind and Be a Mastermind
Man can control the mind and attain peaceby constant and sustained practice It is only ina peaceful mind that noble thoughts arise Temind should be under the control of man Mas-ter the mind and be a mastermind Unfortunatelyinstead of controlling the mind man has becomethe slave of his senses Tat is the main cause of hisunsteadiness Moreover he has body attachmentTis is the reason he gets easily disturbed if people
find fault with him Why should he worry aboutthe body when the body is like a water bubble You should get rid of body attachment
Summer Showers in Brindavan 2002Chapter 11 Sense Control Is the Highest Sadhana
Ceiling on Desires
6
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8
Learn a Lesson from Nature
Tere are four components in the term ldquoCeil-ing on Desiresrdquo Tey are curb on excessive talkcurb on excessive desires and expenditure controlof consumption of food and check on waste ofenergy Man needs some essential commodities forhis sustenance and he should not aspire for more
We can learn a lesson in this respect from Na-ture Only if air is available in sufficient quantity will it be comfortable and good If it is excessiveand there is a gale you will feel uncomfortable When you are thirsty you can consume only alimited quantity of water You canrsquot consume theentire water of the River Ganga We take only asmuch as is needed for the sustenance of the body
Doctors know that the body temperature isnormally 986 degrees If this goes up to 99 de-grees they say fever has set in due to some disorderin the body We inhale and exhale at a normal rate
If there is a slight increase or decrease in the rateit indicates disorder in the body Changes in thepulse rate or blood pressure also indicate disorderSo you find that if you exceed the limits even to alittle extent it is dangerous or harmful to the body
Tere is a limit for everything to function in anormal way When your eyes happen to see a flashof lightning or a flash of light while taking photo-graphs they automatically close because they canrsquot
withstand such high illumination Eardrums alsocannot tolerate hearing beyond a certain volumeand we cover our ears or keep cotton inside theears From these we see that our life is a limitedcompany
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 reason-
able number of saris but not a huge collectionfor pomp or show Misuse of money is a great evilEven men will have to do their own bit in control-ling the expenditure on unwanted and unnecessarythings
Money is the embodiment of Divinity Whenyou talk of wealth you should be careful to avoidavaricious accumulation and extravagant expendi-ture Even in the preparation of food you shouldbe careful in avoiding wastage We are only doinga disservice by consuming more food than what isnecessary for the body
Tirdly you should be careful about ldquotimerdquo which is the yardstick of life Seconds becomehours hours become years years make ages andso on You should not waste this most valuableldquotimerdquo ime lost in wasteful pursuits canrsquot be gotback by any means All our activities should beplanned for utilising the available time to maxi-
mum advantage So we should not waste foodmoney time and energy
Sathya Sai Speaks Volume 16Chapter 3 Ceiling on Desires-I
Ceiling on Desires
7
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9
Aims of the ldquoCeiling on Desires
Programmerdquo
Tere is a programme connected with ldquoCeilingon Desiresrdquo You must realise that this programmehas not been launched to raise funds Te object ofthe programme is to prevent waste of money timefood or other resources and to use all these forthe welfare of the people Te money that is savedneed not be kept for the Sathya Sai OrganisationsIt may be used in the best way you choose for the
benefit of others Do not waste time ime wastedis life wasted ime is God Sanctify all the time atyour disposal by undertaking service activities in apure and unselfish spirit
oday we waste time on unnecessary and un- wanted things in indulging in unnecessary talkand doing meaningless actions In all these ac-tions 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 gooddeeds Every second of your daily existence youmust ask these questions ldquoHow am I utilisingtime Is it for a good or bad purposerdquo
Likewise with regard to food you must askldquoAm I just eating what I need or more Am I wast-ing foodrdquo So also with regard to money ldquoAm Iusing this money for my own selfish needs or forboosting my name and fame or to satisfy my egoand vanityrdquo Once you start seeking answers tothese questions there is no greater spiritual prac-tice
Tese are the aims of the ldquoCeiling on DesiresProgrammerdquo It was never the purpose of thisprogramme to collect money for the Sathya SaiOrganisations Te object was to encourage youto share your money with others to give you anopportunity to utilise your surplus resources forsome good and noble purpose that will sanctify
your life
Make Your Lives Sacred and Worthwhile
Tree types of strength are given to a personphysical strength mental strength and the powerof money It has been said that all these should beoffered as yajna (sacrifice) Tis sacrifice is not of-fered to God God who has given you your bodyand your mind does not need them for HimselfGod is also the source of all wealth What does He want with your wealth
Use it for sacred purposes Te service pro-gramme is intended only to provide you with op-portunities to make your lives sacred and worth- while 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 discoverSita in Lanka Himself What need was there forHim to send Hanuman Rama wanted Hanumanto go on the search so that He could show to the
world the devotion and steadfastness and faith ofHanuman It is a case of grace on the part of Rama
In the same manner if Sai wants to do so manythings Himself He can do anything Tis endeav-our is not for the sake of Sai It is done throughthese service organisations so that members ofthe organisation get the chance to do service andredeem themselves ry to understand the basictruth that these avenues of service have been pro-vided so that you will get a good name for yourselfand not for the sake of Sai
Sathya Sai Speaks Volume 17Chapter 16 Ceiling on Desires-II
Ceiling on Desires
8
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10
Always Be Happy
Whatever trouble you may face you mustlearn to feel happy in any circumstance If you arestung by a scorpion you must console yourselfthat you were not bitten by a snake and when youare bitten by a snake you must console yourselfthat it has not proved fatal Even if you are not ableto own a vehicle be happy that your legs are intactto enable you to walk Even if you are not a mil-lionaire be happy that you have enough resourcesto feed yourself and your family Tis 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 peace-ful and meaningful life You must curb the desireto seek more and more wealth and turn your effortto realise the Reality within In pursuing this ef-fort you must avoid waste of food money timeenergy and knowledge as all these are forms ofGod Unnecessary talk should be avoided as thisresults in waste of energy and reduction of mem-ory power
Sathya Sai Speaks Volume 27Chapter 20 Spiritual Orientation to Education
Peace Can Be Attained Only by Godrsquos
GraceIn the modern world every person tries hard
to attain peace Peace cannot be attained by spiri-tual precepts nor can it be obtained from a mar-ket as a commodity It cannot be acquired even byknowledge of the texts or a high position in lifePeace can be attained only by Godrsquos grace
Tough man is eager to attain peace he con-fronts many obstacles in the path Tose who trav-
el by train may be well acquainted with the sloganldquoLess luggage more comfort makes travel a plea-surerdquo Now man is burdening himself with limit-less desires Because of this extra heavy luggage ofdesires he finds it extremely difficult to carry onthe journey of life By such proliferation of desireshe loses his balance moves far away from his goaland even tends to go mad
It is for this reason that I have been stressingthe need for ceiling on desires By limiting yourdesires you can attain peace to a certain extent You have to exercise a check on your desires andmake efforts to get the grace of the divine
Sathya Sai Speaks Volume 31Chapter 19 Faith Love and Grace
Bad Qualities Are the Result of Your Own
Thoughts
Suppose you get angry From where did thisanger come Tis has come from you only Simi-larly jealousy is a quality that manifested fromyour mind Tus each one of these bad qualities isthe result of your own thoughts Hence if only you
are able to control your thoughts properly you willbe able to achieve anything in life
Ceiling on Desires
9Ceiling on Desires
10
Ceiling on Desires
11Te mind intellect and awareness are the re-
flections of the Atma Te mind has no stabilityIt is the repository of thoughts and desires It issaid ldquoTe mind alone is the cause of bondage orliberationrdquo Hence one has to keep the mind underproper control by putting some ceiling on desires
Sathya Sai Speaks Volume 42
Chapter 1 Know Tyself You Will Know Everything
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12
Cultivate Four Desirable Practices
Te Sai Organisations have been enjoined tocarry out a programme of ceiling on desires Every-one should try to control desires as much as pos-sible Te promotion of human values is anotheritem in the programme Tese human values areinherent in every person All that is needed is foreveryone to manifest them in his daily life ruthrighteousness and peace are all in you
You are the embodiment of truth peace loveand God Recognise this fact Members of SaiOrganisations should cultivate certain desirablepractices For instance they should regulate theirdiet because onersquos food influences onersquos thoughtsSmoking and intoxicating drinks have to be givenup Tey are ruinous for the health Meat eatingshould also be given up because eating animalfood promotes animal tendencies Te fourth evilthat has to be eliminated is gambling
Tose who take to the spiritual path shouldavoid as much as possible these four bad practicesIt is sinful to slaughter poor animals for onersquos foodSai members should follow the motto ldquoHelp everhurt neverrdquo
Tere is no meaning in professing to respecthuman values without observing the rule that youshould cause no harm to others in any form what-soever God loves those who serve others becauseHe is in all of them Whomever you may serveconsider it as service to God Divinise all youractions reat every action you perform as Godrsquos work
Sathya Sai Speaks Volume 28Chapter 34 Spiritual Significance of Loving Service
Ceiling on Desires
13
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13
Eight Flowers of Worship
Non-violence Control of Senses
Compassion for All Living Beings
Forebearance
Peace
Penance
Meditation
ruth
It is the experience and practice of the citizens of India that they generally wor-ship God with flowers offer ritual adoration and make obeisance to God Butthere is something that is more sacred than this Tere is a distinctive type of
devotion by which you worship God with a good clean mind and good conductTis has been given the name of para bhakthi (supreme devotion) By always wor-shipping God with ritual worship and flowers the spiritual aspirant will remainstationary in his place Tis is good in a way but to remain in one place all thetime and failing to rise to a higher position is not good
Tere is a superior type of worship mdash to worship God through good qualitiesgood conduct good thoughts and good company Te scriptures have describedthis kind of worship as worship through good qualities By offering what kind ofgood qualities can we please God
Eight Flowers of Worship
Te first flower with which we can worship God is non-violence Te second
flower is control of senses Te third flower is compassion Te fourth one is for-bearance Te fifth flower is peace Te sixth flower is penance Te seventh one isthe flower of meditation Te eighth is the flower of truth Te inner meaning ofthis statement is that God will shower grace on you if you worship him throughthese eight flowers
Te flowers in nature always fade drop down lose fragrance and also de-velop an odour that is not pleasant Instead of worshipping with such worldlyflowers which are impermanent and receiving impermanent rewards from God
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14
we should worship Him with what is truthful andthereby attain a stage that is higher
Te flowers that you are using for worship havenot been created by you You are bringing flowersthat have been created by the Will of God on some
tree or in some garden and are offering them backto the Creator Himself What is the greatness inusing the flowers created by God and giving themback to God Himself Many people bathe in theGanges River take the water from the Ganges intotheir palms and offer it back to the Ganges itselfTis is not what you have created Tis is not whatyou have the right to offer
From the tree of your life picking such fruits
that you have protected and that you have grownin the form of good qualities and offering themto God there is some distinctiveness in that Inorder to promote good qualities you have to un-dergo several troubles So it is through these goodqualities that your mind can also acquire a divineconcentration Without good qualities and with-out good thoughts how can you fix your mind inmeditation1
FIRST FLOWERTe first flower is the flower of non-violence
We regard the word non-violence to mean notcausing harm and hurt to other living things Tetrue meaning of the word is not to cause hurtand harm to any other living being through yourthought word or deed Cleansing and purifyingthese threemdashthought word and deedmdashhas beencalled a Triputi (summit of three) in spiritualparlance All of them should be harmonised and
brought together as one unit of flower1
We find doctors performing surgeries on pa-tients to cure them of their ailments In the processof surgery the doctors cut the body with a knife You cannot call it an act of violence because it isbeneficial to the patient Some people may arguethat even cutting vegetables is an act of violencebecause vegetables and trees have life in them Nodoubt vegetables and trees have life but they do
not have the mind Consequently they do not suf-fer any pain
Only man has got five sheaths namely foodsheath life sheath mind sheath wisdom sheathand bliss sheath One with the mind experiencespain and pleasure Men animals birds and in-sects are endowed with the mind not trees and
vegetables In some trees you find the sap oozingout when you pluck their fruit Oozing of sap froma tree is a natural phenomenon but some peoplemistake it for the tears of suffering Te trees donot suffer any pain because they do not have thefaculty of mind2
SECOND FLOWER
Te second flower is the control of sensoryorgans Our senses run without any control If
running horses or animals are not controlled theypose a danger God has created each organ of thehuman body for a specific purpose It is only when we use these sensory organs along the right pathfor which they have been created that we will beentitled to Godrsquos grace God has given us a nose We should make an attempt to breathe in andbreathe out through the nose and only accept fra-grance through the nose If we use such a nose totake snuff the purpose will become useless In the
same manner He has given us the mouth and atongue in order that we may take in pure food If we use the mouth to take in unholy food or intoxi-cating drinks then we will be using the mouth fora wrong purpose
In the same manner we should understandunder what conditions and in what times and in what manner we should use each of these organsand put them under control Our inner strength
will become less and less on account of excitementor unnecessary sorrow Te body will become ill bymental agitations and distractions Man ages veryquickly through excitement and sorrow Te rea-son for your not preserving this sacred instrumentin sound condition is lack of control over thesesensory organs Te second flower of sensory con-trol should be used for worshipping God1
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15
Lack of Sense Control Is the Main Cause
of Unrest and Agitation
All spiritual practices will prove futile if onelacks sense control Control of the senses is veryessential for one and all Lack of sense control is
the main cause of all the unrest and agitation thatyou find in the world today How can one controlthe senses First of all one should exercise controlover the tongue
You must control your tongue as it alwayscraves a variety of delicacies You must ask thisquestion ldquoO tongue how many bags of rice wheat and vegetables have you devoured Howmany delicacies have you consumed Fie on you
if you are still not satisfiedrdquo A morsel of food isenough to sustain the body You should eat forthe sake of satisfying your hunger and sustain-ing the body Do not give undue importance totaste Likewise tell your eyes to see God instead of watching unsacred things on television or videoeach your ears to listen to the stories of the Lordinstead of listening to vain gossip
O ears you are interested in listening to vain gos-sip and tales about others but you pay least attentionwhen the wonderful stories of the Lord are narrated
(elugu Song)
Tink for a while how you benefit by listen-ing to unsacred things In fact you are pollutingyour heart in the process All that you see and heargets imprinted on your heart Once your heart ispolluted your life will become meaningless Tehuman heart is like a pen Te colour of the wordsthat 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 besuffused with love God expects you to fill yourheart with love and lead a sacred life2
THIRD FLOWER
Te third flower is compassion for all livingthings Looking merely and superficially at humannature which has diverse aspects we are forgettingGod in this field From the seed of Divinity the
tree of creation has grown On this tree of creationthe fruits are the human beings that are the indi-vidual souls In each of these human fruits there
is Divinity in the form of seed Tat is why in theBhagavad Gita Krishna has said ldquoI am the seed inall the living beingsrdquo Recognising the truth thatGod is present in the form of the Atma in all livingbeings we say compassion for all living beings is
the next flower1
The Story of Abou Ben Adhem
Students might have heard the story of AbouBen Adhem who always offered compassion to- wards all beings as a form of service to the LordEvery day he traveled the streets to serve the desti-tute and the handicapped and returned home latein the night One night when he returned homehe found in his bedroom an angel writing some-
thing When he asked her what she was writingshe replied that she was making a list of those wholoved God She replied in the negative when heasked her if his name was on that list
Te following night when he returned homehe again found the angel writing something Hequeried ldquoMother what is it that you are writingnowrdquo She said ldquoSon I am writing the names ofthose who are dear to Godrdquo He again wanted to
know if his name was on the list She replied thathis name was at the top of this list
Te sum and substance of this story is thatGod is pleased when you serve your fellow humanbeings Te scriptures have prescribed nine pathsof devotion namely listening to the Lordrsquos storiessinging His glories remembrance of the Lordrsquosname service to the Lordrsquos Lotus Feet worshipsalutation servitude friendship and offering one-
self to the Lord ie complete self-surrender Butthe 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 oceanof worldly life
One can redeem onersquos life only through service(Sanskrit Verse)
Abou Ben Adhem became the recipient ofGodrsquos love because he spent all his time in the ser-
vice of his fellow men God loves all for He is theembodiment of love But He will give Himself tothose who show compassion for all beings2
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Have Compassion towards All as God
Resides in All
Among all the flowers compassion for all crea-tures is most important Man alone is endowed with this virtue of compassion Tis is the flower
that you should offer to God God is the indwellerof all beings Names and forms may vary but thesame God is present in all Terefore you shouldhave compassion towards all beings with the broadfeeling that God is present in all Only then canyou understand how expansive and fragrant thisquality of compassion for all creatures is
You need not waste your time gathering theflowers that fade away and wither away in no time
Te flower of your heart is eternal ever fresh andever fragrant for which you need not spend evena penny Tat is the real flower One who under-stands the secret of this flower is one of supreme wisdom3
FOURTH FLOWER
Te fourth one is the flower of forbearanceForbearance truly is the highest quality of a humanbeing But in human life because he develops nar-row ideas man wants to live in a constricted placeHe thinks ldquoIrdquo and ldquomy familyrdquo are what mattersothers are all different from ldquomerdquo It is not possiblefor us to develop the flower of forbearance as longas these ideas are in us It is only when we lovethat we can have patience and forbearance Onersquoslove should encompass all living beings Tat willfructify as forbearance
Here is a brief example In our home thereare our children Along with our children there is
also a servant In the house a son may be pilfer-ing something or other and developing bad habitsIn many ways we will try and control that son bybeating scolding and persuading him to return togood ways but we will never take him and handhim over to the police In the same house if theservant steals a small spoon at once we will takehim 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 dayafter day but we hand over a servant immediatelyto the police when he steals even a small thing
Te reason for this is the narrow idea that ldquothis boyis my sonrdquo Because the servant does not belong toyou there is no place for forbearance and patienceSo you see that when you have the broad idea thatldquoeveryone is minerdquo there is room for patience and
forbearance It is only then that our love will alsogrow1
Forbearance Promotes Divine Qualities
Forbearance is identified by the scriptures withtruth righteousness knowledge sacrifice and joy Without forbearance man cannot be happy foreven a moment It promotes divine qualities Itreveals inner Divinity One has to undertake spiri-tual practices to earn it and establish oneself in it
Nourish the idea that God is equally present in allin spite of ridicule from the ignorant and sarcasticcriticism from the blind or even praise from ad-mirers Do not mind them4
Forbearance Is Very Dear to the Lord
Te Pandavas suffered a lot at the hands ofthe Kauravas But never did Dharmaraja lose for-bearance even when Droupadi was being humili-ated by the Kauravas It was the virtue of forbear-ance that protected the Pandavas and made theman ideal for the rest of the world Tis flower offorbearance is very dear to the Lord God will bepleased with you and confer boons on you only when you offer Him the ldquoflowersrdquo which are dearto Him No benefit accrues from offering the flow-ers that fade away and decay Te ever-bloomingflowers of non-violence sense control compassionfor all living beings and forbearance are liked by
God2
FIFTH FLOWER
Te fifth is the flower of peace Tis flower ofpeace should not be interpreted to mean that youshould be silent no matter who is attacking you or who is blaming you It is not that If you are un-moved and unperturbed in spite of anyone findingfaults with you this can be called real peace Ifyou can fill your heart with love then peace willcome into you from outside Trough bad quali-ties to some extent we lose peace With truthfulthoughts a man will have peace With untruthful
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17
thoughts a man will not have peace If you can getrid of all thoughts you will become a saint It isonly when you can be free from all thoughts thatyou can have peace
Your own bad thoughts are responsible for all
your pain and sorrow By good thoughts and bygood ideas you will become a holy man Holyman does not mean one who merely wears an or-ange robe shaves the head and wears holy beadsHe who has good thoughts and good ideas is aholy man A holy man is one who is the embodi-ment of truthful thoughts1
Peace Has Detachment as the Basic
Quality
Peace does not mean that a person should notreact at all whatever others may say or howeverthey may abuse him It does not mean that hemust be silent as a rock It involves mastery of allthe senses and all the passions inner peace mustbecome onersquos nature Peace has detachment as thebasic quality Te sea which likes to gather andpossess lies low the cloud that likes to renounceand give up is high in the sky Peace endows man
with an unruffled mind and steady visionTe prayer for shanthi (peace) is usually repeat-
ed thrice ldquoOm shanthi shanthi shanthihirdquo sincepeace is prayed for in the physical mental andspiritual planes Man should not bring his bloodto boil nor should he yield to fear Spiritual calmis exemplified by Emperor Janaka of the Upani-shadhic texts He was known as vidheha (withoutbody attachment) not because he was disembod-
ied but because he lived in utter forgetfulness ofthe body and its needs He saw heard and spokeonly from the Atmic plane of consciousness4
Bear All Sufferings With Fortitude and
Patience
One should remain peaceful through all thevicissitudes of life Only then can one attain divinegrace Great devotees like Tyagaraja ukaramand Droupadi underwent many hardships Tey
bore all sufferings with patience Tyagaraja saidldquoOne cannot attain happiness without innerpeacerdquo Man needs peace at the physical mental
and spiritual levels Peace is not present in theexternal world It is present within
You are the embodiment of peace In the worldly life there are bound to be many hardshipsbut one should not be perturbed One should bear
all sufferings with fortitude and patience Humanlife is given not merely to enjoy the worldly plea-sures like birds and beasts Life becomes meaning-ful only when one experiences the peace that origi-nates from the heart2
SIXTH FLOWER
Te sixth one is the flower of penance Pen-ance is not to give up your wife and children goto a forest put your head down and feet up that
is not penance When we think of real penance weshould eliminate bad thoughts from our mindsTe co-ordination of thought word and deed ispenance Whatever thoughts sprout in your mindto utter them as word and to put them in practiceas your work that is penance It is in this contextthat it is said ldquoA great soul practises harmony ofthought word and deedrdquo Giving up bad thoughtsin your mind will become a sacrifice Tat sacri-fice will become yoga (spiritual practice leading tounion with God) But giving up onersquos propertyand onersquos wife and going to the forest is not yoga1
Be Even-Minded in Happiness or Sorrow
One should contemplate on God at all timesand achieve harmony of thought word and deedHe is a noble one whose thoughts words anddeeds are in complete harmony Do not be car-ried away by pain or pleasure Te Bhagavad Gita
teaches ldquoOne should be even-minded in happi-ness or sorrow gain or loss victory or defeatrdquo Oneshould discharge onersquos duty and serve society with-out any expectation of reward Such even-minded-ness and desireless state is true penance2
SEVENTH FLOWER
Te seventh flower is the flower of meditationoday meditation is taking many forms Manytypes of meditation that people are adopting todayare against the culture and tradition of India o sitin a lotus posture and to make the kundalini shakti (kundalini power) rise from basal plexus to the cra-
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18
nium is not meditation rue meditation consistsin recognising the presence of God in all types of work God is the indweller of all and is all per-vading o make an attempt in your meditation toconfine 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 marketthe market is your God According to the cultureof 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 TeUpanishads are teaching us ldquoTe work I have todo I regard as God and make obeisance to God
in that formrdquoLet us consider the person who plays the
drums Before he begins to play on them he paysobeisance to the drums Te harmonium player will make obeisance to the harmonium before hestarts A dancer before she begins her dance willmake obeisance to her anklets Even a driver whois going to drive a lifeless car before he holds thesteering wheel makes salutations to the steering wheel You do not have to go so far While driv-ing if the car hits another person immediately wemake salutations to that person Te significanceof all this is the faith and belief that God is presentin all things Tus to regard the entire creation asthe form of God and to perform your duty in thatspirit is meditation1
Contemplate On God at All Times
Meditation does not mean sitting in lotus pos-
ture with eyes closed in contemplation on GodTis is physical worldly activity No doubt this isalso needed but true meditation lies in unifyingthe mind with God Just as milk and water can-not be separated likewise the mind once merged with God cannot be separated An iron ball castin fire will become one with it Likewise your loveshould become one with divine love Tis truthis contained in the Vedic dictum ldquoTe knower ofBrahman becomes Brahman Himselfrdquo
Some people contemplate on God for a lim-ited period in the morning and evening Tis can-
not be called meditation Contemplate on Godat all times at all places and under all circum-stances Perform all tasks with your mind firmlyfixed on God Tat is true meditation Tinking ofGod for a limited period cannot be termed medi-
tation Tat is only part-time devotion Part-timedevotion confers only part-time grace You shouldhave full-time devotion in order to attain full-timegrace2
EIGHTH FLOWER
Te next flower is the flower of truth If yousimply speak what you feel and tell what you havedone this can be called worldly truth mdash state-ment of facts Tis cannot be called truth ruth
is that which does not change at any time Whatyou have seen is truth at that moment At the nextmoment it becomes untruth All material thingsthat you see in this creation are things that willdecay that are bound to change In this transientchanging world how can what you see and whatyou hear become truth ruth is God Tis truth isthe eighth flower Tis truth is the form of Divin-ity In the world we experience truths of a relativenature
Let us take chemistry as an example You takesome chemicals and mix them together Teychange and you get some other chemical If youmix turmeric in lime you get red colour Tis ischemistry Another example is physics If you takea 3-inch needle and put it in fire it will becomea longer needle Tis is the truth of physics Howlong do these truths of chemistry and physics re-main Tese are temporary worldly scientific
truths But spiritual truths are such that they willremain unchanged whatever you may do to them whatever fire you may use on them and howsoeveryou may change the circumstances
So what does not change at all is truth Cru-elty and harshness are predominant in the worldtoday because we are not attempting to promotesuch sacred qualities oday among believersnon-believers and the believing the same kind ofattitude is developing Tat day when we can pro-mote such good qualities in the minds of believersthe non-believers will disappear from this world1
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19
ruth is changeless in all the three periods oftime ie past present and future Everythingmay disappear but truth remains forever So truthis God live in truth2
Win Godrsquos Grace by Worshipping EightFlowers
Worship the Lord and offer Him these flow-ers Now when other flowers are used devotiondoes not last after one comes out of the worshiproom When one crosses that door-step angerhatred and anxiety possess him and degrade him Without developing the qualities indicated by theeight flowers how can anyone win the grace ofGod Engaged in wrong worship on all 364 days
what good do you derive by doing true worship onthe 365th day of the year When you claim to beSai devotees justify the claim by cultivating theseflowers of virtue and offering them to God4
Serve Society to Your Utmost Capacity
God will be pleased only when you wor-ship Him with these eight types of flowers Tepriests in temples worship God with various typesof flowers But God does not want these flowersHe says ldquoO priest is this what you have learntall these years You are worshipping Me with lorryloads of roses and jasmines which fade away in ashort time Tese are not the flowers that I expectfrom you Worship Me with the flowers of peacelove non-violence etc which will never faderdquo
Embodiments of Love
People worship God with devotion and sincer-
ity but God is not satisfied with external worship You should serve society Only service can conferbliss on you By rendering service to society notonly can you alleviate the sufferings of the peoplebut you can also bring about transformation intheir lives As is the feeling so is the result If youserve with sacred feelings it is bound to yield sa-cred results Serve society to your utmost capacity You are singing devotional songs in the morningand evening Te satisfaction that you get by par-
ticipating in singing devotional songs is temporary whereas service confers permanent satisfaction
Te Vedas say the objective of actions is to pu-rify the mind Service alone is undertaken to pu-rify the mind oday people waste a lot of time wealth and energy in performing activities that donot foster purity of the mind Tat is why they
are unable to experience peace of mind Te peacethat one gets out of worldly activities comes andgoes like a passing cloud One should aspire forthe true and eternal peace which originates fromthe heart2
References
1 Sathya Sai Speaks Volume 15 Chapter 9 TeFlowers Tat God Loves
2 Sathya Sai Speaks Volume 33 Chapter 12
Flowers Tat Never Fade3 Sanathana Sarathi March 2012 Chapter Hu-
manness Blossoms in a Compassionate Heart
4 Sathya Sai Speaks Volume 15 Chapter 25Te Garden of the Heart
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20
Glossary
AtmaAtmic
Self Soul Embodied Self is jiva (the individ-ual soul) Self with no limitations is Brahman (the Supreme Cosmic Reality)
SatwaSatwic
It is the quality of purity brightness peacegoodness and harmony It leads to knowledge
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L983151983158983141 A983148983148 S983141983154983158983141 A983148983148
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6
Excessive Desire Causes Imbalance in
Nature
Man should put a ceiling on his desires Asmanrsquos conduct is perverted today we find natu-ral calamities taking place You are aware of thedevastation caused by the earthquake in GujaratTousands of people lost their lives Te reason forthis is that man is entertaining excessive desiresGod maintains perfect balance in His creation InGodrsquos creation the Earth and the oceans are en-
dowed with balance But man is indiscriminatelyexploiting the Earth for extracting oil
Every day tonnes of fish are caught from theoceans Tis indiscriminate exploitation of Natureresults in imbalance in Earth which is playinghavoc with human lives Only when man is freefrom unsteadiness within will he not be troubledby earthquake
Do Not Rob Nature of Its Resources toSatisfy Your Greed
Not only the people of India but also the peo-ple of the entire world should strive to maintainbalance Te five elements are nothing but mani-festations of the divine Manrsquos life will be secureonly when he realises this truth and acts accord-ingly A few days ago I sent lorry loads of ricegrams etc to the earthquake victims of Gujarat
Some people asked ldquoSwami why should youtake the trouble to spend so much money for send-ing relief material to Gujarat You could have in-stead averted the earthquakerdquo I replied ldquoMy dearman has to blame himself for the earthquakesDue to excessive greed for wealth he is disturbingthe balance of the Earth Hence the earthquakeTat is the law of Naturerdquo
You have to express your love for man by help-ing the needy Love is your nature Just as balance
is very much essential for Nature so also love isvery much needed for man Know that whatev-
er God has created is for your own welfare Youshould enjoy Nature according to your need Youshould not rob Nature of its resources to satisfyyour greed
Science Should Be Utilised Only to the
Extent Needed
Here is an example Once a greedy personowned a duck which used to lay a golden egg ev-ery day One day he ripped open the stomach of
the duck thinking that he would get many goldeneggs at a time oday man also is indulging in suchfoolish and greedy acts Instead of being satisfied with what Nature is giving him he aspires formore and more and in the process he is creatingimbalance in Nature
oday scientists are interested in new inven-tions Te advancement in science and technologyhas also led to imbalance in Nature As a result
there are earthquakes and no timely rains Scienceshould be utilised only to the extent needed Sci-ence has its limitations and crossing those limitsleads to danger
You have a long way to go Adhere to truthand righteousness Our ancient sages said ldquoSpeaktruth speak pleasantly and do not speak unpleas-ant truthrdquo Make proper use of natural resourcesand do not put them to misuse Help everybodyand make them happy Share all the good thingsyou have learnt with others Tis is your foremostduty
Sathya Sai Speaks Volume 34Chapter 3 Vision of the Atma
Ceiling on Desires
5
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7
Desires Are the Root Cause of Manrsquos
Disturbance
All the spiritual practices that man performsaims at making his mind steady Tere is no use inconstantly repeating Godrsquos name meditating andpractising spiritual austerities if the mind is notsteady Once you have the five senses under con-trol you can experience God He is not far awayfrom you He is in you below you above you andall around you God in fact is the indweller of
man Yet man is not able to see Him What is thereason Manrsquos limitless and wayward desires pre-vent him from seeing God
Desires are the root cause of manrsquos disturbanceSense control and ceiling on desires will help himto see God all around and experience bliss So wehave to keep our desires in check We should notbe worried by the evil talk that others indulge in We should not be affected by calumny and criti-
cism
Control the Five Senses
Buddha wanted to control the five senses Hedecided first and foremost to acquire right visionMan today is not able to control his vision becauseof the fickleness of his mind Cinema video Vetc have polluted the mind of man He does notsee good and hear good Man is the cause of hisown restlessness
Besides right vision Buddha emphasised theneed for right hearing right speech right feelingand right thinking Due to lack of these human-ness is fast giving way to devilishness and beastli-ness Animal qualities are fast increasing in man Animals have a season and a reason but man hasnone Man today has become worse than animalsHuman qualities like compassion kindness loveand forbearance are absent in him He should be
free from evil thoughts which are the root causeof his worries Tis requires constant and sustainedpractice
Master the Mind and Be a Mastermind
Man can control the mind and attain peaceby constant and sustained practice It is only ina peaceful mind that noble thoughts arise Temind should be under the control of man Mas-ter the mind and be a mastermind Unfortunatelyinstead of controlling the mind man has becomethe slave of his senses Tat is the main cause of hisunsteadiness Moreover he has body attachmentTis is the reason he gets easily disturbed if people
find fault with him Why should he worry aboutthe body when the body is like a water bubble You should get rid of body attachment
Summer Showers in Brindavan 2002Chapter 11 Sense Control Is the Highest Sadhana
Ceiling on Desires
6
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8
Learn a Lesson from Nature
Tere are four components in the term ldquoCeil-ing on Desiresrdquo Tey are curb on excessive talkcurb on excessive desires and expenditure controlof consumption of food and check on waste ofenergy Man needs some essential commodities forhis sustenance and he should not aspire for more
We can learn a lesson in this respect from Na-ture Only if air is available in sufficient quantity will it be comfortable and good If it is excessiveand there is a gale you will feel uncomfortable When you are thirsty you can consume only alimited quantity of water You canrsquot consume theentire water of the River Ganga We take only asmuch as is needed for the sustenance of the body
Doctors know that the body temperature isnormally 986 degrees If this goes up to 99 de-grees they say fever has set in due to some disorderin the body We inhale and exhale at a normal rate
If there is a slight increase or decrease in the rateit indicates disorder in the body Changes in thepulse rate or blood pressure also indicate disorderSo you find that if you exceed the limits even to alittle extent it is dangerous or harmful to the body
Tere is a limit for everything to function in anormal way When your eyes happen to see a flashof lightning or a flash of light while taking photo-graphs they automatically close because they canrsquot
withstand such high illumination Eardrums alsocannot tolerate hearing beyond a certain volumeand we cover our ears or keep cotton inside theears From these we see that our life is a limitedcompany
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 reason-
able number of saris but not a huge collectionfor pomp or show Misuse of money is a great evilEven men will have to do their own bit in control-ling the expenditure on unwanted and unnecessarythings
Money is the embodiment of Divinity Whenyou talk of wealth you should be careful to avoidavaricious accumulation and extravagant expendi-ture Even in the preparation of food you shouldbe careful in avoiding wastage We are only doinga disservice by consuming more food than what isnecessary for the body
Tirdly you should be careful about ldquotimerdquo which is the yardstick of life Seconds becomehours hours become years years make ages andso on You should not waste this most valuableldquotimerdquo ime lost in wasteful pursuits canrsquot be gotback by any means All our activities should beplanned for utilising the available time to maxi-
mum advantage So we should not waste foodmoney time and energy
Sathya Sai Speaks Volume 16Chapter 3 Ceiling on Desires-I
Ceiling on Desires
7
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9
Aims of the ldquoCeiling on Desires
Programmerdquo
Tere is a programme connected with ldquoCeilingon Desiresrdquo You must realise that this programmehas not been launched to raise funds Te object ofthe programme is to prevent waste of money timefood or other resources and to use all these forthe welfare of the people Te money that is savedneed not be kept for the Sathya Sai OrganisationsIt may be used in the best way you choose for the
benefit of others Do not waste time ime wastedis life wasted ime is God Sanctify all the time atyour disposal by undertaking service activities in apure and unselfish spirit
oday we waste time on unnecessary and un- wanted things in indulging in unnecessary talkand doing meaningless actions In all these ac-tions 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 gooddeeds Every second of your daily existence youmust ask these questions ldquoHow am I utilisingtime Is it for a good or bad purposerdquo
Likewise with regard to food you must askldquoAm I just eating what I need or more Am I wast-ing foodrdquo So also with regard to money ldquoAm Iusing this money for my own selfish needs or forboosting my name and fame or to satisfy my egoand vanityrdquo Once you start seeking answers tothese questions there is no greater spiritual prac-tice
Tese are the aims of the ldquoCeiling on DesiresProgrammerdquo It was never the purpose of thisprogramme to collect money for the Sathya SaiOrganisations Te object was to encourage youto share your money with others to give you anopportunity to utilise your surplus resources forsome good and noble purpose that will sanctify
your life
Make Your Lives Sacred and Worthwhile
Tree types of strength are given to a personphysical strength mental strength and the powerof money It has been said that all these should beoffered as yajna (sacrifice) Tis sacrifice is not of-fered to God God who has given you your bodyand your mind does not need them for HimselfGod is also the source of all wealth What does He want with your wealth
Use it for sacred purposes Te service pro-gramme is intended only to provide you with op-portunities to make your lives sacred and worth- while 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 discoverSita in Lanka Himself What need was there forHim to send Hanuman Rama wanted Hanumanto go on the search so that He could show to the
world the devotion and steadfastness and faith ofHanuman It is a case of grace on the part of Rama
In the same manner if Sai wants to do so manythings Himself He can do anything Tis endeav-our is not for the sake of Sai It is done throughthese service organisations so that members ofthe organisation get the chance to do service andredeem themselves ry to understand the basictruth that these avenues of service have been pro-vided so that you will get a good name for yourselfand not for the sake of Sai
Sathya Sai Speaks Volume 17Chapter 16 Ceiling on Desires-II
Ceiling on Desires
8
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10
Always Be Happy
Whatever trouble you may face you mustlearn to feel happy in any circumstance If you arestung by a scorpion you must console yourselfthat you were not bitten by a snake and when youare bitten by a snake you must console yourselfthat it has not proved fatal Even if you are not ableto own a vehicle be happy that your legs are intactto enable you to walk Even if you are not a mil-lionaire be happy that you have enough resourcesto feed yourself and your family Tis 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 peace-ful and meaningful life You must curb the desireto seek more and more wealth and turn your effortto realise the Reality within In pursuing this ef-fort you must avoid waste of food money timeenergy and knowledge as all these are forms ofGod Unnecessary talk should be avoided as thisresults in waste of energy and reduction of mem-ory power
Sathya Sai Speaks Volume 27Chapter 20 Spiritual Orientation to Education
Peace Can Be Attained Only by Godrsquos
GraceIn the modern world every person tries hard
to attain peace Peace cannot be attained by spiri-tual precepts nor can it be obtained from a mar-ket as a commodity It cannot be acquired even byknowledge of the texts or a high position in lifePeace can be attained only by Godrsquos grace
Tough man is eager to attain peace he con-fronts many obstacles in the path Tose who trav-
el by train may be well acquainted with the sloganldquoLess luggage more comfort makes travel a plea-surerdquo Now man is burdening himself with limit-less desires Because of this extra heavy luggage ofdesires he finds it extremely difficult to carry onthe journey of life By such proliferation of desireshe loses his balance moves far away from his goaland even tends to go mad
It is for this reason that I have been stressingthe need for ceiling on desires By limiting yourdesires you can attain peace to a certain extent You have to exercise a check on your desires andmake efforts to get the grace of the divine
Sathya Sai Speaks Volume 31Chapter 19 Faith Love and Grace
Bad Qualities Are the Result of Your Own
Thoughts
Suppose you get angry From where did thisanger come Tis has come from you only Simi-larly jealousy is a quality that manifested fromyour mind Tus each one of these bad qualities isthe result of your own thoughts Hence if only you
are able to control your thoughts properly you willbe able to achieve anything in life
Ceiling on Desires
9Ceiling on Desires
10
Ceiling on Desires
11Te mind intellect and awareness are the re-
flections of the Atma Te mind has no stabilityIt is the repository of thoughts and desires It issaid ldquoTe mind alone is the cause of bondage orliberationrdquo Hence one has to keep the mind underproper control by putting some ceiling on desires
Sathya Sai Speaks Volume 42
Chapter 1 Know Tyself You Will Know Everything
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12
Cultivate Four Desirable Practices
Te Sai Organisations have been enjoined tocarry out a programme of ceiling on desires Every-one should try to control desires as much as pos-sible Te promotion of human values is anotheritem in the programme Tese human values areinherent in every person All that is needed is foreveryone to manifest them in his daily life ruthrighteousness and peace are all in you
You are the embodiment of truth peace loveand God Recognise this fact Members of SaiOrganisations should cultivate certain desirablepractices For instance they should regulate theirdiet because onersquos food influences onersquos thoughtsSmoking and intoxicating drinks have to be givenup Tey are ruinous for the health Meat eatingshould also be given up because eating animalfood promotes animal tendencies Te fourth evilthat has to be eliminated is gambling
Tose who take to the spiritual path shouldavoid as much as possible these four bad practicesIt is sinful to slaughter poor animals for onersquos foodSai members should follow the motto ldquoHelp everhurt neverrdquo
Tere is no meaning in professing to respecthuman values without observing the rule that youshould cause no harm to others in any form what-soever God loves those who serve others becauseHe is in all of them Whomever you may serveconsider it as service to God Divinise all youractions reat every action you perform as Godrsquos work
Sathya Sai Speaks Volume 28Chapter 34 Spiritual Significance of Loving Service
Ceiling on Desires
13
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13
Eight Flowers of Worship
Non-violence Control of Senses
Compassion for All Living Beings
Forebearance
Peace
Penance
Meditation
ruth
It is the experience and practice of the citizens of India that they generally wor-ship God with flowers offer ritual adoration and make obeisance to God Butthere is something that is more sacred than this Tere is a distinctive type of
devotion by which you worship God with a good clean mind and good conductTis has been given the name of para bhakthi (supreme devotion) By always wor-shipping God with ritual worship and flowers the spiritual aspirant will remainstationary in his place Tis is good in a way but to remain in one place all thetime and failing to rise to a higher position is not good
Tere is a superior type of worship mdash to worship God through good qualitiesgood conduct good thoughts and good company Te scriptures have describedthis kind of worship as worship through good qualities By offering what kind ofgood qualities can we please God
Eight Flowers of Worship
Te first flower with which we can worship God is non-violence Te second
flower is control of senses Te third flower is compassion Te fourth one is for-bearance Te fifth flower is peace Te sixth flower is penance Te seventh one isthe flower of meditation Te eighth is the flower of truth Te inner meaning ofthis statement is that God will shower grace on you if you worship him throughthese eight flowers
Te flowers in nature always fade drop down lose fragrance and also de-velop an odour that is not pleasant Instead of worshipping with such worldlyflowers which are impermanent and receiving impermanent rewards from God
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14
we should worship Him with what is truthful andthereby attain a stage that is higher
Te flowers that you are using for worship havenot been created by you You are bringing flowersthat have been created by the Will of God on some
tree or in some garden and are offering them backto the Creator Himself What is the greatness inusing the flowers created by God and giving themback to God Himself Many people bathe in theGanges River take the water from the Ganges intotheir palms and offer it back to the Ganges itselfTis is not what you have created Tis is not whatyou have the right to offer
From the tree of your life picking such fruits
that you have protected and that you have grownin the form of good qualities and offering themto God there is some distinctiveness in that Inorder to promote good qualities you have to un-dergo several troubles So it is through these goodqualities that your mind can also acquire a divineconcentration Without good qualities and with-out good thoughts how can you fix your mind inmeditation1
FIRST FLOWERTe first flower is the flower of non-violence
We regard the word non-violence to mean notcausing harm and hurt to other living things Tetrue meaning of the word is not to cause hurtand harm to any other living being through yourthought word or deed Cleansing and purifyingthese threemdashthought word and deedmdashhas beencalled a Triputi (summit of three) in spiritualparlance All of them should be harmonised and
brought together as one unit of flower1
We find doctors performing surgeries on pa-tients to cure them of their ailments In the processof surgery the doctors cut the body with a knife You cannot call it an act of violence because it isbeneficial to the patient Some people may arguethat even cutting vegetables is an act of violencebecause vegetables and trees have life in them Nodoubt vegetables and trees have life but they do
not have the mind Consequently they do not suf-fer any pain
Only man has got five sheaths namely foodsheath life sheath mind sheath wisdom sheathand bliss sheath One with the mind experiencespain and pleasure Men animals birds and in-sects are endowed with the mind not trees and
vegetables In some trees you find the sap oozingout when you pluck their fruit Oozing of sap froma tree is a natural phenomenon but some peoplemistake it for the tears of suffering Te trees donot suffer any pain because they do not have thefaculty of mind2
SECOND FLOWER
Te second flower is the control of sensoryorgans Our senses run without any control If
running horses or animals are not controlled theypose a danger God has created each organ of thehuman body for a specific purpose It is only when we use these sensory organs along the right pathfor which they have been created that we will beentitled to Godrsquos grace God has given us a nose We should make an attempt to breathe in andbreathe out through the nose and only accept fra-grance through the nose If we use such a nose totake snuff the purpose will become useless In the
same manner He has given us the mouth and atongue in order that we may take in pure food If we use the mouth to take in unholy food or intoxi-cating drinks then we will be using the mouth fora wrong purpose
In the same manner we should understandunder what conditions and in what times and in what manner we should use each of these organsand put them under control Our inner strength
will become less and less on account of excitementor unnecessary sorrow Te body will become ill bymental agitations and distractions Man ages veryquickly through excitement and sorrow Te rea-son for your not preserving this sacred instrumentin sound condition is lack of control over thesesensory organs Te second flower of sensory con-trol should be used for worshipping God1
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15
Lack of Sense Control Is the Main Cause
of Unrest and Agitation
All spiritual practices will prove futile if onelacks sense control Control of the senses is veryessential for one and all Lack of sense control is
the main cause of all the unrest and agitation thatyou find in the world today How can one controlthe senses First of all one should exercise controlover the tongue
You must control your tongue as it alwayscraves a variety of delicacies You must ask thisquestion ldquoO tongue how many bags of rice wheat and vegetables have you devoured Howmany delicacies have you consumed Fie on you
if you are still not satisfiedrdquo A morsel of food isenough to sustain the body You should eat forthe sake of satisfying your hunger and sustain-ing the body Do not give undue importance totaste Likewise tell your eyes to see God instead of watching unsacred things on television or videoeach your ears to listen to the stories of the Lordinstead of listening to vain gossip
O ears you are interested in listening to vain gos-sip and tales about others but you pay least attentionwhen the wonderful stories of the Lord are narrated
(elugu Song)
Tink for a while how you benefit by listen-ing to unsacred things In fact you are pollutingyour heart in the process All that you see and heargets imprinted on your heart Once your heart ispolluted your life will become meaningless Tehuman heart is like a pen Te colour of the wordsthat 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 besuffused with love God expects you to fill yourheart with love and lead a sacred life2
THIRD FLOWER
Te third flower is compassion for all livingthings Looking merely and superficially at humannature which has diverse aspects we are forgettingGod in this field From the seed of Divinity the
tree of creation has grown On this tree of creationthe fruits are the human beings that are the indi-vidual souls In each of these human fruits there
is Divinity in the form of seed Tat is why in theBhagavad Gita Krishna has said ldquoI am the seed inall the living beingsrdquo Recognising the truth thatGod is present in the form of the Atma in all livingbeings we say compassion for all living beings is
the next flower1
The Story of Abou Ben Adhem
Students might have heard the story of AbouBen Adhem who always offered compassion to- wards all beings as a form of service to the LordEvery day he traveled the streets to serve the desti-tute and the handicapped and returned home latein the night One night when he returned homehe found in his bedroom an angel writing some-
thing When he asked her what she was writingshe replied that she was making a list of those wholoved God She replied in the negative when heasked her if his name was on that list
Te following night when he returned homehe again found the angel writing something Hequeried ldquoMother what is it that you are writingnowrdquo She said ldquoSon I am writing the names ofthose who are dear to Godrdquo He again wanted to
know if his name was on the list She replied thathis name was at the top of this list
Te sum and substance of this story is thatGod is pleased when you serve your fellow humanbeings Te scriptures have prescribed nine pathsof devotion namely listening to the Lordrsquos storiessinging His glories remembrance of the Lordrsquosname service to the Lordrsquos Lotus Feet worshipsalutation servitude friendship and offering one-
self to the Lord ie complete self-surrender Butthe 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 oceanof worldly life
One can redeem onersquos life only through service(Sanskrit Verse)
Abou Ben Adhem became the recipient ofGodrsquos love because he spent all his time in the ser-
vice of his fellow men God loves all for He is theembodiment of love But He will give Himself tothose who show compassion for all beings2
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16
Have Compassion towards All as God
Resides in All
Among all the flowers compassion for all crea-tures is most important Man alone is endowed with this virtue of compassion Tis is the flower
that you should offer to God God is the indwellerof all beings Names and forms may vary but thesame God is present in all Terefore you shouldhave compassion towards all beings with the broadfeeling that God is present in all Only then canyou understand how expansive and fragrant thisquality of compassion for all creatures is
You need not waste your time gathering theflowers that fade away and wither away in no time
Te flower of your heart is eternal ever fresh andever fragrant for which you need not spend evena penny Tat is the real flower One who under-stands the secret of this flower is one of supreme wisdom3
FOURTH FLOWER
Te fourth one is the flower of forbearanceForbearance truly is the highest quality of a humanbeing But in human life because he develops nar-row ideas man wants to live in a constricted placeHe thinks ldquoIrdquo and ldquomy familyrdquo are what mattersothers are all different from ldquomerdquo It is not possiblefor us to develop the flower of forbearance as longas these ideas are in us It is only when we lovethat we can have patience and forbearance Onersquoslove should encompass all living beings Tat willfructify as forbearance
Here is a brief example In our home thereare our children Along with our children there is
also a servant In the house a son may be pilfer-ing something or other and developing bad habitsIn many ways we will try and control that son bybeating scolding and persuading him to return togood ways but we will never take him and handhim over to the police In the same house if theservant steals a small spoon at once we will takehim 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 dayafter day but we hand over a servant immediatelyto the police when he steals even a small thing
Te reason for this is the narrow idea that ldquothis boyis my sonrdquo Because the servant does not belong toyou there is no place for forbearance and patienceSo you see that when you have the broad idea thatldquoeveryone is minerdquo there is room for patience and
forbearance It is only then that our love will alsogrow1
Forbearance Promotes Divine Qualities
Forbearance is identified by the scriptures withtruth righteousness knowledge sacrifice and joy Without forbearance man cannot be happy foreven a moment It promotes divine qualities Itreveals inner Divinity One has to undertake spiri-tual practices to earn it and establish oneself in it
Nourish the idea that God is equally present in allin spite of ridicule from the ignorant and sarcasticcriticism from the blind or even praise from ad-mirers Do not mind them4
Forbearance Is Very Dear to the Lord
Te Pandavas suffered a lot at the hands ofthe Kauravas But never did Dharmaraja lose for-bearance even when Droupadi was being humili-ated by the Kauravas It was the virtue of forbear-ance that protected the Pandavas and made theman ideal for the rest of the world Tis flower offorbearance is very dear to the Lord God will bepleased with you and confer boons on you only when you offer Him the ldquoflowersrdquo which are dearto Him No benefit accrues from offering the flow-ers that fade away and decay Te ever-bloomingflowers of non-violence sense control compassionfor all living beings and forbearance are liked by
God2
FIFTH FLOWER
Te fifth is the flower of peace Tis flower ofpeace should not be interpreted to mean that youshould be silent no matter who is attacking you or who is blaming you It is not that If you are un-moved and unperturbed in spite of anyone findingfaults with you this can be called real peace Ifyou can fill your heart with love then peace willcome into you from outside Trough bad quali-ties to some extent we lose peace With truthfulthoughts a man will have peace With untruthful
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17
thoughts a man will not have peace If you can getrid of all thoughts you will become a saint It isonly when you can be free from all thoughts thatyou can have peace
Your own bad thoughts are responsible for all
your pain and sorrow By good thoughts and bygood ideas you will become a holy man Holyman does not mean one who merely wears an or-ange robe shaves the head and wears holy beadsHe who has good thoughts and good ideas is aholy man A holy man is one who is the embodi-ment of truthful thoughts1
Peace Has Detachment as the Basic
Quality
Peace does not mean that a person should notreact at all whatever others may say or howeverthey may abuse him It does not mean that hemust be silent as a rock It involves mastery of allthe senses and all the passions inner peace mustbecome onersquos nature Peace has detachment as thebasic quality Te sea which likes to gather andpossess lies low the cloud that likes to renounceand give up is high in the sky Peace endows man
with an unruffled mind and steady visionTe prayer for shanthi (peace) is usually repeat-
ed thrice ldquoOm shanthi shanthi shanthihirdquo sincepeace is prayed for in the physical mental andspiritual planes Man should not bring his bloodto boil nor should he yield to fear Spiritual calmis exemplified by Emperor Janaka of the Upani-shadhic texts He was known as vidheha (withoutbody attachment) not because he was disembod-
ied but because he lived in utter forgetfulness ofthe body and its needs He saw heard and spokeonly from the Atmic plane of consciousness4
Bear All Sufferings With Fortitude and
Patience
One should remain peaceful through all thevicissitudes of life Only then can one attain divinegrace Great devotees like Tyagaraja ukaramand Droupadi underwent many hardships Tey
bore all sufferings with patience Tyagaraja saidldquoOne cannot attain happiness without innerpeacerdquo Man needs peace at the physical mental
and spiritual levels Peace is not present in theexternal world It is present within
You are the embodiment of peace In the worldly life there are bound to be many hardshipsbut one should not be perturbed One should bear
all sufferings with fortitude and patience Humanlife is given not merely to enjoy the worldly plea-sures like birds and beasts Life becomes meaning-ful only when one experiences the peace that origi-nates from the heart2
SIXTH FLOWER
Te sixth one is the flower of penance Pen-ance is not to give up your wife and children goto a forest put your head down and feet up that
is not penance When we think of real penance weshould eliminate bad thoughts from our mindsTe co-ordination of thought word and deed ispenance Whatever thoughts sprout in your mindto utter them as word and to put them in practiceas your work that is penance It is in this contextthat it is said ldquoA great soul practises harmony ofthought word and deedrdquo Giving up bad thoughtsin your mind will become a sacrifice Tat sacri-fice will become yoga (spiritual practice leading tounion with God) But giving up onersquos propertyand onersquos wife and going to the forest is not yoga1
Be Even-Minded in Happiness or Sorrow
One should contemplate on God at all timesand achieve harmony of thought word and deedHe is a noble one whose thoughts words anddeeds are in complete harmony Do not be car-ried away by pain or pleasure Te Bhagavad Gita
teaches ldquoOne should be even-minded in happi-ness or sorrow gain or loss victory or defeatrdquo Oneshould discharge onersquos duty and serve society with-out any expectation of reward Such even-minded-ness and desireless state is true penance2
SEVENTH FLOWER
Te seventh flower is the flower of meditationoday meditation is taking many forms Manytypes of meditation that people are adopting todayare against the culture and tradition of India o sitin a lotus posture and to make the kundalini shakti (kundalini power) rise from basal plexus to the cra-
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18
nium is not meditation rue meditation consistsin recognising the presence of God in all types of work God is the indweller of all and is all per-vading o make an attempt in your meditation toconfine 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 marketthe market is your God According to the cultureof 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 TeUpanishads are teaching us ldquoTe work I have todo I regard as God and make obeisance to God
in that formrdquoLet us consider the person who plays the
drums Before he begins to play on them he paysobeisance to the drums Te harmonium player will make obeisance to the harmonium before hestarts A dancer before she begins her dance willmake obeisance to her anklets Even a driver whois going to drive a lifeless car before he holds thesteering wheel makes salutations to the steering wheel You do not have to go so far While driv-ing if the car hits another person immediately wemake salutations to that person Te significanceof all this is the faith and belief that God is presentin all things Tus to regard the entire creation asthe form of God and to perform your duty in thatspirit is meditation1
Contemplate On God at All Times
Meditation does not mean sitting in lotus pos-
ture with eyes closed in contemplation on GodTis is physical worldly activity No doubt this isalso needed but true meditation lies in unifyingthe mind with God Just as milk and water can-not be separated likewise the mind once merged with God cannot be separated An iron ball castin fire will become one with it Likewise your loveshould become one with divine love Tis truthis contained in the Vedic dictum ldquoTe knower ofBrahman becomes Brahman Himselfrdquo
Some people contemplate on God for a lim-ited period in the morning and evening Tis can-
not be called meditation Contemplate on Godat all times at all places and under all circum-stances Perform all tasks with your mind firmlyfixed on God Tat is true meditation Tinking ofGod for a limited period cannot be termed medi-
tation Tat is only part-time devotion Part-timedevotion confers only part-time grace You shouldhave full-time devotion in order to attain full-timegrace2
EIGHTH FLOWER
Te next flower is the flower of truth If yousimply speak what you feel and tell what you havedone this can be called worldly truth mdash state-ment of facts Tis cannot be called truth ruth
is that which does not change at any time Whatyou have seen is truth at that moment At the nextmoment it becomes untruth All material thingsthat you see in this creation are things that willdecay that are bound to change In this transientchanging world how can what you see and whatyou hear become truth ruth is God Tis truth isthe eighth flower Tis truth is the form of Divin-ity In the world we experience truths of a relativenature
Let us take chemistry as an example You takesome chemicals and mix them together Teychange and you get some other chemical If youmix turmeric in lime you get red colour Tis ischemistry Another example is physics If you takea 3-inch needle and put it in fire it will becomea longer needle Tis is the truth of physics Howlong do these truths of chemistry and physics re-main Tese are temporary worldly scientific
truths But spiritual truths are such that they willremain unchanged whatever you may do to them whatever fire you may use on them and howsoeveryou may change the circumstances
So what does not change at all is truth Cru-elty and harshness are predominant in the worldtoday because we are not attempting to promotesuch sacred qualities oday among believersnon-believers and the believing the same kind ofattitude is developing Tat day when we can pro-mote such good qualities in the minds of believersthe non-believers will disappear from this world1
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19
ruth is changeless in all the three periods oftime ie past present and future Everythingmay disappear but truth remains forever So truthis God live in truth2
Win Godrsquos Grace by Worshipping EightFlowers
Worship the Lord and offer Him these flow-ers Now when other flowers are used devotiondoes not last after one comes out of the worshiproom When one crosses that door-step angerhatred and anxiety possess him and degrade him Without developing the qualities indicated by theeight flowers how can anyone win the grace ofGod Engaged in wrong worship on all 364 days
what good do you derive by doing true worship onthe 365th day of the year When you claim to beSai devotees justify the claim by cultivating theseflowers of virtue and offering them to God4
Serve Society to Your Utmost Capacity
God will be pleased only when you wor-ship Him with these eight types of flowers Tepriests in temples worship God with various typesof flowers But God does not want these flowersHe says ldquoO priest is this what you have learntall these years You are worshipping Me with lorryloads of roses and jasmines which fade away in ashort time Tese are not the flowers that I expectfrom you Worship Me with the flowers of peacelove non-violence etc which will never faderdquo
Embodiments of Love
People worship God with devotion and sincer-
ity but God is not satisfied with external worship You should serve society Only service can conferbliss on you By rendering service to society notonly can you alleviate the sufferings of the peoplebut you can also bring about transformation intheir lives As is the feeling so is the result If youserve with sacred feelings it is bound to yield sa-cred results Serve society to your utmost capacity You are singing devotional songs in the morningand evening Te satisfaction that you get by par-
ticipating in singing devotional songs is temporary whereas service confers permanent satisfaction
Te Vedas say the objective of actions is to pu-rify the mind Service alone is undertaken to pu-rify the mind oday people waste a lot of time wealth and energy in performing activities that donot foster purity of the mind Tat is why they
are unable to experience peace of mind Te peacethat one gets out of worldly activities comes andgoes like a passing cloud One should aspire forthe true and eternal peace which originates fromthe heart2
References
1 Sathya Sai Speaks Volume 15 Chapter 9 TeFlowers Tat God Loves
2 Sathya Sai Speaks Volume 33 Chapter 12
Flowers Tat Never Fade3 Sanathana Sarathi March 2012 Chapter Hu-
manness Blossoms in a Compassionate Heart
4 Sathya Sai Speaks Volume 15 Chapter 25Te Garden of the Heart
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20
Glossary
AtmaAtmic
Self Soul Embodied Self is jiva (the individ-ual soul) Self with no limitations is Brahman (the Supreme Cosmic Reality)
SatwaSatwic
It is the quality of purity brightness peacegoodness and harmony It leads to knowledge
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L983151983158983141 A983148983148 S983141983154983158983141 A983148983148
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7
Desires Are the Root Cause of Manrsquos
Disturbance
All the spiritual practices that man performsaims at making his mind steady Tere is no use inconstantly repeating Godrsquos name meditating andpractising spiritual austerities if the mind is notsteady Once you have the five senses under con-trol you can experience God He is not far awayfrom you He is in you below you above you andall around you God in fact is the indweller of
man Yet man is not able to see Him What is thereason Manrsquos limitless and wayward desires pre-vent him from seeing God
Desires are the root cause of manrsquos disturbanceSense control and ceiling on desires will help himto see God all around and experience bliss So wehave to keep our desires in check We should notbe worried by the evil talk that others indulge in We should not be affected by calumny and criti-
cism
Control the Five Senses
Buddha wanted to control the five senses Hedecided first and foremost to acquire right visionMan today is not able to control his vision becauseof the fickleness of his mind Cinema video Vetc have polluted the mind of man He does notsee good and hear good Man is the cause of hisown restlessness
Besides right vision Buddha emphasised theneed for right hearing right speech right feelingand right thinking Due to lack of these human-ness is fast giving way to devilishness and beastli-ness Animal qualities are fast increasing in man Animals have a season and a reason but man hasnone Man today has become worse than animalsHuman qualities like compassion kindness loveand forbearance are absent in him He should be
free from evil thoughts which are the root causeof his worries Tis requires constant and sustainedpractice
Master the Mind and Be a Mastermind
Man can control the mind and attain peaceby constant and sustained practice It is only ina peaceful mind that noble thoughts arise Temind should be under the control of man Mas-ter the mind and be a mastermind Unfortunatelyinstead of controlling the mind man has becomethe slave of his senses Tat is the main cause of hisunsteadiness Moreover he has body attachmentTis is the reason he gets easily disturbed if people
find fault with him Why should he worry aboutthe body when the body is like a water bubble You should get rid of body attachment
Summer Showers in Brindavan 2002Chapter 11 Sense Control Is the Highest Sadhana
Ceiling on Desires
6
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8
Learn a Lesson from Nature
Tere are four components in the term ldquoCeil-ing on Desiresrdquo Tey are curb on excessive talkcurb on excessive desires and expenditure controlof consumption of food and check on waste ofenergy Man needs some essential commodities forhis sustenance and he should not aspire for more
We can learn a lesson in this respect from Na-ture Only if air is available in sufficient quantity will it be comfortable and good If it is excessiveand there is a gale you will feel uncomfortable When you are thirsty you can consume only alimited quantity of water You canrsquot consume theentire water of the River Ganga We take only asmuch as is needed for the sustenance of the body
Doctors know that the body temperature isnormally 986 degrees If this goes up to 99 de-grees they say fever has set in due to some disorderin the body We inhale and exhale at a normal rate
If there is a slight increase or decrease in the rateit indicates disorder in the body Changes in thepulse rate or blood pressure also indicate disorderSo you find that if you exceed the limits even to alittle extent it is dangerous or harmful to the body
Tere is a limit for everything to function in anormal way When your eyes happen to see a flashof lightning or a flash of light while taking photo-graphs they automatically close because they canrsquot
withstand such high illumination Eardrums alsocannot tolerate hearing beyond a certain volumeand we cover our ears or keep cotton inside theears From these we see that our life is a limitedcompany
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 reason-
able number of saris but not a huge collectionfor pomp or show Misuse of money is a great evilEven men will have to do their own bit in control-ling the expenditure on unwanted and unnecessarythings
Money is the embodiment of Divinity Whenyou talk of wealth you should be careful to avoidavaricious accumulation and extravagant expendi-ture Even in the preparation of food you shouldbe careful in avoiding wastage We are only doinga disservice by consuming more food than what isnecessary for the body
Tirdly you should be careful about ldquotimerdquo which is the yardstick of life Seconds becomehours hours become years years make ages andso on You should not waste this most valuableldquotimerdquo ime lost in wasteful pursuits canrsquot be gotback by any means All our activities should beplanned for utilising the available time to maxi-
mum advantage So we should not waste foodmoney time and energy
Sathya Sai Speaks Volume 16Chapter 3 Ceiling on Desires-I
Ceiling on Desires
7
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9
Aims of the ldquoCeiling on Desires
Programmerdquo
Tere is a programme connected with ldquoCeilingon Desiresrdquo You must realise that this programmehas not been launched to raise funds Te object ofthe programme is to prevent waste of money timefood or other resources and to use all these forthe welfare of the people Te money that is savedneed not be kept for the Sathya Sai OrganisationsIt may be used in the best way you choose for the
benefit of others Do not waste time ime wastedis life wasted ime is God Sanctify all the time atyour disposal by undertaking service activities in apure and unselfish spirit
oday we waste time on unnecessary and un- wanted things in indulging in unnecessary talkand doing meaningless actions In all these ac-tions 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 gooddeeds Every second of your daily existence youmust ask these questions ldquoHow am I utilisingtime Is it for a good or bad purposerdquo
Likewise with regard to food you must askldquoAm I just eating what I need or more Am I wast-ing foodrdquo So also with regard to money ldquoAm Iusing this money for my own selfish needs or forboosting my name and fame or to satisfy my egoand vanityrdquo Once you start seeking answers tothese questions there is no greater spiritual prac-tice
Tese are the aims of the ldquoCeiling on DesiresProgrammerdquo It was never the purpose of thisprogramme to collect money for the Sathya SaiOrganisations Te object was to encourage youto share your money with others to give you anopportunity to utilise your surplus resources forsome good and noble purpose that will sanctify
your life
Make Your Lives Sacred and Worthwhile
Tree types of strength are given to a personphysical strength mental strength and the powerof money It has been said that all these should beoffered as yajna (sacrifice) Tis sacrifice is not of-fered to God God who has given you your bodyand your mind does not need them for HimselfGod is also the source of all wealth What does He want with your wealth
Use it for sacred purposes Te service pro-gramme is intended only to provide you with op-portunities to make your lives sacred and worth- while 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 discoverSita in Lanka Himself What need was there forHim to send Hanuman Rama wanted Hanumanto go on the search so that He could show to the
world the devotion and steadfastness and faith ofHanuman It is a case of grace on the part of Rama
In the same manner if Sai wants to do so manythings Himself He can do anything Tis endeav-our is not for the sake of Sai It is done throughthese service organisations so that members ofthe organisation get the chance to do service andredeem themselves ry to understand the basictruth that these avenues of service have been pro-vided so that you will get a good name for yourselfand not for the sake of Sai
Sathya Sai Speaks Volume 17Chapter 16 Ceiling on Desires-II
Ceiling on Desires
8
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10
Always Be Happy
Whatever trouble you may face you mustlearn to feel happy in any circumstance If you arestung by a scorpion you must console yourselfthat you were not bitten by a snake and when youare bitten by a snake you must console yourselfthat it has not proved fatal Even if you are not ableto own a vehicle be happy that your legs are intactto enable you to walk Even if you are not a mil-lionaire be happy that you have enough resourcesto feed yourself and your family Tis 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 peace-ful and meaningful life You must curb the desireto seek more and more wealth and turn your effortto realise the Reality within In pursuing this ef-fort you must avoid waste of food money timeenergy and knowledge as all these are forms ofGod Unnecessary talk should be avoided as thisresults in waste of energy and reduction of mem-ory power
Sathya Sai Speaks Volume 27Chapter 20 Spiritual Orientation to Education
Peace Can Be Attained Only by Godrsquos
GraceIn the modern world every person tries hard
to attain peace Peace cannot be attained by spiri-tual precepts nor can it be obtained from a mar-ket as a commodity It cannot be acquired even byknowledge of the texts or a high position in lifePeace can be attained only by Godrsquos grace
Tough man is eager to attain peace he con-fronts many obstacles in the path Tose who trav-
el by train may be well acquainted with the sloganldquoLess luggage more comfort makes travel a plea-surerdquo Now man is burdening himself with limit-less desires Because of this extra heavy luggage ofdesires he finds it extremely difficult to carry onthe journey of life By such proliferation of desireshe loses his balance moves far away from his goaland even tends to go mad
It is for this reason that I have been stressingthe need for ceiling on desires By limiting yourdesires you can attain peace to a certain extent You have to exercise a check on your desires andmake efforts to get the grace of the divine
Sathya Sai Speaks Volume 31Chapter 19 Faith Love and Grace
Bad Qualities Are the Result of Your Own
Thoughts
Suppose you get angry From where did thisanger come Tis has come from you only Simi-larly jealousy is a quality that manifested fromyour mind Tus each one of these bad qualities isthe result of your own thoughts Hence if only you
are able to control your thoughts properly you willbe able to achieve anything in life
Ceiling on Desires
9Ceiling on Desires
10
Ceiling on Desires
11Te mind intellect and awareness are the re-
flections of the Atma Te mind has no stabilityIt is the repository of thoughts and desires It issaid ldquoTe mind alone is the cause of bondage orliberationrdquo Hence one has to keep the mind underproper control by putting some ceiling on desires
Sathya Sai Speaks Volume 42
Chapter 1 Know Tyself You Will Know Everything
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12
Cultivate Four Desirable Practices
Te Sai Organisations have been enjoined tocarry out a programme of ceiling on desires Every-one should try to control desires as much as pos-sible Te promotion of human values is anotheritem in the programme Tese human values areinherent in every person All that is needed is foreveryone to manifest them in his daily life ruthrighteousness and peace are all in you
You are the embodiment of truth peace loveand God Recognise this fact Members of SaiOrganisations should cultivate certain desirablepractices For instance they should regulate theirdiet because onersquos food influences onersquos thoughtsSmoking and intoxicating drinks have to be givenup Tey are ruinous for the health Meat eatingshould also be given up because eating animalfood promotes animal tendencies Te fourth evilthat has to be eliminated is gambling
Tose who take to the spiritual path shouldavoid as much as possible these four bad practicesIt is sinful to slaughter poor animals for onersquos foodSai members should follow the motto ldquoHelp everhurt neverrdquo
Tere is no meaning in professing to respecthuman values without observing the rule that youshould cause no harm to others in any form what-soever God loves those who serve others becauseHe is in all of them Whomever you may serveconsider it as service to God Divinise all youractions reat every action you perform as Godrsquos work
Sathya Sai Speaks Volume 28Chapter 34 Spiritual Significance of Loving Service
Ceiling on Desires
13
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13
Eight Flowers of Worship
Non-violence Control of Senses
Compassion for All Living Beings
Forebearance
Peace
Penance
Meditation
ruth
It is the experience and practice of the citizens of India that they generally wor-ship God with flowers offer ritual adoration and make obeisance to God Butthere is something that is more sacred than this Tere is a distinctive type of
devotion by which you worship God with a good clean mind and good conductTis has been given the name of para bhakthi (supreme devotion) By always wor-shipping God with ritual worship and flowers the spiritual aspirant will remainstationary in his place Tis is good in a way but to remain in one place all thetime and failing to rise to a higher position is not good
Tere is a superior type of worship mdash to worship God through good qualitiesgood conduct good thoughts and good company Te scriptures have describedthis kind of worship as worship through good qualities By offering what kind ofgood qualities can we please God
Eight Flowers of Worship
Te first flower with which we can worship God is non-violence Te second
flower is control of senses Te third flower is compassion Te fourth one is for-bearance Te fifth flower is peace Te sixth flower is penance Te seventh one isthe flower of meditation Te eighth is the flower of truth Te inner meaning ofthis statement is that God will shower grace on you if you worship him throughthese eight flowers
Te flowers in nature always fade drop down lose fragrance and also de-velop an odour that is not pleasant Instead of worshipping with such worldlyflowers which are impermanent and receiving impermanent rewards from God
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14
we should worship Him with what is truthful andthereby attain a stage that is higher
Te flowers that you are using for worship havenot been created by you You are bringing flowersthat have been created by the Will of God on some
tree or in some garden and are offering them backto the Creator Himself What is the greatness inusing the flowers created by God and giving themback to God Himself Many people bathe in theGanges River take the water from the Ganges intotheir palms and offer it back to the Ganges itselfTis is not what you have created Tis is not whatyou have the right to offer
From the tree of your life picking such fruits
that you have protected and that you have grownin the form of good qualities and offering themto God there is some distinctiveness in that Inorder to promote good qualities you have to un-dergo several troubles So it is through these goodqualities that your mind can also acquire a divineconcentration Without good qualities and with-out good thoughts how can you fix your mind inmeditation1
FIRST FLOWERTe first flower is the flower of non-violence
We regard the word non-violence to mean notcausing harm and hurt to other living things Tetrue meaning of the word is not to cause hurtand harm to any other living being through yourthought word or deed Cleansing and purifyingthese threemdashthought word and deedmdashhas beencalled a Triputi (summit of three) in spiritualparlance All of them should be harmonised and
brought together as one unit of flower1
We find doctors performing surgeries on pa-tients to cure them of their ailments In the processof surgery the doctors cut the body with a knife You cannot call it an act of violence because it isbeneficial to the patient Some people may arguethat even cutting vegetables is an act of violencebecause vegetables and trees have life in them Nodoubt vegetables and trees have life but they do
not have the mind Consequently they do not suf-fer any pain
Only man has got five sheaths namely foodsheath life sheath mind sheath wisdom sheathand bliss sheath One with the mind experiencespain and pleasure Men animals birds and in-sects are endowed with the mind not trees and
vegetables In some trees you find the sap oozingout when you pluck their fruit Oozing of sap froma tree is a natural phenomenon but some peoplemistake it for the tears of suffering Te trees donot suffer any pain because they do not have thefaculty of mind2
SECOND FLOWER
Te second flower is the control of sensoryorgans Our senses run without any control If
running horses or animals are not controlled theypose a danger God has created each organ of thehuman body for a specific purpose It is only when we use these sensory organs along the right pathfor which they have been created that we will beentitled to Godrsquos grace God has given us a nose We should make an attempt to breathe in andbreathe out through the nose and only accept fra-grance through the nose If we use such a nose totake snuff the purpose will become useless In the
same manner He has given us the mouth and atongue in order that we may take in pure food If we use the mouth to take in unholy food or intoxi-cating drinks then we will be using the mouth fora wrong purpose
In the same manner we should understandunder what conditions and in what times and in what manner we should use each of these organsand put them under control Our inner strength
will become less and less on account of excitementor unnecessary sorrow Te body will become ill bymental agitations and distractions Man ages veryquickly through excitement and sorrow Te rea-son for your not preserving this sacred instrumentin sound condition is lack of control over thesesensory organs Te second flower of sensory con-trol should be used for worshipping God1
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15
Lack of Sense Control Is the Main Cause
of Unrest and Agitation
All spiritual practices will prove futile if onelacks sense control Control of the senses is veryessential for one and all Lack of sense control is
the main cause of all the unrest and agitation thatyou find in the world today How can one controlthe senses First of all one should exercise controlover the tongue
You must control your tongue as it alwayscraves a variety of delicacies You must ask thisquestion ldquoO tongue how many bags of rice wheat and vegetables have you devoured Howmany delicacies have you consumed Fie on you
if you are still not satisfiedrdquo A morsel of food isenough to sustain the body You should eat forthe sake of satisfying your hunger and sustain-ing the body Do not give undue importance totaste Likewise tell your eyes to see God instead of watching unsacred things on television or videoeach your ears to listen to the stories of the Lordinstead of listening to vain gossip
O ears you are interested in listening to vain gos-sip and tales about others but you pay least attentionwhen the wonderful stories of the Lord are narrated
(elugu Song)
Tink for a while how you benefit by listen-ing to unsacred things In fact you are pollutingyour heart in the process All that you see and heargets imprinted on your heart Once your heart ispolluted your life will become meaningless Tehuman heart is like a pen Te colour of the wordsthat 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 besuffused with love God expects you to fill yourheart with love and lead a sacred life2
THIRD FLOWER
Te third flower is compassion for all livingthings Looking merely and superficially at humannature which has diverse aspects we are forgettingGod in this field From the seed of Divinity the
tree of creation has grown On this tree of creationthe fruits are the human beings that are the indi-vidual souls In each of these human fruits there
is Divinity in the form of seed Tat is why in theBhagavad Gita Krishna has said ldquoI am the seed inall the living beingsrdquo Recognising the truth thatGod is present in the form of the Atma in all livingbeings we say compassion for all living beings is
the next flower1
The Story of Abou Ben Adhem
Students might have heard the story of AbouBen Adhem who always offered compassion to- wards all beings as a form of service to the LordEvery day he traveled the streets to serve the desti-tute and the handicapped and returned home latein the night One night when he returned homehe found in his bedroom an angel writing some-
thing When he asked her what she was writingshe replied that she was making a list of those wholoved God She replied in the negative when heasked her if his name was on that list
Te following night when he returned homehe again found the angel writing something Hequeried ldquoMother what is it that you are writingnowrdquo She said ldquoSon I am writing the names ofthose who are dear to Godrdquo He again wanted to
know if his name was on the list She replied thathis name was at the top of this list
Te sum and substance of this story is thatGod is pleased when you serve your fellow humanbeings Te scriptures have prescribed nine pathsof devotion namely listening to the Lordrsquos storiessinging His glories remembrance of the Lordrsquosname service to the Lordrsquos Lotus Feet worshipsalutation servitude friendship and offering one-
self to the Lord ie complete self-surrender Butthe 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 oceanof worldly life
One can redeem onersquos life only through service(Sanskrit Verse)
Abou Ben Adhem became the recipient ofGodrsquos love because he spent all his time in the ser-
vice of his fellow men God loves all for He is theembodiment of love But He will give Himself tothose who show compassion for all beings2
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Have Compassion towards All as God
Resides in All
Among all the flowers compassion for all crea-tures is most important Man alone is endowed with this virtue of compassion Tis is the flower
that you should offer to God God is the indwellerof all beings Names and forms may vary but thesame God is present in all Terefore you shouldhave compassion towards all beings with the broadfeeling that God is present in all Only then canyou understand how expansive and fragrant thisquality of compassion for all creatures is
You need not waste your time gathering theflowers that fade away and wither away in no time
Te flower of your heart is eternal ever fresh andever fragrant for which you need not spend evena penny Tat is the real flower One who under-stands the secret of this flower is one of supreme wisdom3
FOURTH FLOWER
Te fourth one is the flower of forbearanceForbearance truly is the highest quality of a humanbeing But in human life because he develops nar-row ideas man wants to live in a constricted placeHe thinks ldquoIrdquo and ldquomy familyrdquo are what mattersothers are all different from ldquomerdquo It is not possiblefor us to develop the flower of forbearance as longas these ideas are in us It is only when we lovethat we can have patience and forbearance Onersquoslove should encompass all living beings Tat willfructify as forbearance
Here is a brief example In our home thereare our children Along with our children there is
also a servant In the house a son may be pilfer-ing something or other and developing bad habitsIn many ways we will try and control that son bybeating scolding and persuading him to return togood ways but we will never take him and handhim over to the police In the same house if theservant steals a small spoon at once we will takehim 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 dayafter day but we hand over a servant immediatelyto the police when he steals even a small thing
Te reason for this is the narrow idea that ldquothis boyis my sonrdquo Because the servant does not belong toyou there is no place for forbearance and patienceSo you see that when you have the broad idea thatldquoeveryone is minerdquo there is room for patience and
forbearance It is only then that our love will alsogrow1
Forbearance Promotes Divine Qualities
Forbearance is identified by the scriptures withtruth righteousness knowledge sacrifice and joy Without forbearance man cannot be happy foreven a moment It promotes divine qualities Itreveals inner Divinity One has to undertake spiri-tual practices to earn it and establish oneself in it
Nourish the idea that God is equally present in allin spite of ridicule from the ignorant and sarcasticcriticism from the blind or even praise from ad-mirers Do not mind them4
Forbearance Is Very Dear to the Lord
Te Pandavas suffered a lot at the hands ofthe Kauravas But never did Dharmaraja lose for-bearance even when Droupadi was being humili-ated by the Kauravas It was the virtue of forbear-ance that protected the Pandavas and made theman ideal for the rest of the world Tis flower offorbearance is very dear to the Lord God will bepleased with you and confer boons on you only when you offer Him the ldquoflowersrdquo which are dearto Him No benefit accrues from offering the flow-ers that fade away and decay Te ever-bloomingflowers of non-violence sense control compassionfor all living beings and forbearance are liked by
God2
FIFTH FLOWER
Te fifth is the flower of peace Tis flower ofpeace should not be interpreted to mean that youshould be silent no matter who is attacking you or who is blaming you It is not that If you are un-moved and unperturbed in spite of anyone findingfaults with you this can be called real peace Ifyou can fill your heart with love then peace willcome into you from outside Trough bad quali-ties to some extent we lose peace With truthfulthoughts a man will have peace With untruthful
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17
thoughts a man will not have peace If you can getrid of all thoughts you will become a saint It isonly when you can be free from all thoughts thatyou can have peace
Your own bad thoughts are responsible for all
your pain and sorrow By good thoughts and bygood ideas you will become a holy man Holyman does not mean one who merely wears an or-ange robe shaves the head and wears holy beadsHe who has good thoughts and good ideas is aholy man A holy man is one who is the embodi-ment of truthful thoughts1
Peace Has Detachment as the Basic
Quality
Peace does not mean that a person should notreact at all whatever others may say or howeverthey may abuse him It does not mean that hemust be silent as a rock It involves mastery of allthe senses and all the passions inner peace mustbecome onersquos nature Peace has detachment as thebasic quality Te sea which likes to gather andpossess lies low the cloud that likes to renounceand give up is high in the sky Peace endows man
with an unruffled mind and steady visionTe prayer for shanthi (peace) is usually repeat-
ed thrice ldquoOm shanthi shanthi shanthihirdquo sincepeace is prayed for in the physical mental andspiritual planes Man should not bring his bloodto boil nor should he yield to fear Spiritual calmis exemplified by Emperor Janaka of the Upani-shadhic texts He was known as vidheha (withoutbody attachment) not because he was disembod-
ied but because he lived in utter forgetfulness ofthe body and its needs He saw heard and spokeonly from the Atmic plane of consciousness4
Bear All Sufferings With Fortitude and
Patience
One should remain peaceful through all thevicissitudes of life Only then can one attain divinegrace Great devotees like Tyagaraja ukaramand Droupadi underwent many hardships Tey
bore all sufferings with patience Tyagaraja saidldquoOne cannot attain happiness without innerpeacerdquo Man needs peace at the physical mental
and spiritual levels Peace is not present in theexternal world It is present within
You are the embodiment of peace In the worldly life there are bound to be many hardshipsbut one should not be perturbed One should bear
all sufferings with fortitude and patience Humanlife is given not merely to enjoy the worldly plea-sures like birds and beasts Life becomes meaning-ful only when one experiences the peace that origi-nates from the heart2
SIXTH FLOWER
Te sixth one is the flower of penance Pen-ance is not to give up your wife and children goto a forest put your head down and feet up that
is not penance When we think of real penance weshould eliminate bad thoughts from our mindsTe co-ordination of thought word and deed ispenance Whatever thoughts sprout in your mindto utter them as word and to put them in practiceas your work that is penance It is in this contextthat it is said ldquoA great soul practises harmony ofthought word and deedrdquo Giving up bad thoughtsin your mind will become a sacrifice Tat sacri-fice will become yoga (spiritual practice leading tounion with God) But giving up onersquos propertyand onersquos wife and going to the forest is not yoga1
Be Even-Minded in Happiness or Sorrow
One should contemplate on God at all timesand achieve harmony of thought word and deedHe is a noble one whose thoughts words anddeeds are in complete harmony Do not be car-ried away by pain or pleasure Te Bhagavad Gita
teaches ldquoOne should be even-minded in happi-ness or sorrow gain or loss victory or defeatrdquo Oneshould discharge onersquos duty and serve society with-out any expectation of reward Such even-minded-ness and desireless state is true penance2
SEVENTH FLOWER
Te seventh flower is the flower of meditationoday meditation is taking many forms Manytypes of meditation that people are adopting todayare against the culture and tradition of India o sitin a lotus posture and to make the kundalini shakti (kundalini power) rise from basal plexus to the cra-
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18
nium is not meditation rue meditation consistsin recognising the presence of God in all types of work God is the indweller of all and is all per-vading o make an attempt in your meditation toconfine 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 marketthe market is your God According to the cultureof 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 TeUpanishads are teaching us ldquoTe work I have todo I regard as God and make obeisance to God
in that formrdquoLet us consider the person who plays the
drums Before he begins to play on them he paysobeisance to the drums Te harmonium player will make obeisance to the harmonium before hestarts A dancer before she begins her dance willmake obeisance to her anklets Even a driver whois going to drive a lifeless car before he holds thesteering wheel makes salutations to the steering wheel You do not have to go so far While driv-ing if the car hits another person immediately wemake salutations to that person Te significanceof all this is the faith and belief that God is presentin all things Tus to regard the entire creation asthe form of God and to perform your duty in thatspirit is meditation1
Contemplate On God at All Times
Meditation does not mean sitting in lotus pos-
ture with eyes closed in contemplation on GodTis is physical worldly activity No doubt this isalso needed but true meditation lies in unifyingthe mind with God Just as milk and water can-not be separated likewise the mind once merged with God cannot be separated An iron ball castin fire will become one with it Likewise your loveshould become one with divine love Tis truthis contained in the Vedic dictum ldquoTe knower ofBrahman becomes Brahman Himselfrdquo
Some people contemplate on God for a lim-ited period in the morning and evening Tis can-
not be called meditation Contemplate on Godat all times at all places and under all circum-stances Perform all tasks with your mind firmlyfixed on God Tat is true meditation Tinking ofGod for a limited period cannot be termed medi-
tation Tat is only part-time devotion Part-timedevotion confers only part-time grace You shouldhave full-time devotion in order to attain full-timegrace2
EIGHTH FLOWER
Te next flower is the flower of truth If yousimply speak what you feel and tell what you havedone this can be called worldly truth mdash state-ment of facts Tis cannot be called truth ruth
is that which does not change at any time Whatyou have seen is truth at that moment At the nextmoment it becomes untruth All material thingsthat you see in this creation are things that willdecay that are bound to change In this transientchanging world how can what you see and whatyou hear become truth ruth is God Tis truth isthe eighth flower Tis truth is the form of Divin-ity In the world we experience truths of a relativenature
Let us take chemistry as an example You takesome chemicals and mix them together Teychange and you get some other chemical If youmix turmeric in lime you get red colour Tis ischemistry Another example is physics If you takea 3-inch needle and put it in fire it will becomea longer needle Tis is the truth of physics Howlong do these truths of chemistry and physics re-main Tese are temporary worldly scientific
truths But spiritual truths are such that they willremain unchanged whatever you may do to them whatever fire you may use on them and howsoeveryou may change the circumstances
So what does not change at all is truth Cru-elty and harshness are predominant in the worldtoday because we are not attempting to promotesuch sacred qualities oday among believersnon-believers and the believing the same kind ofattitude is developing Tat day when we can pro-mote such good qualities in the minds of believersthe non-believers will disappear from this world1
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19
ruth is changeless in all the three periods oftime ie past present and future Everythingmay disappear but truth remains forever So truthis God live in truth2
Win Godrsquos Grace by Worshipping EightFlowers
Worship the Lord and offer Him these flow-ers Now when other flowers are used devotiondoes not last after one comes out of the worshiproom When one crosses that door-step angerhatred and anxiety possess him and degrade him Without developing the qualities indicated by theeight flowers how can anyone win the grace ofGod Engaged in wrong worship on all 364 days
what good do you derive by doing true worship onthe 365th day of the year When you claim to beSai devotees justify the claim by cultivating theseflowers of virtue and offering them to God4
Serve Society to Your Utmost Capacity
God will be pleased only when you wor-ship Him with these eight types of flowers Tepriests in temples worship God with various typesof flowers But God does not want these flowersHe says ldquoO priest is this what you have learntall these years You are worshipping Me with lorryloads of roses and jasmines which fade away in ashort time Tese are not the flowers that I expectfrom you Worship Me with the flowers of peacelove non-violence etc which will never faderdquo
Embodiments of Love
People worship God with devotion and sincer-
ity but God is not satisfied with external worship You should serve society Only service can conferbliss on you By rendering service to society notonly can you alleviate the sufferings of the peoplebut you can also bring about transformation intheir lives As is the feeling so is the result If youserve with sacred feelings it is bound to yield sa-cred results Serve society to your utmost capacity You are singing devotional songs in the morningand evening Te satisfaction that you get by par-
ticipating in singing devotional songs is temporary whereas service confers permanent satisfaction
Te Vedas say the objective of actions is to pu-rify the mind Service alone is undertaken to pu-rify the mind oday people waste a lot of time wealth and energy in performing activities that donot foster purity of the mind Tat is why they
are unable to experience peace of mind Te peacethat one gets out of worldly activities comes andgoes like a passing cloud One should aspire forthe true and eternal peace which originates fromthe heart2
References
1 Sathya Sai Speaks Volume 15 Chapter 9 TeFlowers Tat God Loves
2 Sathya Sai Speaks Volume 33 Chapter 12
Flowers Tat Never Fade3 Sanathana Sarathi March 2012 Chapter Hu-
manness Blossoms in a Compassionate Heart
4 Sathya Sai Speaks Volume 15 Chapter 25Te Garden of the Heart
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20
Glossary
AtmaAtmic
Self Soul Embodied Self is jiva (the individ-ual soul) Self with no limitations is Brahman (the Supreme Cosmic Reality)
SatwaSatwic
It is the quality of purity brightness peacegoodness and harmony It leads to knowledge
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L983151983158983141 A983148983148 S983141983154983158983141 A983148983148
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8
Learn a Lesson from Nature
Tere are four components in the term ldquoCeil-ing on Desiresrdquo Tey are curb on excessive talkcurb on excessive desires and expenditure controlof consumption of food and check on waste ofenergy Man needs some essential commodities forhis sustenance and he should not aspire for more
We can learn a lesson in this respect from Na-ture Only if air is available in sufficient quantity will it be comfortable and good If it is excessiveand there is a gale you will feel uncomfortable When you are thirsty you can consume only alimited quantity of water You canrsquot consume theentire water of the River Ganga We take only asmuch as is needed for the sustenance of the body
Doctors know that the body temperature isnormally 986 degrees If this goes up to 99 de-grees they say fever has set in due to some disorderin the body We inhale and exhale at a normal rate
If there is a slight increase or decrease in the rateit indicates disorder in the body Changes in thepulse rate or blood pressure also indicate disorderSo you find that if you exceed the limits even to alittle extent it is dangerous or harmful to the body
Tere is a limit for everything to function in anormal way When your eyes happen to see a flashof lightning or a flash of light while taking photo-graphs they automatically close because they canrsquot
withstand such high illumination Eardrums alsocannot tolerate hearing beyond a certain volumeand we cover our ears or keep cotton inside theears From these we see that our life is a limitedcompany
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 reason-
able number of saris but not a huge collectionfor pomp or show Misuse of money is a great evilEven men will have to do their own bit in control-ling the expenditure on unwanted and unnecessarythings
Money is the embodiment of Divinity Whenyou talk of wealth you should be careful to avoidavaricious accumulation and extravagant expendi-ture Even in the preparation of food you shouldbe careful in avoiding wastage We are only doinga disservice by consuming more food than what isnecessary for the body
Tirdly you should be careful about ldquotimerdquo which is the yardstick of life Seconds becomehours hours become years years make ages andso on You should not waste this most valuableldquotimerdquo ime lost in wasteful pursuits canrsquot be gotback by any means All our activities should beplanned for utilising the available time to maxi-
mum advantage So we should not waste foodmoney time and energy
Sathya Sai Speaks Volume 16Chapter 3 Ceiling on Desires-I
Ceiling on Desires
7
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9
Aims of the ldquoCeiling on Desires
Programmerdquo
Tere is a programme connected with ldquoCeilingon Desiresrdquo You must realise that this programmehas not been launched to raise funds Te object ofthe programme is to prevent waste of money timefood or other resources and to use all these forthe welfare of the people Te money that is savedneed not be kept for the Sathya Sai OrganisationsIt may be used in the best way you choose for the
benefit of others Do not waste time ime wastedis life wasted ime is God Sanctify all the time atyour disposal by undertaking service activities in apure and unselfish spirit
oday we waste time on unnecessary and un- wanted things in indulging in unnecessary talkand doing meaningless actions In all these ac-tions 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 gooddeeds Every second of your daily existence youmust ask these questions ldquoHow am I utilisingtime Is it for a good or bad purposerdquo
Likewise with regard to food you must askldquoAm I just eating what I need or more Am I wast-ing foodrdquo So also with regard to money ldquoAm Iusing this money for my own selfish needs or forboosting my name and fame or to satisfy my egoand vanityrdquo Once you start seeking answers tothese questions there is no greater spiritual prac-tice
Tese are the aims of the ldquoCeiling on DesiresProgrammerdquo It was never the purpose of thisprogramme to collect money for the Sathya SaiOrganisations Te object was to encourage youto share your money with others to give you anopportunity to utilise your surplus resources forsome good and noble purpose that will sanctify
your life
Make Your Lives Sacred and Worthwhile
Tree types of strength are given to a personphysical strength mental strength and the powerof money It has been said that all these should beoffered as yajna (sacrifice) Tis sacrifice is not of-fered to God God who has given you your bodyand your mind does not need them for HimselfGod is also the source of all wealth What does He want with your wealth
Use it for sacred purposes Te service pro-gramme is intended only to provide you with op-portunities to make your lives sacred and worth- while 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 discoverSita in Lanka Himself What need was there forHim to send Hanuman Rama wanted Hanumanto go on the search so that He could show to the
world the devotion and steadfastness and faith ofHanuman It is a case of grace on the part of Rama
In the same manner if Sai wants to do so manythings Himself He can do anything Tis endeav-our is not for the sake of Sai It is done throughthese service organisations so that members ofthe organisation get the chance to do service andredeem themselves ry to understand the basictruth that these avenues of service have been pro-vided so that you will get a good name for yourselfand not for the sake of Sai
Sathya Sai Speaks Volume 17Chapter 16 Ceiling on Desires-II
Ceiling on Desires
8
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10
Always Be Happy
Whatever trouble you may face you mustlearn to feel happy in any circumstance If you arestung by a scorpion you must console yourselfthat you were not bitten by a snake and when youare bitten by a snake you must console yourselfthat it has not proved fatal Even if you are not ableto own a vehicle be happy that your legs are intactto enable you to walk Even if you are not a mil-lionaire be happy that you have enough resourcesto feed yourself and your family Tis 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 peace-ful and meaningful life You must curb the desireto seek more and more wealth and turn your effortto realise the Reality within In pursuing this ef-fort you must avoid waste of food money timeenergy and knowledge as all these are forms ofGod Unnecessary talk should be avoided as thisresults in waste of energy and reduction of mem-ory power
Sathya Sai Speaks Volume 27Chapter 20 Spiritual Orientation to Education
Peace Can Be Attained Only by Godrsquos
GraceIn the modern world every person tries hard
to attain peace Peace cannot be attained by spiri-tual precepts nor can it be obtained from a mar-ket as a commodity It cannot be acquired even byknowledge of the texts or a high position in lifePeace can be attained only by Godrsquos grace
Tough man is eager to attain peace he con-fronts many obstacles in the path Tose who trav-
el by train may be well acquainted with the sloganldquoLess luggage more comfort makes travel a plea-surerdquo Now man is burdening himself with limit-less desires Because of this extra heavy luggage ofdesires he finds it extremely difficult to carry onthe journey of life By such proliferation of desireshe loses his balance moves far away from his goaland even tends to go mad
It is for this reason that I have been stressingthe need for ceiling on desires By limiting yourdesires you can attain peace to a certain extent You have to exercise a check on your desires andmake efforts to get the grace of the divine
Sathya Sai Speaks Volume 31Chapter 19 Faith Love and Grace
Bad Qualities Are the Result of Your Own
Thoughts
Suppose you get angry From where did thisanger come Tis has come from you only Simi-larly jealousy is a quality that manifested fromyour mind Tus each one of these bad qualities isthe result of your own thoughts Hence if only you
are able to control your thoughts properly you willbe able to achieve anything in life
Ceiling on Desires
9Ceiling on Desires
10
Ceiling on Desires
11Te mind intellect and awareness are the re-
flections of the Atma Te mind has no stabilityIt is the repository of thoughts and desires It issaid ldquoTe mind alone is the cause of bondage orliberationrdquo Hence one has to keep the mind underproper control by putting some ceiling on desires
Sathya Sai Speaks Volume 42
Chapter 1 Know Tyself You Will Know Everything
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12
Cultivate Four Desirable Practices
Te Sai Organisations have been enjoined tocarry out a programme of ceiling on desires Every-one should try to control desires as much as pos-sible Te promotion of human values is anotheritem in the programme Tese human values areinherent in every person All that is needed is foreveryone to manifest them in his daily life ruthrighteousness and peace are all in you
You are the embodiment of truth peace loveand God Recognise this fact Members of SaiOrganisations should cultivate certain desirablepractices For instance they should regulate theirdiet because onersquos food influences onersquos thoughtsSmoking and intoxicating drinks have to be givenup Tey are ruinous for the health Meat eatingshould also be given up because eating animalfood promotes animal tendencies Te fourth evilthat has to be eliminated is gambling
Tose who take to the spiritual path shouldavoid as much as possible these four bad practicesIt is sinful to slaughter poor animals for onersquos foodSai members should follow the motto ldquoHelp everhurt neverrdquo
Tere is no meaning in professing to respecthuman values without observing the rule that youshould cause no harm to others in any form what-soever God loves those who serve others becauseHe is in all of them Whomever you may serveconsider it as service to God Divinise all youractions reat every action you perform as Godrsquos work
Sathya Sai Speaks Volume 28Chapter 34 Spiritual Significance of Loving Service
Ceiling on Desires
13
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13
Eight Flowers of Worship
Non-violence Control of Senses
Compassion for All Living Beings
Forebearance
Peace
Penance
Meditation
ruth
It is the experience and practice of the citizens of India that they generally wor-ship God with flowers offer ritual adoration and make obeisance to God Butthere is something that is more sacred than this Tere is a distinctive type of
devotion by which you worship God with a good clean mind and good conductTis has been given the name of para bhakthi (supreme devotion) By always wor-shipping God with ritual worship and flowers the spiritual aspirant will remainstationary in his place Tis is good in a way but to remain in one place all thetime and failing to rise to a higher position is not good
Tere is a superior type of worship mdash to worship God through good qualitiesgood conduct good thoughts and good company Te scriptures have describedthis kind of worship as worship through good qualities By offering what kind ofgood qualities can we please God
Eight Flowers of Worship
Te first flower with which we can worship God is non-violence Te second
flower is control of senses Te third flower is compassion Te fourth one is for-bearance Te fifth flower is peace Te sixth flower is penance Te seventh one isthe flower of meditation Te eighth is the flower of truth Te inner meaning ofthis statement is that God will shower grace on you if you worship him throughthese eight flowers
Te flowers in nature always fade drop down lose fragrance and also de-velop an odour that is not pleasant Instead of worshipping with such worldlyflowers which are impermanent and receiving impermanent rewards from God
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14
we should worship Him with what is truthful andthereby attain a stage that is higher
Te flowers that you are using for worship havenot been created by you You are bringing flowersthat have been created by the Will of God on some
tree or in some garden and are offering them backto the Creator Himself What is the greatness inusing the flowers created by God and giving themback to God Himself Many people bathe in theGanges River take the water from the Ganges intotheir palms and offer it back to the Ganges itselfTis is not what you have created Tis is not whatyou have the right to offer
From the tree of your life picking such fruits
that you have protected and that you have grownin the form of good qualities and offering themto God there is some distinctiveness in that Inorder to promote good qualities you have to un-dergo several troubles So it is through these goodqualities that your mind can also acquire a divineconcentration Without good qualities and with-out good thoughts how can you fix your mind inmeditation1
FIRST FLOWERTe first flower is the flower of non-violence
We regard the word non-violence to mean notcausing harm and hurt to other living things Tetrue meaning of the word is not to cause hurtand harm to any other living being through yourthought word or deed Cleansing and purifyingthese threemdashthought word and deedmdashhas beencalled a Triputi (summit of three) in spiritualparlance All of them should be harmonised and
brought together as one unit of flower1
We find doctors performing surgeries on pa-tients to cure them of their ailments In the processof surgery the doctors cut the body with a knife You cannot call it an act of violence because it isbeneficial to the patient Some people may arguethat even cutting vegetables is an act of violencebecause vegetables and trees have life in them Nodoubt vegetables and trees have life but they do
not have the mind Consequently they do not suf-fer any pain
Only man has got five sheaths namely foodsheath life sheath mind sheath wisdom sheathand bliss sheath One with the mind experiencespain and pleasure Men animals birds and in-sects are endowed with the mind not trees and
vegetables In some trees you find the sap oozingout when you pluck their fruit Oozing of sap froma tree is a natural phenomenon but some peoplemistake it for the tears of suffering Te trees donot suffer any pain because they do not have thefaculty of mind2
SECOND FLOWER
Te second flower is the control of sensoryorgans Our senses run without any control If
running horses or animals are not controlled theypose a danger God has created each organ of thehuman body for a specific purpose It is only when we use these sensory organs along the right pathfor which they have been created that we will beentitled to Godrsquos grace God has given us a nose We should make an attempt to breathe in andbreathe out through the nose and only accept fra-grance through the nose If we use such a nose totake snuff the purpose will become useless In the
same manner He has given us the mouth and atongue in order that we may take in pure food If we use the mouth to take in unholy food or intoxi-cating drinks then we will be using the mouth fora wrong purpose
In the same manner we should understandunder what conditions and in what times and in what manner we should use each of these organsand put them under control Our inner strength
will become less and less on account of excitementor unnecessary sorrow Te body will become ill bymental agitations and distractions Man ages veryquickly through excitement and sorrow Te rea-son for your not preserving this sacred instrumentin sound condition is lack of control over thesesensory organs Te second flower of sensory con-trol should be used for worshipping God1
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15
Lack of Sense Control Is the Main Cause
of Unrest and Agitation
All spiritual practices will prove futile if onelacks sense control Control of the senses is veryessential for one and all Lack of sense control is
the main cause of all the unrest and agitation thatyou find in the world today How can one controlthe senses First of all one should exercise controlover the tongue
You must control your tongue as it alwayscraves a variety of delicacies You must ask thisquestion ldquoO tongue how many bags of rice wheat and vegetables have you devoured Howmany delicacies have you consumed Fie on you
if you are still not satisfiedrdquo A morsel of food isenough to sustain the body You should eat forthe sake of satisfying your hunger and sustain-ing the body Do not give undue importance totaste Likewise tell your eyes to see God instead of watching unsacred things on television or videoeach your ears to listen to the stories of the Lordinstead of listening to vain gossip
O ears you are interested in listening to vain gos-sip and tales about others but you pay least attentionwhen the wonderful stories of the Lord are narrated
(elugu Song)
Tink for a while how you benefit by listen-ing to unsacred things In fact you are pollutingyour heart in the process All that you see and heargets imprinted on your heart Once your heart ispolluted your life will become meaningless Tehuman heart is like a pen Te colour of the wordsthat 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 besuffused with love God expects you to fill yourheart with love and lead a sacred life2
THIRD FLOWER
Te third flower is compassion for all livingthings Looking merely and superficially at humannature which has diverse aspects we are forgettingGod in this field From the seed of Divinity the
tree of creation has grown On this tree of creationthe fruits are the human beings that are the indi-vidual souls In each of these human fruits there
is Divinity in the form of seed Tat is why in theBhagavad Gita Krishna has said ldquoI am the seed inall the living beingsrdquo Recognising the truth thatGod is present in the form of the Atma in all livingbeings we say compassion for all living beings is
the next flower1
The Story of Abou Ben Adhem
Students might have heard the story of AbouBen Adhem who always offered compassion to- wards all beings as a form of service to the LordEvery day he traveled the streets to serve the desti-tute and the handicapped and returned home latein the night One night when he returned homehe found in his bedroom an angel writing some-
thing When he asked her what she was writingshe replied that she was making a list of those wholoved God She replied in the negative when heasked her if his name was on that list
Te following night when he returned homehe again found the angel writing something Hequeried ldquoMother what is it that you are writingnowrdquo She said ldquoSon I am writing the names ofthose who are dear to Godrdquo He again wanted to
know if his name was on the list She replied thathis name was at the top of this list
Te sum and substance of this story is thatGod is pleased when you serve your fellow humanbeings Te scriptures have prescribed nine pathsof devotion namely listening to the Lordrsquos storiessinging His glories remembrance of the Lordrsquosname service to the Lordrsquos Lotus Feet worshipsalutation servitude friendship and offering one-
self to the Lord ie complete self-surrender Butthe 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 oceanof worldly life
One can redeem onersquos life only through service(Sanskrit Verse)
Abou Ben Adhem became the recipient ofGodrsquos love because he spent all his time in the ser-
vice of his fellow men God loves all for He is theembodiment of love But He will give Himself tothose who show compassion for all beings2
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16
Have Compassion towards All as God
Resides in All
Among all the flowers compassion for all crea-tures is most important Man alone is endowed with this virtue of compassion Tis is the flower
that you should offer to God God is the indwellerof all beings Names and forms may vary but thesame God is present in all Terefore you shouldhave compassion towards all beings with the broadfeeling that God is present in all Only then canyou understand how expansive and fragrant thisquality of compassion for all creatures is
You need not waste your time gathering theflowers that fade away and wither away in no time
Te flower of your heart is eternal ever fresh andever fragrant for which you need not spend evena penny Tat is the real flower One who under-stands the secret of this flower is one of supreme wisdom3
FOURTH FLOWER
Te fourth one is the flower of forbearanceForbearance truly is the highest quality of a humanbeing But in human life because he develops nar-row ideas man wants to live in a constricted placeHe thinks ldquoIrdquo and ldquomy familyrdquo are what mattersothers are all different from ldquomerdquo It is not possiblefor us to develop the flower of forbearance as longas these ideas are in us It is only when we lovethat we can have patience and forbearance Onersquoslove should encompass all living beings Tat willfructify as forbearance
Here is a brief example In our home thereare our children Along with our children there is
also a servant In the house a son may be pilfer-ing something or other and developing bad habitsIn many ways we will try and control that son bybeating scolding and persuading him to return togood ways but we will never take him and handhim over to the police In the same house if theservant steals a small spoon at once we will takehim 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 dayafter day but we hand over a servant immediatelyto the police when he steals even a small thing
Te reason for this is the narrow idea that ldquothis boyis my sonrdquo Because the servant does not belong toyou there is no place for forbearance and patienceSo you see that when you have the broad idea thatldquoeveryone is minerdquo there is room for patience and
forbearance It is only then that our love will alsogrow1
Forbearance Promotes Divine Qualities
Forbearance is identified by the scriptures withtruth righteousness knowledge sacrifice and joy Without forbearance man cannot be happy foreven a moment It promotes divine qualities Itreveals inner Divinity One has to undertake spiri-tual practices to earn it and establish oneself in it
Nourish the idea that God is equally present in allin spite of ridicule from the ignorant and sarcasticcriticism from the blind or even praise from ad-mirers Do not mind them4
Forbearance Is Very Dear to the Lord
Te Pandavas suffered a lot at the hands ofthe Kauravas But never did Dharmaraja lose for-bearance even when Droupadi was being humili-ated by the Kauravas It was the virtue of forbear-ance that protected the Pandavas and made theman ideal for the rest of the world Tis flower offorbearance is very dear to the Lord God will bepleased with you and confer boons on you only when you offer Him the ldquoflowersrdquo which are dearto Him No benefit accrues from offering the flow-ers that fade away and decay Te ever-bloomingflowers of non-violence sense control compassionfor all living beings and forbearance are liked by
God2
FIFTH FLOWER
Te fifth is the flower of peace Tis flower ofpeace should not be interpreted to mean that youshould be silent no matter who is attacking you or who is blaming you It is not that If you are un-moved and unperturbed in spite of anyone findingfaults with you this can be called real peace Ifyou can fill your heart with love then peace willcome into you from outside Trough bad quali-ties to some extent we lose peace With truthfulthoughts a man will have peace With untruthful
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17
thoughts a man will not have peace If you can getrid of all thoughts you will become a saint It isonly when you can be free from all thoughts thatyou can have peace
Your own bad thoughts are responsible for all
your pain and sorrow By good thoughts and bygood ideas you will become a holy man Holyman does not mean one who merely wears an or-ange robe shaves the head and wears holy beadsHe who has good thoughts and good ideas is aholy man A holy man is one who is the embodi-ment of truthful thoughts1
Peace Has Detachment as the Basic
Quality
Peace does not mean that a person should notreact at all whatever others may say or howeverthey may abuse him It does not mean that hemust be silent as a rock It involves mastery of allthe senses and all the passions inner peace mustbecome onersquos nature Peace has detachment as thebasic quality Te sea which likes to gather andpossess lies low the cloud that likes to renounceand give up is high in the sky Peace endows man
with an unruffled mind and steady visionTe prayer for shanthi (peace) is usually repeat-
ed thrice ldquoOm shanthi shanthi shanthihirdquo sincepeace is prayed for in the physical mental andspiritual planes Man should not bring his bloodto boil nor should he yield to fear Spiritual calmis exemplified by Emperor Janaka of the Upani-shadhic texts He was known as vidheha (withoutbody attachment) not because he was disembod-
ied but because he lived in utter forgetfulness ofthe body and its needs He saw heard and spokeonly from the Atmic plane of consciousness4
Bear All Sufferings With Fortitude and
Patience
One should remain peaceful through all thevicissitudes of life Only then can one attain divinegrace Great devotees like Tyagaraja ukaramand Droupadi underwent many hardships Tey
bore all sufferings with patience Tyagaraja saidldquoOne cannot attain happiness without innerpeacerdquo Man needs peace at the physical mental
and spiritual levels Peace is not present in theexternal world It is present within
You are the embodiment of peace In the worldly life there are bound to be many hardshipsbut one should not be perturbed One should bear
all sufferings with fortitude and patience Humanlife is given not merely to enjoy the worldly plea-sures like birds and beasts Life becomes meaning-ful only when one experiences the peace that origi-nates from the heart2
SIXTH FLOWER
Te sixth one is the flower of penance Pen-ance is not to give up your wife and children goto a forest put your head down and feet up that
is not penance When we think of real penance weshould eliminate bad thoughts from our mindsTe co-ordination of thought word and deed ispenance Whatever thoughts sprout in your mindto utter them as word and to put them in practiceas your work that is penance It is in this contextthat it is said ldquoA great soul practises harmony ofthought word and deedrdquo Giving up bad thoughtsin your mind will become a sacrifice Tat sacri-fice will become yoga (spiritual practice leading tounion with God) But giving up onersquos propertyand onersquos wife and going to the forest is not yoga1
Be Even-Minded in Happiness or Sorrow
One should contemplate on God at all timesand achieve harmony of thought word and deedHe is a noble one whose thoughts words anddeeds are in complete harmony Do not be car-ried away by pain or pleasure Te Bhagavad Gita
teaches ldquoOne should be even-minded in happi-ness or sorrow gain or loss victory or defeatrdquo Oneshould discharge onersquos duty and serve society with-out any expectation of reward Such even-minded-ness and desireless state is true penance2
SEVENTH FLOWER
Te seventh flower is the flower of meditationoday meditation is taking many forms Manytypes of meditation that people are adopting todayare against the culture and tradition of India o sitin a lotus posture and to make the kundalini shakti (kundalini power) rise from basal plexus to the cra-
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18
nium is not meditation rue meditation consistsin recognising the presence of God in all types of work God is the indweller of all and is all per-vading o make an attempt in your meditation toconfine 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 marketthe market is your God According to the cultureof 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 TeUpanishads are teaching us ldquoTe work I have todo I regard as God and make obeisance to God
in that formrdquoLet us consider the person who plays the
drums Before he begins to play on them he paysobeisance to the drums Te harmonium player will make obeisance to the harmonium before hestarts A dancer before she begins her dance willmake obeisance to her anklets Even a driver whois going to drive a lifeless car before he holds thesteering wheel makes salutations to the steering wheel You do not have to go so far While driv-ing if the car hits another person immediately wemake salutations to that person Te significanceof all this is the faith and belief that God is presentin all things Tus to regard the entire creation asthe form of God and to perform your duty in thatspirit is meditation1
Contemplate On God at All Times
Meditation does not mean sitting in lotus pos-
ture with eyes closed in contemplation on GodTis is physical worldly activity No doubt this isalso needed but true meditation lies in unifyingthe mind with God Just as milk and water can-not be separated likewise the mind once merged with God cannot be separated An iron ball castin fire will become one with it Likewise your loveshould become one with divine love Tis truthis contained in the Vedic dictum ldquoTe knower ofBrahman becomes Brahman Himselfrdquo
Some people contemplate on God for a lim-ited period in the morning and evening Tis can-
not be called meditation Contemplate on Godat all times at all places and under all circum-stances Perform all tasks with your mind firmlyfixed on God Tat is true meditation Tinking ofGod for a limited period cannot be termed medi-
tation Tat is only part-time devotion Part-timedevotion confers only part-time grace You shouldhave full-time devotion in order to attain full-timegrace2
EIGHTH FLOWER
Te next flower is the flower of truth If yousimply speak what you feel and tell what you havedone this can be called worldly truth mdash state-ment of facts Tis cannot be called truth ruth
is that which does not change at any time Whatyou have seen is truth at that moment At the nextmoment it becomes untruth All material thingsthat you see in this creation are things that willdecay that are bound to change In this transientchanging world how can what you see and whatyou hear become truth ruth is God Tis truth isthe eighth flower Tis truth is the form of Divin-ity In the world we experience truths of a relativenature
Let us take chemistry as an example You takesome chemicals and mix them together Teychange and you get some other chemical If youmix turmeric in lime you get red colour Tis ischemistry Another example is physics If you takea 3-inch needle and put it in fire it will becomea longer needle Tis is the truth of physics Howlong do these truths of chemistry and physics re-main Tese are temporary worldly scientific
truths But spiritual truths are such that they willremain unchanged whatever you may do to them whatever fire you may use on them and howsoeveryou may change the circumstances
So what does not change at all is truth Cru-elty and harshness are predominant in the worldtoday because we are not attempting to promotesuch sacred qualities oday among believersnon-believers and the believing the same kind ofattitude is developing Tat day when we can pro-mote such good qualities in the minds of believersthe non-believers will disappear from this world1
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19
ruth is changeless in all the three periods oftime ie past present and future Everythingmay disappear but truth remains forever So truthis God live in truth2
Win Godrsquos Grace by Worshipping EightFlowers
Worship the Lord and offer Him these flow-ers Now when other flowers are used devotiondoes not last after one comes out of the worshiproom When one crosses that door-step angerhatred and anxiety possess him and degrade him Without developing the qualities indicated by theeight flowers how can anyone win the grace ofGod Engaged in wrong worship on all 364 days
what good do you derive by doing true worship onthe 365th day of the year When you claim to beSai devotees justify the claim by cultivating theseflowers of virtue and offering them to God4
Serve Society to Your Utmost Capacity
God will be pleased only when you wor-ship Him with these eight types of flowers Tepriests in temples worship God with various typesof flowers But God does not want these flowersHe says ldquoO priest is this what you have learntall these years You are worshipping Me with lorryloads of roses and jasmines which fade away in ashort time Tese are not the flowers that I expectfrom you Worship Me with the flowers of peacelove non-violence etc which will never faderdquo
Embodiments of Love
People worship God with devotion and sincer-
ity but God is not satisfied with external worship You should serve society Only service can conferbliss on you By rendering service to society notonly can you alleviate the sufferings of the peoplebut you can also bring about transformation intheir lives As is the feeling so is the result If youserve with sacred feelings it is bound to yield sa-cred results Serve society to your utmost capacity You are singing devotional songs in the morningand evening Te satisfaction that you get by par-
ticipating in singing devotional songs is temporary whereas service confers permanent satisfaction
Te Vedas say the objective of actions is to pu-rify the mind Service alone is undertaken to pu-rify the mind oday people waste a lot of time wealth and energy in performing activities that donot foster purity of the mind Tat is why they
are unable to experience peace of mind Te peacethat one gets out of worldly activities comes andgoes like a passing cloud One should aspire forthe true and eternal peace which originates fromthe heart2
References
1 Sathya Sai Speaks Volume 15 Chapter 9 TeFlowers Tat God Loves
2 Sathya Sai Speaks Volume 33 Chapter 12
Flowers Tat Never Fade3 Sanathana Sarathi March 2012 Chapter Hu-
manness Blossoms in a Compassionate Heart
4 Sathya Sai Speaks Volume 15 Chapter 25Te Garden of the Heart
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20
Glossary
AtmaAtmic
Self Soul Embodied Self is jiva (the individ-ual soul) Self with no limitations is Brahman (the Supreme Cosmic Reality)
SatwaSatwic
It is the quality of purity brightness peacegoodness and harmony It leads to knowledge
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L983151983158983141 A983148983148 S983141983154983158983141 A983148983148
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9
Aims of the ldquoCeiling on Desires
Programmerdquo
Tere is a programme connected with ldquoCeilingon Desiresrdquo You must realise that this programmehas not been launched to raise funds Te object ofthe programme is to prevent waste of money timefood or other resources and to use all these forthe welfare of the people Te money that is savedneed not be kept for the Sathya Sai OrganisationsIt may be used in the best way you choose for the
benefit of others Do not waste time ime wastedis life wasted ime is God Sanctify all the time atyour disposal by undertaking service activities in apure and unselfish spirit
oday we waste time on unnecessary and un- wanted things in indulging in unnecessary talkand doing meaningless actions In all these ac-tions 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 gooddeeds Every second of your daily existence youmust ask these questions ldquoHow am I utilisingtime Is it for a good or bad purposerdquo
Likewise with regard to food you must askldquoAm I just eating what I need or more Am I wast-ing foodrdquo So also with regard to money ldquoAm Iusing this money for my own selfish needs or forboosting my name and fame or to satisfy my egoand vanityrdquo Once you start seeking answers tothese questions there is no greater spiritual prac-tice
Tese are the aims of the ldquoCeiling on DesiresProgrammerdquo It was never the purpose of thisprogramme to collect money for the Sathya SaiOrganisations Te object was to encourage youto share your money with others to give you anopportunity to utilise your surplus resources forsome good and noble purpose that will sanctify
your life
Make Your Lives Sacred and Worthwhile
Tree types of strength are given to a personphysical strength mental strength and the powerof money It has been said that all these should beoffered as yajna (sacrifice) Tis sacrifice is not of-fered to God God who has given you your bodyand your mind does not need them for HimselfGod is also the source of all wealth What does He want with your wealth
Use it for sacred purposes Te service pro-gramme is intended only to provide you with op-portunities to make your lives sacred and worth- while 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 discoverSita in Lanka Himself What need was there forHim to send Hanuman Rama wanted Hanumanto go on the search so that He could show to the
world the devotion and steadfastness and faith ofHanuman It is a case of grace on the part of Rama
In the same manner if Sai wants to do so manythings Himself He can do anything Tis endeav-our is not for the sake of Sai It is done throughthese service organisations so that members ofthe organisation get the chance to do service andredeem themselves ry to understand the basictruth that these avenues of service have been pro-vided so that you will get a good name for yourselfand not for the sake of Sai
Sathya Sai Speaks Volume 17Chapter 16 Ceiling on Desires-II
Ceiling on Desires
8
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10
Always Be Happy
Whatever trouble you may face you mustlearn to feel happy in any circumstance If you arestung by a scorpion you must console yourselfthat you were not bitten by a snake and when youare bitten by a snake you must console yourselfthat it has not proved fatal Even if you are not ableto own a vehicle be happy that your legs are intactto enable you to walk Even if you are not a mil-lionaire be happy that you have enough resourcesto feed yourself and your family Tis 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 peace-ful and meaningful life You must curb the desireto seek more and more wealth and turn your effortto realise the Reality within In pursuing this ef-fort you must avoid waste of food money timeenergy and knowledge as all these are forms ofGod Unnecessary talk should be avoided as thisresults in waste of energy and reduction of mem-ory power
Sathya Sai Speaks Volume 27Chapter 20 Spiritual Orientation to Education
Peace Can Be Attained Only by Godrsquos
GraceIn the modern world every person tries hard
to attain peace Peace cannot be attained by spiri-tual precepts nor can it be obtained from a mar-ket as a commodity It cannot be acquired even byknowledge of the texts or a high position in lifePeace can be attained only by Godrsquos grace
Tough man is eager to attain peace he con-fronts many obstacles in the path Tose who trav-
el by train may be well acquainted with the sloganldquoLess luggage more comfort makes travel a plea-surerdquo Now man is burdening himself with limit-less desires Because of this extra heavy luggage ofdesires he finds it extremely difficult to carry onthe journey of life By such proliferation of desireshe loses his balance moves far away from his goaland even tends to go mad
It is for this reason that I have been stressingthe need for ceiling on desires By limiting yourdesires you can attain peace to a certain extent You have to exercise a check on your desires andmake efforts to get the grace of the divine
Sathya Sai Speaks Volume 31Chapter 19 Faith Love and Grace
Bad Qualities Are the Result of Your Own
Thoughts
Suppose you get angry From where did thisanger come Tis has come from you only Simi-larly jealousy is a quality that manifested fromyour mind Tus each one of these bad qualities isthe result of your own thoughts Hence if only you
are able to control your thoughts properly you willbe able to achieve anything in life
Ceiling on Desires
9Ceiling on Desires
10
Ceiling on Desires
11Te mind intellect and awareness are the re-
flections of the Atma Te mind has no stabilityIt is the repository of thoughts and desires It issaid ldquoTe mind alone is the cause of bondage orliberationrdquo Hence one has to keep the mind underproper control by putting some ceiling on desires
Sathya Sai Speaks Volume 42
Chapter 1 Know Tyself You Will Know Everything
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12
Cultivate Four Desirable Practices
Te Sai Organisations have been enjoined tocarry out a programme of ceiling on desires Every-one should try to control desires as much as pos-sible Te promotion of human values is anotheritem in the programme Tese human values areinherent in every person All that is needed is foreveryone to manifest them in his daily life ruthrighteousness and peace are all in you
You are the embodiment of truth peace loveand God Recognise this fact Members of SaiOrganisations should cultivate certain desirablepractices For instance they should regulate theirdiet because onersquos food influences onersquos thoughtsSmoking and intoxicating drinks have to be givenup Tey are ruinous for the health Meat eatingshould also be given up because eating animalfood promotes animal tendencies Te fourth evilthat has to be eliminated is gambling
Tose who take to the spiritual path shouldavoid as much as possible these four bad practicesIt is sinful to slaughter poor animals for onersquos foodSai members should follow the motto ldquoHelp everhurt neverrdquo
Tere is no meaning in professing to respecthuman values without observing the rule that youshould cause no harm to others in any form what-soever God loves those who serve others becauseHe is in all of them Whomever you may serveconsider it as service to God Divinise all youractions reat every action you perform as Godrsquos work
Sathya Sai Speaks Volume 28Chapter 34 Spiritual Significance of Loving Service
Ceiling on Desires
13
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13
Eight Flowers of Worship
Non-violence Control of Senses
Compassion for All Living Beings
Forebearance
Peace
Penance
Meditation
ruth
It is the experience and practice of the citizens of India that they generally wor-ship God with flowers offer ritual adoration and make obeisance to God Butthere is something that is more sacred than this Tere is a distinctive type of
devotion by which you worship God with a good clean mind and good conductTis has been given the name of para bhakthi (supreme devotion) By always wor-shipping God with ritual worship and flowers the spiritual aspirant will remainstationary in his place Tis is good in a way but to remain in one place all thetime and failing to rise to a higher position is not good
Tere is a superior type of worship mdash to worship God through good qualitiesgood conduct good thoughts and good company Te scriptures have describedthis kind of worship as worship through good qualities By offering what kind ofgood qualities can we please God
Eight Flowers of Worship
Te first flower with which we can worship God is non-violence Te second
flower is control of senses Te third flower is compassion Te fourth one is for-bearance Te fifth flower is peace Te sixth flower is penance Te seventh one isthe flower of meditation Te eighth is the flower of truth Te inner meaning ofthis statement is that God will shower grace on you if you worship him throughthese eight flowers
Te flowers in nature always fade drop down lose fragrance and also de-velop an odour that is not pleasant Instead of worshipping with such worldlyflowers which are impermanent and receiving impermanent rewards from God
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we should worship Him with what is truthful andthereby attain a stage that is higher
Te flowers that you are using for worship havenot been created by you You are bringing flowersthat have been created by the Will of God on some
tree or in some garden and are offering them backto the Creator Himself What is the greatness inusing the flowers created by God and giving themback to God Himself Many people bathe in theGanges River take the water from the Ganges intotheir palms and offer it back to the Ganges itselfTis is not what you have created Tis is not whatyou have the right to offer
From the tree of your life picking such fruits
that you have protected and that you have grownin the form of good qualities and offering themto God there is some distinctiveness in that Inorder to promote good qualities you have to un-dergo several troubles So it is through these goodqualities that your mind can also acquire a divineconcentration Without good qualities and with-out good thoughts how can you fix your mind inmeditation1
FIRST FLOWERTe first flower is the flower of non-violence
We regard the word non-violence to mean notcausing harm and hurt to other living things Tetrue meaning of the word is not to cause hurtand harm to any other living being through yourthought word or deed Cleansing and purifyingthese threemdashthought word and deedmdashhas beencalled a Triputi (summit of three) in spiritualparlance All of them should be harmonised and
brought together as one unit of flower1
We find doctors performing surgeries on pa-tients to cure them of their ailments In the processof surgery the doctors cut the body with a knife You cannot call it an act of violence because it isbeneficial to the patient Some people may arguethat even cutting vegetables is an act of violencebecause vegetables and trees have life in them Nodoubt vegetables and trees have life but they do
not have the mind Consequently they do not suf-fer any pain
Only man has got five sheaths namely foodsheath life sheath mind sheath wisdom sheathand bliss sheath One with the mind experiencespain and pleasure Men animals birds and in-sects are endowed with the mind not trees and
vegetables In some trees you find the sap oozingout when you pluck their fruit Oozing of sap froma tree is a natural phenomenon but some peoplemistake it for the tears of suffering Te trees donot suffer any pain because they do not have thefaculty of mind2
SECOND FLOWER
Te second flower is the control of sensoryorgans Our senses run without any control If
running horses or animals are not controlled theypose a danger God has created each organ of thehuman body for a specific purpose It is only when we use these sensory organs along the right pathfor which they have been created that we will beentitled to Godrsquos grace God has given us a nose We should make an attempt to breathe in andbreathe out through the nose and only accept fra-grance through the nose If we use such a nose totake snuff the purpose will become useless In the
same manner He has given us the mouth and atongue in order that we may take in pure food If we use the mouth to take in unholy food or intoxi-cating drinks then we will be using the mouth fora wrong purpose
In the same manner we should understandunder what conditions and in what times and in what manner we should use each of these organsand put them under control Our inner strength
will become less and less on account of excitementor unnecessary sorrow Te body will become ill bymental agitations and distractions Man ages veryquickly through excitement and sorrow Te rea-son for your not preserving this sacred instrumentin sound condition is lack of control over thesesensory organs Te second flower of sensory con-trol should be used for worshipping God1
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15
Lack of Sense Control Is the Main Cause
of Unrest and Agitation
All spiritual practices will prove futile if onelacks sense control Control of the senses is veryessential for one and all Lack of sense control is
the main cause of all the unrest and agitation thatyou find in the world today How can one controlthe senses First of all one should exercise controlover the tongue
You must control your tongue as it alwayscraves a variety of delicacies You must ask thisquestion ldquoO tongue how many bags of rice wheat and vegetables have you devoured Howmany delicacies have you consumed Fie on you
if you are still not satisfiedrdquo A morsel of food isenough to sustain the body You should eat forthe sake of satisfying your hunger and sustain-ing the body Do not give undue importance totaste Likewise tell your eyes to see God instead of watching unsacred things on television or videoeach your ears to listen to the stories of the Lordinstead of listening to vain gossip
O ears you are interested in listening to vain gos-sip and tales about others but you pay least attentionwhen the wonderful stories of the Lord are narrated
(elugu Song)
Tink for a while how you benefit by listen-ing to unsacred things In fact you are pollutingyour heart in the process All that you see and heargets imprinted on your heart Once your heart ispolluted your life will become meaningless Tehuman heart is like a pen Te colour of the wordsthat 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 besuffused with love God expects you to fill yourheart with love and lead a sacred life2
THIRD FLOWER
Te third flower is compassion for all livingthings Looking merely and superficially at humannature which has diverse aspects we are forgettingGod in this field From the seed of Divinity the
tree of creation has grown On this tree of creationthe fruits are the human beings that are the indi-vidual souls In each of these human fruits there
is Divinity in the form of seed Tat is why in theBhagavad Gita Krishna has said ldquoI am the seed inall the living beingsrdquo Recognising the truth thatGod is present in the form of the Atma in all livingbeings we say compassion for all living beings is
the next flower1
The Story of Abou Ben Adhem
Students might have heard the story of AbouBen Adhem who always offered compassion to- wards all beings as a form of service to the LordEvery day he traveled the streets to serve the desti-tute and the handicapped and returned home latein the night One night when he returned homehe found in his bedroom an angel writing some-
thing When he asked her what she was writingshe replied that she was making a list of those wholoved God She replied in the negative when heasked her if his name was on that list
Te following night when he returned homehe again found the angel writing something Hequeried ldquoMother what is it that you are writingnowrdquo She said ldquoSon I am writing the names ofthose who are dear to Godrdquo He again wanted to
know if his name was on the list She replied thathis name was at the top of this list
Te sum and substance of this story is thatGod is pleased when you serve your fellow humanbeings Te scriptures have prescribed nine pathsof devotion namely listening to the Lordrsquos storiessinging His glories remembrance of the Lordrsquosname service to the Lordrsquos Lotus Feet worshipsalutation servitude friendship and offering one-
self to the Lord ie complete self-surrender Butthe 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 oceanof worldly life
One can redeem onersquos life only through service(Sanskrit Verse)
Abou Ben Adhem became the recipient ofGodrsquos love because he spent all his time in the ser-
vice of his fellow men God loves all for He is theembodiment of love But He will give Himself tothose who show compassion for all beings2
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Have Compassion towards All as God
Resides in All
Among all the flowers compassion for all crea-tures is most important Man alone is endowed with this virtue of compassion Tis is the flower
that you should offer to God God is the indwellerof all beings Names and forms may vary but thesame God is present in all Terefore you shouldhave compassion towards all beings with the broadfeeling that God is present in all Only then canyou understand how expansive and fragrant thisquality of compassion for all creatures is
You need not waste your time gathering theflowers that fade away and wither away in no time
Te flower of your heart is eternal ever fresh andever fragrant for which you need not spend evena penny Tat is the real flower One who under-stands the secret of this flower is one of supreme wisdom3
FOURTH FLOWER
Te fourth one is the flower of forbearanceForbearance truly is the highest quality of a humanbeing But in human life because he develops nar-row ideas man wants to live in a constricted placeHe thinks ldquoIrdquo and ldquomy familyrdquo are what mattersothers are all different from ldquomerdquo It is not possiblefor us to develop the flower of forbearance as longas these ideas are in us It is only when we lovethat we can have patience and forbearance Onersquoslove should encompass all living beings Tat willfructify as forbearance
Here is a brief example In our home thereare our children Along with our children there is
also a servant In the house a son may be pilfer-ing something or other and developing bad habitsIn many ways we will try and control that son bybeating scolding and persuading him to return togood ways but we will never take him and handhim over to the police In the same house if theservant steals a small spoon at once we will takehim 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 dayafter day but we hand over a servant immediatelyto the police when he steals even a small thing
Te reason for this is the narrow idea that ldquothis boyis my sonrdquo Because the servant does not belong toyou there is no place for forbearance and patienceSo you see that when you have the broad idea thatldquoeveryone is minerdquo there is room for patience and
forbearance It is only then that our love will alsogrow1
Forbearance Promotes Divine Qualities
Forbearance is identified by the scriptures withtruth righteousness knowledge sacrifice and joy Without forbearance man cannot be happy foreven a moment It promotes divine qualities Itreveals inner Divinity One has to undertake spiri-tual practices to earn it and establish oneself in it
Nourish the idea that God is equally present in allin spite of ridicule from the ignorant and sarcasticcriticism from the blind or even praise from ad-mirers Do not mind them4
Forbearance Is Very Dear to the Lord
Te Pandavas suffered a lot at the hands ofthe Kauravas But never did Dharmaraja lose for-bearance even when Droupadi was being humili-ated by the Kauravas It was the virtue of forbear-ance that protected the Pandavas and made theman ideal for the rest of the world Tis flower offorbearance is very dear to the Lord God will bepleased with you and confer boons on you only when you offer Him the ldquoflowersrdquo which are dearto Him No benefit accrues from offering the flow-ers that fade away and decay Te ever-bloomingflowers of non-violence sense control compassionfor all living beings and forbearance are liked by
God2
FIFTH FLOWER
Te fifth is the flower of peace Tis flower ofpeace should not be interpreted to mean that youshould be silent no matter who is attacking you or who is blaming you It is not that If you are un-moved and unperturbed in spite of anyone findingfaults with you this can be called real peace Ifyou can fill your heart with love then peace willcome into you from outside Trough bad quali-ties to some extent we lose peace With truthfulthoughts a man will have peace With untruthful
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thoughts a man will not have peace If you can getrid of all thoughts you will become a saint It isonly when you can be free from all thoughts thatyou can have peace
Your own bad thoughts are responsible for all
your pain and sorrow By good thoughts and bygood ideas you will become a holy man Holyman does not mean one who merely wears an or-ange robe shaves the head and wears holy beadsHe who has good thoughts and good ideas is aholy man A holy man is one who is the embodi-ment of truthful thoughts1
Peace Has Detachment as the Basic
Quality
Peace does not mean that a person should notreact at all whatever others may say or howeverthey may abuse him It does not mean that hemust be silent as a rock It involves mastery of allthe senses and all the passions inner peace mustbecome onersquos nature Peace has detachment as thebasic quality Te sea which likes to gather andpossess lies low the cloud that likes to renounceand give up is high in the sky Peace endows man
with an unruffled mind and steady visionTe prayer for shanthi (peace) is usually repeat-
ed thrice ldquoOm shanthi shanthi shanthihirdquo sincepeace is prayed for in the physical mental andspiritual planes Man should not bring his bloodto boil nor should he yield to fear Spiritual calmis exemplified by Emperor Janaka of the Upani-shadhic texts He was known as vidheha (withoutbody attachment) not because he was disembod-
ied but because he lived in utter forgetfulness ofthe body and its needs He saw heard and spokeonly from the Atmic plane of consciousness4
Bear All Sufferings With Fortitude and
Patience
One should remain peaceful through all thevicissitudes of life Only then can one attain divinegrace Great devotees like Tyagaraja ukaramand Droupadi underwent many hardships Tey
bore all sufferings with patience Tyagaraja saidldquoOne cannot attain happiness without innerpeacerdquo Man needs peace at the physical mental
and spiritual levels Peace is not present in theexternal world It is present within
You are the embodiment of peace In the worldly life there are bound to be many hardshipsbut one should not be perturbed One should bear
all sufferings with fortitude and patience Humanlife is given not merely to enjoy the worldly plea-sures like birds and beasts Life becomes meaning-ful only when one experiences the peace that origi-nates from the heart2
SIXTH FLOWER
Te sixth one is the flower of penance Pen-ance is not to give up your wife and children goto a forest put your head down and feet up that
is not penance When we think of real penance weshould eliminate bad thoughts from our mindsTe co-ordination of thought word and deed ispenance Whatever thoughts sprout in your mindto utter them as word and to put them in practiceas your work that is penance It is in this contextthat it is said ldquoA great soul practises harmony ofthought word and deedrdquo Giving up bad thoughtsin your mind will become a sacrifice Tat sacri-fice will become yoga (spiritual practice leading tounion with God) But giving up onersquos propertyand onersquos wife and going to the forest is not yoga1
Be Even-Minded in Happiness or Sorrow
One should contemplate on God at all timesand achieve harmony of thought word and deedHe is a noble one whose thoughts words anddeeds are in complete harmony Do not be car-ried away by pain or pleasure Te Bhagavad Gita
teaches ldquoOne should be even-minded in happi-ness or sorrow gain or loss victory or defeatrdquo Oneshould discharge onersquos duty and serve society with-out any expectation of reward Such even-minded-ness and desireless state is true penance2
SEVENTH FLOWER
Te seventh flower is the flower of meditationoday meditation is taking many forms Manytypes of meditation that people are adopting todayare against the culture and tradition of India o sitin a lotus posture and to make the kundalini shakti (kundalini power) rise from basal plexus to the cra-
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18
nium is not meditation rue meditation consistsin recognising the presence of God in all types of work God is the indweller of all and is all per-vading o make an attempt in your meditation toconfine 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 marketthe market is your God According to the cultureof 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 TeUpanishads are teaching us ldquoTe work I have todo I regard as God and make obeisance to God
in that formrdquoLet us consider the person who plays the
drums Before he begins to play on them he paysobeisance to the drums Te harmonium player will make obeisance to the harmonium before hestarts A dancer before she begins her dance willmake obeisance to her anklets Even a driver whois going to drive a lifeless car before he holds thesteering wheel makes salutations to the steering wheel You do not have to go so far While driv-ing if the car hits another person immediately wemake salutations to that person Te significanceof all this is the faith and belief that God is presentin all things Tus to regard the entire creation asthe form of God and to perform your duty in thatspirit is meditation1
Contemplate On God at All Times
Meditation does not mean sitting in lotus pos-
ture with eyes closed in contemplation on GodTis is physical worldly activity No doubt this isalso needed but true meditation lies in unifyingthe mind with God Just as milk and water can-not be separated likewise the mind once merged with God cannot be separated An iron ball castin fire will become one with it Likewise your loveshould become one with divine love Tis truthis contained in the Vedic dictum ldquoTe knower ofBrahman becomes Brahman Himselfrdquo
Some people contemplate on God for a lim-ited period in the morning and evening Tis can-
not be called meditation Contemplate on Godat all times at all places and under all circum-stances Perform all tasks with your mind firmlyfixed on God Tat is true meditation Tinking ofGod for a limited period cannot be termed medi-
tation Tat is only part-time devotion Part-timedevotion confers only part-time grace You shouldhave full-time devotion in order to attain full-timegrace2
EIGHTH FLOWER
Te next flower is the flower of truth If yousimply speak what you feel and tell what you havedone this can be called worldly truth mdash state-ment of facts Tis cannot be called truth ruth
is that which does not change at any time Whatyou have seen is truth at that moment At the nextmoment it becomes untruth All material thingsthat you see in this creation are things that willdecay that are bound to change In this transientchanging world how can what you see and whatyou hear become truth ruth is God Tis truth isthe eighth flower Tis truth is the form of Divin-ity In the world we experience truths of a relativenature
Let us take chemistry as an example You takesome chemicals and mix them together Teychange and you get some other chemical If youmix turmeric in lime you get red colour Tis ischemistry Another example is physics If you takea 3-inch needle and put it in fire it will becomea longer needle Tis is the truth of physics Howlong do these truths of chemistry and physics re-main Tese are temporary worldly scientific
truths But spiritual truths are such that they willremain unchanged whatever you may do to them whatever fire you may use on them and howsoeveryou may change the circumstances
So what does not change at all is truth Cru-elty and harshness are predominant in the worldtoday because we are not attempting to promotesuch sacred qualities oday among believersnon-believers and the believing the same kind ofattitude is developing Tat day when we can pro-mote such good qualities in the minds of believersthe non-believers will disappear from this world1
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19
ruth is changeless in all the three periods oftime ie past present and future Everythingmay disappear but truth remains forever So truthis God live in truth2
Win Godrsquos Grace by Worshipping EightFlowers
Worship the Lord and offer Him these flow-ers Now when other flowers are used devotiondoes not last after one comes out of the worshiproom When one crosses that door-step angerhatred and anxiety possess him and degrade him Without developing the qualities indicated by theeight flowers how can anyone win the grace ofGod Engaged in wrong worship on all 364 days
what good do you derive by doing true worship onthe 365th day of the year When you claim to beSai devotees justify the claim by cultivating theseflowers of virtue and offering them to God4
Serve Society to Your Utmost Capacity
God will be pleased only when you wor-ship Him with these eight types of flowers Tepriests in temples worship God with various typesof flowers But God does not want these flowersHe says ldquoO priest is this what you have learntall these years You are worshipping Me with lorryloads of roses and jasmines which fade away in ashort time Tese are not the flowers that I expectfrom you Worship Me with the flowers of peacelove non-violence etc which will never faderdquo
Embodiments of Love
People worship God with devotion and sincer-
ity but God is not satisfied with external worship You should serve society Only service can conferbliss on you By rendering service to society notonly can you alleviate the sufferings of the peoplebut you can also bring about transformation intheir lives As is the feeling so is the result If youserve with sacred feelings it is bound to yield sa-cred results Serve society to your utmost capacity You are singing devotional songs in the morningand evening Te satisfaction that you get by par-
ticipating in singing devotional songs is temporary whereas service confers permanent satisfaction
Te Vedas say the objective of actions is to pu-rify the mind Service alone is undertaken to pu-rify the mind oday people waste a lot of time wealth and energy in performing activities that donot foster purity of the mind Tat is why they
are unable to experience peace of mind Te peacethat one gets out of worldly activities comes andgoes like a passing cloud One should aspire forthe true and eternal peace which originates fromthe heart2
References
1 Sathya Sai Speaks Volume 15 Chapter 9 TeFlowers Tat God Loves
2 Sathya Sai Speaks Volume 33 Chapter 12
Flowers Tat Never Fade3 Sanathana Sarathi March 2012 Chapter Hu-
manness Blossoms in a Compassionate Heart
4 Sathya Sai Speaks Volume 15 Chapter 25Te Garden of the Heart
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20
Glossary
AtmaAtmic
Self Soul Embodied Self is jiva (the individ-ual soul) Self with no limitations is Brahman (the Supreme Cosmic Reality)
SatwaSatwic
It is the quality of purity brightness peacegoodness and harmony It leads to knowledge
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L983151983158983141 A983148983148 S983141983154983158983141 A983148983148
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10
Always Be Happy
Whatever trouble you may face you mustlearn to feel happy in any circumstance If you arestung by a scorpion you must console yourselfthat you were not bitten by a snake and when youare bitten by a snake you must console yourselfthat it has not proved fatal Even if you are not ableto own a vehicle be happy that your legs are intactto enable you to walk Even if you are not a mil-lionaire be happy that you have enough resourcesto feed yourself and your family Tis 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 peace-ful and meaningful life You must curb the desireto seek more and more wealth and turn your effortto realise the Reality within In pursuing this ef-fort you must avoid waste of food money timeenergy and knowledge as all these are forms ofGod Unnecessary talk should be avoided as thisresults in waste of energy and reduction of mem-ory power
Sathya Sai Speaks Volume 27Chapter 20 Spiritual Orientation to Education
Peace Can Be Attained Only by Godrsquos
GraceIn the modern world every person tries hard
to attain peace Peace cannot be attained by spiri-tual precepts nor can it be obtained from a mar-ket as a commodity It cannot be acquired even byknowledge of the texts or a high position in lifePeace can be attained only by Godrsquos grace
Tough man is eager to attain peace he con-fronts many obstacles in the path Tose who trav-
el by train may be well acquainted with the sloganldquoLess luggage more comfort makes travel a plea-surerdquo Now man is burdening himself with limit-less desires Because of this extra heavy luggage ofdesires he finds it extremely difficult to carry onthe journey of life By such proliferation of desireshe loses his balance moves far away from his goaland even tends to go mad
It is for this reason that I have been stressingthe need for ceiling on desires By limiting yourdesires you can attain peace to a certain extent You have to exercise a check on your desires andmake efforts to get the grace of the divine
Sathya Sai Speaks Volume 31Chapter 19 Faith Love and Grace
Bad Qualities Are the Result of Your Own
Thoughts
Suppose you get angry From where did thisanger come Tis has come from you only Simi-larly jealousy is a quality that manifested fromyour mind Tus each one of these bad qualities isthe result of your own thoughts Hence if only you
are able to control your thoughts properly you willbe able to achieve anything in life
Ceiling on Desires
9Ceiling on Desires
10
Ceiling on Desires
11Te mind intellect and awareness are the re-
flections of the Atma Te mind has no stabilityIt is the repository of thoughts and desires It issaid ldquoTe mind alone is the cause of bondage orliberationrdquo Hence one has to keep the mind underproper control by putting some ceiling on desires
Sathya Sai Speaks Volume 42
Chapter 1 Know Tyself You Will Know Everything
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12
Cultivate Four Desirable Practices
Te Sai Organisations have been enjoined tocarry out a programme of ceiling on desires Every-one should try to control desires as much as pos-sible Te promotion of human values is anotheritem in the programme Tese human values areinherent in every person All that is needed is foreveryone to manifest them in his daily life ruthrighteousness and peace are all in you
You are the embodiment of truth peace loveand God Recognise this fact Members of SaiOrganisations should cultivate certain desirablepractices For instance they should regulate theirdiet because onersquos food influences onersquos thoughtsSmoking and intoxicating drinks have to be givenup Tey are ruinous for the health Meat eatingshould also be given up because eating animalfood promotes animal tendencies Te fourth evilthat has to be eliminated is gambling
Tose who take to the spiritual path shouldavoid as much as possible these four bad practicesIt is sinful to slaughter poor animals for onersquos foodSai members should follow the motto ldquoHelp everhurt neverrdquo
Tere is no meaning in professing to respecthuman values without observing the rule that youshould cause no harm to others in any form what-soever God loves those who serve others becauseHe is in all of them Whomever you may serveconsider it as service to God Divinise all youractions reat every action you perform as Godrsquos work
Sathya Sai Speaks Volume 28Chapter 34 Spiritual Significance of Loving Service
Ceiling on Desires
13
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Eight Flowers of Worship
Non-violence Control of Senses
Compassion for All Living Beings
Forebearance
Peace
Penance
Meditation
ruth
It is the experience and practice of the citizens of India that they generally wor-ship God with flowers offer ritual adoration and make obeisance to God Butthere is something that is more sacred than this Tere is a distinctive type of
devotion by which you worship God with a good clean mind and good conductTis has been given the name of para bhakthi (supreme devotion) By always wor-shipping God with ritual worship and flowers the spiritual aspirant will remainstationary in his place Tis is good in a way but to remain in one place all thetime and failing to rise to a higher position is not good
Tere is a superior type of worship mdash to worship God through good qualitiesgood conduct good thoughts and good company Te scriptures have describedthis kind of worship as worship through good qualities By offering what kind ofgood qualities can we please God
Eight Flowers of Worship
Te first flower with which we can worship God is non-violence Te second
flower is control of senses Te third flower is compassion Te fourth one is for-bearance Te fifth flower is peace Te sixth flower is penance Te seventh one isthe flower of meditation Te eighth is the flower of truth Te inner meaning ofthis statement is that God will shower grace on you if you worship him throughthese eight flowers
Te flowers in nature always fade drop down lose fragrance and also de-velop an odour that is not pleasant Instead of worshipping with such worldlyflowers which are impermanent and receiving impermanent rewards from God
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we should worship Him with what is truthful andthereby attain a stage that is higher
Te flowers that you are using for worship havenot been created by you You are bringing flowersthat have been created by the Will of God on some
tree or in some garden and are offering them backto the Creator Himself What is the greatness inusing the flowers created by God and giving themback to God Himself Many people bathe in theGanges River take the water from the Ganges intotheir palms and offer it back to the Ganges itselfTis is not what you have created Tis is not whatyou have the right to offer
From the tree of your life picking such fruits
that you have protected and that you have grownin the form of good qualities and offering themto God there is some distinctiveness in that Inorder to promote good qualities you have to un-dergo several troubles So it is through these goodqualities that your mind can also acquire a divineconcentration Without good qualities and with-out good thoughts how can you fix your mind inmeditation1
FIRST FLOWERTe first flower is the flower of non-violence
We regard the word non-violence to mean notcausing harm and hurt to other living things Tetrue meaning of the word is not to cause hurtand harm to any other living being through yourthought word or deed Cleansing and purifyingthese threemdashthought word and deedmdashhas beencalled a Triputi (summit of three) in spiritualparlance All of them should be harmonised and
brought together as one unit of flower1
We find doctors performing surgeries on pa-tients to cure them of their ailments In the processof surgery the doctors cut the body with a knife You cannot call it an act of violence because it isbeneficial to the patient Some people may arguethat even cutting vegetables is an act of violencebecause vegetables and trees have life in them Nodoubt vegetables and trees have life but they do
not have the mind Consequently they do not suf-fer any pain
Only man has got five sheaths namely foodsheath life sheath mind sheath wisdom sheathand bliss sheath One with the mind experiencespain and pleasure Men animals birds and in-sects are endowed with the mind not trees and
vegetables In some trees you find the sap oozingout when you pluck their fruit Oozing of sap froma tree is a natural phenomenon but some peoplemistake it for the tears of suffering Te trees donot suffer any pain because they do not have thefaculty of mind2
SECOND FLOWER
Te second flower is the control of sensoryorgans Our senses run without any control If
running horses or animals are not controlled theypose a danger God has created each organ of thehuman body for a specific purpose It is only when we use these sensory organs along the right pathfor which they have been created that we will beentitled to Godrsquos grace God has given us a nose We should make an attempt to breathe in andbreathe out through the nose and only accept fra-grance through the nose If we use such a nose totake snuff the purpose will become useless In the
same manner He has given us the mouth and atongue in order that we may take in pure food If we use the mouth to take in unholy food or intoxi-cating drinks then we will be using the mouth fora wrong purpose
In the same manner we should understandunder what conditions and in what times and in what manner we should use each of these organsand put them under control Our inner strength
will become less and less on account of excitementor unnecessary sorrow Te body will become ill bymental agitations and distractions Man ages veryquickly through excitement and sorrow Te rea-son for your not preserving this sacred instrumentin sound condition is lack of control over thesesensory organs Te second flower of sensory con-trol should be used for worshipping God1
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Lack of Sense Control Is the Main Cause
of Unrest and Agitation
All spiritual practices will prove futile if onelacks sense control Control of the senses is veryessential for one and all Lack of sense control is
the main cause of all the unrest and agitation thatyou find in the world today How can one controlthe senses First of all one should exercise controlover the tongue
You must control your tongue as it alwayscraves a variety of delicacies You must ask thisquestion ldquoO tongue how many bags of rice wheat and vegetables have you devoured Howmany delicacies have you consumed Fie on you
if you are still not satisfiedrdquo A morsel of food isenough to sustain the body You should eat forthe sake of satisfying your hunger and sustain-ing the body Do not give undue importance totaste Likewise tell your eyes to see God instead of watching unsacred things on television or videoeach your ears to listen to the stories of the Lordinstead of listening to vain gossip
O ears you are interested in listening to vain gos-sip and tales about others but you pay least attentionwhen the wonderful stories of the Lord are narrated
(elugu Song)
Tink for a while how you benefit by listen-ing to unsacred things In fact you are pollutingyour heart in the process All that you see and heargets imprinted on your heart Once your heart ispolluted your life will become meaningless Tehuman heart is like a pen Te colour of the wordsthat 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 besuffused with love God expects you to fill yourheart with love and lead a sacred life2
THIRD FLOWER
Te third flower is compassion for all livingthings Looking merely and superficially at humannature which has diverse aspects we are forgettingGod in this field From the seed of Divinity the
tree of creation has grown On this tree of creationthe fruits are the human beings that are the indi-vidual souls In each of these human fruits there
is Divinity in the form of seed Tat is why in theBhagavad Gita Krishna has said ldquoI am the seed inall the living beingsrdquo Recognising the truth thatGod is present in the form of the Atma in all livingbeings we say compassion for all living beings is
the next flower1
The Story of Abou Ben Adhem
Students might have heard the story of AbouBen Adhem who always offered compassion to- wards all beings as a form of service to the LordEvery day he traveled the streets to serve the desti-tute and the handicapped and returned home latein the night One night when he returned homehe found in his bedroom an angel writing some-
thing When he asked her what she was writingshe replied that she was making a list of those wholoved God She replied in the negative when heasked her if his name was on that list
Te following night when he returned homehe again found the angel writing something Hequeried ldquoMother what is it that you are writingnowrdquo She said ldquoSon I am writing the names ofthose who are dear to Godrdquo He again wanted to
know if his name was on the list She replied thathis name was at the top of this list
Te sum and substance of this story is thatGod is pleased when you serve your fellow humanbeings Te scriptures have prescribed nine pathsof devotion namely listening to the Lordrsquos storiessinging His glories remembrance of the Lordrsquosname service to the Lordrsquos Lotus Feet worshipsalutation servitude friendship and offering one-
self to the Lord ie complete self-surrender Butthe 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 oceanof worldly life
One can redeem onersquos life only through service(Sanskrit Verse)
Abou Ben Adhem became the recipient ofGodrsquos love because he spent all his time in the ser-
vice of his fellow men God loves all for He is theembodiment of love But He will give Himself tothose who show compassion for all beings2
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16
Have Compassion towards All as God
Resides in All
Among all the flowers compassion for all crea-tures is most important Man alone is endowed with this virtue of compassion Tis is the flower
that you should offer to God God is the indwellerof all beings Names and forms may vary but thesame God is present in all Terefore you shouldhave compassion towards all beings with the broadfeeling that God is present in all Only then canyou understand how expansive and fragrant thisquality of compassion for all creatures is
You need not waste your time gathering theflowers that fade away and wither away in no time
Te flower of your heart is eternal ever fresh andever fragrant for which you need not spend evena penny Tat is the real flower One who under-stands the secret of this flower is one of supreme wisdom3
FOURTH FLOWER
Te fourth one is the flower of forbearanceForbearance truly is the highest quality of a humanbeing But in human life because he develops nar-row ideas man wants to live in a constricted placeHe thinks ldquoIrdquo and ldquomy familyrdquo are what mattersothers are all different from ldquomerdquo It is not possiblefor us to develop the flower of forbearance as longas these ideas are in us It is only when we lovethat we can have patience and forbearance Onersquoslove should encompass all living beings Tat willfructify as forbearance
Here is a brief example In our home thereare our children Along with our children there is
also a servant In the house a son may be pilfer-ing something or other and developing bad habitsIn many ways we will try and control that son bybeating scolding and persuading him to return togood ways but we will never take him and handhim over to the police In the same house if theservant steals a small spoon at once we will takehim 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 dayafter day but we hand over a servant immediatelyto the police when he steals even a small thing
Te reason for this is the narrow idea that ldquothis boyis my sonrdquo Because the servant does not belong toyou there is no place for forbearance and patienceSo you see that when you have the broad idea thatldquoeveryone is minerdquo there is room for patience and
forbearance It is only then that our love will alsogrow1
Forbearance Promotes Divine Qualities
Forbearance is identified by the scriptures withtruth righteousness knowledge sacrifice and joy Without forbearance man cannot be happy foreven a moment It promotes divine qualities Itreveals inner Divinity One has to undertake spiri-tual practices to earn it and establish oneself in it
Nourish the idea that God is equally present in allin spite of ridicule from the ignorant and sarcasticcriticism from the blind or even praise from ad-mirers Do not mind them4
Forbearance Is Very Dear to the Lord
Te Pandavas suffered a lot at the hands ofthe Kauravas But never did Dharmaraja lose for-bearance even when Droupadi was being humili-ated by the Kauravas It was the virtue of forbear-ance that protected the Pandavas and made theman ideal for the rest of the world Tis flower offorbearance is very dear to the Lord God will bepleased with you and confer boons on you only when you offer Him the ldquoflowersrdquo which are dearto Him No benefit accrues from offering the flow-ers that fade away and decay Te ever-bloomingflowers of non-violence sense control compassionfor all living beings and forbearance are liked by
God2
FIFTH FLOWER
Te fifth is the flower of peace Tis flower ofpeace should not be interpreted to mean that youshould be silent no matter who is attacking you or who is blaming you It is not that If you are un-moved and unperturbed in spite of anyone findingfaults with you this can be called real peace Ifyou can fill your heart with love then peace willcome into you from outside Trough bad quali-ties to some extent we lose peace With truthfulthoughts a man will have peace With untruthful
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17
thoughts a man will not have peace If you can getrid of all thoughts you will become a saint It isonly when you can be free from all thoughts thatyou can have peace
Your own bad thoughts are responsible for all
your pain and sorrow By good thoughts and bygood ideas you will become a holy man Holyman does not mean one who merely wears an or-ange robe shaves the head and wears holy beadsHe who has good thoughts and good ideas is aholy man A holy man is one who is the embodi-ment of truthful thoughts1
Peace Has Detachment as the Basic
Quality
Peace does not mean that a person should notreact at all whatever others may say or howeverthey may abuse him It does not mean that hemust be silent as a rock It involves mastery of allthe senses and all the passions inner peace mustbecome onersquos nature Peace has detachment as thebasic quality Te sea which likes to gather andpossess lies low the cloud that likes to renounceand give up is high in the sky Peace endows man
with an unruffled mind and steady visionTe prayer for shanthi (peace) is usually repeat-
ed thrice ldquoOm shanthi shanthi shanthihirdquo sincepeace is prayed for in the physical mental andspiritual planes Man should not bring his bloodto boil nor should he yield to fear Spiritual calmis exemplified by Emperor Janaka of the Upani-shadhic texts He was known as vidheha (withoutbody attachment) not because he was disembod-
ied but because he lived in utter forgetfulness ofthe body and its needs He saw heard and spokeonly from the Atmic plane of consciousness4
Bear All Sufferings With Fortitude and
Patience
One should remain peaceful through all thevicissitudes of life Only then can one attain divinegrace Great devotees like Tyagaraja ukaramand Droupadi underwent many hardships Tey
bore all sufferings with patience Tyagaraja saidldquoOne cannot attain happiness without innerpeacerdquo Man needs peace at the physical mental
and spiritual levels Peace is not present in theexternal world It is present within
You are the embodiment of peace In the worldly life there are bound to be many hardshipsbut one should not be perturbed One should bear
all sufferings with fortitude and patience Humanlife is given not merely to enjoy the worldly plea-sures like birds and beasts Life becomes meaning-ful only when one experiences the peace that origi-nates from the heart2
SIXTH FLOWER
Te sixth one is the flower of penance Pen-ance is not to give up your wife and children goto a forest put your head down and feet up that
is not penance When we think of real penance weshould eliminate bad thoughts from our mindsTe co-ordination of thought word and deed ispenance Whatever thoughts sprout in your mindto utter them as word and to put them in practiceas your work that is penance It is in this contextthat it is said ldquoA great soul practises harmony ofthought word and deedrdquo Giving up bad thoughtsin your mind will become a sacrifice Tat sacri-fice will become yoga (spiritual practice leading tounion with God) But giving up onersquos propertyand onersquos wife and going to the forest is not yoga1
Be Even-Minded in Happiness or Sorrow
One should contemplate on God at all timesand achieve harmony of thought word and deedHe is a noble one whose thoughts words anddeeds are in complete harmony Do not be car-ried away by pain or pleasure Te Bhagavad Gita
teaches ldquoOne should be even-minded in happi-ness or sorrow gain or loss victory or defeatrdquo Oneshould discharge onersquos duty and serve society with-out any expectation of reward Such even-minded-ness and desireless state is true penance2
SEVENTH FLOWER
Te seventh flower is the flower of meditationoday meditation is taking many forms Manytypes of meditation that people are adopting todayare against the culture and tradition of India o sitin a lotus posture and to make the kundalini shakti (kundalini power) rise from basal plexus to the cra-
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18
nium is not meditation rue meditation consistsin recognising the presence of God in all types of work God is the indweller of all and is all per-vading o make an attempt in your meditation toconfine 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 marketthe market is your God According to the cultureof 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 TeUpanishads are teaching us ldquoTe work I have todo I regard as God and make obeisance to God
in that formrdquoLet us consider the person who plays the
drums Before he begins to play on them he paysobeisance to the drums Te harmonium player will make obeisance to the harmonium before hestarts A dancer before she begins her dance willmake obeisance to her anklets Even a driver whois going to drive a lifeless car before he holds thesteering wheel makes salutations to the steering wheel You do not have to go so far While driv-ing if the car hits another person immediately wemake salutations to that person Te significanceof all this is the faith and belief that God is presentin all things Tus to regard the entire creation asthe form of God and to perform your duty in thatspirit is meditation1
Contemplate On God at All Times
Meditation does not mean sitting in lotus pos-
ture with eyes closed in contemplation on GodTis is physical worldly activity No doubt this isalso needed but true meditation lies in unifyingthe mind with God Just as milk and water can-not be separated likewise the mind once merged with God cannot be separated An iron ball castin fire will become one with it Likewise your loveshould become one with divine love Tis truthis contained in the Vedic dictum ldquoTe knower ofBrahman becomes Brahman Himselfrdquo
Some people contemplate on God for a lim-ited period in the morning and evening Tis can-
not be called meditation Contemplate on Godat all times at all places and under all circum-stances Perform all tasks with your mind firmlyfixed on God Tat is true meditation Tinking ofGod for a limited period cannot be termed medi-
tation Tat is only part-time devotion Part-timedevotion confers only part-time grace You shouldhave full-time devotion in order to attain full-timegrace2
EIGHTH FLOWER
Te next flower is the flower of truth If yousimply speak what you feel and tell what you havedone this can be called worldly truth mdash state-ment of facts Tis cannot be called truth ruth
is that which does not change at any time Whatyou have seen is truth at that moment At the nextmoment it becomes untruth All material thingsthat you see in this creation are things that willdecay that are bound to change In this transientchanging world how can what you see and whatyou hear become truth ruth is God Tis truth isthe eighth flower Tis truth is the form of Divin-ity In the world we experience truths of a relativenature
Let us take chemistry as an example You takesome chemicals and mix them together Teychange and you get some other chemical If youmix turmeric in lime you get red colour Tis ischemistry Another example is physics If you takea 3-inch needle and put it in fire it will becomea longer needle Tis is the truth of physics Howlong do these truths of chemistry and physics re-main Tese are temporary worldly scientific
truths But spiritual truths are such that they willremain unchanged whatever you may do to them whatever fire you may use on them and howsoeveryou may change the circumstances
So what does not change at all is truth Cru-elty and harshness are predominant in the worldtoday because we are not attempting to promotesuch sacred qualities oday among believersnon-believers and the believing the same kind ofattitude is developing Tat day when we can pro-mote such good qualities in the minds of believersthe non-believers will disappear from this world1
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19
ruth is changeless in all the three periods oftime ie past present and future Everythingmay disappear but truth remains forever So truthis God live in truth2
Win Godrsquos Grace by Worshipping EightFlowers
Worship the Lord and offer Him these flow-ers Now when other flowers are used devotiondoes not last after one comes out of the worshiproom When one crosses that door-step angerhatred and anxiety possess him and degrade him Without developing the qualities indicated by theeight flowers how can anyone win the grace ofGod Engaged in wrong worship on all 364 days
what good do you derive by doing true worship onthe 365th day of the year When you claim to beSai devotees justify the claim by cultivating theseflowers of virtue and offering them to God4
Serve Society to Your Utmost Capacity
God will be pleased only when you wor-ship Him with these eight types of flowers Tepriests in temples worship God with various typesof flowers But God does not want these flowersHe says ldquoO priest is this what you have learntall these years You are worshipping Me with lorryloads of roses and jasmines which fade away in ashort time Tese are not the flowers that I expectfrom you Worship Me with the flowers of peacelove non-violence etc which will never faderdquo
Embodiments of Love
People worship God with devotion and sincer-
ity but God is not satisfied with external worship You should serve society Only service can conferbliss on you By rendering service to society notonly can you alleviate the sufferings of the peoplebut you can also bring about transformation intheir lives As is the feeling so is the result If youserve with sacred feelings it is bound to yield sa-cred results Serve society to your utmost capacity You are singing devotional songs in the morningand evening Te satisfaction that you get by par-
ticipating in singing devotional songs is temporary whereas service confers permanent satisfaction
Te Vedas say the objective of actions is to pu-rify the mind Service alone is undertaken to pu-rify the mind oday people waste a lot of time wealth and energy in performing activities that donot foster purity of the mind Tat is why they
are unable to experience peace of mind Te peacethat one gets out of worldly activities comes andgoes like a passing cloud One should aspire forthe true and eternal peace which originates fromthe heart2
References
1 Sathya Sai Speaks Volume 15 Chapter 9 TeFlowers Tat God Loves
2 Sathya Sai Speaks Volume 33 Chapter 12
Flowers Tat Never Fade3 Sanathana Sarathi March 2012 Chapter Hu-
manness Blossoms in a Compassionate Heart
4 Sathya Sai Speaks Volume 15 Chapter 25Te Garden of the Heart
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20
Glossary
AtmaAtmic
Self Soul Embodied Self is jiva (the individ-ual soul) Self with no limitations is Brahman (the Supreme Cosmic Reality)
SatwaSatwic
It is the quality of purity brightness peacegoodness and harmony It leads to knowledge
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L983151983158983141 A983148983148 S983141983154983158983141 A983148983148
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12
Cultivate Four Desirable Practices
Te Sai Organisations have been enjoined tocarry out a programme of ceiling on desires Every-one should try to control desires as much as pos-sible Te promotion of human values is anotheritem in the programme Tese human values areinherent in every person All that is needed is foreveryone to manifest them in his daily life ruthrighteousness and peace are all in you
You are the embodiment of truth peace loveand God Recognise this fact Members of SaiOrganisations should cultivate certain desirablepractices For instance they should regulate theirdiet because onersquos food influences onersquos thoughtsSmoking and intoxicating drinks have to be givenup Tey are ruinous for the health Meat eatingshould also be given up because eating animalfood promotes animal tendencies Te fourth evilthat has to be eliminated is gambling
Tose who take to the spiritual path shouldavoid as much as possible these four bad practicesIt is sinful to slaughter poor animals for onersquos foodSai members should follow the motto ldquoHelp everhurt neverrdquo
Tere is no meaning in professing to respecthuman values without observing the rule that youshould cause no harm to others in any form what-soever God loves those who serve others becauseHe is in all of them Whomever you may serveconsider it as service to God Divinise all youractions reat every action you perform as Godrsquos work
Sathya Sai Speaks Volume 28Chapter 34 Spiritual Significance of Loving Service
Ceiling on Desires
13
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13
Eight Flowers of Worship
Non-violence Control of Senses
Compassion for All Living Beings
Forebearance
Peace
Penance
Meditation
ruth
It is the experience and practice of the citizens of India that they generally wor-ship God with flowers offer ritual adoration and make obeisance to God Butthere is something that is more sacred than this Tere is a distinctive type of
devotion by which you worship God with a good clean mind and good conductTis has been given the name of para bhakthi (supreme devotion) By always wor-shipping God with ritual worship and flowers the spiritual aspirant will remainstationary in his place Tis is good in a way but to remain in one place all thetime and failing to rise to a higher position is not good
Tere is a superior type of worship mdash to worship God through good qualitiesgood conduct good thoughts and good company Te scriptures have describedthis kind of worship as worship through good qualities By offering what kind ofgood qualities can we please God
Eight Flowers of Worship
Te first flower with which we can worship God is non-violence Te second
flower is control of senses Te third flower is compassion Te fourth one is for-bearance Te fifth flower is peace Te sixth flower is penance Te seventh one isthe flower of meditation Te eighth is the flower of truth Te inner meaning ofthis statement is that God will shower grace on you if you worship him throughthese eight flowers
Te flowers in nature always fade drop down lose fragrance and also de-velop an odour that is not pleasant Instead of worshipping with such worldlyflowers which are impermanent and receiving impermanent rewards from God
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14
we should worship Him with what is truthful andthereby attain a stage that is higher
Te flowers that you are using for worship havenot been created by you You are bringing flowersthat have been created by the Will of God on some
tree or in some garden and are offering them backto the Creator Himself What is the greatness inusing the flowers created by God and giving themback to God Himself Many people bathe in theGanges River take the water from the Ganges intotheir palms and offer it back to the Ganges itselfTis is not what you have created Tis is not whatyou have the right to offer
From the tree of your life picking such fruits
that you have protected and that you have grownin the form of good qualities and offering themto God there is some distinctiveness in that Inorder to promote good qualities you have to un-dergo several troubles So it is through these goodqualities that your mind can also acquire a divineconcentration Without good qualities and with-out good thoughts how can you fix your mind inmeditation1
FIRST FLOWERTe first flower is the flower of non-violence
We regard the word non-violence to mean notcausing harm and hurt to other living things Tetrue meaning of the word is not to cause hurtand harm to any other living being through yourthought word or deed Cleansing and purifyingthese threemdashthought word and deedmdashhas beencalled a Triputi (summit of three) in spiritualparlance All of them should be harmonised and
brought together as one unit of flower1
We find doctors performing surgeries on pa-tients to cure them of their ailments In the processof surgery the doctors cut the body with a knife You cannot call it an act of violence because it isbeneficial to the patient Some people may arguethat even cutting vegetables is an act of violencebecause vegetables and trees have life in them Nodoubt vegetables and trees have life but they do
not have the mind Consequently they do not suf-fer any pain
Only man has got five sheaths namely foodsheath life sheath mind sheath wisdom sheathand bliss sheath One with the mind experiencespain and pleasure Men animals birds and in-sects are endowed with the mind not trees and
vegetables In some trees you find the sap oozingout when you pluck their fruit Oozing of sap froma tree is a natural phenomenon but some peoplemistake it for the tears of suffering Te trees donot suffer any pain because they do not have thefaculty of mind2
SECOND FLOWER
Te second flower is the control of sensoryorgans Our senses run without any control If
running horses or animals are not controlled theypose a danger God has created each organ of thehuman body for a specific purpose It is only when we use these sensory organs along the right pathfor which they have been created that we will beentitled to Godrsquos grace God has given us a nose We should make an attempt to breathe in andbreathe out through the nose and only accept fra-grance through the nose If we use such a nose totake snuff the purpose will become useless In the
same manner He has given us the mouth and atongue in order that we may take in pure food If we use the mouth to take in unholy food or intoxi-cating drinks then we will be using the mouth fora wrong purpose
In the same manner we should understandunder what conditions and in what times and in what manner we should use each of these organsand put them under control Our inner strength
will become less and less on account of excitementor unnecessary sorrow Te body will become ill bymental agitations and distractions Man ages veryquickly through excitement and sorrow Te rea-son for your not preserving this sacred instrumentin sound condition is lack of control over thesesensory organs Te second flower of sensory con-trol should be used for worshipping God1
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15
Lack of Sense Control Is the Main Cause
of Unrest and Agitation
All spiritual practices will prove futile if onelacks sense control Control of the senses is veryessential for one and all Lack of sense control is
the main cause of all the unrest and agitation thatyou find in the world today How can one controlthe senses First of all one should exercise controlover the tongue
You must control your tongue as it alwayscraves a variety of delicacies You must ask thisquestion ldquoO tongue how many bags of rice wheat and vegetables have you devoured Howmany delicacies have you consumed Fie on you
if you are still not satisfiedrdquo A morsel of food isenough to sustain the body You should eat forthe sake of satisfying your hunger and sustain-ing the body Do not give undue importance totaste Likewise tell your eyes to see God instead of watching unsacred things on television or videoeach your ears to listen to the stories of the Lordinstead of listening to vain gossip
O ears you are interested in listening to vain gos-sip and tales about others but you pay least attentionwhen the wonderful stories of the Lord are narrated
(elugu Song)
Tink for a while how you benefit by listen-ing to unsacred things In fact you are pollutingyour heart in the process All that you see and heargets imprinted on your heart Once your heart ispolluted your life will become meaningless Tehuman heart is like a pen Te colour of the wordsthat 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 besuffused with love God expects you to fill yourheart with love and lead a sacred life2
THIRD FLOWER
Te third flower is compassion for all livingthings Looking merely and superficially at humannature which has diverse aspects we are forgettingGod in this field From the seed of Divinity the
tree of creation has grown On this tree of creationthe fruits are the human beings that are the indi-vidual souls In each of these human fruits there
is Divinity in the form of seed Tat is why in theBhagavad Gita Krishna has said ldquoI am the seed inall the living beingsrdquo Recognising the truth thatGod is present in the form of the Atma in all livingbeings we say compassion for all living beings is
the next flower1
The Story of Abou Ben Adhem
Students might have heard the story of AbouBen Adhem who always offered compassion to- wards all beings as a form of service to the LordEvery day he traveled the streets to serve the desti-tute and the handicapped and returned home latein the night One night when he returned homehe found in his bedroom an angel writing some-
thing When he asked her what she was writingshe replied that she was making a list of those wholoved God She replied in the negative when heasked her if his name was on that list
Te following night when he returned homehe again found the angel writing something Hequeried ldquoMother what is it that you are writingnowrdquo She said ldquoSon I am writing the names ofthose who are dear to Godrdquo He again wanted to
know if his name was on the list She replied thathis name was at the top of this list
Te sum and substance of this story is thatGod is pleased when you serve your fellow humanbeings Te scriptures have prescribed nine pathsof devotion namely listening to the Lordrsquos storiessinging His glories remembrance of the Lordrsquosname service to the Lordrsquos Lotus Feet worshipsalutation servitude friendship and offering one-
self to the Lord ie complete self-surrender Butthe 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 oceanof worldly life
One can redeem onersquos life only through service(Sanskrit Verse)
Abou Ben Adhem became the recipient ofGodrsquos love because he spent all his time in the ser-
vice of his fellow men God loves all for He is theembodiment of love But He will give Himself tothose who show compassion for all beings2
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16
Have Compassion towards All as God
Resides in All
Among all the flowers compassion for all crea-tures is most important Man alone is endowed with this virtue of compassion Tis is the flower
that you should offer to God God is the indwellerof all beings Names and forms may vary but thesame God is present in all Terefore you shouldhave compassion towards all beings with the broadfeeling that God is present in all Only then canyou understand how expansive and fragrant thisquality of compassion for all creatures is
You need not waste your time gathering theflowers that fade away and wither away in no time
Te flower of your heart is eternal ever fresh andever fragrant for which you need not spend evena penny Tat is the real flower One who under-stands the secret of this flower is one of supreme wisdom3
FOURTH FLOWER
Te fourth one is the flower of forbearanceForbearance truly is the highest quality of a humanbeing But in human life because he develops nar-row ideas man wants to live in a constricted placeHe thinks ldquoIrdquo and ldquomy familyrdquo are what mattersothers are all different from ldquomerdquo It is not possiblefor us to develop the flower of forbearance as longas these ideas are in us It is only when we lovethat we can have patience and forbearance Onersquoslove should encompass all living beings Tat willfructify as forbearance
Here is a brief example In our home thereare our children Along with our children there is
also a servant In the house a son may be pilfer-ing something or other and developing bad habitsIn many ways we will try and control that son bybeating scolding and persuading him to return togood ways but we will never take him and handhim over to the police In the same house if theservant steals a small spoon at once we will takehim 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 dayafter day but we hand over a servant immediatelyto the police when he steals even a small thing
Te reason for this is the narrow idea that ldquothis boyis my sonrdquo Because the servant does not belong toyou there is no place for forbearance and patienceSo you see that when you have the broad idea thatldquoeveryone is minerdquo there is room for patience and
forbearance It is only then that our love will alsogrow1
Forbearance Promotes Divine Qualities
Forbearance is identified by the scriptures withtruth righteousness knowledge sacrifice and joy Without forbearance man cannot be happy foreven a moment It promotes divine qualities Itreveals inner Divinity One has to undertake spiri-tual practices to earn it and establish oneself in it
Nourish the idea that God is equally present in allin spite of ridicule from the ignorant and sarcasticcriticism from the blind or even praise from ad-mirers Do not mind them4
Forbearance Is Very Dear to the Lord
Te Pandavas suffered a lot at the hands ofthe Kauravas But never did Dharmaraja lose for-bearance even when Droupadi was being humili-ated by the Kauravas It was the virtue of forbear-ance that protected the Pandavas and made theman ideal for the rest of the world Tis flower offorbearance is very dear to the Lord God will bepleased with you and confer boons on you only when you offer Him the ldquoflowersrdquo which are dearto Him No benefit accrues from offering the flow-ers that fade away and decay Te ever-bloomingflowers of non-violence sense control compassionfor all living beings and forbearance are liked by
God2
FIFTH FLOWER
Te fifth is the flower of peace Tis flower ofpeace should not be interpreted to mean that youshould be silent no matter who is attacking you or who is blaming you It is not that If you are un-moved and unperturbed in spite of anyone findingfaults with you this can be called real peace Ifyou can fill your heart with love then peace willcome into you from outside Trough bad quali-ties to some extent we lose peace With truthfulthoughts a man will have peace With untruthful
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thoughts a man will not have peace If you can getrid of all thoughts you will become a saint It isonly when you can be free from all thoughts thatyou can have peace
Your own bad thoughts are responsible for all
your pain and sorrow By good thoughts and bygood ideas you will become a holy man Holyman does not mean one who merely wears an or-ange robe shaves the head and wears holy beadsHe who has good thoughts and good ideas is aholy man A holy man is one who is the embodi-ment of truthful thoughts1
Peace Has Detachment as the Basic
Quality
Peace does not mean that a person should notreact at all whatever others may say or howeverthey may abuse him It does not mean that hemust be silent as a rock It involves mastery of allthe senses and all the passions inner peace mustbecome onersquos nature Peace has detachment as thebasic quality Te sea which likes to gather andpossess lies low the cloud that likes to renounceand give up is high in the sky Peace endows man
with an unruffled mind and steady visionTe prayer for shanthi (peace) is usually repeat-
ed thrice ldquoOm shanthi shanthi shanthihirdquo sincepeace is prayed for in the physical mental andspiritual planes Man should not bring his bloodto boil nor should he yield to fear Spiritual calmis exemplified by Emperor Janaka of the Upani-shadhic texts He was known as vidheha (withoutbody attachment) not because he was disembod-
ied but because he lived in utter forgetfulness ofthe body and its needs He saw heard and spokeonly from the Atmic plane of consciousness4
Bear All Sufferings With Fortitude and
Patience
One should remain peaceful through all thevicissitudes of life Only then can one attain divinegrace Great devotees like Tyagaraja ukaramand Droupadi underwent many hardships Tey
bore all sufferings with patience Tyagaraja saidldquoOne cannot attain happiness without innerpeacerdquo Man needs peace at the physical mental
and spiritual levels Peace is not present in theexternal world It is present within
You are the embodiment of peace In the worldly life there are bound to be many hardshipsbut one should not be perturbed One should bear
all sufferings with fortitude and patience Humanlife is given not merely to enjoy the worldly plea-sures like birds and beasts Life becomes meaning-ful only when one experiences the peace that origi-nates from the heart2
SIXTH FLOWER
Te sixth one is the flower of penance Pen-ance is not to give up your wife and children goto a forest put your head down and feet up that
is not penance When we think of real penance weshould eliminate bad thoughts from our mindsTe co-ordination of thought word and deed ispenance Whatever thoughts sprout in your mindto utter them as word and to put them in practiceas your work that is penance It is in this contextthat it is said ldquoA great soul practises harmony ofthought word and deedrdquo Giving up bad thoughtsin your mind will become a sacrifice Tat sacri-fice will become yoga (spiritual practice leading tounion with God) But giving up onersquos propertyand onersquos wife and going to the forest is not yoga1
Be Even-Minded in Happiness or Sorrow
One should contemplate on God at all timesand achieve harmony of thought word and deedHe is a noble one whose thoughts words anddeeds are in complete harmony Do not be car-ried away by pain or pleasure Te Bhagavad Gita
teaches ldquoOne should be even-minded in happi-ness or sorrow gain or loss victory or defeatrdquo Oneshould discharge onersquos duty and serve society with-out any expectation of reward Such even-minded-ness and desireless state is true penance2
SEVENTH FLOWER
Te seventh flower is the flower of meditationoday meditation is taking many forms Manytypes of meditation that people are adopting todayare against the culture and tradition of India o sitin a lotus posture and to make the kundalini shakti (kundalini power) rise from basal plexus to the cra-
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18
nium is not meditation rue meditation consistsin recognising the presence of God in all types of work God is the indweller of all and is all per-vading o make an attempt in your meditation toconfine 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 marketthe market is your God According to the cultureof 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 TeUpanishads are teaching us ldquoTe work I have todo I regard as God and make obeisance to God
in that formrdquoLet us consider the person who plays the
drums Before he begins to play on them he paysobeisance to the drums Te harmonium player will make obeisance to the harmonium before hestarts A dancer before she begins her dance willmake obeisance to her anklets Even a driver whois going to drive a lifeless car before he holds thesteering wheel makes salutations to the steering wheel You do not have to go so far While driv-ing if the car hits another person immediately wemake salutations to that person Te significanceof all this is the faith and belief that God is presentin all things Tus to regard the entire creation asthe form of God and to perform your duty in thatspirit is meditation1
Contemplate On God at All Times
Meditation does not mean sitting in lotus pos-
ture with eyes closed in contemplation on GodTis is physical worldly activity No doubt this isalso needed but true meditation lies in unifyingthe mind with God Just as milk and water can-not be separated likewise the mind once merged with God cannot be separated An iron ball castin fire will become one with it Likewise your loveshould become one with divine love Tis truthis contained in the Vedic dictum ldquoTe knower ofBrahman becomes Brahman Himselfrdquo
Some people contemplate on God for a lim-ited period in the morning and evening Tis can-
not be called meditation Contemplate on Godat all times at all places and under all circum-stances Perform all tasks with your mind firmlyfixed on God Tat is true meditation Tinking ofGod for a limited period cannot be termed medi-
tation Tat is only part-time devotion Part-timedevotion confers only part-time grace You shouldhave full-time devotion in order to attain full-timegrace2
EIGHTH FLOWER
Te next flower is the flower of truth If yousimply speak what you feel and tell what you havedone this can be called worldly truth mdash state-ment of facts Tis cannot be called truth ruth
is that which does not change at any time Whatyou have seen is truth at that moment At the nextmoment it becomes untruth All material thingsthat you see in this creation are things that willdecay that are bound to change In this transientchanging world how can what you see and whatyou hear become truth ruth is God Tis truth isthe eighth flower Tis truth is the form of Divin-ity In the world we experience truths of a relativenature
Let us take chemistry as an example You takesome chemicals and mix them together Teychange and you get some other chemical If youmix turmeric in lime you get red colour Tis ischemistry Another example is physics If you takea 3-inch needle and put it in fire it will becomea longer needle Tis is the truth of physics Howlong do these truths of chemistry and physics re-main Tese are temporary worldly scientific
truths But spiritual truths are such that they willremain unchanged whatever you may do to them whatever fire you may use on them and howsoeveryou may change the circumstances
So what does not change at all is truth Cru-elty and harshness are predominant in the worldtoday because we are not attempting to promotesuch sacred qualities oday among believersnon-believers and the believing the same kind ofattitude is developing Tat day when we can pro-mote such good qualities in the minds of believersthe non-believers will disappear from this world1
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19
ruth is changeless in all the three periods oftime ie past present and future Everythingmay disappear but truth remains forever So truthis God live in truth2
Win Godrsquos Grace by Worshipping EightFlowers
Worship the Lord and offer Him these flow-ers Now when other flowers are used devotiondoes not last after one comes out of the worshiproom When one crosses that door-step angerhatred and anxiety possess him and degrade him Without developing the qualities indicated by theeight flowers how can anyone win the grace ofGod Engaged in wrong worship on all 364 days
what good do you derive by doing true worship onthe 365th day of the year When you claim to beSai devotees justify the claim by cultivating theseflowers of virtue and offering them to God4
Serve Society to Your Utmost Capacity
God will be pleased only when you wor-ship Him with these eight types of flowers Tepriests in temples worship God with various typesof flowers But God does not want these flowersHe says ldquoO priest is this what you have learntall these years You are worshipping Me with lorryloads of roses and jasmines which fade away in ashort time Tese are not the flowers that I expectfrom you Worship Me with the flowers of peacelove non-violence etc which will never faderdquo
Embodiments of Love
People worship God with devotion and sincer-
ity but God is not satisfied with external worship You should serve society Only service can conferbliss on you By rendering service to society notonly can you alleviate the sufferings of the peoplebut you can also bring about transformation intheir lives As is the feeling so is the result If youserve with sacred feelings it is bound to yield sa-cred results Serve society to your utmost capacity You are singing devotional songs in the morningand evening Te satisfaction that you get by par-
ticipating in singing devotional songs is temporary whereas service confers permanent satisfaction
Te Vedas say the objective of actions is to pu-rify the mind Service alone is undertaken to pu-rify the mind oday people waste a lot of time wealth and energy in performing activities that donot foster purity of the mind Tat is why they
are unable to experience peace of mind Te peacethat one gets out of worldly activities comes andgoes like a passing cloud One should aspire forthe true and eternal peace which originates fromthe heart2
References
1 Sathya Sai Speaks Volume 15 Chapter 9 TeFlowers Tat God Loves
2 Sathya Sai Speaks Volume 33 Chapter 12
Flowers Tat Never Fade3 Sanathana Sarathi March 2012 Chapter Hu-
manness Blossoms in a Compassionate Heart
4 Sathya Sai Speaks Volume 15 Chapter 25Te Garden of the Heart
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20
Glossary
AtmaAtmic
Self Soul Embodied Self is jiva (the individ-ual soul) Self with no limitations is Brahman (the Supreme Cosmic Reality)
SatwaSatwic
It is the quality of purity brightness peacegoodness and harmony It leads to knowledge
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L983151983158983141 A983148983148 S983141983154983158983141 A983148983148
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12
Cultivate Four Desirable Practices
Te Sai Organisations have been enjoined tocarry out a programme of ceiling on desires Every-one should try to control desires as much as pos-sible Te promotion of human values is anotheritem in the programme Tese human values areinherent in every person All that is needed is foreveryone to manifest them in his daily life ruthrighteousness and peace are all in you
You are the embodiment of truth peace loveand God Recognise this fact Members of SaiOrganisations should cultivate certain desirablepractices For instance they should regulate theirdiet because onersquos food influences onersquos thoughtsSmoking and intoxicating drinks have to be givenup Tey are ruinous for the health Meat eatingshould also be given up because eating animalfood promotes animal tendencies Te fourth evilthat has to be eliminated is gambling
Tose who take to the spiritual path shouldavoid as much as possible these four bad practicesIt is sinful to slaughter poor animals for onersquos foodSai members should follow the motto ldquoHelp everhurt neverrdquo
Tere is no meaning in professing to respecthuman values without observing the rule that youshould cause no harm to others in any form what-soever God loves those who serve others becauseHe is in all of them Whomever you may serveconsider it as service to God Divinise all youractions reat every action you perform as Godrsquos work
Sathya Sai Speaks Volume 28Chapter 34 Spiritual Significance of Loving Service
Ceiling on Desires
13
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13
Eight Flowers of Worship
Non-violence Control of Senses
Compassion for All Living Beings
Forebearance
Peace
Penance
Meditation
ruth
It is the experience and practice of the citizens of India that they generally wor-ship God with flowers offer ritual adoration and make obeisance to God Butthere is something that is more sacred than this Tere is a distinctive type of
devotion by which you worship God with a good clean mind and good conductTis has been given the name of para bhakthi (supreme devotion) By always wor-shipping God with ritual worship and flowers the spiritual aspirant will remainstationary in his place Tis is good in a way but to remain in one place all thetime and failing to rise to a higher position is not good
Tere is a superior type of worship mdash to worship God through good qualitiesgood conduct good thoughts and good company Te scriptures have describedthis kind of worship as worship through good qualities By offering what kind ofgood qualities can we please God
Eight Flowers of Worship
Te first flower with which we can worship God is non-violence Te second
flower is control of senses Te third flower is compassion Te fourth one is for-bearance Te fifth flower is peace Te sixth flower is penance Te seventh one isthe flower of meditation Te eighth is the flower of truth Te inner meaning ofthis statement is that God will shower grace on you if you worship him throughthese eight flowers
Te flowers in nature always fade drop down lose fragrance and also de-velop an odour that is not pleasant Instead of worshipping with such worldlyflowers which are impermanent and receiving impermanent rewards from God
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14
we should worship Him with what is truthful andthereby attain a stage that is higher
Te flowers that you are using for worship havenot been created by you You are bringing flowersthat have been created by the Will of God on some
tree or in some garden and are offering them backto the Creator Himself What is the greatness inusing the flowers created by God and giving themback to God Himself Many people bathe in theGanges River take the water from the Ganges intotheir palms and offer it back to the Ganges itselfTis is not what you have created Tis is not whatyou have the right to offer
From the tree of your life picking such fruits
that you have protected and that you have grownin the form of good qualities and offering themto God there is some distinctiveness in that Inorder to promote good qualities you have to un-dergo several troubles So it is through these goodqualities that your mind can also acquire a divineconcentration Without good qualities and with-out good thoughts how can you fix your mind inmeditation1
FIRST FLOWERTe first flower is the flower of non-violence
We regard the word non-violence to mean notcausing harm and hurt to other living things Tetrue meaning of the word is not to cause hurtand harm to any other living being through yourthought word or deed Cleansing and purifyingthese threemdashthought word and deedmdashhas beencalled a Triputi (summit of three) in spiritualparlance All of them should be harmonised and
brought together as one unit of flower1
We find doctors performing surgeries on pa-tients to cure them of their ailments In the processof surgery the doctors cut the body with a knife You cannot call it an act of violence because it isbeneficial to the patient Some people may arguethat even cutting vegetables is an act of violencebecause vegetables and trees have life in them Nodoubt vegetables and trees have life but they do
not have the mind Consequently they do not suf-fer any pain
Only man has got five sheaths namely foodsheath life sheath mind sheath wisdom sheathand bliss sheath One with the mind experiencespain and pleasure Men animals birds and in-sects are endowed with the mind not trees and
vegetables In some trees you find the sap oozingout when you pluck their fruit Oozing of sap froma tree is a natural phenomenon but some peoplemistake it for the tears of suffering Te trees donot suffer any pain because they do not have thefaculty of mind2
SECOND FLOWER
Te second flower is the control of sensoryorgans Our senses run without any control If
running horses or animals are not controlled theypose a danger God has created each organ of thehuman body for a specific purpose It is only when we use these sensory organs along the right pathfor which they have been created that we will beentitled to Godrsquos grace God has given us a nose We should make an attempt to breathe in andbreathe out through the nose and only accept fra-grance through the nose If we use such a nose totake snuff the purpose will become useless In the
same manner He has given us the mouth and atongue in order that we may take in pure food If we use the mouth to take in unholy food or intoxi-cating drinks then we will be using the mouth fora wrong purpose
In the same manner we should understandunder what conditions and in what times and in what manner we should use each of these organsand put them under control Our inner strength
will become less and less on account of excitementor unnecessary sorrow Te body will become ill bymental agitations and distractions Man ages veryquickly through excitement and sorrow Te rea-son for your not preserving this sacred instrumentin sound condition is lack of control over thesesensory organs Te second flower of sensory con-trol should be used for worshipping God1
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15
Lack of Sense Control Is the Main Cause
of Unrest and Agitation
All spiritual practices will prove futile if onelacks sense control Control of the senses is veryessential for one and all Lack of sense control is
the main cause of all the unrest and agitation thatyou find in the world today How can one controlthe senses First of all one should exercise controlover the tongue
You must control your tongue as it alwayscraves a variety of delicacies You must ask thisquestion ldquoO tongue how many bags of rice wheat and vegetables have you devoured Howmany delicacies have you consumed Fie on you
if you are still not satisfiedrdquo A morsel of food isenough to sustain the body You should eat forthe sake of satisfying your hunger and sustain-ing the body Do not give undue importance totaste Likewise tell your eyes to see God instead of watching unsacred things on television or videoeach your ears to listen to the stories of the Lordinstead of listening to vain gossip
O ears you are interested in listening to vain gos-sip and tales about others but you pay least attentionwhen the wonderful stories of the Lord are narrated
(elugu Song)
Tink for a while how you benefit by listen-ing to unsacred things In fact you are pollutingyour heart in the process All that you see and heargets imprinted on your heart Once your heart ispolluted your life will become meaningless Tehuman heart is like a pen Te colour of the wordsthat 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 besuffused with love God expects you to fill yourheart with love and lead a sacred life2
THIRD FLOWER
Te third flower is compassion for all livingthings Looking merely and superficially at humannature which has diverse aspects we are forgettingGod in this field From the seed of Divinity the
tree of creation has grown On this tree of creationthe fruits are the human beings that are the indi-vidual souls In each of these human fruits there
is Divinity in the form of seed Tat is why in theBhagavad Gita Krishna has said ldquoI am the seed inall the living beingsrdquo Recognising the truth thatGod is present in the form of the Atma in all livingbeings we say compassion for all living beings is
the next flower1
The Story of Abou Ben Adhem
Students might have heard the story of AbouBen Adhem who always offered compassion to- wards all beings as a form of service to the LordEvery day he traveled the streets to serve the desti-tute and the handicapped and returned home latein the night One night when he returned homehe found in his bedroom an angel writing some-
thing When he asked her what she was writingshe replied that she was making a list of those wholoved God She replied in the negative when heasked her if his name was on that list
Te following night when he returned homehe again found the angel writing something Hequeried ldquoMother what is it that you are writingnowrdquo She said ldquoSon I am writing the names ofthose who are dear to Godrdquo He again wanted to
know if his name was on the list She replied thathis name was at the top of this list
Te sum and substance of this story is thatGod is pleased when you serve your fellow humanbeings Te scriptures have prescribed nine pathsof devotion namely listening to the Lordrsquos storiessinging His glories remembrance of the Lordrsquosname service to the Lordrsquos Lotus Feet worshipsalutation servitude friendship and offering one-
self to the Lord ie complete self-surrender Butthe 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 oceanof worldly life
One can redeem onersquos life only through service(Sanskrit Verse)
Abou Ben Adhem became the recipient ofGodrsquos love because he spent all his time in the ser-
vice of his fellow men God loves all for He is theembodiment of love But He will give Himself tothose who show compassion for all beings2
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Have Compassion towards All as God
Resides in All
Among all the flowers compassion for all crea-tures is most important Man alone is endowed with this virtue of compassion Tis is the flower
that you should offer to God God is the indwellerof all beings Names and forms may vary but thesame God is present in all Terefore you shouldhave compassion towards all beings with the broadfeeling that God is present in all Only then canyou understand how expansive and fragrant thisquality of compassion for all creatures is
You need not waste your time gathering theflowers that fade away and wither away in no time
Te flower of your heart is eternal ever fresh andever fragrant for which you need not spend evena penny Tat is the real flower One who under-stands the secret of this flower is one of supreme wisdom3
FOURTH FLOWER
Te fourth one is the flower of forbearanceForbearance truly is the highest quality of a humanbeing But in human life because he develops nar-row ideas man wants to live in a constricted placeHe thinks ldquoIrdquo and ldquomy familyrdquo are what mattersothers are all different from ldquomerdquo It is not possiblefor us to develop the flower of forbearance as longas these ideas are in us It is only when we lovethat we can have patience and forbearance Onersquoslove should encompass all living beings Tat willfructify as forbearance
Here is a brief example In our home thereare our children Along with our children there is
also a servant In the house a son may be pilfer-ing something or other and developing bad habitsIn many ways we will try and control that son bybeating scolding and persuading him to return togood ways but we will never take him and handhim over to the police In the same house if theservant steals a small spoon at once we will takehim 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 dayafter day but we hand over a servant immediatelyto the police when he steals even a small thing
Te reason for this is the narrow idea that ldquothis boyis my sonrdquo Because the servant does not belong toyou there is no place for forbearance and patienceSo you see that when you have the broad idea thatldquoeveryone is minerdquo there is room for patience and
forbearance It is only then that our love will alsogrow1
Forbearance Promotes Divine Qualities
Forbearance is identified by the scriptures withtruth righteousness knowledge sacrifice and joy Without forbearance man cannot be happy foreven a moment It promotes divine qualities Itreveals inner Divinity One has to undertake spiri-tual practices to earn it and establish oneself in it
Nourish the idea that God is equally present in allin spite of ridicule from the ignorant and sarcasticcriticism from the blind or even praise from ad-mirers Do not mind them4
Forbearance Is Very Dear to the Lord
Te Pandavas suffered a lot at the hands ofthe Kauravas But never did Dharmaraja lose for-bearance even when Droupadi was being humili-ated by the Kauravas It was the virtue of forbear-ance that protected the Pandavas and made theman ideal for the rest of the world Tis flower offorbearance is very dear to the Lord God will bepleased with you and confer boons on you only when you offer Him the ldquoflowersrdquo which are dearto Him No benefit accrues from offering the flow-ers that fade away and decay Te ever-bloomingflowers of non-violence sense control compassionfor all living beings and forbearance are liked by
God2
FIFTH FLOWER
Te fifth is the flower of peace Tis flower ofpeace should not be interpreted to mean that youshould be silent no matter who is attacking you or who is blaming you It is not that If you are un-moved and unperturbed in spite of anyone findingfaults with you this can be called real peace Ifyou can fill your heart with love then peace willcome into you from outside Trough bad quali-ties to some extent we lose peace With truthfulthoughts a man will have peace With untruthful
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17
thoughts a man will not have peace If you can getrid of all thoughts you will become a saint It isonly when you can be free from all thoughts thatyou can have peace
Your own bad thoughts are responsible for all
your pain and sorrow By good thoughts and bygood ideas you will become a holy man Holyman does not mean one who merely wears an or-ange robe shaves the head and wears holy beadsHe who has good thoughts and good ideas is aholy man A holy man is one who is the embodi-ment of truthful thoughts1
Peace Has Detachment as the Basic
Quality
Peace does not mean that a person should notreact at all whatever others may say or howeverthey may abuse him It does not mean that hemust be silent as a rock It involves mastery of allthe senses and all the passions inner peace mustbecome onersquos nature Peace has detachment as thebasic quality Te sea which likes to gather andpossess lies low the cloud that likes to renounceand give up is high in the sky Peace endows man
with an unruffled mind and steady visionTe prayer for shanthi (peace) is usually repeat-
ed thrice ldquoOm shanthi shanthi shanthihirdquo sincepeace is prayed for in the physical mental andspiritual planes Man should not bring his bloodto boil nor should he yield to fear Spiritual calmis exemplified by Emperor Janaka of the Upani-shadhic texts He was known as vidheha (withoutbody attachment) not because he was disembod-
ied but because he lived in utter forgetfulness ofthe body and its needs He saw heard and spokeonly from the Atmic plane of consciousness4
Bear All Sufferings With Fortitude and
Patience
One should remain peaceful through all thevicissitudes of life Only then can one attain divinegrace Great devotees like Tyagaraja ukaramand Droupadi underwent many hardships Tey
bore all sufferings with patience Tyagaraja saidldquoOne cannot attain happiness without innerpeacerdquo Man needs peace at the physical mental
and spiritual levels Peace is not present in theexternal world It is present within
You are the embodiment of peace In the worldly life there are bound to be many hardshipsbut one should not be perturbed One should bear
all sufferings with fortitude and patience Humanlife is given not merely to enjoy the worldly plea-sures like birds and beasts Life becomes meaning-ful only when one experiences the peace that origi-nates from the heart2
SIXTH FLOWER
Te sixth one is the flower of penance Pen-ance is not to give up your wife and children goto a forest put your head down and feet up that
is not penance When we think of real penance weshould eliminate bad thoughts from our mindsTe co-ordination of thought word and deed ispenance Whatever thoughts sprout in your mindto utter them as word and to put them in practiceas your work that is penance It is in this contextthat it is said ldquoA great soul practises harmony ofthought word and deedrdquo Giving up bad thoughtsin your mind will become a sacrifice Tat sacri-fice will become yoga (spiritual practice leading tounion with God) But giving up onersquos propertyand onersquos wife and going to the forest is not yoga1
Be Even-Minded in Happiness or Sorrow
One should contemplate on God at all timesand achieve harmony of thought word and deedHe is a noble one whose thoughts words anddeeds are in complete harmony Do not be car-ried away by pain or pleasure Te Bhagavad Gita
teaches ldquoOne should be even-minded in happi-ness or sorrow gain or loss victory or defeatrdquo Oneshould discharge onersquos duty and serve society with-out any expectation of reward Such even-minded-ness and desireless state is true penance2
SEVENTH FLOWER
Te seventh flower is the flower of meditationoday meditation is taking many forms Manytypes of meditation that people are adopting todayare against the culture and tradition of India o sitin a lotus posture and to make the kundalini shakti (kundalini power) rise from basal plexus to the cra-
8132019 Teachings of Sri Sathya Sai Baba - Vol 1
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18
nium is not meditation rue meditation consistsin recognising the presence of God in all types of work God is the indweller of all and is all per-vading o make an attempt in your meditation toconfine 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 marketthe market is your God According to the cultureof 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 TeUpanishads are teaching us ldquoTe work I have todo I regard as God and make obeisance to God
in that formrdquoLet us consider the person who plays the
drums Before he begins to play on them he paysobeisance to the drums Te harmonium player will make obeisance to the harmonium before hestarts A dancer before she begins her dance willmake obeisance to her anklets Even a driver whois going to drive a lifeless car before he holds thesteering wheel makes salutations to the steering wheel You do not have to go so far While driv-ing if the car hits another person immediately wemake salutations to that person Te significanceof all this is the faith and belief that God is presentin all things Tus to regard the entire creation asthe form of God and to perform your duty in thatspirit is meditation1
Contemplate On God at All Times
Meditation does not mean sitting in lotus pos-
ture with eyes closed in contemplation on GodTis is physical worldly activity No doubt this isalso needed but true meditation lies in unifyingthe mind with God Just as milk and water can-not be separated likewise the mind once merged with God cannot be separated An iron ball castin fire will become one with it Likewise your loveshould become one with divine love Tis truthis contained in the Vedic dictum ldquoTe knower ofBrahman becomes Brahman Himselfrdquo
Some people contemplate on God for a lim-ited period in the morning and evening Tis can-
not be called meditation Contemplate on Godat all times at all places and under all circum-stances Perform all tasks with your mind firmlyfixed on God Tat is true meditation Tinking ofGod for a limited period cannot be termed medi-
tation Tat is only part-time devotion Part-timedevotion confers only part-time grace You shouldhave full-time devotion in order to attain full-timegrace2
EIGHTH FLOWER
Te next flower is the flower of truth If yousimply speak what you feel and tell what you havedone this can be called worldly truth mdash state-ment of facts Tis cannot be called truth ruth
is that which does not change at any time Whatyou have seen is truth at that moment At the nextmoment it becomes untruth All material thingsthat you see in this creation are things that willdecay that are bound to change In this transientchanging world how can what you see and whatyou hear become truth ruth is God Tis truth isthe eighth flower Tis truth is the form of Divin-ity In the world we experience truths of a relativenature
Let us take chemistry as an example You takesome chemicals and mix them together Teychange and you get some other chemical If youmix turmeric in lime you get red colour Tis ischemistry Another example is physics If you takea 3-inch needle and put it in fire it will becomea longer needle Tis is the truth of physics Howlong do these truths of chemistry and physics re-main Tese are temporary worldly scientific
truths But spiritual truths are such that they willremain unchanged whatever you may do to them whatever fire you may use on them and howsoeveryou may change the circumstances
So what does not change at all is truth Cru-elty and harshness are predominant in the worldtoday because we are not attempting to promotesuch sacred qualities oday among believersnon-believers and the believing the same kind ofattitude is developing Tat day when we can pro-mote such good qualities in the minds of believersthe non-believers will disappear from this world1
8132019 Teachings of Sri Sathya Sai Baba - Vol 1
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19
ruth is changeless in all the three periods oftime ie past present and future Everythingmay disappear but truth remains forever So truthis God live in truth2
Win Godrsquos Grace by Worshipping EightFlowers
Worship the Lord and offer Him these flow-ers Now when other flowers are used devotiondoes not last after one comes out of the worshiproom When one crosses that door-step angerhatred and anxiety possess him and degrade him Without developing the qualities indicated by theeight flowers how can anyone win the grace ofGod Engaged in wrong worship on all 364 days
what good do you derive by doing true worship onthe 365th day of the year When you claim to beSai devotees justify the claim by cultivating theseflowers of virtue and offering them to God4
Serve Society to Your Utmost Capacity
God will be pleased only when you wor-ship Him with these eight types of flowers Tepriests in temples worship God with various typesof flowers But God does not want these flowersHe says ldquoO priest is this what you have learntall these years You are worshipping Me with lorryloads of roses and jasmines which fade away in ashort time Tese are not the flowers that I expectfrom you Worship Me with the flowers of peacelove non-violence etc which will never faderdquo
Embodiments of Love
People worship God with devotion and sincer-
ity but God is not satisfied with external worship You should serve society Only service can conferbliss on you By rendering service to society notonly can you alleviate the sufferings of the peoplebut you can also bring about transformation intheir lives As is the feeling so is the result If youserve with sacred feelings it is bound to yield sa-cred results Serve society to your utmost capacity You are singing devotional songs in the morningand evening Te satisfaction that you get by par-
ticipating in singing devotional songs is temporary whereas service confers permanent satisfaction
Te Vedas say the objective of actions is to pu-rify the mind Service alone is undertaken to pu-rify the mind oday people waste a lot of time wealth and energy in performing activities that donot foster purity of the mind Tat is why they
are unable to experience peace of mind Te peacethat one gets out of worldly activities comes andgoes like a passing cloud One should aspire forthe true and eternal peace which originates fromthe heart2
References
1 Sathya Sai Speaks Volume 15 Chapter 9 TeFlowers Tat God Loves
2 Sathya Sai Speaks Volume 33 Chapter 12
Flowers Tat Never Fade3 Sanathana Sarathi March 2012 Chapter Hu-
manness Blossoms in a Compassionate Heart
4 Sathya Sai Speaks Volume 15 Chapter 25Te Garden of the Heart
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20
Glossary
AtmaAtmic
Self Soul Embodied Self is jiva (the individ-ual soul) Self with no limitations is Brahman (the Supreme Cosmic Reality)
SatwaSatwic
It is the quality of purity brightness peacegoodness and harmony It leads to knowledge
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8132019 Teachings of Sri Sathya Sai Baba - Vol 1
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L983151983158983141 A983148983148 S983141983154983158983141 A983148983148
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13
Eight Flowers of Worship
Non-violence Control of Senses
Compassion for All Living Beings
Forebearance
Peace
Penance
Meditation
ruth
It is the experience and practice of the citizens of India that they generally wor-ship God with flowers offer ritual adoration and make obeisance to God Butthere is something that is more sacred than this Tere is a distinctive type of
devotion by which you worship God with a good clean mind and good conductTis has been given the name of para bhakthi (supreme devotion) By always wor-shipping God with ritual worship and flowers the spiritual aspirant will remainstationary in his place Tis is good in a way but to remain in one place all thetime and failing to rise to a higher position is not good
Tere is a superior type of worship mdash to worship God through good qualitiesgood conduct good thoughts and good company Te scriptures have describedthis kind of worship as worship through good qualities By offering what kind ofgood qualities can we please God
Eight Flowers of Worship
Te first flower with which we can worship God is non-violence Te second
flower is control of senses Te third flower is compassion Te fourth one is for-bearance Te fifth flower is peace Te sixth flower is penance Te seventh one isthe flower of meditation Te eighth is the flower of truth Te inner meaning ofthis statement is that God will shower grace on you if you worship him throughthese eight flowers
Te flowers in nature always fade drop down lose fragrance and also de-velop an odour that is not pleasant Instead of worshipping with such worldlyflowers which are impermanent and receiving impermanent rewards from God
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14
we should worship Him with what is truthful andthereby attain a stage that is higher
Te flowers that you are using for worship havenot been created by you You are bringing flowersthat have been created by the Will of God on some
tree or in some garden and are offering them backto the Creator Himself What is the greatness inusing the flowers created by God and giving themback to God Himself Many people bathe in theGanges River take the water from the Ganges intotheir palms and offer it back to the Ganges itselfTis is not what you have created Tis is not whatyou have the right to offer
From the tree of your life picking such fruits
that you have protected and that you have grownin the form of good qualities and offering themto God there is some distinctiveness in that Inorder to promote good qualities you have to un-dergo several troubles So it is through these goodqualities that your mind can also acquire a divineconcentration Without good qualities and with-out good thoughts how can you fix your mind inmeditation1
FIRST FLOWERTe first flower is the flower of non-violence
We regard the word non-violence to mean notcausing harm and hurt to other living things Tetrue meaning of the word is not to cause hurtand harm to any other living being through yourthought word or deed Cleansing and purifyingthese threemdashthought word and deedmdashhas beencalled a Triputi (summit of three) in spiritualparlance All of them should be harmonised and
brought together as one unit of flower1
We find doctors performing surgeries on pa-tients to cure them of their ailments In the processof surgery the doctors cut the body with a knife You cannot call it an act of violence because it isbeneficial to the patient Some people may arguethat even cutting vegetables is an act of violencebecause vegetables and trees have life in them Nodoubt vegetables and trees have life but they do
not have the mind Consequently they do not suf-fer any pain
Only man has got five sheaths namely foodsheath life sheath mind sheath wisdom sheathand bliss sheath One with the mind experiencespain and pleasure Men animals birds and in-sects are endowed with the mind not trees and
vegetables In some trees you find the sap oozingout when you pluck their fruit Oozing of sap froma tree is a natural phenomenon but some peoplemistake it for the tears of suffering Te trees donot suffer any pain because they do not have thefaculty of mind2
SECOND FLOWER
Te second flower is the control of sensoryorgans Our senses run without any control If
running horses or animals are not controlled theypose a danger God has created each organ of thehuman body for a specific purpose It is only when we use these sensory organs along the right pathfor which they have been created that we will beentitled to Godrsquos grace God has given us a nose We should make an attempt to breathe in andbreathe out through the nose and only accept fra-grance through the nose If we use such a nose totake snuff the purpose will become useless In the
same manner He has given us the mouth and atongue in order that we may take in pure food If we use the mouth to take in unholy food or intoxi-cating drinks then we will be using the mouth fora wrong purpose
In the same manner we should understandunder what conditions and in what times and in what manner we should use each of these organsand put them under control Our inner strength
will become less and less on account of excitementor unnecessary sorrow Te body will become ill bymental agitations and distractions Man ages veryquickly through excitement and sorrow Te rea-son for your not preserving this sacred instrumentin sound condition is lack of control over thesesensory organs Te second flower of sensory con-trol should be used for worshipping God1
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15
Lack of Sense Control Is the Main Cause
of Unrest and Agitation
All spiritual practices will prove futile if onelacks sense control Control of the senses is veryessential for one and all Lack of sense control is
the main cause of all the unrest and agitation thatyou find in the world today How can one controlthe senses First of all one should exercise controlover the tongue
You must control your tongue as it alwayscraves a variety of delicacies You must ask thisquestion ldquoO tongue how many bags of rice wheat and vegetables have you devoured Howmany delicacies have you consumed Fie on you
if you are still not satisfiedrdquo A morsel of food isenough to sustain the body You should eat forthe sake of satisfying your hunger and sustain-ing the body Do not give undue importance totaste Likewise tell your eyes to see God instead of watching unsacred things on television or videoeach your ears to listen to the stories of the Lordinstead of listening to vain gossip
O ears you are interested in listening to vain gos-sip and tales about others but you pay least attentionwhen the wonderful stories of the Lord are narrated
(elugu Song)
Tink for a while how you benefit by listen-ing to unsacred things In fact you are pollutingyour heart in the process All that you see and heargets imprinted on your heart Once your heart ispolluted your life will become meaningless Tehuman heart is like a pen Te colour of the wordsthat 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 besuffused with love God expects you to fill yourheart with love and lead a sacred life2
THIRD FLOWER
Te third flower is compassion for all livingthings Looking merely and superficially at humannature which has diverse aspects we are forgettingGod in this field From the seed of Divinity the
tree of creation has grown On this tree of creationthe fruits are the human beings that are the indi-vidual souls In each of these human fruits there
is Divinity in the form of seed Tat is why in theBhagavad Gita Krishna has said ldquoI am the seed inall the living beingsrdquo Recognising the truth thatGod is present in the form of the Atma in all livingbeings we say compassion for all living beings is
the next flower1
The Story of Abou Ben Adhem
Students might have heard the story of AbouBen Adhem who always offered compassion to- wards all beings as a form of service to the LordEvery day he traveled the streets to serve the desti-tute and the handicapped and returned home latein the night One night when he returned homehe found in his bedroom an angel writing some-
thing When he asked her what she was writingshe replied that she was making a list of those wholoved God She replied in the negative when heasked her if his name was on that list
Te following night when he returned homehe again found the angel writing something Hequeried ldquoMother what is it that you are writingnowrdquo She said ldquoSon I am writing the names ofthose who are dear to Godrdquo He again wanted to
know if his name was on the list She replied thathis name was at the top of this list
Te sum and substance of this story is thatGod is pleased when you serve your fellow humanbeings Te scriptures have prescribed nine pathsof devotion namely listening to the Lordrsquos storiessinging His glories remembrance of the Lordrsquosname service to the Lordrsquos Lotus Feet worshipsalutation servitude friendship and offering one-
self to the Lord ie complete self-surrender Butthe 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 oceanof worldly life
One can redeem onersquos life only through service(Sanskrit Verse)
Abou Ben Adhem became the recipient ofGodrsquos love because he spent all his time in the ser-
vice of his fellow men God loves all for He is theembodiment of love But He will give Himself tothose who show compassion for all beings2
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16
Have Compassion towards All as God
Resides in All
Among all the flowers compassion for all crea-tures is most important Man alone is endowed with this virtue of compassion Tis is the flower
that you should offer to God God is the indwellerof all beings Names and forms may vary but thesame God is present in all Terefore you shouldhave compassion towards all beings with the broadfeeling that God is present in all Only then canyou understand how expansive and fragrant thisquality of compassion for all creatures is
You need not waste your time gathering theflowers that fade away and wither away in no time
Te flower of your heart is eternal ever fresh andever fragrant for which you need not spend evena penny Tat is the real flower One who under-stands the secret of this flower is one of supreme wisdom3
FOURTH FLOWER
Te fourth one is the flower of forbearanceForbearance truly is the highest quality of a humanbeing But in human life because he develops nar-row ideas man wants to live in a constricted placeHe thinks ldquoIrdquo and ldquomy familyrdquo are what mattersothers are all different from ldquomerdquo It is not possiblefor us to develop the flower of forbearance as longas these ideas are in us It is only when we lovethat we can have patience and forbearance Onersquoslove should encompass all living beings Tat willfructify as forbearance
Here is a brief example In our home thereare our children Along with our children there is
also a servant In the house a son may be pilfer-ing something or other and developing bad habitsIn many ways we will try and control that son bybeating scolding and persuading him to return togood ways but we will never take him and handhim over to the police In the same house if theservant steals a small spoon at once we will takehim 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 dayafter day but we hand over a servant immediatelyto the police when he steals even a small thing
Te reason for this is the narrow idea that ldquothis boyis my sonrdquo Because the servant does not belong toyou there is no place for forbearance and patienceSo you see that when you have the broad idea thatldquoeveryone is minerdquo there is room for patience and
forbearance It is only then that our love will alsogrow1
Forbearance Promotes Divine Qualities
Forbearance is identified by the scriptures withtruth righteousness knowledge sacrifice and joy Without forbearance man cannot be happy foreven a moment It promotes divine qualities Itreveals inner Divinity One has to undertake spiri-tual practices to earn it and establish oneself in it
Nourish the idea that God is equally present in allin spite of ridicule from the ignorant and sarcasticcriticism from the blind or even praise from ad-mirers Do not mind them4
Forbearance Is Very Dear to the Lord
Te Pandavas suffered a lot at the hands ofthe Kauravas But never did Dharmaraja lose for-bearance even when Droupadi was being humili-ated by the Kauravas It was the virtue of forbear-ance that protected the Pandavas and made theman ideal for the rest of the world Tis flower offorbearance is very dear to the Lord God will bepleased with you and confer boons on you only when you offer Him the ldquoflowersrdquo which are dearto Him No benefit accrues from offering the flow-ers that fade away and decay Te ever-bloomingflowers of non-violence sense control compassionfor all living beings and forbearance are liked by
God2
FIFTH FLOWER
Te fifth is the flower of peace Tis flower ofpeace should not be interpreted to mean that youshould be silent no matter who is attacking you or who is blaming you It is not that If you are un-moved and unperturbed in spite of anyone findingfaults with you this can be called real peace Ifyou can fill your heart with love then peace willcome into you from outside Trough bad quali-ties to some extent we lose peace With truthfulthoughts a man will have peace With untruthful
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17
thoughts a man will not have peace If you can getrid of all thoughts you will become a saint It isonly when you can be free from all thoughts thatyou can have peace
Your own bad thoughts are responsible for all
your pain and sorrow By good thoughts and bygood ideas you will become a holy man Holyman does not mean one who merely wears an or-ange robe shaves the head and wears holy beadsHe who has good thoughts and good ideas is aholy man A holy man is one who is the embodi-ment of truthful thoughts1
Peace Has Detachment as the Basic
Quality
Peace does not mean that a person should notreact at all whatever others may say or howeverthey may abuse him It does not mean that hemust be silent as a rock It involves mastery of allthe senses and all the passions inner peace mustbecome onersquos nature Peace has detachment as thebasic quality Te sea which likes to gather andpossess lies low the cloud that likes to renounceand give up is high in the sky Peace endows man
with an unruffled mind and steady visionTe prayer for shanthi (peace) is usually repeat-
ed thrice ldquoOm shanthi shanthi shanthihirdquo sincepeace is prayed for in the physical mental andspiritual planes Man should not bring his bloodto boil nor should he yield to fear Spiritual calmis exemplified by Emperor Janaka of the Upani-shadhic texts He was known as vidheha (withoutbody attachment) not because he was disembod-
ied but because he lived in utter forgetfulness ofthe body and its needs He saw heard and spokeonly from the Atmic plane of consciousness4
Bear All Sufferings With Fortitude and
Patience
One should remain peaceful through all thevicissitudes of life Only then can one attain divinegrace Great devotees like Tyagaraja ukaramand Droupadi underwent many hardships Tey
bore all sufferings with patience Tyagaraja saidldquoOne cannot attain happiness without innerpeacerdquo Man needs peace at the physical mental
and spiritual levels Peace is not present in theexternal world It is present within
You are the embodiment of peace In the worldly life there are bound to be many hardshipsbut one should not be perturbed One should bear
all sufferings with fortitude and patience Humanlife is given not merely to enjoy the worldly plea-sures like birds and beasts Life becomes meaning-ful only when one experiences the peace that origi-nates from the heart2
SIXTH FLOWER
Te sixth one is the flower of penance Pen-ance is not to give up your wife and children goto a forest put your head down and feet up that
is not penance When we think of real penance weshould eliminate bad thoughts from our mindsTe co-ordination of thought word and deed ispenance Whatever thoughts sprout in your mindto utter them as word and to put them in practiceas your work that is penance It is in this contextthat it is said ldquoA great soul practises harmony ofthought word and deedrdquo Giving up bad thoughtsin your mind will become a sacrifice Tat sacri-fice will become yoga (spiritual practice leading tounion with God) But giving up onersquos propertyand onersquos wife and going to the forest is not yoga1
Be Even-Minded in Happiness or Sorrow
One should contemplate on God at all timesand achieve harmony of thought word and deedHe is a noble one whose thoughts words anddeeds are in complete harmony Do not be car-ried away by pain or pleasure Te Bhagavad Gita
teaches ldquoOne should be even-minded in happi-ness or sorrow gain or loss victory or defeatrdquo Oneshould discharge onersquos duty and serve society with-out any expectation of reward Such even-minded-ness and desireless state is true penance2
SEVENTH FLOWER
Te seventh flower is the flower of meditationoday meditation is taking many forms Manytypes of meditation that people are adopting todayare against the culture and tradition of India o sitin a lotus posture and to make the kundalini shakti (kundalini power) rise from basal plexus to the cra-
8132019 Teachings of Sri Sathya Sai Baba - Vol 1
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18
nium is not meditation rue meditation consistsin recognising the presence of God in all types of work God is the indweller of all and is all per-vading o make an attempt in your meditation toconfine 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 marketthe market is your God According to the cultureof 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 TeUpanishads are teaching us ldquoTe work I have todo I regard as God and make obeisance to God
in that formrdquoLet us consider the person who plays the
drums Before he begins to play on them he paysobeisance to the drums Te harmonium player will make obeisance to the harmonium before hestarts A dancer before she begins her dance willmake obeisance to her anklets Even a driver whois going to drive a lifeless car before he holds thesteering wheel makes salutations to the steering wheel You do not have to go so far While driv-ing if the car hits another person immediately wemake salutations to that person Te significanceof all this is the faith and belief that God is presentin all things Tus to regard the entire creation asthe form of God and to perform your duty in thatspirit is meditation1
Contemplate On God at All Times
Meditation does not mean sitting in lotus pos-
ture with eyes closed in contemplation on GodTis is physical worldly activity No doubt this isalso needed but true meditation lies in unifyingthe mind with God Just as milk and water can-not be separated likewise the mind once merged with God cannot be separated An iron ball castin fire will become one with it Likewise your loveshould become one with divine love Tis truthis contained in the Vedic dictum ldquoTe knower ofBrahman becomes Brahman Himselfrdquo
Some people contemplate on God for a lim-ited period in the morning and evening Tis can-
not be called meditation Contemplate on Godat all times at all places and under all circum-stances Perform all tasks with your mind firmlyfixed on God Tat is true meditation Tinking ofGod for a limited period cannot be termed medi-
tation Tat is only part-time devotion Part-timedevotion confers only part-time grace You shouldhave full-time devotion in order to attain full-timegrace2
EIGHTH FLOWER
Te next flower is the flower of truth If yousimply speak what you feel and tell what you havedone this can be called worldly truth mdash state-ment of facts Tis cannot be called truth ruth
is that which does not change at any time Whatyou have seen is truth at that moment At the nextmoment it becomes untruth All material thingsthat you see in this creation are things that willdecay that are bound to change In this transientchanging world how can what you see and whatyou hear become truth ruth is God Tis truth isthe eighth flower Tis truth is the form of Divin-ity In the world we experience truths of a relativenature
Let us take chemistry as an example You takesome chemicals and mix them together Teychange and you get some other chemical If youmix turmeric in lime you get red colour Tis ischemistry Another example is physics If you takea 3-inch needle and put it in fire it will becomea longer needle Tis is the truth of physics Howlong do these truths of chemistry and physics re-main Tese are temporary worldly scientific
truths But spiritual truths are such that they willremain unchanged whatever you may do to them whatever fire you may use on them and howsoeveryou may change the circumstances
So what does not change at all is truth Cru-elty and harshness are predominant in the worldtoday because we are not attempting to promotesuch sacred qualities oday among believersnon-believers and the believing the same kind ofattitude is developing Tat day when we can pro-mote such good qualities in the minds of believersthe non-believers will disappear from this world1
8132019 Teachings of Sri Sathya Sai Baba - Vol 1
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19
ruth is changeless in all the three periods oftime ie past present and future Everythingmay disappear but truth remains forever So truthis God live in truth2
Win Godrsquos Grace by Worshipping EightFlowers
Worship the Lord and offer Him these flow-ers Now when other flowers are used devotiondoes not last after one comes out of the worshiproom When one crosses that door-step angerhatred and anxiety possess him and degrade him Without developing the qualities indicated by theeight flowers how can anyone win the grace ofGod Engaged in wrong worship on all 364 days
what good do you derive by doing true worship onthe 365th day of the year When you claim to beSai devotees justify the claim by cultivating theseflowers of virtue and offering them to God4
Serve Society to Your Utmost Capacity
God will be pleased only when you wor-ship Him with these eight types of flowers Tepriests in temples worship God with various typesof flowers But God does not want these flowersHe says ldquoO priest is this what you have learntall these years You are worshipping Me with lorryloads of roses and jasmines which fade away in ashort time Tese are not the flowers that I expectfrom you Worship Me with the flowers of peacelove non-violence etc which will never faderdquo
Embodiments of Love
People worship God with devotion and sincer-
ity but God is not satisfied with external worship You should serve society Only service can conferbliss on you By rendering service to society notonly can you alleviate the sufferings of the peoplebut you can also bring about transformation intheir lives As is the feeling so is the result If youserve with sacred feelings it is bound to yield sa-cred results Serve society to your utmost capacity You are singing devotional songs in the morningand evening Te satisfaction that you get by par-
ticipating in singing devotional songs is temporary whereas service confers permanent satisfaction
Te Vedas say the objective of actions is to pu-rify the mind Service alone is undertaken to pu-rify the mind oday people waste a lot of time wealth and energy in performing activities that donot foster purity of the mind Tat is why they
are unable to experience peace of mind Te peacethat one gets out of worldly activities comes andgoes like a passing cloud One should aspire forthe true and eternal peace which originates fromthe heart2
References
1 Sathya Sai Speaks Volume 15 Chapter 9 TeFlowers Tat God Loves
2 Sathya Sai Speaks Volume 33 Chapter 12
Flowers Tat Never Fade3 Sanathana Sarathi March 2012 Chapter Hu-
manness Blossoms in a Compassionate Heart
4 Sathya Sai Speaks Volume 15 Chapter 25Te Garden of the Heart
8132019 Teachings of Sri Sathya Sai Baba - Vol 1
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20
Glossary
AtmaAtmic
Self Soul Embodied Self is jiva (the individ-ual soul) Self with no limitations is Brahman (the Supreme Cosmic Reality)
SatwaSatwic
It is the quality of purity brightness peacegoodness and harmony It leads to knowledge
8132019 Teachings of Sri Sathya Sai Baba - Vol 1
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8132019 Teachings of Sri Sathya Sai Baba - Vol 1
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullteachings-of-sri-sathya-sai-baba-vol-1 2626
L983151983158983141 A983148983148 S983141983154983158983141 A983148983148
8132019 Teachings of Sri Sathya Sai Baba - Vol 1
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14
we should worship Him with what is truthful andthereby attain a stage that is higher
Te flowers that you are using for worship havenot been created by you You are bringing flowersthat have been created by the Will of God on some
tree or in some garden and are offering them backto the Creator Himself What is the greatness inusing the flowers created by God and giving themback to God Himself Many people bathe in theGanges River take the water from the Ganges intotheir palms and offer it back to the Ganges itselfTis is not what you have created Tis is not whatyou have the right to offer
From the tree of your life picking such fruits
that you have protected and that you have grownin the form of good qualities and offering themto God there is some distinctiveness in that Inorder to promote good qualities you have to un-dergo several troubles So it is through these goodqualities that your mind can also acquire a divineconcentration Without good qualities and with-out good thoughts how can you fix your mind inmeditation1
FIRST FLOWERTe first flower is the flower of non-violence
We regard the word non-violence to mean notcausing harm and hurt to other living things Tetrue meaning of the word is not to cause hurtand harm to any other living being through yourthought word or deed Cleansing and purifyingthese threemdashthought word and deedmdashhas beencalled a Triputi (summit of three) in spiritualparlance All of them should be harmonised and
brought together as one unit of flower1
We find doctors performing surgeries on pa-tients to cure them of their ailments In the processof surgery the doctors cut the body with a knife You cannot call it an act of violence because it isbeneficial to the patient Some people may arguethat even cutting vegetables is an act of violencebecause vegetables and trees have life in them Nodoubt vegetables and trees have life but they do
not have the mind Consequently they do not suf-fer any pain
Only man has got five sheaths namely foodsheath life sheath mind sheath wisdom sheathand bliss sheath One with the mind experiencespain and pleasure Men animals birds and in-sects are endowed with the mind not trees and
vegetables In some trees you find the sap oozingout when you pluck their fruit Oozing of sap froma tree is a natural phenomenon but some peoplemistake it for the tears of suffering Te trees donot suffer any pain because they do not have thefaculty of mind2
SECOND FLOWER
Te second flower is the control of sensoryorgans Our senses run without any control If
running horses or animals are not controlled theypose a danger God has created each organ of thehuman body for a specific purpose It is only when we use these sensory organs along the right pathfor which they have been created that we will beentitled to Godrsquos grace God has given us a nose We should make an attempt to breathe in andbreathe out through the nose and only accept fra-grance through the nose If we use such a nose totake snuff the purpose will become useless In the
same manner He has given us the mouth and atongue in order that we may take in pure food If we use the mouth to take in unholy food or intoxi-cating drinks then we will be using the mouth fora wrong purpose
In the same manner we should understandunder what conditions and in what times and in what manner we should use each of these organsand put them under control Our inner strength
will become less and less on account of excitementor unnecessary sorrow Te body will become ill bymental agitations and distractions Man ages veryquickly through excitement and sorrow Te rea-son for your not preserving this sacred instrumentin sound condition is lack of control over thesesensory organs Te second flower of sensory con-trol should be used for worshipping God1
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15
Lack of Sense Control Is the Main Cause
of Unrest and Agitation
All spiritual practices will prove futile if onelacks sense control Control of the senses is veryessential for one and all Lack of sense control is
the main cause of all the unrest and agitation thatyou find in the world today How can one controlthe senses First of all one should exercise controlover the tongue
You must control your tongue as it alwayscraves a variety of delicacies You must ask thisquestion ldquoO tongue how many bags of rice wheat and vegetables have you devoured Howmany delicacies have you consumed Fie on you
if you are still not satisfiedrdquo A morsel of food isenough to sustain the body You should eat forthe sake of satisfying your hunger and sustain-ing the body Do not give undue importance totaste Likewise tell your eyes to see God instead of watching unsacred things on television or videoeach your ears to listen to the stories of the Lordinstead of listening to vain gossip
O ears you are interested in listening to vain gos-sip and tales about others but you pay least attentionwhen the wonderful stories of the Lord are narrated
(elugu Song)
Tink for a while how you benefit by listen-ing to unsacred things In fact you are pollutingyour heart in the process All that you see and heargets imprinted on your heart Once your heart ispolluted your life will become meaningless Tehuman heart is like a pen Te colour of the wordsthat 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 besuffused with love God expects you to fill yourheart with love and lead a sacred life2
THIRD FLOWER
Te third flower is compassion for all livingthings Looking merely and superficially at humannature which has diverse aspects we are forgettingGod in this field From the seed of Divinity the
tree of creation has grown On this tree of creationthe fruits are the human beings that are the indi-vidual souls In each of these human fruits there
is Divinity in the form of seed Tat is why in theBhagavad Gita Krishna has said ldquoI am the seed inall the living beingsrdquo Recognising the truth thatGod is present in the form of the Atma in all livingbeings we say compassion for all living beings is
the next flower1
The Story of Abou Ben Adhem
Students might have heard the story of AbouBen Adhem who always offered compassion to- wards all beings as a form of service to the LordEvery day he traveled the streets to serve the desti-tute and the handicapped and returned home latein the night One night when he returned homehe found in his bedroom an angel writing some-
thing When he asked her what she was writingshe replied that she was making a list of those wholoved God She replied in the negative when heasked her if his name was on that list
Te following night when he returned homehe again found the angel writing something Hequeried ldquoMother what is it that you are writingnowrdquo She said ldquoSon I am writing the names ofthose who are dear to Godrdquo He again wanted to
know if his name was on the list She replied thathis name was at the top of this list
Te sum and substance of this story is thatGod is pleased when you serve your fellow humanbeings Te scriptures have prescribed nine pathsof devotion namely listening to the Lordrsquos storiessinging His glories remembrance of the Lordrsquosname service to the Lordrsquos Lotus Feet worshipsalutation servitude friendship and offering one-
self to the Lord ie complete self-surrender Butthe 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 oceanof worldly life
One can redeem onersquos life only through service(Sanskrit Verse)
Abou Ben Adhem became the recipient ofGodrsquos love because he spent all his time in the ser-
vice of his fellow men God loves all for He is theembodiment of love But He will give Himself tothose who show compassion for all beings2
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16
Have Compassion towards All as God
Resides in All
Among all the flowers compassion for all crea-tures is most important Man alone is endowed with this virtue of compassion Tis is the flower
that you should offer to God God is the indwellerof all beings Names and forms may vary but thesame God is present in all Terefore you shouldhave compassion towards all beings with the broadfeeling that God is present in all Only then canyou understand how expansive and fragrant thisquality of compassion for all creatures is
You need not waste your time gathering theflowers that fade away and wither away in no time
Te flower of your heart is eternal ever fresh andever fragrant for which you need not spend evena penny Tat is the real flower One who under-stands the secret of this flower is one of supreme wisdom3
FOURTH FLOWER
Te fourth one is the flower of forbearanceForbearance truly is the highest quality of a humanbeing But in human life because he develops nar-row ideas man wants to live in a constricted placeHe thinks ldquoIrdquo and ldquomy familyrdquo are what mattersothers are all different from ldquomerdquo It is not possiblefor us to develop the flower of forbearance as longas these ideas are in us It is only when we lovethat we can have patience and forbearance Onersquoslove should encompass all living beings Tat willfructify as forbearance
Here is a brief example In our home thereare our children Along with our children there is
also a servant In the house a son may be pilfer-ing something or other and developing bad habitsIn many ways we will try and control that son bybeating scolding and persuading him to return togood ways but we will never take him and handhim over to the police In the same house if theservant steals a small spoon at once we will takehim 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 dayafter day but we hand over a servant immediatelyto the police when he steals even a small thing
Te reason for this is the narrow idea that ldquothis boyis my sonrdquo Because the servant does not belong toyou there is no place for forbearance and patienceSo you see that when you have the broad idea thatldquoeveryone is minerdquo there is room for patience and
forbearance It is only then that our love will alsogrow1
Forbearance Promotes Divine Qualities
Forbearance is identified by the scriptures withtruth righteousness knowledge sacrifice and joy Without forbearance man cannot be happy foreven a moment It promotes divine qualities Itreveals inner Divinity One has to undertake spiri-tual practices to earn it and establish oneself in it
Nourish the idea that God is equally present in allin spite of ridicule from the ignorant and sarcasticcriticism from the blind or even praise from ad-mirers Do not mind them4
Forbearance Is Very Dear to the Lord
Te Pandavas suffered a lot at the hands ofthe Kauravas But never did Dharmaraja lose for-bearance even when Droupadi was being humili-ated by the Kauravas It was the virtue of forbear-ance that protected the Pandavas and made theman ideal for the rest of the world Tis flower offorbearance is very dear to the Lord God will bepleased with you and confer boons on you only when you offer Him the ldquoflowersrdquo which are dearto Him No benefit accrues from offering the flow-ers that fade away and decay Te ever-bloomingflowers of non-violence sense control compassionfor all living beings and forbearance are liked by
God2
FIFTH FLOWER
Te fifth is the flower of peace Tis flower ofpeace should not be interpreted to mean that youshould be silent no matter who is attacking you or who is blaming you It is not that If you are un-moved and unperturbed in spite of anyone findingfaults with you this can be called real peace Ifyou can fill your heart with love then peace willcome into you from outside Trough bad quali-ties to some extent we lose peace With truthfulthoughts a man will have peace With untruthful
8132019 Teachings of Sri Sathya Sai Baba - Vol 1
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17
thoughts a man will not have peace If you can getrid of all thoughts you will become a saint It isonly when you can be free from all thoughts thatyou can have peace
Your own bad thoughts are responsible for all
your pain and sorrow By good thoughts and bygood ideas you will become a holy man Holyman does not mean one who merely wears an or-ange robe shaves the head and wears holy beadsHe who has good thoughts and good ideas is aholy man A holy man is one who is the embodi-ment of truthful thoughts1
Peace Has Detachment as the Basic
Quality
Peace does not mean that a person should notreact at all whatever others may say or howeverthey may abuse him It does not mean that hemust be silent as a rock It involves mastery of allthe senses and all the passions inner peace mustbecome onersquos nature Peace has detachment as thebasic quality Te sea which likes to gather andpossess lies low the cloud that likes to renounceand give up is high in the sky Peace endows man
with an unruffled mind and steady visionTe prayer for shanthi (peace) is usually repeat-
ed thrice ldquoOm shanthi shanthi shanthihirdquo sincepeace is prayed for in the physical mental andspiritual planes Man should not bring his bloodto boil nor should he yield to fear Spiritual calmis exemplified by Emperor Janaka of the Upani-shadhic texts He was known as vidheha (withoutbody attachment) not because he was disembod-
ied but because he lived in utter forgetfulness ofthe body and its needs He saw heard and spokeonly from the Atmic plane of consciousness4
Bear All Sufferings With Fortitude and
Patience
One should remain peaceful through all thevicissitudes of life Only then can one attain divinegrace Great devotees like Tyagaraja ukaramand Droupadi underwent many hardships Tey
bore all sufferings with patience Tyagaraja saidldquoOne cannot attain happiness without innerpeacerdquo Man needs peace at the physical mental
and spiritual levels Peace is not present in theexternal world It is present within
You are the embodiment of peace In the worldly life there are bound to be many hardshipsbut one should not be perturbed One should bear
all sufferings with fortitude and patience Humanlife is given not merely to enjoy the worldly plea-sures like birds and beasts Life becomes meaning-ful only when one experiences the peace that origi-nates from the heart2
SIXTH FLOWER
Te sixth one is the flower of penance Pen-ance is not to give up your wife and children goto a forest put your head down and feet up that
is not penance When we think of real penance weshould eliminate bad thoughts from our mindsTe co-ordination of thought word and deed ispenance Whatever thoughts sprout in your mindto utter them as word and to put them in practiceas your work that is penance It is in this contextthat it is said ldquoA great soul practises harmony ofthought word and deedrdquo Giving up bad thoughtsin your mind will become a sacrifice Tat sacri-fice will become yoga (spiritual practice leading tounion with God) But giving up onersquos propertyand onersquos wife and going to the forest is not yoga1
Be Even-Minded in Happiness or Sorrow
One should contemplate on God at all timesand achieve harmony of thought word and deedHe is a noble one whose thoughts words anddeeds are in complete harmony Do not be car-ried away by pain or pleasure Te Bhagavad Gita
teaches ldquoOne should be even-minded in happi-ness or sorrow gain or loss victory or defeatrdquo Oneshould discharge onersquos duty and serve society with-out any expectation of reward Such even-minded-ness and desireless state is true penance2
SEVENTH FLOWER
Te seventh flower is the flower of meditationoday meditation is taking many forms Manytypes of meditation that people are adopting todayare against the culture and tradition of India o sitin a lotus posture and to make the kundalini shakti (kundalini power) rise from basal plexus to the cra-
8132019 Teachings of Sri Sathya Sai Baba - Vol 1
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18
nium is not meditation rue meditation consistsin recognising the presence of God in all types of work God is the indweller of all and is all per-vading o make an attempt in your meditation toconfine 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 marketthe market is your God According to the cultureof 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 TeUpanishads are teaching us ldquoTe work I have todo I regard as God and make obeisance to God
in that formrdquoLet us consider the person who plays the
drums Before he begins to play on them he paysobeisance to the drums Te harmonium player will make obeisance to the harmonium before hestarts A dancer before she begins her dance willmake obeisance to her anklets Even a driver whois going to drive a lifeless car before he holds thesteering wheel makes salutations to the steering wheel You do not have to go so far While driv-ing if the car hits another person immediately wemake salutations to that person Te significanceof all this is the faith and belief that God is presentin all things Tus to regard the entire creation asthe form of God and to perform your duty in thatspirit is meditation1
Contemplate On God at All Times
Meditation does not mean sitting in lotus pos-
ture with eyes closed in contemplation on GodTis is physical worldly activity No doubt this isalso needed but true meditation lies in unifyingthe mind with God Just as milk and water can-not be separated likewise the mind once merged with God cannot be separated An iron ball castin fire will become one with it Likewise your loveshould become one with divine love Tis truthis contained in the Vedic dictum ldquoTe knower ofBrahman becomes Brahman Himselfrdquo
Some people contemplate on God for a lim-ited period in the morning and evening Tis can-
not be called meditation Contemplate on Godat all times at all places and under all circum-stances Perform all tasks with your mind firmlyfixed on God Tat is true meditation Tinking ofGod for a limited period cannot be termed medi-
tation Tat is only part-time devotion Part-timedevotion confers only part-time grace You shouldhave full-time devotion in order to attain full-timegrace2
EIGHTH FLOWER
Te next flower is the flower of truth If yousimply speak what you feel and tell what you havedone this can be called worldly truth mdash state-ment of facts Tis cannot be called truth ruth
is that which does not change at any time Whatyou have seen is truth at that moment At the nextmoment it becomes untruth All material thingsthat you see in this creation are things that willdecay that are bound to change In this transientchanging world how can what you see and whatyou hear become truth ruth is God Tis truth isthe eighth flower Tis truth is the form of Divin-ity In the world we experience truths of a relativenature
Let us take chemistry as an example You takesome chemicals and mix them together Teychange and you get some other chemical If youmix turmeric in lime you get red colour Tis ischemistry Another example is physics If you takea 3-inch needle and put it in fire it will becomea longer needle Tis is the truth of physics Howlong do these truths of chemistry and physics re-main Tese are temporary worldly scientific
truths But spiritual truths are such that they willremain unchanged whatever you may do to them whatever fire you may use on them and howsoeveryou may change the circumstances
So what does not change at all is truth Cru-elty and harshness are predominant in the worldtoday because we are not attempting to promotesuch sacred qualities oday among believersnon-believers and the believing the same kind ofattitude is developing Tat day when we can pro-mote such good qualities in the minds of believersthe non-believers will disappear from this world1
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19
ruth is changeless in all the three periods oftime ie past present and future Everythingmay disappear but truth remains forever So truthis God live in truth2
Win Godrsquos Grace by Worshipping EightFlowers
Worship the Lord and offer Him these flow-ers Now when other flowers are used devotiondoes not last after one comes out of the worshiproom When one crosses that door-step angerhatred and anxiety possess him and degrade him Without developing the qualities indicated by theeight flowers how can anyone win the grace ofGod Engaged in wrong worship on all 364 days
what good do you derive by doing true worship onthe 365th day of the year When you claim to beSai devotees justify the claim by cultivating theseflowers of virtue and offering them to God4
Serve Society to Your Utmost Capacity
God will be pleased only when you wor-ship Him with these eight types of flowers Tepriests in temples worship God with various typesof flowers But God does not want these flowersHe says ldquoO priest is this what you have learntall these years You are worshipping Me with lorryloads of roses and jasmines which fade away in ashort time Tese are not the flowers that I expectfrom you Worship Me with the flowers of peacelove non-violence etc which will never faderdquo
Embodiments of Love
People worship God with devotion and sincer-
ity but God is not satisfied with external worship You should serve society Only service can conferbliss on you By rendering service to society notonly can you alleviate the sufferings of the peoplebut you can also bring about transformation intheir lives As is the feeling so is the result If youserve with sacred feelings it is bound to yield sa-cred results Serve society to your utmost capacity You are singing devotional songs in the morningand evening Te satisfaction that you get by par-
ticipating in singing devotional songs is temporary whereas service confers permanent satisfaction
Te Vedas say the objective of actions is to pu-rify the mind Service alone is undertaken to pu-rify the mind oday people waste a lot of time wealth and energy in performing activities that donot foster purity of the mind Tat is why they
are unable to experience peace of mind Te peacethat one gets out of worldly activities comes andgoes like a passing cloud One should aspire forthe true and eternal peace which originates fromthe heart2
References
1 Sathya Sai Speaks Volume 15 Chapter 9 TeFlowers Tat God Loves
2 Sathya Sai Speaks Volume 33 Chapter 12
Flowers Tat Never Fade3 Sanathana Sarathi March 2012 Chapter Hu-
manness Blossoms in a Compassionate Heart
4 Sathya Sai Speaks Volume 15 Chapter 25Te Garden of the Heart
8132019 Teachings of Sri Sathya Sai Baba - Vol 1
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20
Glossary
AtmaAtmic
Self Soul Embodied Self is jiva (the individ-ual soul) Self with no limitations is Brahman (the Supreme Cosmic Reality)
SatwaSatwic
It is the quality of purity brightness peacegoodness and harmony It leads to knowledge
8132019 Teachings of Sri Sathya Sai Baba - Vol 1
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullteachings-of-sri-sathya-sai-baba-vol-1 2526
8132019 Teachings of Sri Sathya Sai Baba - Vol 1
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullteachings-of-sri-sathya-sai-baba-vol-1 2626
L983151983158983141 A983148983148 S983141983154983158983141 A983148983148
8132019 Teachings of Sri Sathya Sai Baba - Vol 1
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15
Lack of Sense Control Is the Main Cause
of Unrest and Agitation
All spiritual practices will prove futile if onelacks sense control Control of the senses is veryessential for one and all Lack of sense control is
the main cause of all the unrest and agitation thatyou find in the world today How can one controlthe senses First of all one should exercise controlover the tongue
You must control your tongue as it alwayscraves a variety of delicacies You must ask thisquestion ldquoO tongue how many bags of rice wheat and vegetables have you devoured Howmany delicacies have you consumed Fie on you
if you are still not satisfiedrdquo A morsel of food isenough to sustain the body You should eat forthe sake of satisfying your hunger and sustain-ing the body Do not give undue importance totaste Likewise tell your eyes to see God instead of watching unsacred things on television or videoeach your ears to listen to the stories of the Lordinstead of listening to vain gossip
O ears you are interested in listening to vain gos-sip and tales about others but you pay least attentionwhen the wonderful stories of the Lord are narrated
(elugu Song)
Tink for a while how you benefit by listen-ing to unsacred things In fact you are pollutingyour heart in the process All that you see and heargets imprinted on your heart Once your heart ispolluted your life will become meaningless Tehuman heart is like a pen Te colour of the wordsthat 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 besuffused with love God expects you to fill yourheart with love and lead a sacred life2
THIRD FLOWER
Te third flower is compassion for all livingthings Looking merely and superficially at humannature which has diverse aspects we are forgettingGod in this field From the seed of Divinity the
tree of creation has grown On this tree of creationthe fruits are the human beings that are the indi-vidual souls In each of these human fruits there
is Divinity in the form of seed Tat is why in theBhagavad Gita Krishna has said ldquoI am the seed inall the living beingsrdquo Recognising the truth thatGod is present in the form of the Atma in all livingbeings we say compassion for all living beings is
the next flower1
The Story of Abou Ben Adhem
Students might have heard the story of AbouBen Adhem who always offered compassion to- wards all beings as a form of service to the LordEvery day he traveled the streets to serve the desti-tute and the handicapped and returned home latein the night One night when he returned homehe found in his bedroom an angel writing some-
thing When he asked her what she was writingshe replied that she was making a list of those wholoved God She replied in the negative when heasked her if his name was on that list
Te following night when he returned homehe again found the angel writing something Hequeried ldquoMother what is it that you are writingnowrdquo She said ldquoSon I am writing the names ofthose who are dear to Godrdquo He again wanted to
know if his name was on the list She replied thathis name was at the top of this list
Te sum and substance of this story is thatGod is pleased when you serve your fellow humanbeings Te scriptures have prescribed nine pathsof devotion namely listening to the Lordrsquos storiessinging His glories remembrance of the Lordrsquosname service to the Lordrsquos Lotus Feet worshipsalutation servitude friendship and offering one-
self to the Lord ie complete self-surrender Butthe 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 oceanof worldly life
One can redeem onersquos life only through service(Sanskrit Verse)
Abou Ben Adhem became the recipient ofGodrsquos love because he spent all his time in the ser-
vice of his fellow men God loves all for He is theembodiment of love But He will give Himself tothose who show compassion for all beings2
8132019 Teachings of Sri Sathya Sai Baba - Vol 1
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16
Have Compassion towards All as God
Resides in All
Among all the flowers compassion for all crea-tures is most important Man alone is endowed with this virtue of compassion Tis is the flower
that you should offer to God God is the indwellerof all beings Names and forms may vary but thesame God is present in all Terefore you shouldhave compassion towards all beings with the broadfeeling that God is present in all Only then canyou understand how expansive and fragrant thisquality of compassion for all creatures is
You need not waste your time gathering theflowers that fade away and wither away in no time
Te flower of your heart is eternal ever fresh andever fragrant for which you need not spend evena penny Tat is the real flower One who under-stands the secret of this flower is one of supreme wisdom3
FOURTH FLOWER
Te fourth one is the flower of forbearanceForbearance truly is the highest quality of a humanbeing But in human life because he develops nar-row ideas man wants to live in a constricted placeHe thinks ldquoIrdquo and ldquomy familyrdquo are what mattersothers are all different from ldquomerdquo It is not possiblefor us to develop the flower of forbearance as longas these ideas are in us It is only when we lovethat we can have patience and forbearance Onersquoslove should encompass all living beings Tat willfructify as forbearance
Here is a brief example In our home thereare our children Along with our children there is
also a servant In the house a son may be pilfer-ing something or other and developing bad habitsIn many ways we will try and control that son bybeating scolding and persuading him to return togood ways but we will never take him and handhim over to the police In the same house if theservant steals a small spoon at once we will takehim 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 dayafter day but we hand over a servant immediatelyto the police when he steals even a small thing
Te reason for this is the narrow idea that ldquothis boyis my sonrdquo Because the servant does not belong toyou there is no place for forbearance and patienceSo you see that when you have the broad idea thatldquoeveryone is minerdquo there is room for patience and
forbearance It is only then that our love will alsogrow1
Forbearance Promotes Divine Qualities
Forbearance is identified by the scriptures withtruth righteousness knowledge sacrifice and joy Without forbearance man cannot be happy foreven a moment It promotes divine qualities Itreveals inner Divinity One has to undertake spiri-tual practices to earn it and establish oneself in it
Nourish the idea that God is equally present in allin spite of ridicule from the ignorant and sarcasticcriticism from the blind or even praise from ad-mirers Do not mind them4
Forbearance Is Very Dear to the Lord
Te Pandavas suffered a lot at the hands ofthe Kauravas But never did Dharmaraja lose for-bearance even when Droupadi was being humili-ated by the Kauravas It was the virtue of forbear-ance that protected the Pandavas and made theman ideal for the rest of the world Tis flower offorbearance is very dear to the Lord God will bepleased with you and confer boons on you only when you offer Him the ldquoflowersrdquo which are dearto Him No benefit accrues from offering the flow-ers that fade away and decay Te ever-bloomingflowers of non-violence sense control compassionfor all living beings and forbearance are liked by
God2
FIFTH FLOWER
Te fifth is the flower of peace Tis flower ofpeace should not be interpreted to mean that youshould be silent no matter who is attacking you or who is blaming you It is not that If you are un-moved and unperturbed in spite of anyone findingfaults with you this can be called real peace Ifyou can fill your heart with love then peace willcome into you from outside Trough bad quali-ties to some extent we lose peace With truthfulthoughts a man will have peace With untruthful
8132019 Teachings of Sri Sathya Sai Baba - Vol 1
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullteachings-of-sri-sathya-sai-baba-vol-1 2126
17
thoughts a man will not have peace If you can getrid of all thoughts you will become a saint It isonly when you can be free from all thoughts thatyou can have peace
Your own bad thoughts are responsible for all
your pain and sorrow By good thoughts and bygood ideas you will become a holy man Holyman does not mean one who merely wears an or-ange robe shaves the head and wears holy beadsHe who has good thoughts and good ideas is aholy man A holy man is one who is the embodi-ment of truthful thoughts1
Peace Has Detachment as the Basic
Quality
Peace does not mean that a person should notreact at all whatever others may say or howeverthey may abuse him It does not mean that hemust be silent as a rock It involves mastery of allthe senses and all the passions inner peace mustbecome onersquos nature Peace has detachment as thebasic quality Te sea which likes to gather andpossess lies low the cloud that likes to renounceand give up is high in the sky Peace endows man
with an unruffled mind and steady visionTe prayer for shanthi (peace) is usually repeat-
ed thrice ldquoOm shanthi shanthi shanthihirdquo sincepeace is prayed for in the physical mental andspiritual planes Man should not bring his bloodto boil nor should he yield to fear Spiritual calmis exemplified by Emperor Janaka of the Upani-shadhic texts He was known as vidheha (withoutbody attachment) not because he was disembod-
ied but because he lived in utter forgetfulness ofthe body and its needs He saw heard and spokeonly from the Atmic plane of consciousness4
Bear All Sufferings With Fortitude and
Patience
One should remain peaceful through all thevicissitudes of life Only then can one attain divinegrace Great devotees like Tyagaraja ukaramand Droupadi underwent many hardships Tey
bore all sufferings with patience Tyagaraja saidldquoOne cannot attain happiness without innerpeacerdquo Man needs peace at the physical mental
and spiritual levels Peace is not present in theexternal world It is present within
You are the embodiment of peace In the worldly life there are bound to be many hardshipsbut one should not be perturbed One should bear
all sufferings with fortitude and patience Humanlife is given not merely to enjoy the worldly plea-sures like birds and beasts Life becomes meaning-ful only when one experiences the peace that origi-nates from the heart2
SIXTH FLOWER
Te sixth one is the flower of penance Pen-ance is not to give up your wife and children goto a forest put your head down and feet up that
is not penance When we think of real penance weshould eliminate bad thoughts from our mindsTe co-ordination of thought word and deed ispenance Whatever thoughts sprout in your mindto utter them as word and to put them in practiceas your work that is penance It is in this contextthat it is said ldquoA great soul practises harmony ofthought word and deedrdquo Giving up bad thoughtsin your mind will become a sacrifice Tat sacri-fice will become yoga (spiritual practice leading tounion with God) But giving up onersquos propertyand onersquos wife and going to the forest is not yoga1
Be Even-Minded in Happiness or Sorrow
One should contemplate on God at all timesand achieve harmony of thought word and deedHe is a noble one whose thoughts words anddeeds are in complete harmony Do not be car-ried away by pain or pleasure Te Bhagavad Gita
teaches ldquoOne should be even-minded in happi-ness or sorrow gain or loss victory or defeatrdquo Oneshould discharge onersquos duty and serve society with-out any expectation of reward Such even-minded-ness and desireless state is true penance2
SEVENTH FLOWER
Te seventh flower is the flower of meditationoday meditation is taking many forms Manytypes of meditation that people are adopting todayare against the culture and tradition of India o sitin a lotus posture and to make the kundalini shakti (kundalini power) rise from basal plexus to the cra-
8132019 Teachings of Sri Sathya Sai Baba - Vol 1
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullteachings-of-sri-sathya-sai-baba-vol-1 2226
18
nium is not meditation rue meditation consistsin recognising the presence of God in all types of work God is the indweller of all and is all per-vading o make an attempt in your meditation toconfine 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 marketthe market is your God According to the cultureof 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 TeUpanishads are teaching us ldquoTe work I have todo I regard as God and make obeisance to God
in that formrdquoLet us consider the person who plays the
drums Before he begins to play on them he paysobeisance to the drums Te harmonium player will make obeisance to the harmonium before hestarts A dancer before she begins her dance willmake obeisance to her anklets Even a driver whois going to drive a lifeless car before he holds thesteering wheel makes salutations to the steering wheel You do not have to go so far While driv-ing if the car hits another person immediately wemake salutations to that person Te significanceof all this is the faith and belief that God is presentin all things Tus to regard the entire creation asthe form of God and to perform your duty in thatspirit is meditation1
Contemplate On God at All Times
Meditation does not mean sitting in lotus pos-
ture with eyes closed in contemplation on GodTis is physical worldly activity No doubt this isalso needed but true meditation lies in unifyingthe mind with God Just as milk and water can-not be separated likewise the mind once merged with God cannot be separated An iron ball castin fire will become one with it Likewise your loveshould become one with divine love Tis truthis contained in the Vedic dictum ldquoTe knower ofBrahman becomes Brahman Himselfrdquo
Some people contemplate on God for a lim-ited period in the morning and evening Tis can-
not be called meditation Contemplate on Godat all times at all places and under all circum-stances Perform all tasks with your mind firmlyfixed on God Tat is true meditation Tinking ofGod for a limited period cannot be termed medi-
tation Tat is only part-time devotion Part-timedevotion confers only part-time grace You shouldhave full-time devotion in order to attain full-timegrace2
EIGHTH FLOWER
Te next flower is the flower of truth If yousimply speak what you feel and tell what you havedone this can be called worldly truth mdash state-ment of facts Tis cannot be called truth ruth
is that which does not change at any time Whatyou have seen is truth at that moment At the nextmoment it becomes untruth All material thingsthat you see in this creation are things that willdecay that are bound to change In this transientchanging world how can what you see and whatyou hear become truth ruth is God Tis truth isthe eighth flower Tis truth is the form of Divin-ity In the world we experience truths of a relativenature
Let us take chemistry as an example You takesome chemicals and mix them together Teychange and you get some other chemical If youmix turmeric in lime you get red colour Tis ischemistry Another example is physics If you takea 3-inch needle and put it in fire it will becomea longer needle Tis is the truth of physics Howlong do these truths of chemistry and physics re-main Tese are temporary worldly scientific
truths But spiritual truths are such that they willremain unchanged whatever you may do to them whatever fire you may use on them and howsoeveryou may change the circumstances
So what does not change at all is truth Cru-elty and harshness are predominant in the worldtoday because we are not attempting to promotesuch sacred qualities oday among believersnon-believers and the believing the same kind ofattitude is developing Tat day when we can pro-mote such good qualities in the minds of believersthe non-believers will disappear from this world1
8132019 Teachings of Sri Sathya Sai Baba - Vol 1
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullteachings-of-sri-sathya-sai-baba-vol-1 2326
19
ruth is changeless in all the three periods oftime ie past present and future Everythingmay disappear but truth remains forever So truthis God live in truth2
Win Godrsquos Grace by Worshipping EightFlowers
Worship the Lord and offer Him these flow-ers Now when other flowers are used devotiondoes not last after one comes out of the worshiproom When one crosses that door-step angerhatred and anxiety possess him and degrade him Without developing the qualities indicated by theeight flowers how can anyone win the grace ofGod Engaged in wrong worship on all 364 days
what good do you derive by doing true worship onthe 365th day of the year When you claim to beSai devotees justify the claim by cultivating theseflowers of virtue and offering them to God4
Serve Society to Your Utmost Capacity
God will be pleased only when you wor-ship Him with these eight types of flowers Tepriests in temples worship God with various typesof flowers But God does not want these flowersHe says ldquoO priest is this what you have learntall these years You are worshipping Me with lorryloads of roses and jasmines which fade away in ashort time Tese are not the flowers that I expectfrom you Worship Me with the flowers of peacelove non-violence etc which will never faderdquo
Embodiments of Love
People worship God with devotion and sincer-
ity but God is not satisfied with external worship You should serve society Only service can conferbliss on you By rendering service to society notonly can you alleviate the sufferings of the peoplebut you can also bring about transformation intheir lives As is the feeling so is the result If youserve with sacred feelings it is bound to yield sa-cred results Serve society to your utmost capacity You are singing devotional songs in the morningand evening Te satisfaction that you get by par-
ticipating in singing devotional songs is temporary whereas service confers permanent satisfaction
Te Vedas say the objective of actions is to pu-rify the mind Service alone is undertaken to pu-rify the mind oday people waste a lot of time wealth and energy in performing activities that donot foster purity of the mind Tat is why they
are unable to experience peace of mind Te peacethat one gets out of worldly activities comes andgoes like a passing cloud One should aspire forthe true and eternal peace which originates fromthe heart2
References
1 Sathya Sai Speaks Volume 15 Chapter 9 TeFlowers Tat God Loves
2 Sathya Sai Speaks Volume 33 Chapter 12
Flowers Tat Never Fade3 Sanathana Sarathi March 2012 Chapter Hu-
manness Blossoms in a Compassionate Heart
4 Sathya Sai Speaks Volume 15 Chapter 25Te Garden of the Heart
8132019 Teachings of Sri Sathya Sai Baba - Vol 1
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullteachings-of-sri-sathya-sai-baba-vol-1 2426
20
Glossary
AtmaAtmic
Self Soul Embodied Self is jiva (the individ-ual soul) Self with no limitations is Brahman (the Supreme Cosmic Reality)
SatwaSatwic
It is the quality of purity brightness peacegoodness and harmony It leads to knowledge
8132019 Teachings of Sri Sathya Sai Baba - Vol 1
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullteachings-of-sri-sathya-sai-baba-vol-1 2526
8132019 Teachings of Sri Sathya Sai Baba - Vol 1
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullteachings-of-sri-sathya-sai-baba-vol-1 2626
L983151983158983141 A983148983148 S983141983154983158983141 A983148983148
8132019 Teachings of Sri Sathya Sai Baba - Vol 1
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullteachings-of-sri-sathya-sai-baba-vol-1 2026
16
Have Compassion towards All as God
Resides in All
Among all the flowers compassion for all crea-tures is most important Man alone is endowed with this virtue of compassion Tis is the flower
that you should offer to God God is the indwellerof all beings Names and forms may vary but thesame God is present in all Terefore you shouldhave compassion towards all beings with the broadfeeling that God is present in all Only then canyou understand how expansive and fragrant thisquality of compassion for all creatures is
You need not waste your time gathering theflowers that fade away and wither away in no time
Te flower of your heart is eternal ever fresh andever fragrant for which you need not spend evena penny Tat is the real flower One who under-stands the secret of this flower is one of supreme wisdom3
FOURTH FLOWER
Te fourth one is the flower of forbearanceForbearance truly is the highest quality of a humanbeing But in human life because he develops nar-row ideas man wants to live in a constricted placeHe thinks ldquoIrdquo and ldquomy familyrdquo are what mattersothers are all different from ldquomerdquo It is not possiblefor us to develop the flower of forbearance as longas these ideas are in us It is only when we lovethat we can have patience and forbearance Onersquoslove should encompass all living beings Tat willfructify as forbearance
Here is a brief example In our home thereare our children Along with our children there is
also a servant In the house a son may be pilfer-ing something or other and developing bad habitsIn many ways we will try and control that son bybeating scolding and persuading him to return togood ways but we will never take him and handhim over to the police In the same house if theservant steals a small spoon at once we will takehim 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 dayafter day but we hand over a servant immediatelyto the police when he steals even a small thing
Te reason for this is the narrow idea that ldquothis boyis my sonrdquo Because the servant does not belong toyou there is no place for forbearance and patienceSo you see that when you have the broad idea thatldquoeveryone is minerdquo there is room for patience and
forbearance It is only then that our love will alsogrow1
Forbearance Promotes Divine Qualities
Forbearance is identified by the scriptures withtruth righteousness knowledge sacrifice and joy Without forbearance man cannot be happy foreven a moment It promotes divine qualities Itreveals inner Divinity One has to undertake spiri-tual practices to earn it and establish oneself in it
Nourish the idea that God is equally present in allin spite of ridicule from the ignorant and sarcasticcriticism from the blind or even praise from ad-mirers Do not mind them4
Forbearance Is Very Dear to the Lord
Te Pandavas suffered a lot at the hands ofthe Kauravas But never did Dharmaraja lose for-bearance even when Droupadi was being humili-ated by the Kauravas It was the virtue of forbear-ance that protected the Pandavas and made theman ideal for the rest of the world Tis flower offorbearance is very dear to the Lord God will bepleased with you and confer boons on you only when you offer Him the ldquoflowersrdquo which are dearto Him No benefit accrues from offering the flow-ers that fade away and decay Te ever-bloomingflowers of non-violence sense control compassionfor all living beings and forbearance are liked by
God2
FIFTH FLOWER
Te fifth is the flower of peace Tis flower ofpeace should not be interpreted to mean that youshould be silent no matter who is attacking you or who is blaming you It is not that If you are un-moved and unperturbed in spite of anyone findingfaults with you this can be called real peace Ifyou can fill your heart with love then peace willcome into you from outside Trough bad quali-ties to some extent we lose peace With truthfulthoughts a man will have peace With untruthful
8132019 Teachings of Sri Sathya Sai Baba - Vol 1
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullteachings-of-sri-sathya-sai-baba-vol-1 2126
17
thoughts a man will not have peace If you can getrid of all thoughts you will become a saint It isonly when you can be free from all thoughts thatyou can have peace
Your own bad thoughts are responsible for all
your pain and sorrow By good thoughts and bygood ideas you will become a holy man Holyman does not mean one who merely wears an or-ange robe shaves the head and wears holy beadsHe who has good thoughts and good ideas is aholy man A holy man is one who is the embodi-ment of truthful thoughts1
Peace Has Detachment as the Basic
Quality
Peace does not mean that a person should notreact at all whatever others may say or howeverthey may abuse him It does not mean that hemust be silent as a rock It involves mastery of allthe senses and all the passions inner peace mustbecome onersquos nature Peace has detachment as thebasic quality Te sea which likes to gather andpossess lies low the cloud that likes to renounceand give up is high in the sky Peace endows man
with an unruffled mind and steady visionTe prayer for shanthi (peace) is usually repeat-
ed thrice ldquoOm shanthi shanthi shanthihirdquo sincepeace is prayed for in the physical mental andspiritual planes Man should not bring his bloodto boil nor should he yield to fear Spiritual calmis exemplified by Emperor Janaka of the Upani-shadhic texts He was known as vidheha (withoutbody attachment) not because he was disembod-
ied but because he lived in utter forgetfulness ofthe body and its needs He saw heard and spokeonly from the Atmic plane of consciousness4
Bear All Sufferings With Fortitude and
Patience
One should remain peaceful through all thevicissitudes of life Only then can one attain divinegrace Great devotees like Tyagaraja ukaramand Droupadi underwent many hardships Tey
bore all sufferings with patience Tyagaraja saidldquoOne cannot attain happiness without innerpeacerdquo Man needs peace at the physical mental
and spiritual levels Peace is not present in theexternal world It is present within
You are the embodiment of peace In the worldly life there are bound to be many hardshipsbut one should not be perturbed One should bear
all sufferings with fortitude and patience Humanlife is given not merely to enjoy the worldly plea-sures like birds and beasts Life becomes meaning-ful only when one experiences the peace that origi-nates from the heart2
SIXTH FLOWER
Te sixth one is the flower of penance Pen-ance is not to give up your wife and children goto a forest put your head down and feet up that
is not penance When we think of real penance weshould eliminate bad thoughts from our mindsTe co-ordination of thought word and deed ispenance Whatever thoughts sprout in your mindto utter them as word and to put them in practiceas your work that is penance It is in this contextthat it is said ldquoA great soul practises harmony ofthought word and deedrdquo Giving up bad thoughtsin your mind will become a sacrifice Tat sacri-fice will become yoga (spiritual practice leading tounion with God) But giving up onersquos propertyand onersquos wife and going to the forest is not yoga1
Be Even-Minded in Happiness or Sorrow
One should contemplate on God at all timesand achieve harmony of thought word and deedHe is a noble one whose thoughts words anddeeds are in complete harmony Do not be car-ried away by pain or pleasure Te Bhagavad Gita
teaches ldquoOne should be even-minded in happi-ness or sorrow gain or loss victory or defeatrdquo Oneshould discharge onersquos duty and serve society with-out any expectation of reward Such even-minded-ness and desireless state is true penance2
SEVENTH FLOWER
Te seventh flower is the flower of meditationoday meditation is taking many forms Manytypes of meditation that people are adopting todayare against the culture and tradition of India o sitin a lotus posture and to make the kundalini shakti (kundalini power) rise from basal plexus to the cra-
8132019 Teachings of Sri Sathya Sai Baba - Vol 1
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullteachings-of-sri-sathya-sai-baba-vol-1 2226
18
nium is not meditation rue meditation consistsin recognising the presence of God in all types of work God is the indweller of all and is all per-vading o make an attempt in your meditation toconfine 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 marketthe market is your God According to the cultureof 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 TeUpanishads are teaching us ldquoTe work I have todo I regard as God and make obeisance to God
in that formrdquoLet us consider the person who plays the
drums Before he begins to play on them he paysobeisance to the drums Te harmonium player will make obeisance to the harmonium before hestarts A dancer before she begins her dance willmake obeisance to her anklets Even a driver whois going to drive a lifeless car before he holds thesteering wheel makes salutations to the steering wheel You do not have to go so far While driv-ing if the car hits another person immediately wemake salutations to that person Te significanceof all this is the faith and belief that God is presentin all things Tus to regard the entire creation asthe form of God and to perform your duty in thatspirit is meditation1
Contemplate On God at All Times
Meditation does not mean sitting in lotus pos-
ture with eyes closed in contemplation on GodTis is physical worldly activity No doubt this isalso needed but true meditation lies in unifyingthe mind with God Just as milk and water can-not be separated likewise the mind once merged with God cannot be separated An iron ball castin fire will become one with it Likewise your loveshould become one with divine love Tis truthis contained in the Vedic dictum ldquoTe knower ofBrahman becomes Brahman Himselfrdquo
Some people contemplate on God for a lim-ited period in the morning and evening Tis can-
not be called meditation Contemplate on Godat all times at all places and under all circum-stances Perform all tasks with your mind firmlyfixed on God Tat is true meditation Tinking ofGod for a limited period cannot be termed medi-
tation Tat is only part-time devotion Part-timedevotion confers only part-time grace You shouldhave full-time devotion in order to attain full-timegrace2
EIGHTH FLOWER
Te next flower is the flower of truth If yousimply speak what you feel and tell what you havedone this can be called worldly truth mdash state-ment of facts Tis cannot be called truth ruth
is that which does not change at any time Whatyou have seen is truth at that moment At the nextmoment it becomes untruth All material thingsthat you see in this creation are things that willdecay that are bound to change In this transientchanging world how can what you see and whatyou hear become truth ruth is God Tis truth isthe eighth flower Tis truth is the form of Divin-ity In the world we experience truths of a relativenature
Let us take chemistry as an example You takesome chemicals and mix them together Teychange and you get some other chemical If youmix turmeric in lime you get red colour Tis ischemistry Another example is physics If you takea 3-inch needle and put it in fire it will becomea longer needle Tis is the truth of physics Howlong do these truths of chemistry and physics re-main Tese are temporary worldly scientific
truths But spiritual truths are such that they willremain unchanged whatever you may do to them whatever fire you may use on them and howsoeveryou may change the circumstances
So what does not change at all is truth Cru-elty and harshness are predominant in the worldtoday because we are not attempting to promotesuch sacred qualities oday among believersnon-believers and the believing the same kind ofattitude is developing Tat day when we can pro-mote such good qualities in the minds of believersthe non-believers will disappear from this world1
8132019 Teachings of Sri Sathya Sai Baba - Vol 1
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullteachings-of-sri-sathya-sai-baba-vol-1 2326
19
ruth is changeless in all the three periods oftime ie past present and future Everythingmay disappear but truth remains forever So truthis God live in truth2
Win Godrsquos Grace by Worshipping EightFlowers
Worship the Lord and offer Him these flow-ers Now when other flowers are used devotiondoes not last after one comes out of the worshiproom When one crosses that door-step angerhatred and anxiety possess him and degrade him Without developing the qualities indicated by theeight flowers how can anyone win the grace ofGod Engaged in wrong worship on all 364 days
what good do you derive by doing true worship onthe 365th day of the year When you claim to beSai devotees justify the claim by cultivating theseflowers of virtue and offering them to God4
Serve Society to Your Utmost Capacity
God will be pleased only when you wor-ship Him with these eight types of flowers Tepriests in temples worship God with various typesof flowers But God does not want these flowersHe says ldquoO priest is this what you have learntall these years You are worshipping Me with lorryloads of roses and jasmines which fade away in ashort time Tese are not the flowers that I expectfrom you Worship Me with the flowers of peacelove non-violence etc which will never faderdquo
Embodiments of Love
People worship God with devotion and sincer-
ity but God is not satisfied with external worship You should serve society Only service can conferbliss on you By rendering service to society notonly can you alleviate the sufferings of the peoplebut you can also bring about transformation intheir lives As is the feeling so is the result If youserve with sacred feelings it is bound to yield sa-cred results Serve society to your utmost capacity You are singing devotional songs in the morningand evening Te satisfaction that you get by par-
ticipating in singing devotional songs is temporary whereas service confers permanent satisfaction
Te Vedas say the objective of actions is to pu-rify the mind Service alone is undertaken to pu-rify the mind oday people waste a lot of time wealth and energy in performing activities that donot foster purity of the mind Tat is why they
are unable to experience peace of mind Te peacethat one gets out of worldly activities comes andgoes like a passing cloud One should aspire forthe true and eternal peace which originates fromthe heart2
References
1 Sathya Sai Speaks Volume 15 Chapter 9 TeFlowers Tat God Loves
2 Sathya Sai Speaks Volume 33 Chapter 12
Flowers Tat Never Fade3 Sanathana Sarathi March 2012 Chapter Hu-
manness Blossoms in a Compassionate Heart
4 Sathya Sai Speaks Volume 15 Chapter 25Te Garden of the Heart
8132019 Teachings of Sri Sathya Sai Baba - Vol 1
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullteachings-of-sri-sathya-sai-baba-vol-1 2426
20
Glossary
AtmaAtmic
Self Soul Embodied Self is jiva (the individ-ual soul) Self with no limitations is Brahman (the Supreme Cosmic Reality)
SatwaSatwic
It is the quality of purity brightness peacegoodness and harmony It leads to knowledge
8132019 Teachings of Sri Sathya Sai Baba - Vol 1
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullteachings-of-sri-sathya-sai-baba-vol-1 2526
8132019 Teachings of Sri Sathya Sai Baba - Vol 1
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullteachings-of-sri-sathya-sai-baba-vol-1 2626
L983151983158983141 A983148983148 S983141983154983158983141 A983148983148
8132019 Teachings of Sri Sathya Sai Baba - Vol 1
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullteachings-of-sri-sathya-sai-baba-vol-1 2126
17
thoughts a man will not have peace If you can getrid of all thoughts you will become a saint It isonly when you can be free from all thoughts thatyou can have peace
Your own bad thoughts are responsible for all
your pain and sorrow By good thoughts and bygood ideas you will become a holy man Holyman does not mean one who merely wears an or-ange robe shaves the head and wears holy beadsHe who has good thoughts and good ideas is aholy man A holy man is one who is the embodi-ment of truthful thoughts1
Peace Has Detachment as the Basic
Quality
Peace does not mean that a person should notreact at all whatever others may say or howeverthey may abuse him It does not mean that hemust be silent as a rock It involves mastery of allthe senses and all the passions inner peace mustbecome onersquos nature Peace has detachment as thebasic quality Te sea which likes to gather andpossess lies low the cloud that likes to renounceand give up is high in the sky Peace endows man
with an unruffled mind and steady visionTe prayer for shanthi (peace) is usually repeat-
ed thrice ldquoOm shanthi shanthi shanthihirdquo sincepeace is prayed for in the physical mental andspiritual planes Man should not bring his bloodto boil nor should he yield to fear Spiritual calmis exemplified by Emperor Janaka of the Upani-shadhic texts He was known as vidheha (withoutbody attachment) not because he was disembod-
ied but because he lived in utter forgetfulness ofthe body and its needs He saw heard and spokeonly from the Atmic plane of consciousness4
Bear All Sufferings With Fortitude and
Patience
One should remain peaceful through all thevicissitudes of life Only then can one attain divinegrace Great devotees like Tyagaraja ukaramand Droupadi underwent many hardships Tey
bore all sufferings with patience Tyagaraja saidldquoOne cannot attain happiness without innerpeacerdquo Man needs peace at the physical mental
and spiritual levels Peace is not present in theexternal world It is present within
You are the embodiment of peace In the worldly life there are bound to be many hardshipsbut one should not be perturbed One should bear
all sufferings with fortitude and patience Humanlife is given not merely to enjoy the worldly plea-sures like birds and beasts Life becomes meaning-ful only when one experiences the peace that origi-nates from the heart2
SIXTH FLOWER
Te sixth one is the flower of penance Pen-ance is not to give up your wife and children goto a forest put your head down and feet up that
is not penance When we think of real penance weshould eliminate bad thoughts from our mindsTe co-ordination of thought word and deed ispenance Whatever thoughts sprout in your mindto utter them as word and to put them in practiceas your work that is penance It is in this contextthat it is said ldquoA great soul practises harmony ofthought word and deedrdquo Giving up bad thoughtsin your mind will become a sacrifice Tat sacri-fice will become yoga (spiritual practice leading tounion with God) But giving up onersquos propertyand onersquos wife and going to the forest is not yoga1
Be Even-Minded in Happiness or Sorrow
One should contemplate on God at all timesand achieve harmony of thought word and deedHe is a noble one whose thoughts words anddeeds are in complete harmony Do not be car-ried away by pain or pleasure Te Bhagavad Gita
teaches ldquoOne should be even-minded in happi-ness or sorrow gain or loss victory or defeatrdquo Oneshould discharge onersquos duty and serve society with-out any expectation of reward Such even-minded-ness and desireless state is true penance2
SEVENTH FLOWER
Te seventh flower is the flower of meditationoday meditation is taking many forms Manytypes of meditation that people are adopting todayare against the culture and tradition of India o sitin a lotus posture and to make the kundalini shakti (kundalini power) rise from basal plexus to the cra-
8132019 Teachings of Sri Sathya Sai Baba - Vol 1
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullteachings-of-sri-sathya-sai-baba-vol-1 2226
18
nium is not meditation rue meditation consistsin recognising the presence of God in all types of work God is the indweller of all and is all per-vading o make an attempt in your meditation toconfine 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 marketthe market is your God According to the cultureof 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 TeUpanishads are teaching us ldquoTe work I have todo I regard as God and make obeisance to God
in that formrdquoLet us consider the person who plays the
drums Before he begins to play on them he paysobeisance to the drums Te harmonium player will make obeisance to the harmonium before hestarts A dancer before she begins her dance willmake obeisance to her anklets Even a driver whois going to drive a lifeless car before he holds thesteering wheel makes salutations to the steering wheel You do not have to go so far While driv-ing if the car hits another person immediately wemake salutations to that person Te significanceof all this is the faith and belief that God is presentin all things Tus to regard the entire creation asthe form of God and to perform your duty in thatspirit is meditation1
Contemplate On God at All Times
Meditation does not mean sitting in lotus pos-
ture with eyes closed in contemplation on GodTis is physical worldly activity No doubt this isalso needed but true meditation lies in unifyingthe mind with God Just as milk and water can-not be separated likewise the mind once merged with God cannot be separated An iron ball castin fire will become one with it Likewise your loveshould become one with divine love Tis truthis contained in the Vedic dictum ldquoTe knower ofBrahman becomes Brahman Himselfrdquo
Some people contemplate on God for a lim-ited period in the morning and evening Tis can-
not be called meditation Contemplate on Godat all times at all places and under all circum-stances Perform all tasks with your mind firmlyfixed on God Tat is true meditation Tinking ofGod for a limited period cannot be termed medi-
tation Tat is only part-time devotion Part-timedevotion confers only part-time grace You shouldhave full-time devotion in order to attain full-timegrace2
EIGHTH FLOWER
Te next flower is the flower of truth If yousimply speak what you feel and tell what you havedone this can be called worldly truth mdash state-ment of facts Tis cannot be called truth ruth
is that which does not change at any time Whatyou have seen is truth at that moment At the nextmoment it becomes untruth All material thingsthat you see in this creation are things that willdecay that are bound to change In this transientchanging world how can what you see and whatyou hear become truth ruth is God Tis truth isthe eighth flower Tis truth is the form of Divin-ity In the world we experience truths of a relativenature
Let us take chemistry as an example You takesome chemicals and mix them together Teychange and you get some other chemical If youmix turmeric in lime you get red colour Tis ischemistry Another example is physics If you takea 3-inch needle and put it in fire it will becomea longer needle Tis is the truth of physics Howlong do these truths of chemistry and physics re-main Tese are temporary worldly scientific
truths But spiritual truths are such that they willremain unchanged whatever you may do to them whatever fire you may use on them and howsoeveryou may change the circumstances
So what does not change at all is truth Cru-elty and harshness are predominant in the worldtoday because we are not attempting to promotesuch sacred qualities oday among believersnon-believers and the believing the same kind ofattitude is developing Tat day when we can pro-mote such good qualities in the minds of believersthe non-believers will disappear from this world1
8132019 Teachings of Sri Sathya Sai Baba - Vol 1
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullteachings-of-sri-sathya-sai-baba-vol-1 2326
19
ruth is changeless in all the three periods oftime ie past present and future Everythingmay disappear but truth remains forever So truthis God live in truth2
Win Godrsquos Grace by Worshipping EightFlowers
Worship the Lord and offer Him these flow-ers Now when other flowers are used devotiondoes not last after one comes out of the worshiproom When one crosses that door-step angerhatred and anxiety possess him and degrade him Without developing the qualities indicated by theeight flowers how can anyone win the grace ofGod Engaged in wrong worship on all 364 days
what good do you derive by doing true worship onthe 365th day of the year When you claim to beSai devotees justify the claim by cultivating theseflowers of virtue and offering them to God4
Serve Society to Your Utmost Capacity
God will be pleased only when you wor-ship Him with these eight types of flowers Tepriests in temples worship God with various typesof flowers But God does not want these flowersHe says ldquoO priest is this what you have learntall these years You are worshipping Me with lorryloads of roses and jasmines which fade away in ashort time Tese are not the flowers that I expectfrom you Worship Me with the flowers of peacelove non-violence etc which will never faderdquo
Embodiments of Love
People worship God with devotion and sincer-
ity but God is not satisfied with external worship You should serve society Only service can conferbliss on you By rendering service to society notonly can you alleviate the sufferings of the peoplebut you can also bring about transformation intheir lives As is the feeling so is the result If youserve with sacred feelings it is bound to yield sa-cred results Serve society to your utmost capacity You are singing devotional songs in the morningand evening Te satisfaction that you get by par-
ticipating in singing devotional songs is temporary whereas service confers permanent satisfaction
Te Vedas say the objective of actions is to pu-rify the mind Service alone is undertaken to pu-rify the mind oday people waste a lot of time wealth and energy in performing activities that donot foster purity of the mind Tat is why they
are unable to experience peace of mind Te peacethat one gets out of worldly activities comes andgoes like a passing cloud One should aspire forthe true and eternal peace which originates fromthe heart2
References
1 Sathya Sai Speaks Volume 15 Chapter 9 TeFlowers Tat God Loves
2 Sathya Sai Speaks Volume 33 Chapter 12
Flowers Tat Never Fade3 Sanathana Sarathi March 2012 Chapter Hu-
manness Blossoms in a Compassionate Heart
4 Sathya Sai Speaks Volume 15 Chapter 25Te Garden of the Heart
8132019 Teachings of Sri Sathya Sai Baba - Vol 1
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullteachings-of-sri-sathya-sai-baba-vol-1 2426
20
Glossary
AtmaAtmic
Self Soul Embodied Self is jiva (the individ-ual soul) Self with no limitations is Brahman (the Supreme Cosmic Reality)
SatwaSatwic
It is the quality of purity brightness peacegoodness and harmony It leads to knowledge
8132019 Teachings of Sri Sathya Sai Baba - Vol 1
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullteachings-of-sri-sathya-sai-baba-vol-1 2526
8132019 Teachings of Sri Sathya Sai Baba - Vol 1
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullteachings-of-sri-sathya-sai-baba-vol-1 2626
L983151983158983141 A983148983148 S983141983154983158983141 A983148983148
8132019 Teachings of Sri Sathya Sai Baba - Vol 1
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullteachings-of-sri-sathya-sai-baba-vol-1 2226
18
nium is not meditation rue meditation consistsin recognising the presence of God in all types of work God is the indweller of all and is all per-vading o make an attempt in your meditation toconfine 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 marketthe market is your God According to the cultureof 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 TeUpanishads are teaching us ldquoTe work I have todo I regard as God and make obeisance to God
in that formrdquoLet us consider the person who plays the
drums Before he begins to play on them he paysobeisance to the drums Te harmonium player will make obeisance to the harmonium before hestarts A dancer before she begins her dance willmake obeisance to her anklets Even a driver whois going to drive a lifeless car before he holds thesteering wheel makes salutations to the steering wheel You do not have to go so far While driv-ing if the car hits another person immediately wemake salutations to that person Te significanceof all this is the faith and belief that God is presentin all things Tus to regard the entire creation asthe form of God and to perform your duty in thatspirit is meditation1
Contemplate On God at All Times
Meditation does not mean sitting in lotus pos-
ture with eyes closed in contemplation on GodTis is physical worldly activity No doubt this isalso needed but true meditation lies in unifyingthe mind with God Just as milk and water can-not be separated likewise the mind once merged with God cannot be separated An iron ball castin fire will become one with it Likewise your loveshould become one with divine love Tis truthis contained in the Vedic dictum ldquoTe knower ofBrahman becomes Brahman Himselfrdquo
Some people contemplate on God for a lim-ited period in the morning and evening Tis can-
not be called meditation Contemplate on Godat all times at all places and under all circum-stances Perform all tasks with your mind firmlyfixed on God Tat is true meditation Tinking ofGod for a limited period cannot be termed medi-
tation Tat is only part-time devotion Part-timedevotion confers only part-time grace You shouldhave full-time devotion in order to attain full-timegrace2
EIGHTH FLOWER
Te next flower is the flower of truth If yousimply speak what you feel and tell what you havedone this can be called worldly truth mdash state-ment of facts Tis cannot be called truth ruth
is that which does not change at any time Whatyou have seen is truth at that moment At the nextmoment it becomes untruth All material thingsthat you see in this creation are things that willdecay that are bound to change In this transientchanging world how can what you see and whatyou hear become truth ruth is God Tis truth isthe eighth flower Tis truth is the form of Divin-ity In the world we experience truths of a relativenature
Let us take chemistry as an example You takesome chemicals and mix them together Teychange and you get some other chemical If youmix turmeric in lime you get red colour Tis ischemistry Another example is physics If you takea 3-inch needle and put it in fire it will becomea longer needle Tis is the truth of physics Howlong do these truths of chemistry and physics re-main Tese are temporary worldly scientific
truths But spiritual truths are such that they willremain unchanged whatever you may do to them whatever fire you may use on them and howsoeveryou may change the circumstances
So what does not change at all is truth Cru-elty and harshness are predominant in the worldtoday because we are not attempting to promotesuch sacred qualities oday among believersnon-believers and the believing the same kind ofattitude is developing Tat day when we can pro-mote such good qualities in the minds of believersthe non-believers will disappear from this world1
8132019 Teachings of Sri Sathya Sai Baba - Vol 1
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullteachings-of-sri-sathya-sai-baba-vol-1 2326
19
ruth is changeless in all the three periods oftime ie past present and future Everythingmay disappear but truth remains forever So truthis God live in truth2
Win Godrsquos Grace by Worshipping EightFlowers
Worship the Lord and offer Him these flow-ers Now when other flowers are used devotiondoes not last after one comes out of the worshiproom When one crosses that door-step angerhatred and anxiety possess him and degrade him Without developing the qualities indicated by theeight flowers how can anyone win the grace ofGod Engaged in wrong worship on all 364 days
what good do you derive by doing true worship onthe 365th day of the year When you claim to beSai devotees justify the claim by cultivating theseflowers of virtue and offering them to God4
Serve Society to Your Utmost Capacity
God will be pleased only when you wor-ship Him with these eight types of flowers Tepriests in temples worship God with various typesof flowers But God does not want these flowersHe says ldquoO priest is this what you have learntall these years You are worshipping Me with lorryloads of roses and jasmines which fade away in ashort time Tese are not the flowers that I expectfrom you Worship Me with the flowers of peacelove non-violence etc which will never faderdquo
Embodiments of Love
People worship God with devotion and sincer-
ity but God is not satisfied with external worship You should serve society Only service can conferbliss on you By rendering service to society notonly can you alleviate the sufferings of the peoplebut you can also bring about transformation intheir lives As is the feeling so is the result If youserve with sacred feelings it is bound to yield sa-cred results Serve society to your utmost capacity You are singing devotional songs in the morningand evening Te satisfaction that you get by par-
ticipating in singing devotional songs is temporary whereas service confers permanent satisfaction
Te Vedas say the objective of actions is to pu-rify the mind Service alone is undertaken to pu-rify the mind oday people waste a lot of time wealth and energy in performing activities that donot foster purity of the mind Tat is why they
are unable to experience peace of mind Te peacethat one gets out of worldly activities comes andgoes like a passing cloud One should aspire forthe true and eternal peace which originates fromthe heart2
References
1 Sathya Sai Speaks Volume 15 Chapter 9 TeFlowers Tat God Loves
2 Sathya Sai Speaks Volume 33 Chapter 12
Flowers Tat Never Fade3 Sanathana Sarathi March 2012 Chapter Hu-
manness Blossoms in a Compassionate Heart
4 Sathya Sai Speaks Volume 15 Chapter 25Te Garden of the Heart
8132019 Teachings of Sri Sathya Sai Baba - Vol 1
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullteachings-of-sri-sathya-sai-baba-vol-1 2426
20
Glossary
AtmaAtmic
Self Soul Embodied Self is jiva (the individ-ual soul) Self with no limitations is Brahman (the Supreme Cosmic Reality)
SatwaSatwic
It is the quality of purity brightness peacegoodness and harmony It leads to knowledge
8132019 Teachings of Sri Sathya Sai Baba - Vol 1
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullteachings-of-sri-sathya-sai-baba-vol-1 2526
8132019 Teachings of Sri Sathya Sai Baba - Vol 1
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullteachings-of-sri-sathya-sai-baba-vol-1 2626
L983151983158983141 A983148983148 S983141983154983158983141 A983148983148
8132019 Teachings of Sri Sathya Sai Baba - Vol 1
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullteachings-of-sri-sathya-sai-baba-vol-1 2326
19
ruth is changeless in all the three periods oftime ie past present and future Everythingmay disappear but truth remains forever So truthis God live in truth2
Win Godrsquos Grace by Worshipping EightFlowers
Worship the Lord and offer Him these flow-ers Now when other flowers are used devotiondoes not last after one comes out of the worshiproom When one crosses that door-step angerhatred and anxiety possess him and degrade him Without developing the qualities indicated by theeight flowers how can anyone win the grace ofGod Engaged in wrong worship on all 364 days
what good do you derive by doing true worship onthe 365th day of the year When you claim to beSai devotees justify the claim by cultivating theseflowers of virtue and offering them to God4
Serve Society to Your Utmost Capacity
God will be pleased only when you wor-ship Him with these eight types of flowers Tepriests in temples worship God with various typesof flowers But God does not want these flowersHe says ldquoO priest is this what you have learntall these years You are worshipping Me with lorryloads of roses and jasmines which fade away in ashort time Tese are not the flowers that I expectfrom you Worship Me with the flowers of peacelove non-violence etc which will never faderdquo
Embodiments of Love
People worship God with devotion and sincer-
ity but God is not satisfied with external worship You should serve society Only service can conferbliss on you By rendering service to society notonly can you alleviate the sufferings of the peoplebut you can also bring about transformation intheir lives As is the feeling so is the result If youserve with sacred feelings it is bound to yield sa-cred results Serve society to your utmost capacity You are singing devotional songs in the morningand evening Te satisfaction that you get by par-
ticipating in singing devotional songs is temporary whereas service confers permanent satisfaction
Te Vedas say the objective of actions is to pu-rify the mind Service alone is undertaken to pu-rify the mind oday people waste a lot of time wealth and energy in performing activities that donot foster purity of the mind Tat is why they
are unable to experience peace of mind Te peacethat one gets out of worldly activities comes andgoes like a passing cloud One should aspire forthe true and eternal peace which originates fromthe heart2
References
1 Sathya Sai Speaks Volume 15 Chapter 9 TeFlowers Tat God Loves
2 Sathya Sai Speaks Volume 33 Chapter 12
Flowers Tat Never Fade3 Sanathana Sarathi March 2012 Chapter Hu-
manness Blossoms in a Compassionate Heart
4 Sathya Sai Speaks Volume 15 Chapter 25Te Garden of the Heart
8132019 Teachings of Sri Sathya Sai Baba - Vol 1
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullteachings-of-sri-sathya-sai-baba-vol-1 2426
20
Glossary
AtmaAtmic
Self Soul Embodied Self is jiva (the individ-ual soul) Self with no limitations is Brahman (the Supreme Cosmic Reality)
SatwaSatwic
It is the quality of purity brightness peacegoodness and harmony It leads to knowledge
8132019 Teachings of Sri Sathya Sai Baba - Vol 1
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullteachings-of-sri-sathya-sai-baba-vol-1 2526
8132019 Teachings of Sri Sathya Sai Baba - Vol 1
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullteachings-of-sri-sathya-sai-baba-vol-1 2626
L983151983158983141 A983148983148 S983141983154983158983141 A983148983148
8132019 Teachings of Sri Sathya Sai Baba - Vol 1
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullteachings-of-sri-sathya-sai-baba-vol-1 2426
20
Glossary
AtmaAtmic
Self Soul Embodied Self is jiva (the individ-ual soul) Self with no limitations is Brahman (the Supreme Cosmic Reality)
SatwaSatwic
It is the quality of purity brightness peacegoodness and harmony It leads to knowledge
8132019 Teachings of Sri Sathya Sai Baba - Vol 1
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullteachings-of-sri-sathya-sai-baba-vol-1 2526
8132019 Teachings of Sri Sathya Sai Baba - Vol 1
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullteachings-of-sri-sathya-sai-baba-vol-1 2626
L983151983158983141 A983148983148 S983141983154983158983141 A983148983148
8132019 Teachings of Sri Sathya Sai Baba - Vol 1
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullteachings-of-sri-sathya-sai-baba-vol-1 2526
8132019 Teachings of Sri Sathya Sai Baba - Vol 1
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullteachings-of-sri-sathya-sai-baba-vol-1 2626
L983151983158983141 A983148983148 S983141983154983158983141 A983148983148
8132019 Teachings of Sri Sathya Sai Baba - Vol 1
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullteachings-of-sri-sathya-sai-baba-vol-1 2626
L983151983158983141 A983148983148 S983141983154983158983141 A983148983148