November 1: God is in all beings at all times. Endeavour to remember this fact whatever you may be doing, whomever you may meet. You will succeed in this, provided you do not give up the recitation of His Name. On this Deepavali Day, resolve to light the lamp of Namasmarana (remembering the Lord's name) and place it at your doorstep, the lips. Feed it with the oil of devotion; have steadiness as the wick. Let the lamp illumine every minute of your life. The splendour of the Name will drive away darkness from outside you as well as from inside you. You will spread joy and peace among all who come near you. - BABA 

 

November 2: Love must expand from the individual to the whole universe. We must regard Love as God. The different forms attributed to God are products of fancy. But Love can be directly experienced. Whether one is a theist or an atheist, a hedonist or a recluse, a yogi or a materialist, he values love. Love is the one form in which everybody is ready to accept God. The cultivation of love and achieving universal love is the sublime path of Bhakti (devotion). - BABA


November 3: In the spiritual sphere, the responsibility for success or failure is entirely one's own. You have no right to shift it on to others. The fire will rage only as long as it is fed with fuel. Hence, do not add fuel to the fire of the senses. Detach the mind from the evanescent and attach it to the eternal. Plant the seedling of Bhakthi (devotion) by the practice of Namasmarana (remembering the Lord's name). That seed will grow into a mighty tree with the branches of virtue, service, sacrifice, love, equanimity, fortitude, and courage.

- BABA

 

November 4: When the obstacles in the path of truth are laid low, deliverance is achieved. That is why moksha (liberation) is something that can be won, here and now; one need not wait for the dissolution of the physical body for that. Action must not be felt as a burden, for that feeling is a sure sign indicating that it is against the grain. No action which helps your progress will weigh heavily on you. It is only when you go counter to your innermost nature that you feel it a burden. A time comes when you look back on your achievements and sigh at the futility of it all. Entrust to the Lord, before it is too late, your mind, and let Him shape it as He likes. - BABA

 November 5: The perceiver should not attach himself to the perceived; that is the way to earn freedom. The contact of the senses with the object gives rise to desire and attachment; this leads to effort and either elation or despair; then, there is the fear of loss or grief at failure and the train of reactions lengthens. With many doors and windows kept open to all the winds that blow, how can the flame of the lamp within survive? That lamp is the mind, which must burn steadily, unaffected by the dual demands of the world outside. Complete surrender to the Lord is one way of closing the windows and doors, for in that stage of Sharanagathi (complete surrender to God), you are not buffeted by joy or grief. Complete surrender makes you draw upon the Grace of the Lord for meeting all the crises and renders you heroic and better prepared for the battle of life. - BABA 

November 6: For all types of spiritual discipline, congenial company is very necessary. Pure water that falls as rain from the sky is changed into a hundred tastes and colours by the soil on which it falls. But, even the slimy slush of the gutter has some hope of turning into pure water again; for, when the Sun shines, it can rise as vapour into the clouds and regain its pristine nature. Repentance must be followed by resolute determination not to repeat the wrong. You must pray for God's grace and help in Sadhana (spiritual endeavour). - BABA


November 7:The tongue is the armour of the heart; it guards one's life. Loud and unnecessary talk, words full of anger and hatred - all these affect the health of man. They breed anger and hate in others; they wound, they excite, they enrage, they estrange. Why is silence said to be golden? The silent man has no enemies, though he may not have friends. He has the leisure and the chance to dive within himself and examine his own faults and failings. He has no more inclination to seek them in others. If your foot slips, you suffer a fracture; if your tongue slips, you fracture someone's faith or joy. That fracture can never be set right; that wound will fester forever. Therefore, use the tongue with great care. Always speak softly and sweetly, and only as much as is necessary. - BABA



November 8: Man should get rid of Ahamkara (the feeling that he is the doer). As long as the ego is dominant, the Atmic consciousness will not develop. The egoist cannot recognize the Atma. It is egoism that is at the root of all of man's troubles. It is delusion based on the misconception that the body is real and permanent. The truth is otherwise. One should recognize the evanescence of the body and the senses and control the desires prompted by the sense organs. Desires are insatiable. The pursuit of wealth, power and position can only end in misery. Instead, one should take refuge in God and dedicate all actions to the Divine.

- BABA

November 9: Man's vision, which is now turned outward towards the phenomenal universe, should be turned inwards towards the Indwelling Spirit. One should manifest the Divine consciousness inherent in him. He should submit himself to that consciousness as a spiritual discipline. This is called "Conscious Realization of the Inner Divine." The first task is to develop awareness of the Divinity within. The next stage is the realization of the truth that the divinity that is within oneself is equally present in all others. One must recognize that the veil or barrier that appears to separate one from others is born of delusion and every effort should be made to remove it. Only then will it be possible to experience the oneness of all creation.

- BABA





November 10: Love exists for love's sake and nothing else. It is spontaneous and spreads delight. Everything is permeated by love. Love can conquer anything. Selfless, pure, unalloyed love leads man to God. Selfish and constricted love binds man to the world. Unable to comprehend the pure and sacred nature of love, man today is a prey to endless worries because of his attachment to worldly objects. Man's primary duty is to understand the truth about the Love principle. Once he understands the nature of love, he will not go astray.

- Baba

 

November 11:{Sai News: Prasanthi Nilayam }  He who has good thoughts and good ideas is a Sadhu (holy man). Sadhu does not mean one who merely wears an orange robe, shaves his head and wears Rudraakshas (holy beads). The real Sadhu is he whose deeds are in accordance with the words of advice he utters. Devotion cannot tolerate in the devotee the slightest trace of envy or jealousy. Make your daily life holy and pure. Render your life worthwhile through service to man and service to society. That is the most important aspect of surrender to the Absolute.

- BABA

 

November 12: {Sai News: Prasanthi Nilayam } The remembrance of God and repetition of His name is the only means of liberation that is easily accessible to all. People tend to treat the name of the Lord casually, not realizing its potency. All the power of the Cosmos is contained in it. You must understand the significance of the name properly and use it in the right way. Bhajan (devotional singing) is an effective activity by which Kama (desire) and Krodha (anger) can be kept at bay.

- BABA

 

November 13: {Sai News: Prasanthi Nilayam }The body is a chalice wherein you collect the nectar of Divine Grace. That is the prime purpose for which it has been gifted to you. When He showers His grace on us, our entire being is filled with bliss. Nara and Narayana (man and God) are like iron and magnet. God by His very nature attracts man near, for in man, there is the Divine. When the magnet fails to attract the iron piece, the iron foolishly concludes that the magnet has lost its power! The reality is that the piece of iron is too thickly covered by rust and dust. It does not realize its own defects; it hastens to blame God (the magnet) or even to deny Him!

- BABA

 

November 14: {Sai News: Prasanthi Nilayam }The Universe is the Field where God sports. Be aware of this fact in every moment of consciousness and there is nothing more you need for a happy existence. For, you will then contact God in everything, through every thought, at every place and at very moment. His glory is evident in the smallest flower and the most distant star. The joy that you can derive from the contemplation of these proofs of providence is indescribable. Lord Krishna has said in the Bhagavad Geetha that He is ever by the side of the joyous being. Be joyful yourself and share it with others. Limited happiness arising out of self-centeredness should be given up.

- BABA

 

November 15: {Sai News: Prasanthi Nilayam }In creation, no single object is like any other. No two human beings are similar in all respects; there is some aspect which distinguishes one from the rest. Immense diversity prevails. Each one has his own peculiar set of experiences. Nor is an individual the same always. The infant changes into a child, then into a boy, an adolescent, an adult, and soon becomes middle-aged, old, decrepit and, finally, senile. Why, during the course of a day, an individual passes through different states of consciousness in deep sleep, dream state and wakeful state. So man must seek refuge in the changeless Supreme Reality from which all variety emerges, and into which it merges. Then only can peace and contentment be secured.

- BABA 

 

November 16: {Sai News: Prasanthi Nilayam }Those who deny God are denying themselves and their glory. All have Love in their hearts, in some form or the other, either towards children or the poor or they work for the good of others. That Love is God, the spark of the Divine in them. They have Ananda (Bliss) however small or temporary, and that is a spark of God. They have peace, detachment and sympathy. All these are the reflections of the Divine in the mirror of their minds.

-BABA

 

November 17: {Sai News: Prasanthi Nilayam } The world is one vast community. Every individual in it is a part of this community, bound to it by the bonds of love. This love is there, deep in the heart of every man. Only, it is unrecognised, ignored, doubted, denied and argued away. It is the latent source of all sympathy and service; it creates the urge to live in, and for society. It is the Vishwa-Prema (all encompassing love) that flows from one spark of the Divine to all other sparks. When the eyes shine illumined by the highest wisdom of Jnana, they see all as the One. Man realises that Sarvam Brahmamayam Jagath (the entire universe is pervaded by Brahman). To have this One revealed as in All, one has to develop faith and discipline the mind. The mind has to shed its fancies and foibles; the Truth has to be known and experienced.

- Baba




November 18: {Sai News: Prasanthi Nilayam }Man has achieved immeasurable progress in science and technology. But, in the field of morality, he is still unable to rid himself of narrow cynicism, limited outlook and the demonic hold of selfishness, pride, envy and other evil traits. When we examine the basic cause for this state of affairs, we discover that it is the consequence of egoism that has struck deep roots in the heart of man. It has reduced man to the status of a puppet. It pollutes his thoughts, words and deeds. It directs him to gather and hoard material riches. It does not allow the Atma to shine forth. When the veil of egoism is set aside, the Atmic effulgence, and with it, Ananda (bliss) and Jnana (supreme wisdom) will be revealed.

- Baba

 

November 19 {Sai News: Prasanthi Nilayam-Ladies Day } Women are the makers of the home, the nation and the world. They are the mothers who shape the generation to come. So, they must enshrine in their hearts the spiritual urge towards light and love, wisdom and bliss. The Feminine Principle is the foundation on which a peaceful and happy world is to be raised. When women are true, brave, kind, and compassionate, the world can have an era of peace and joy.

- BABA


November 20 {Sai News: Prasanthi Nilayam - Eighth World Conference } object in the world can be without a creator. Everything we use in our daily life has been made by someone. But, there are also objects which are beyond the capacity of humans to create. The stars which twinkle in the sky, the sun and moon that illumine the whole world, all these demonstrate the existence of a superior power. These are not human creations. Have they come into existence by themselves or have they created by some invisible force? The supreme power which has the capacity to create such marvels has been described by the Vedas as Aprameya, one who is beyond all proofs and all limitations. He cannot be described in words. The primary object of man must be to seek to understand this Infinite Power.

- BABA

 

November 21  {Sai News: Prasanthi Nilayam - Swami's surprise visit }During our lives we accept the help rendered to us by many thousands. We have to pay back this debt by helping as many people as we can. With genuine keenness or readiness to serve others, you can be happy in any group or community. Derive bliss through seva (service) that is not done with any desire to get something in return. When you get a chance to help someone, rejoice at your good fortune. The very eagerness to serve others will endow you with the power and skill necessary for the required service.

- BABA

November 22. ({Sai News: Prasanthi Nilayam - 2005 Convocation of Sai University ) }
Education must instil the fundamental human values; it must include the entire world in its broad outlook. When earning money is held as the goal, the system fosters falsehood and injustice; it restricts the vision to one's family and community, and brings in its train, anxiety, sorrow and hatred. Education must equip man to live happily without making others unhappy; to evaluate everything correctly and without prejudice, and to fix one's attention ever on the highest and the most precious achievement of all, the Atmic victory. The spiritual stream must flow in the heart as the source and spring of all endeavour. So, one must enshrine in one's hearts the spiritual urge towards Light and Love, Wisdom and Bliss.

- BABA

November 23: Bhagawan Sathya Sai Baba's Birthday
({Sai News: Birthday special Report & Photographs og 80th birthday event } 
You can call Me Premaswarupa (the embodiment of Love). Prema is the wealth I have and which I spread among all. I have no other riches. The Grace of the Lord is always flowing like the electric current through the wire. Fix a bulb and the current will illumine your house. The bulb is the Sadhana (spiritual practice) you perform, the home is your heart. Come to Me gladly; dive into the sea and discover its depth. There is no use playing in the shallow waters and lamenting that the sea has no pearls. Dive deep and you will secure your heart's desire. - BABA

November 24. {Sai News:}There is no need to go in quest of God. Infact, it is God who is in search of a genuine and steadfast devotee. Today's Sadhaka (spiritual aspirant) is approaching God for the fulfilment of his petty desires. He does not seek to understand the nature of true love or the Divinity that underlies everything. He proves himself to be a self-deluded being with no moral commitment. Just as the sun can be seen only by its own light, the love of the Divine can be acquired only by Divine Grace and not by pursuing some trivial practices. These Sadhanas (spiritual practices) are invariably motivated by selfish objectives. There is an element of selfishness in every act of service which man undertakes; it is tainted by egoism or the acquisitive urge. Only when the Sadhaka's heart is filled with the Divine, will he be able to entertain pure and sacred love.

- BABA




 
November 25. {Sai News:} We become what we contemplate. By constant thought, an ideal gets imprinted on our heart. When we fix our thoughts all the time on the evil that others do, our mind too gets contaminated by that evil. When, on the contrary, we fix our mind on the virtues or well-being of others, our mind is cleansed of all wrong and entertains only good thoughts. No evil thought can penetrate the mind of a person wholly given to love and compassion. The thoughts we indulge in shape our nature. Immerse your mind in good thoughts and world will be good; soak it in bad thoughts and the world appears to be filled with evil.

- BABA

 

November 26. {Sai News:} Heaven and hell are dependent on the conduct of man. True humanness consists in having unity of thought, word and deed. In Vedantic parlance, this unity is described as Trikarana Shuddhi (threefold purity). True moksha (liberation) consists in speaking in accordance with one's thoughts, and further, in practising what one speaks. The ancients considered this unity as a form of yoga. "Manasyekam, vachasyekam, karmanyekam mahaathmaanam" (Those whose thoughts, words and deeds are in complete accord are noble beings). "Manas-anyath, vachas-anyath, karmanya-anyath duraathmanaam" (The wicked are those whose thoughts, words and actions are in deviance).

- BABA


November 27. {Sai News:} Consider, O man, whether you earn any lasting joy at all from your toil from the time of your waking in the morning to that of going to sleep at night, a toil incessant and limitless, a toil which often does not leave you even a moment's interval to call to mind the glory and grandeur of God! No wonder that even though God is everywhere, those who have seen Him are few and far between. God belongs to all, but there are hardly any who actually claim Him as their everything. Thousands there are who extol the beauty and majesty of God in elegant prose or poetry, but few are the souls that receive His Grace. For the sweetness of nectar is known only to those who place it on the tongue, and not to those who in spite of collecting it in cups, caskets or even barrels, but do not taste even a drop!

- BABA





November 28. {Sai News:}


Faith is essential for human progress in every field. Knowledge, and hence, wisdom can be earned only by means of faith and effort. Equipped with these, man can scale great heights and emerge victorious. However, one has to be warned against cultivating too much faith in things that are merely material. One has to root it deep in the eternally valid Truth, God. Faith is power. Without faith, living is impossible. We have faith in tomorrow following today. That is what makes us take up activities that extend beyond this day. People with no faith cannot plan; they court misery by their want of faith.

- BABA


November 29. {Sai News:} Without self-knowledge, man is led into the belief that the objective world is true and everlasting, and into the neglect of the true and the eternal. He ignores the Atma, the Divine Principle that he is. Denying the Atma, disregarding its mandate, ignoring its existence - these are the roots of grief. Through Karma (activity) one becomes a moral individual and one starts seeking the basis of morality (Brahman). One discovers that virtue and morality add to one's Ananda (Bliss) and that all Ananda everywhere flows from Brahman Itself. One realises that activity devoid of this awareness is barren and binding.

- BABA



 
November 30. {Sai News:} It is the bounden duty of man to know and experience the basic cause of the Universe and all the love and sweetness it evokes in him. When that is done, man can have unbounded bliss. All misery is due to the feeling of separation from the Source of all. He is Sath-Chith-Ananda Swarupa (Embodiment of Being, Awareness, Bliss Absolute) and he must become aware of this fact so that he may be happy. If he believes that he is not Sath, but an inferior principle, subject to decline, decay and death, he will be haunted by fear and uncertainty. If he thinks that he is not Chith, he will be wrapped in doubt and dialectics and will wander on the devious paths of delusion. If he imagines that he is not Ananda, he will be struck by every passing gust of disappointment and be subject to sorrow at every trivial defeat. The basis of the Universe is Sath-Chith-Ananda, and since man has emerged from this basis, he too is Sath-Chith-Ananda.

- BABA