GEM 837

The spiritual transformation, the qualities that are needed are Daya, kindness, Love, forbearance and compassion.

(From : Garland of 1008 Gems, Bhagawan Shri Sathya Sai Baba's Sayings)

Jewel Of Consciousness

An empty iron box gets valued when it contains jewels; the body is honored when it contains the jewel of consciousness and the valuables called virtues.  Life has to be lived through, for the sake of the chance to unfold the virtues.  Otherwise, man is a burden upon the earth, a consumer of food.

 (Baba, The Breath of Sai, pg 262)

His Silence

Sai Gem - 33

Sai Darshan, Part 2 - 63

Once a man stood in the middle of the road.
His head looked up to the sky.
His eyes were filled with tears,
As he continuously stared at one spot
And repeated "Oh God", from time to time.
A man passed him by,
Looked at the man who stared at the sky,
And curiously stood behind him.
He looked up at the same spot in the sky,
And wondered what vision of God the man saw.
When another man passed the two men
Who looked up in the sky,
He too joined in the line,
And stared and wondered,
As to what is it these two men were able to see.
To him the clouds above seemed
To be shaped like Lord Shiva Himself.
"Maybe this is a Darshan of the Lord", he thought.
Soon there was a big line of men
Staring up at the sky.
Finally one man who passed looked at the queue,
And asked the last man as to what he saw.
He said he was not sure,
So he asked the man in front.
This went on until the first man
Who was still staring up was asked,
"What is it, Sir, that you are able to envision?"
The man with tears in his eyes replied,
"My neck is terribly strained,
And I am unable to move."
All of a sudden the queue dispersed
And the men moved on disappointed.
Do not try to experience Me through another.
You will always face disappointments.
I come to each one of you directly.
Do not believe or develop faith
By experiencing others' faith in God.
Come and experience Me directly.
Can a child from the third standard
Teach a child in the second standard?
No ! He will be able to answer
Only some of his questions.
He himself is in school waiting to get his degree.
You must be taught directly by the teacher.
The teacher himself is qualified
And has gone through
All these levels to be able to teach.
So find and dig your own path to Me.
If you depend upon others faith,
And if that person loses faith in Me,
It will automatically affect your faith in Me.
So approach your Guru directly.
Do not be influenced
By others' faiths and experiences.
To Me, each and every one of you are special,
And My relationship with each one of you
Is a unique and endearing one.


From : 'Sai Darshan' - Part II
(Divine Messages received and recorded by Mrs Seema M Dewan)

Living in the Presence of God (Vol I/Pt I - 66)

CHAPTER 66


It takes you only a fraction of a moment to be deluded by the false illusions of the world, but it takes several births and lifetimes to lift this curtain of falsehood, forever. Your study of God that has begun today will not result in the immediate fruit of rewards, i.e., self-realization. The path will begin, only when peace has completely walked away from you - when the mind begins to prompt you with the action that fills you with disgust, and when the heart within aches with the emptiness of love. It is then that you will "reject" your own mind, ego and intellect. It is then that you will say your "goodbyes" to the hollow offerings of the world and it is then that you will begin the ultimate search to go beyond the pain of momentary pleasure to reach the world of everlasting peace. Yes! The first step to realizing God is your need to want to 'change' - change and rise above your own limitations that bind you to the horrors of unrestful desires.


Once the determination to change becomes your only aspiration, it is then that you have taken the second step towards God realization. You must be prepared to trample the mind until it is silenced; you must refuse the companionship of your ego and begin to travel alone. The voice of the heart must become the voice of the mind, and each cell of you must soak itself with the pure nectar of love. Every change will bring with it a stronger will of perseverance - a determination that will prevent the future fall of failure. When the desires begin to lessen, the mind will have no reason to speak, the heart will cure its "ache of longing", and in this battle of change, the strangled voice of the conscience will begin to breathe, once again, and will prompt you of the steps that lie ahead.


Once the conscience has been awakened and has become your guide, your companion, your trust and faith, and your reflection of God, it is then, that you will walk on the final lapse of the journey of peace. Yes! It is now that the truth will begin to dawn upon you - the truth of God in you, with you and around you, at all times. The notion of the self is conceived, yet is not experienced. For the self to be experienced, the conception must take the reality of birth, and all else must die! The mind and the intellect, the ego, the senses, and all desires 'must' be exhausted, uprooted and erased, forever. Once you have faced this death - the death of mortality for the very last time - life will then experience its true nature - the nature being indestructible and ever content in the bliss of itself. This is self-realization in which man loses his name, form, identity and the very nature of his being that is associated with this world; as a separate entity. The day will come, when you will know that you are the "all" and that "all" are you!


Know that the self in you is God, and to find the self, you must begin to live the life of God. To find the truth, My dears, you must live with truth! To find love, you must simply fill yourselves with love. All the treasures lay within you, so the search, too, lies inward. The process of change and the path of purity must make you, once again, the innocent child that believes in the mother conscience to sustain his true needs and not the wishful wants. With goodness as your star to guide you, the stain of ignorance is bound to clear, one day, and the self will anxiously await to reveal the real beauty and the true strength that lies behind this body. Today must be the time of hard work - the work that will lead to the change of tomorrow - the change that will allow you to meet the real power and strength behind the secret of life - God!




- Divine Messages received and recorded by Mrs Seema M Dewan

GEM 836

Formal religious observance or spiritual scholarship will not lead to God - realization.

(From : Garland of 1008 Gems, Bhagawan Shri Sathya Sai Baba's Sayings)

Divinity

Man is not merely a creature thrown up by nature in the process on an evolutionary gamble.  He has a special meaning, a special mission, a unique role.  He is Divinity encases in the human frame.

(Baba, The Breath of Sai, pg 258)

God Gives

NEW DAY

"God blesses this new day!"

Each morning, the sun rises on a beautiful new day, a day filled with hope. As I awaken, I give thanks and praise through prayer for a time of new opportunities.

Today I consider my thoughts and release those that may be unproductive or that fail to come from a spiritual awareness. Whatsoever things are good, whatsoever things are true - these are the thoughts I hold to this and every day.

I consider my words and speak only positive, constructive ones - words that praise and give thanks, words that speak of love and joy and understanding.

I consider my actions. I use each hour of the day in a positive, constructive manner. I make use of my God-given talents in affirmative and creative ways.

"Thank You, God, for this wonderful day!"

"This is the day that the Lord has made."

- Psalm 118:24

(From : 'Daily Word' magazine by Silent Unity, a world wide prayer ministry)