Above all, the action of the external and internal operates in very powerful way unseen and unnoticed.
Let us take hypnotised subjects and sleeping or dreaming subjects as best instances for exemplifying the working of this law that the external and the internal have a very close connection and that the one draw the other with it . A person is hypnotised , and though nothing at all is said to him , his body is arranged in pugilistic fashion with his fists stretched out ready for fighting and himself ready to deliver and receive attacks. Though nothing is said, the man if asked to speak , speaks fiercely and in a mood of attack. He is bellicose.
Similarly if a hypnotised patient is made to kneel down or fully prostate , and his palms are arranged in Anjali fashion , that is invoking the Grace of God , then though nothing is said, the man at once becomes humble and prayerful in mood. If asked ‘ What is this ? ” , he would say , ‘ I am praying to God”. It is the attitude of prostration and invocation that brings on the ideas of invoking God.
These may be multiplied ad infinitem, but the present instances will suffice to show that the external and the internal have a very close association , and any one who is anxious to develop his faith should see that in himself, in his surroundings, in his library , in his company , and in everything around him , the externals are always suggestive or productive of faith .
Above all , the mind must be directed to faith and how is that done ? The company that we keep ( physical) , our reading (intellectual company ) , practical details of puja, prayer , acts of service , preaching , then meditation, then yogic concentration , and above all steady habit of prayer for the growth of one’s faith and of others that one is interested in – there will work wonders, Faith is a cultivable plant and requires proper selection of field, seed , manure , and irrigation . One can develop this subject at great length .
Suffice it to say that those who are desirous of developing faith in Sai Baba , to become his Ankita children , should begin with an ardent desire to become such , to repeat that resolve to themselves time and again , often and often , and they should make use of every opportunity that advance their eligibility for becoming his ” Ankita ‘ children .
And above all the extent to which they are prepared to make sacrifices to please Baba, so that he may adopt them as Ankita children , will be a very a important factor . Make reverent parayana or daily study of the Gospel of Baba, which deal with the subject. That will change even a stony heart.
"I draw to Me, My man from far off or even across the seven Seas to Shirdi, like a sparrow with a string fastened to its feet"-Shirdi Sai Baba, Indian Spiritual Guru-God 