Category: Moral teaching

Explore the ethical and moral teachings of Shirdi Sai Baba — principles of right living, integrity, compassion, and righteous conduct that form the foundation of Every devotee’s life.

  • Qualities That Define a True Sadguru

    Qualities That Define a True Sadguru

    who is Guru:

    • He who teaches us Veda and Vedanta or the six Shastras (systems),
    • He, who controls the breath, or
    • brands his body with Mudras (metallic marks of Vishnu’s weapons) or
    • gives pleasing discourses regarding Brahma.
    • he who gives mantras (sacred syllables) to the disciples and
    • orders them to chant the same a certain number of times,
    • but does not assure them any result in a definite time.
    • He who by his spacious wordy knowledge, explains beautifully the Ultimate Principle,
    • but has himself got no experience or self-realization is not a Sad-guru.
    • How can he, who is himself devoid of self-realization, give it to the disciples?

    Who is SadGuru:

    • But He, who by his discourse creates in us,
    • a distaste for the enjoyments of this world and
    • the next, and gives us a taste of self-realization.
    • who is well-versed in both the theoretical and practical knowledge (self-realization) deserves to be called a Sad-guru.

    • He is never restless nor ruffled.
    • He has no pride of his learning.
    • The poor and the rich, the small and the great are the same to him.

    • A Sad-guru does not, even in his dream, expect any service or profit from his disciples.
    • On the contrary, he wishes to serve them.
    • He does not think that he is great and the disciple small.
    • Not only he loves him, as his son but regards him, as equal to himself or as Brahma.
    • The main characteristic of a Sad-guru is that he is the abode of peace.
  • Baba is a Scientist in Teaching Education

    Baba is a Scientist in Teaching Education

    Pedagogics is the art and science of teaching and education. It involves not only conveying information, but also understanding how people learn. It requires creating environments, that foster growth and development.

    Sai Baba is also not only delivering information, but create environment for learning and growing of His devotees. viz:

    • One,
      • totally devoid of any book study, but
      • possessed of
        • perfect self-surrender,
        • humility,
        • trust, and
        • love towards the Guru Baba,
        • was and is the person who could derive
        • the fullest benefits from Baba.
    • The idea that
      • one has understood all about Jiva and Paramatma and
      • the methods by which Paramatma could be reached by a Jiva,
      • forms the greatest obstacle to one’s progress.
    • It is
      • not the intellect, the keenness of intellect, that is
      • wanted from a person approaching Baba.
    • It is
      • humility,
      • receptivity, and
      • a readiness to receive all that Baba gives, that counts.
    • As Baba pointed out to the Valambi Station Master,
      • persons (evidently with much conceit of learning etc.) came to him
      • like vessels the mouth of which was kept inverted; and were therefore
      • incapable of receiving any benefits from him.
    • In the case of Nana (Devotee),
      • his very high learning and
      • great ability in official and other matters were naturally accompanied
      • by a high degree to self-assertion and egotism;
      • which make for success in
        • literary study,
        • official matters, and to a certain extent even in
        • spiritual matters.
      • But for the highest results in spiritual matters, it is just the opposite, namely,
        • utter reduction of egotism,
        • the power to relax the Ego and
        • keep it relaxed for long periods, that is essential.
    • This is why
      • the consumption of water, that was used to washing of the feet of the Guru, and
      • the acceptance of his Uchchishta tirtha (the remnants of food that have been contaminated by the Guru’s saliva) are emphasized in the
      • “Guru Gita” for a pupil’s advancement,
      • as these practices foster a profound annihilation of Ahamkara, or Ego,
      • through deep reverence for the Guru, culminating in Love.
    • In Baba’s system,
      • the Guru-Teacher imparts virtue after virtue to the sishya-Student.
      • HE trains him step by step to secure these virtues and the knowledge, he wishes to equip the pupil with.
      • This process is just as the cat carries its kittens to safe and good places.
    • The first essential preparatory step in Baba’s course is thus,
        • not book learning, but the
        • development of
          • humility and
          • receptivity.
        • These would result from
          • perfect faith, absolute faith,
          • unlimited and powerful faith in the Guru.
        • The Guru must be everything to the sishya,
          • the giver of bread,
          • the giver of life and light and
          • the giver of all that life is worth living for, and
          • at one stroke.
          • He must not regard anything else. This alone is the tyaga of Tan, Man, Dhan – body, mind and possessions.

      LoSB-Vol II’ Ch 2

      • Baba’s company was the highest education one could get. As a Mahratta saying goes, ‘Let us stay with saints. If they do not give us Upadesa, let us note what they do and say. That is the best Upadesa‘.
    • Summary of Soul Science

      Summary of Soul Science

      • The heart, full of purity and poise (Satwa) is the Ocean of milk.
      • Steady contemplation of the Divine, either as i) your own reality or ii) as ideal to be reached, is Mandara mountain,
      • placed in it as a churning rod Vasuki, the serpent wound round the churning rod as a rope,
        • is the group of senses,
        • emitting poisonous fumes
        • during the process of churning and
        • nearly frightening the asuras (demons) who held the head.
      • The rope is
        • held by good and bad impulses and
        • both struggle with the churning process,
        • eager for the results, which each has set the heart on!
      • Grace of God is the
        • Tortoise incarnation,
        • for the Lord Himself comes to the rescue
      • once
        • HE knows that you are earnestly seeking the secret of Immortality!
        • He comes,
          • silently and
          • unobserved,
          • as the tortoise did,
          • holding the reflection (manana) process
          • unimpaired and
          • serving as the steady base of all spiritual practices!
      • Many things emerge from the mind, when churned,
        • but the wise wait patiently
        • for the appearance of the guarantor of immortality, and
        • seize upon it with avidity!
      • That is the lesson of the legend. It is a summary of Atma-vidya!

      – Puttaparti Satya Sai Baba in the Divine Discourse on Jan 13, 1965

    • You are God, you are mighty and opulent

      You are God, you are mighty and opulent

      Shishya (disciple) like the Sad-guru is really embodiment of Jnana.

      The difference between the two lies in the attitude, high realization, marvellous super-human Sattva (beingness) and unrivalled capacity and Aishwarya Yoga (divine powers).

      The Sad-guru is Nirguna, Sat-Chit-Ananda. He has indeed taken human form to elevate mankind and raise the world. But his real Nirguna nature is not destroyed thereby, even a bit. His beingness (or reality), divine power and widsom remain undiminished.

      The disciple also is in fact of the same swarupa. But, it is overlaid by the effect of the samaskaras of innumerable births in the shape of ignorance, which hides from his view that he is Shuddha Chaitanya (see B.G. Ch. V-15). As stated therein, he gets the impressions – “Iam Jiva, a creature, humble and poor.”

      The Guru has to root out these offshoots of ignorance and has to give upadesh or instruction.

      To the disciple, held spell- bound for endless generations by the ideas of his being a creature, humble and poor, the Guru imparts in hundreds of births the teaching – “You are God, you are mighty and opulent.” Then, he realizes a bit that he is God really.

      The perpetual delusion under which the disciple is labouring, that he is the body, that he is a creature (jiva) or ego, that God (Paramatma) and the world are different from him, is an error inherited from innumerable past births. From actions based on it, he has derived his joy, sorrows and mixtures of both.

      To remove this delusion, this error, this root ignorance, he must start the inquiry.

      How did the ignorance arise? Where is it? And to show him this, is called the Guru’s upadesh.

      SSSC-Ch 29

    • Give one and receive tenfold

      Give one and receive tenfold

      “If I take one rupee as Dakshina from anybody I have to return it tenfold to him.

      I never take anything gratis. I never ask any one indiscriminately.

      I only ask and take from him whom the Fakir (My Guru) points out. If any one is indebted formerly to the Fakir money is received from him.

      The donor gives, i.e. sows his seeds, only to reap a rich harvest in future.

      Wealth should be the means to work out Dharma. If it is used for personal enjoyment, it is wasted.

      Unless you have given it before, you do not get it now. So the best way to get is to give.

      The giving of Dakshina advances Vairagya (Non-attachment) and thereby Bhakti and Jnana. Give one and get tenfold”.

      Sai Baba in SSS- Ch31

    • Last thought, man has at death-hour, determines his future

      Last thought, man has at death-hour, determines his future

      The last wish or thought that a man has at the hour of death, determines his future course.

      Shri Krishna has said in Gita (VIII-5-6) that “he who remembers Me in his last moments, comes verily to Me, and he who meditates otherwise at that time, goes to what he looks for.”

      We cannot be certain that we can entertain a particular good thought at our last moment, for, more often than not, we are more likely to be frightened and terrif ied by death.

      Hence constant practice is necessary, for enabling us to fix our mind on any desired good thought at any moment.

      All Saints, therefore, recommend us to always remember God and chant His name always, so that we may not be puzzled when the time for departure comes.

      The devotees on their part surrender themselves completely to the Saints, fully believing that the all-knowing Saints (Sai Baba) would guide and help them in their last moments.

    • Time is Divine

      Time is Divine

      Give up the notions of one’s own doership, man must regard God alone as the doer.

      He is the giver, He is the recipient and He is also the object that is given.

      Time is the very form of God. Birth and death are encompassed by Time. Everyone, therefore, should regard Time as Divine and utilise it for performing sacred actions.

      You should not waste a single moment. Time wasted is life wasted.

      The fruits of your actions are determined by Time. All your experiences are the results of your actions, whether it is happiness or sorrow, affluence or poverty. Hence, good and bad depend on what you do. As are your actions, so are the fruits thereof.

      The way you utilise your time determines the outcome.

      Hence, this new year, which is a form of the Divine, should be put to right use.

      – Puttaparti Satya Sai Baba in the Divine Discourse on Jan 01, 1991

    • Joy and sorrow are mere delusion.

      Joy and sorrow are mere delusion.

      Mere appearance of worldly joy is not true happiness. The worldly man is forcibly drawn to it, as he believes it to be true happiness.

      According to the Prarabdha (accumulated karma) of each, one gets delicacies (Panchamrita): one, stale crumbs, and one, mere bran-gruel; The latter fancy themselves unhappy at that, and the former fancies he lacks nothing. But the result of eating any of these is merely the satisfaction of hunger.

      Some cover themselves with laced shawls, others with barks. Both serve only one purpose, covering the body.

      This joy and this sorrow is due to opinion, which is mere illusion and is ruinous.

      Whenever any idea of joy or sorrow arises in your mind, resist it. Do not give room to it. It is pure delusion.

      The ‘Shadripus’ -six enemies (Lust, Anger, Covetousness, Delusion, Pride and Jealousy) are all misleading Illusion; they make the unreal appear as real.

      If a rich man wears a gold ornament, the poor man gets jealous, and thinks he must have one. This is Lobha.
      All are like this. So one must conquer the six enemies. If they are conquered, waves of passion will not arise. Else they will enslave you.

      If they are subordinated and reason made the commandant, then the delusive pressures and pains will no longer hold sway over you.

    • Take pity and love all creatures

      Take pity and love all creatures

      • “God lives in all beings and creatures, whether they are serpents or scorpions.”
      • HE is the Great Wirepuller of the world: and all beings, serpents, scorpions etc obey His command.
      • Unless He will it, nobody can do any harm to others.
      • The world is all dependent on Him, and no one is independent.
      • So we should take pity and love all creatures, leave off killings and be patient (until the serpent went off on its own, but keeping you in safe).
      • The God is the Protector of all.”

      Baba in SSSC-Ch 22

    • Various teachings and practices, prescribed by Baba

      Various teachings and practices, prescribed by Baba

      • Baba lovingly urged many to remember His name and to surrender to Him,
      • Yet for those seeking to understand ‘who they truly were’ (the ‘Who am I’ enquiry), He gently recommended Shravanam (study) and Mananam (meditation).
      • To some, He lovingly guided
        • the remembrance of God’s name,
        • to others, the joy of hearing HIS Leelas /Plays,
        • to some, the sacred worship of His Feet,
        • and to others, the reading and studying of the Adhyatma Ramayan, Jnaneshwari, and more sacred scriptures.
      • Some He tenderly invited to sit near His Feet,
      • while others He lovingly sent to Khandoba’s temple,
      • He advised some
        • to repetition the thousands of names of Vishnu,
        • and others to engage in the study of the Chhandogya Upanishad and Geeta.
      • To some, He offered His guidance directly in person, and to others, through the precious visions in their dreams.
      • He lovingly explained certain Mantras, such as ‘Guru Brahma’, “Raja Ram’ in their dreams.
      • To one devotee,
        • who was earnestly practicing Hath-Yoga,
        • HE conveyed a gentle message to leave those practices aside,
        • to sit in quiet and embrace patience (Saburi).
      • Truly, it is an immense task to describe all of His ways and methods, each filled with love and compassion.