Do not give up your saadhana.

Sairam,                                                                                                                                        Prashaanthi Nilayam, 1962

While Aanjaneya was bringing the Sanjeevini Mountain, he had to take a course that made the citizens of Nandhigraama see him in the sky; Bharatha, who saw the strange sight of a monkey carrying a hill, brought him down with an arrow and when he learnt that the hill had the drug which could cure Lakshmana who was stricken in battle, Bharatha offered to send the hill quicker to where Raama was, by shooting an arrow which could lift it and carry it fast. But, Anjaneya said, he could fly quicker than any arrow from the bow of the fastest marksman! Use your fullest powers to grasp the truth. Rely on your own skills, your own force; then, they too will develop to the utmost demand you make of them. That will give you the greatest joy. 

You have no moment of real calm amidst of all these absurd loves and hates, the meaningless game of having and hoarding, losing and lamenting, building and demolishing castles in the air. Just think of this for a while that you are in this body in order to realise the God. This body is the cocoon you have spun round yourselves by means of your impulses and desires. Use it to grow wings so that you can escape from it! You came into this world crying, announcing your grief at being thrust into it and for having lost hold on God. Get rid of this grief in this life itself. Move on everyday toward the goal. 

Peace of mind will not descend on you because your room is air-conditioned or your sofa, soft cushioned. It does not depend on your bank-balance; or on the diplomas you have collected. It can come only when you encourage the divine in you to manifest himself and deny the dhaanava (demon who is the prompter of asuric traits). Everything in this universe is divine. Divine shines and lovable, it is asthi, bhaathi and priya; it is Sath, Chith and Aanandha, it is the same as the Universal, Eternal, Absolute, which is also Sath-Chith-Aanandha (Being, awareness, bliss). 

I will not teach you anything new but reveal you to yourself and train you to cleanse the mirror of your heart so that you may be reflected in it without warp or twist. I will plant sapling in your heart and you should water it and manure it. I shall also water the sapling in order that the lotus may not go dry. The lake has to be full of water. Prema is the water that must fill the heart and hatred will make it a parched waste. The best medicine is to have faith in your own Aathma (true Self or Being). Act always in the spirit of service and kinship with all. 

Even in the vedhas, the Karma kaanda is the biggest part because Karma (sanctified activity) is the means by which the tree blossoms and the fruit matures and grows. The Upaasana Kaanda (the contemplative portion) deals with the Upaasana---method by which the fruit ripens. The Jnaana Kaanda describes jnaana (spiritual knowledge), the process by which the fruit fills itself with sweetness. The first stage takes the longest time and so it comprises the largest portion; the second and the third are quicker by comparison. So, they are shorter. 

Man can acquire the sweetness of jnaana by keeping himself in sathsang (holy company) or even by remaining in a solitary place, all by himself in dhyaana (meditation), for example. But by whatever means, the sweetness (the jnaana) cannot be injected from outside; it must grow from within. It is a transformation of the inner nature, won by a struggle with inner foes. 

The lord will guard you and guide you if you give up all and surrender to his feet. Shankaraacharya told to Shiva that he would hand over the monkey that was his mind to Him so that it might be tamed and used for his delight. You only talk of Sharanam (surrender) of placing all at the Feet; but you withhold a great deal. Your minds are wayward like monkeys that skip and jump from bough to branch. Give them to me completly without any reservations. I can make them steady and harmless. When I say "sit", they will sit; when I say, "stand", they stand. 

Saadhana is a waste unless you grow at the same time in virtue and uprightness. Let mountains fall; the sea overwhelm the land; but, do not give up your saadhana. 

--SATHY SAI 

Omsai srisai jaijaisai