Yearly Archive: 2004

Operation Smile

As Baba devotees, we are all aware of the forceful influence of the Baba smile. It is the most charming aspect of His multifaceted personality. It is also His most effective instrument for teaching,

Advice to Seekers

In His discourse on Good Friday in 1975, Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba said that we should reduce the wandering of the body so that we can concentrate, contemplate and meditate.  If somebody says

Youth and Education

Question: Swami, we are progressing in the fields of science and technology.  But, the modern youth are not able to face life’s problems courageously. They [the youth] are depressed by the slightest problem. They

Those Who Exalt Will Be Humbled

When Jesus noticed how the guests chose the places of honor, he told them a parable. “When you are invited by someone to a wedding banquet, do not sit down at the place of

Ramayana in Your Heart

In the following discourse delivered in Madras on Rama’s birthday in 1961, Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba reveals that the Ramayana and its characters represent an ongoing process of spiritual growth. The vehicle of

Sabari’s Devotion

Sri Sathya Sai Baba narrated the following story to SSE teachers to show them how they should treat their students as their own children and help them find the God within. Bhagavan equates such

The Cleansing Process

On the Telegu new-year day in 1981, Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba blessed devotees gathered at Prasanthi Nilayam with a profound discourse on means to achieve peace. He emphasized the role of right-mindedness and

Life Is the Best Teacher

I remember the first time I came to Prasanthi Nilayam [Sai Baba’s ashram; literally, “abode of the highest peace”], in the summer of 1977. I expected to find various classes and seminars on hatha yoga,

Qualities of a Leader

Question: Swami! Kindly tell us how to achieve greatness in life? Bhagavan: Never allow this sort of idea to get into your head. You are mistaken if you think that you have achieved something

Precious Human Birth

Human birth is some sort of a special opportunity to get free from birth and death. Only on earth may an escape from birth and death take place. In no other plane or region

Deathless Though Dead

On the sacred occasion of Mahasivaratri at Prasanthi Nilayam, Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba in the ensuing discourse urges devotees to transcend body-consciousness and realize that we are spiritual beings that are deathless. He

“I Know, I Know Everything”

Sri Gangeya, an engineer by profession, was born and raised in Sri Lanka. He later migrated to the U.S. and is currently the devotion coordinator at the Flushing Sai Center, New York. He has