Q & A with Bhagavan Archive

A Visitor: Swami’s gifts are beautiful, but what if one only wants peace of mind? Sai: Only thoughts of God and intense love for Him bring peace. As worldly thoughts diminish, thoughts of God

Swami: Oh! You have come! I was watching for long whether you have come or not. I knew you are a person who comes punctually. Glad to see you. Bhakta: Whatever else I may

Hislop: The crucifixion of Christ, the metal figure of Christ on the cross that Swami created; the metal, when strongly magni­fied, appears to be more or less covered with small bumps. What are they?

Bhakta [devotee]: Swami! Last month, You said You will ex­plain to me who ‘I’ am. If I understand that also, I can be rid of the little delusion that I have and, without the

Q. Swami! Of the four ashramas [stages of life as defined in Hinduism]—the brahmacharya [student], the grihastha [householder], the vaanaprastha [retired], and the sanyasa [renunciation]—which is basically important? A. As all living things are

Q. Swami, you say that one has to do certain things and not do others. How are we to know which is which? What is the authority? A. The Shastras [scriptures] are the authority.

H: What does surrender to the Lord mean in such common things as shaving, going to the market, walking and so on? Sai: Surrendering to the Lord is surrendering all thoughts and actions, not

Hislop: Swami, on the road to Simla, drivers were very reckless in trying to stay close behind Swami’s car. At one moment, our car, which was going at a high speed, swerved to miss

Hislop: Once he has tasted sugar, one never mistakes salt for sugar. If that bliss of which Swami speaks is our real nature, how is it that we confuse the unreal for the real?

Q: I have heard it said that the lokas are all in the body of man! Some experienced persons and some men learned in the Shastras (scriptures) have said so; is that true? What are

Question: Swami, Kaikeyi had sent Rama to the wilderness on the eve of his installation as the crown prince. What was Rama’s attitude to her? Generally, it would be one of hostility, wouldn’t it?

Hislop: Is not praying to God the same as begging? Sai: To beg from an equal puts you down and him up. But when you ask God, you rise up to His level. You