Swami’s Teachings Archive

Silence

Have you ever enjoyed the pleasure of deep silence? By silence I mean absolute stillness of the mind. Shastras [epics] say, “If one can completely stop the mind for a moment, he is saved

Victims of Ignorance

Some people [victims of ignorance] say that Swami does magic, and I agree with them. Swami Himself says that God is a magician and I know that Swami is God. The Lord created this

Self-inquiry

The late Sri Ratan Lal, a devotee of Bhagavan Baba, used to speak to the foreigners who came to Puttaparthi for Baba’s darshans. The following essay has been excerpted from those talks. That which exists

Elimination of the Mind

In Bhagavan Baba’s teachings we often encounter expressions like “elimination of the mind,” “conquest of the mind,” etc. But what does it mean? It is difficult to understand, and to a Westerner it sounds

How Free is Free Will?

Karma or the consequence of activity is classified into three categories: sanchita, prarabdha, and agami. Sanchita is the accumulated karma of the past and agami is the karma that is being accumulated at present

Love and Reverence

The glory and majesty of the Lord is immanent in the universe, as fragrance in the air, of heat in fire, or as butter in milk. He is the string that passes through and

Destiny and Free Will

“Success or failure is your own making; you decide your own destiny; the Lord has no share in deciding it,” says Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba. While the `writing on the brow’ (the handwriting on

Service and Spiritual Discipline

Late Dr. Thobjorn Meyer from Denmark, Director of the European Sathya Sai Educational Institute, was an ardent devotee of Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba. He worked tirelessly for many decades to develop and promote the

The Family in the Sai Era

All over the world today, especially in America, the sacred role of the mother in family life has reached a deplorable state, far from the ideal that God intended for all. ‘Birth control’ and

A Different Religion

Throughout all my years in Bal Vikas [Swami’s spiritual education program], I have always been taught about the different religions. At first, when I joined the class, I was actually upset thinking this would

Why Fear?

“Why fear, when I am here?” is an assurance that Baba often grants to those who hesitate to accept His word about the fulfillment of some wish of theirs. While at Shirdi, Baba put

The Laws of Action

Karma [action] is the action principle of the universe; every cause has its effect, every action has its reaction. The law of karma is a comprehensive law embracing all action in all the planes