Devotee Essay Archive

One of the earliest Sufi saints, Rabi’a also has the distinction of being one of the first among women saints in Islam. Historically, Islam conferred the dignity of saintship on women as well as

The following highlights from Swami’s discourses, given during the 73rd Birthday Celebration, are taken from a talk given by Rajan Govindan at the Norwalk Center. (Swami’s words are not direct quotations but a paraphrase

A lifetime without Love is of no account Love is the Water of Life Drink it down with heart and soul! ~Rumi Jalaluddin Rumi, stands as one of the great spiritual masters and poetic

Swami says, “Most of us, most of the time, are busy with trivialities, not knowing that they are so. It is only when we put them aside and strive to rise to a dimension

Even during his own lifetime, many viewed Jesus as a savior. He was called “Christ,” from the Greek word for messiah, Christos. One aspect of Jesus’ life work was preaching. His spiritual insights gave

I would like to share with you some observations on: (1) The important role of the mind in our spiritual work (sadhana), and (2) How each person’s contribution to his or her destiny—within the

“I do not assign one particular date in the calendar as My birthday, for I consider the day when Divinity blossoms in your heart as My birthday in you.” “It is only when you

How can the mother of the Avatar get over her maternal attachments and inherited prejudices and adjust herself to the ways and views of the Avatar? This was a serious problem for Bhagavan Baba’s

On February 12 this year, Swami granted an interview to final-year students from the women’s college, the Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Learning, Anantapur, India. Below are edited excerpts from Swa1ni’s discourse given

Life is a song* My Beloved comes forth in the vesture of skin. Oh, my Beloved speaks: I shall wear the garment that you wear. I shall come close so that you may come

“I do not give speeches; My talks use more of the sambhashana (spiritual teaching) type; I want that you should follow every word of what I say with reverent attention, for your anandam (bliss)

“The great teachers belong to mankind. It is wrong to believe that Jesus belongs only to Christians…. To accept one of them as own and discard the rest as belonging to others is a