Q & A with Bhagavan Archive

Q. We commit many sins and do many meritorious deeds with this body and this mind, Swami! They bring about grief or joy; now, this “I” of which you are speaking, is it the

Bhakta: Swami, at Venkatagiri, during the ‘Adhyatmika Sabha’ (assembly pertaining to the spirit), You said some things that I could not clearly understand; can I ask about them now? Swami: I am happy when

Hislop: Swami, something has happened here. Water is around this box. These saris will get wet. (Swami removed the cover of the box and those of us who were standing there could see that

Bhakta: So far You have told some important things, (1) the external world (2) the internal world (3) Bhagavan, the Lord. Are these then separate entities, like cause and effect? Or are they connected

Hislop: What is the most subtle point of Swami’s teaching, and then in the circle around that point, what are the things to do in order to realize that most subtle aspect of His

Q. They speak of Avadhutas [mystics] also. Who are called so? What are their qualifications? A. Like the vanaprasthas [recluses] and the sanyasis [renunciants], they too have to be free from all attachment and

Q.  Even those, who proceed along the path of spiritual progress toward the goal of moksha have, it seems, big obstacles, Swami. A.  Yes, the past, the present, and the future obstacles. Q.  What

Swami: Oh! How is this? You have come so early this time? Bhakta: You made me come, and so I have come. Is there anything I can call mine? Bhakta: That is true; but

Hislop: The Buddha’s way of slowing down the mind is given much attention to in Burma. Swami must have a better way. Sai: The Buddha’s way of watching the breath as it enters and

Devotee: In the West, sadhana [spiritual effort] is gene­rally taken to be a process of self‑improve­ment. But that implies identification with the changing personality? Sri Sathya Sai: First, there may be the urge to

Q. In this cosmos that is the human body, what is the best dharma [right action] to follow? Which Ashram [four age-based life stages] is most conducive for that dharma? How many Ashrams are

Bhakta: Namaste [greetings], Swami. Swami: Shubhamastu [let there be auspiciousness]. Bhakta: With Your grace, everything is shubham [auspicious]; without it, everything is ashubham [inauspicious]. Swami: Good, but have you realized how both these are