Sai & His Devotees

Question: Swami, in Your organization or Your institutions, workers, students, teachers, devotees, and doctors always dress in white. Why?

Bhagavan: White symbolizes purity and cleanliness. A pure white cloth may be compared to a clean mirror. If dust gathers on the mirror you will be unable to see your reflection clearly. Similarly, buddhi [intellect] is like a clean white cloth. It is only when you are pure that you will be able to find your own faults and apply your discrimination to rectify them. Today this is not happening. People are able to see clearly the mistakes of others but they don’t find their own faults. If you stand in front of the mirror, you see your reflection. But if you turn the mirror toward the other man, naturally you see his reflection. Isn’t it so? Similarly, the mirror of your buddhi is turned toward others, and this makes you see the mistakes of others.

Even the slightest spot or mark is very clearly visible on a white dress. If you wear colored clothes, you don’t see dirt, dots, spots, marks, or stains. This is wrong. You should never hide and cover the dirt on your person. You should immediately clean and wash it off. You should share the good with others. Neither good nor bad should be in you. You should shed the bad in you and share the good with others. However, some of you keep the good to yourselves and distribute the bad to others. It is a mistake on your part to do so.

Lord Shiva [Lord of destruction in the Hindu trinity] offers you the best way by setting forth an ideal to this world. He kept and retained poison in His throat. So, He is neelakantha [the blue-throated] God. But the cool and comforting moonlight from the moon over His head is distributed to others. It is for this purpose of sharing comfort with others that He kept the moon on His head.

Question: Swami, today Sai devotees are spread all over the world. They range from heads of governments to ordinary citizens. As your devotees, they enjoy special respect and esteem in society. What is the key to this?

Bhagavan: Naturally so! It is the effect of the company you are in. Even the string that passes through and binds the flowers in a garland acquires a value. The rat as the vehicle of Lord Ganesha [Hindu deity who removes obstacles] is also worshipped. The bull as the vehicle of Lord Shiva is respected. Likewise, all the vehicles of all our deities are worshipped.

Once, Lord Vishnu [Lord of preservation in the Hindu trinity] sent a message to Shiva through his vehicle Garuda [eagle]. As Garuda was flying with great speed and was about to land near Shiva, the strong wind caused the dust to rise up as in a dust storm. Watching this, the snakes adorning the neck of Shiva started hissing at Garuda, ready to attack him. Then Garuda said to the snakes, “You are with Shiva, so you are hissing at me so fearlessly. Come away from the Lord and then see what will happen to you! I can finish you off in no time.” In the same manner, when you are with me you are respected and served. If you move away from me, you will lose honor and be disgraced.

You should not run after silly worldly things like common flies that land on anything and everything. Be like honeybees and only draw honey from flowers. Look at the person who drives the car of the President of India. He can never act as a common taxi driver. Similarly, those who sing the glory of God shouldn’t run after people for petty favors.