Fill Your Heart with Compassion

Some people say that money is the basis of the entire world (dhana moolam idam jagat). Others say that righteousness is the basis of the entire world (dharma moolam idam jagat). But the correct statement is that compassion is the basis of the world (daya moolam idam jagat). The five basic elements—the sun, the moon, and night and day all function based on compassion (daya). The heart filled with compassion is divine. Even if others talk to us harshly, we should always speak amiably. One can find fulfillment in life only with compassion and mercy.

One may be a Brahmin, a demon, or a king, one may do a lot of yoga, one may grow beard like a renunciant, one may smear one’s forehead with ash, one may keep on chanting names of God, but one avails nothing without possessing a heart full of compassion. Although compassion is a natural quality, people are not able to realize this. The entire world is based on kindness. Philosophies, religions, nations, and languages may be different, but the heart is the same.

~Sri Sathya Sai Speaks, Vol. 30 (1997)

Here, in the aspect of womanhood, one must observe and draw attention to a great quality that may be described as compassion. The next quality that we must note is their ability to sacrifice. The makeup of a woman is such that she will give protection despite many faults. She can also be compared to an educational institution where she will teach patiently like a good teacher, even if the recipient is not willing to learn. She may also be described as a happy home where she arranges everything without thinking of any discomfort for herself. We can also think of a woman as a person of sufficient spiritual strength by which she can make Aja, Hara, Hari or God himself play like a child before her.

~Summer Showers 1978

Every man has a heart. Every heart is filled with compassion. However, how many choose to share this compassion with others? Sharing one’s compassion with ten others has been characterized as bhakti (devotion). One who does not share his compassion with others cannot be called a human being. Today the human heart that should be full of compassion has become stone hard. This is man’s misfortune. What is the reason? It is because the heart is filled with the bitterness of differences of caste, creed, and nationality that it has become stony. All human beings belong to one caste, one community, one nation. All are embodiments of the Divine. Krishna declared in the Gita: “All beings in the world are a fragment of ‘My Self.’ It is tragic that man should forget his divine essence and behave like a demon.”

~Sri Sathya Sai Speaks, Vol. 29 (1996)

What can the evil effects of Kali Age do to one
Whose heart is full of compassion,
Whose speech is suffused with truth, and
Whose body is dedicated to the service of others?

(Sanskrit Verse)

You may worship God with various types of flowers,
But He will not be pleased with such worship.
If you offer Him the lotus of your heart,
He will accept it with great love.
Never forget this great truth.

(Telugu Poem)

~Sathya Sai Speaks, Vol. 29 (1996)