Does God Look for His Devotee?
All appear as devotees and all proclaim their spirit of sacrifice. Everyone declares himself or herself as a sadhaka (spiritual aspirant). Every believer claims that he is seeking God. One must enquire whether it is the so-called devotee who is seeking God or whether it is God who is searching for a true devotee. Is the sadhaka serving God or is God serving the sadhaka?—that is the question. The service that the sadhaka is doing is trivial. Offering to God what God has provided is like offering to the Ganga water from the Ganga [River Ganges]. The truth is, it is God who is rendering service to the devotee. All the capacities given by God should be used in the service of the Divine. There is no need to go in quest of God. God is all the time searching for the genuine and steadfast devotee. The sadhaka is approaching God for the fulfillment of his desires. He is after petty and transient benefits. He does not seek to understand the nature of true love or the Divinity that underlies everything. Today’s sadhaka proves himself to be a self-deluded being with no moral commitment. The real criterion of moral conduct is harmony between one’s profession and one’s practice. Morality consists in acting up to the rules of right conduct prescribed by society at a particular time and place for an individual or group. If there is no connection between what one professes in words and his actions, morality cannot exist.
Sathya Sai Speaks, Vol. 17
Today, man aspires for God and contemplates on Him constantly, but mere aspiration and contemplation are not enough to experience God. God is not pleased by contemplation alone; one has to totally offer oneself to experience Him. Once you offer yourself completely to God, you and He become one.
What are the spiritual pursuits to be followed to become one with God? When fire and coal are placed apart, they remain as they are. Only when they are brought together and fanned can coal get transformed into fire. Likewise, go closer to God and love Him whole-heartedly. Such nearness and dearness to God will ultimately make you one with God. This is what Vedanta [the scriptures] declared, Brahmavid Brahmaiva Bhavathi (the knower of Brahman becomes Brahman). The food eaten gets digested and its essence is supplied to all parts of the body. This means that the food partaken becomes one with the body. Similarly, you have to offer yourself completely to God. Only then can you become one with Him. All your thoughts should become divine.
Sahya Sai Speaks, Vol. 31
When the milk is boiled on a stove, the water gets evaporated. The milk, unable to bear the separation from water, tries to jump into the fire. The moment you sprinkle some water on the boiling milk, it gets pacified. The milk is happy on being united with its friend. The same relationship exists between nara (individual) and Narayana (God). God is very happy when the individual joins His company. But God feels very sad when the individual diverts his attention from Him and gets immersed in worldly pleasures. Once the individual surrenders completely to God, He is happy again. Due to the effects of Kali age [Iron Age], the individual separates himself from God. The individual may not feel sad, but God feels sad because His friend, the individual, is parting ways with Him.
Sathya Sai Speaks, Vol. 31
