Watch the Company We Keep
The easiest and most fruitful method of keeping yourself free from dust and rust is satsang (holy company). The company of the good and the godly will slowly and surely chasten and cleanse the persons prone to straying away from the straight path towards self-realization. Care has to be taken to see that you select and stick to the proper company. A cup of water has no cash value; but if it is poured into ten cups of milk, it acquires the value that people attach to milk. If on the other hand, one cup of milk is poured into ten cups of water, it loses the value it had and is condemned as useless. So, the satsang you join must be purer, more venerable, and sticking to higher ideals of virtue and truth than you yourselves.
Sathya Sai Speaks, Vol. 13, p. 75
When a sharp axe is used to cut a sandalwood tree, the sandalwood tree does not feel hurt by the axe, nor does it get angry with it. On the contrary, the sandalwood tree hands its fragrance to the axe… This is the quality of good people.
Summer Showers, 1973, p. 53
There were two parrots on a tree, twins, to be more precise. A hunter trapped them and sold them, one to a low, cruel butcher and the other to a sage who was running an ashram to teach the Vedas (holy scriptures). After a few years, he was surprised to find that one bird swore very foully, while the other recited the leelas (divine play) of the Lord in a sweet musical tone which captivated the listeners. Such is the effect of the environment; so seek and secure satsang.
Sathya Sai Speaks, Vol. 1, pp. 91-92
Ascetic practices, years of constant recitation of the name, pilgrimages to holy places and shrines, study of sacred books—these will not help the aspirant to spiritual victory as much as communion with the godly and good.
Sathya Sai Speaks, Vol. 6, p. 293
You are molded by the company you relish. When you make friends with the blacksmith, you are bound to collect black dust on you clothes and skin. That is why sangam (association) is held to be so crucial in spiritual life.
Sathya Sai Speaks, Vol. 5, p. 107
Man is Sathyam, Sivam, and Sundaram—truth, beauty and goodness. Have the name of God on your tongue, in your breath, ever. That will evoke His form as the inner core of every thing, thought, or event. That will provide you with His company, contact with His unfailing energy, and bliss. That is the satsang that gives you courage and consolation from Him. He is the guru most interested in your progress. Do not seek a guru outside you, in hermitages, or holy places. The God in you is father, mother, preceptor, and friend. God is love; live in love.
Digest, p. 265
