Profound thoughts of a Blessed One

K S Sivakumaran

Faith is another name for religion. Lots of people have their respective faiths. We respect them and without condemning other religions we express our own faith in a particular religion. I was born a Hindu Saivaite which is based on Saiva Siddantham. While observing the general tenets of this branch of Hinduism, I am more interested in Vedanta (which means the end of Vedas).

In Hinduism too there are many saints, gnanis, and great religious teachers. Among them I like Thaayumaanavar and Shri Sathya Sai Baaba. Many other great teachers also educate me in good life and the purpose of living as human beings Buddha, Muhammadu Nabi and Jesus are some of the great teachers in the world on religious and virtuous life. They all preach LOVE. Love and Truth is God, they say. As they say Love conquers all. Love is a many splendoured things.

Many people all over the world whatever faiths they follow are also followers of the teachings of Sai Baaba at Puttarpathy in the border of Karnataka and Aandra Pradesh in India.

He is deemed to be an incarnation of Lord Vishnu. He is a representative of the Divine in Human Form.

What made me a lover of Sri Sathya Sai Baaba was his service to humanity by opening schools and medical institutions besides his profound teachings.

He reaches people at different levels according to their intelligence.

The uninitiated would like to have him enact or perform miracles. Others could have visions interacting with him. And yet there maybe others with whom he communicates in an indirect way. This felt experience I have had.

Sometimes the Almighty speak to us through other people when we are in a confused state of mind. And those people may not realize that they are speaking to us through the Almighty. In that sense every one of us is a God. God is within us. If we love others without animosity we love God. This is my felt experience.

In this background I wish to share with you some of the profound and noble thoughts of Sri Sathya Sai Baaba.

These sayings are culled out from a book kindly lent to me by Prof M Sivasuriya, Chancellor of the University of Jaffna (Yaalpaanam). He is a promoter of vegetarianism.

Here is a selection of maxims by Sathya Sai Baaba which could be appreciated even by those who follow other faiths. And faith needless to say is an individual choice.

* Yes, I can be love and be loved through the harmony of Thoughts, Words and Deeds.

* Love makes me Happy. I feel good. Perhaps, I have to be good, do good, see good for manifesting LOVE. It must be the way to GOD.

* Surely, we are ONE in the Universe. Yes I AM GOD.

* Love is my form; Truth is my breath; bliss is my food.

* Five Main Human Values: Sathya (Truth), Dharma (Righteous Conduct), Shanthi (Peace), Prema (Love), Ahimsa (Non-violence)

* The Nine Codes of Conduct: Sadhana (spiritual discipline)

* Past is Past, Future is uncertain, Today is yours.

* One should welcome criticism. To be hurt or offended is a sign of EGO.

* We do not get what we desire. We get what we deserve.

* With a mind full of egoism and hatred, you can never hope to have peace and joy.

* Where there is love, there is no room for hatred. Where there is no hatred, there is love automatically.

* Virtue, Faith, Discipline, Devotion, detachment- These are the items of the Spiritual Menu.

* The best and only religion in the World is the Religion of Love.

There are many sayings which could help us to understand the purpose of our life in this earth.