16
What Is the Best Way to Love God?
Students! You do not need to fight for rights.
Discharge your responsibilities, and rights will fol-
low. Do your duty. Duty is God; work is worship.
What is your right? To make everybody happy
is your right. Serve everybody, and make everyone
happy without expecting anything in return. Ser-
vice is God. The best way to love God is to love all
and serve all. Speak softly and sweetly. You cannot
always oblige, but you can always speak obligingly.
That is the essence of the culture of India.
Education does not mean “Twinkle, twinkle,
little star, how I wonder what you are.” All this is
artificial education. True culture of India is one
that fosters spirituality and human values.
Sathya Sai Speaks, Volume 31,
Chapter 43: Fuse Spirituality with Education.
2
Purify Your Mind and Fill It with Positive
Feelings
Some people say that they have not received
any benefit in spite of chanting the Divine name
for twenty to thirty years. No benefit accrues from
chanting the Divine name if the mind is filled
with impurities. First purify your mind and fill it
with positive feelings. Only then you can experi-
ence the benefit of chanting the Divine name. Bad
thoughts and bad feelings will not help you in any
way. Even if you happen to come across anything
bad, do not let it enter your mind.
God’s work will never fail. So, all the work that
is done with Divine feelings will never meet with
failure. If you fail in your endeavour, it means you
do not have Divine feelings. You will always be
successful if your feelings are pure and Divine. At
least from today onward, cultivate noble feelings.
Talk sweetly and softly. You cannot always oblige,
but you can always speak obligingly.
Sathya Sai Speaks, Volume 32, Part 1,
Chapter 9: Do Sadhana with Pure Feelings.
Always Speak with a Smile on Your Lips
Service is the easiest path to attain Divine
grace. Offer service and receive the love of God.
Love and service are like two wings by which man
can soar to higher levels of consciousness. If you
have the spirit of love and service, Divine grace
will follow you like a shadow wherever you may
be, be it in the forest or in the sky, village or city,
river or mountain cliff.
God has created man in His own image so that
his conduct should be in consonance with His
command. You should not cause harm to anyone,
for God exists in all. Always speak with a smile on
your lips. You cannot always oblige, but you can
always speak obligingly.
Sathya Sai Speaks, Volume 32, Part 2,
Chapter 9: Human Values and Service.
2
Do Not Fritter Away This Life
Today unrest and violence have gripped the
world as truth and righteousness have declined in
the hearts of people. All that you find outside is
nothing but the reflection, reaction, and resound
of your inner feelings. Human life is highly sacred,
most precious and Divine. Do not fritter away this
life by indulging in unsacred activities. It has to be
lived in the proper way by exercising control over
the ten senses.
Speak sweetly and softly. You cannot always
oblige, but you can always speak obligingly. Pray
for the well-being of all. May all the worlds be
happy! Sanctify your senses by serving all. If you
exercise control over your senses, you can achieve
anything in life. If God is not pleased with you,
you will be looked down upon by everyone in the
world.
You may think that you have given away ten
bags of rice in charity and distributed clothes to
500 people. Such accounts are to be submitted to
the income tax department and not to God. God
is not interested in quantity; He sees the feeling
17
behind your acts. So, whatever act of charity you
undertake, do it with the spirit of love and sacri-
fice.
Sathya Sai Speaks, Volume 33,
Chapter 12: Flowers That Never Fade.
2
The Tongue Is Given to Make Others
Happy
One who calls himself a leader should always
speak sweetly and lovingly. He should not indulge
in criticism. Criticism is nothing but the reflec-
tion, reaction, and resound of one’s wicked quali-
ties. The bad qualities that one sees in others are
nothing but the reflection of one’s own inner feel-
ings. No one has the right to find fault in others.
He is the worst sinner who indulges in faultfind-
ing. The tongue is given to make others happy and
to sing the glories of the Lord. You cannot always
oblige, but you can always speak obligingly.
The hands are given not to hurt others, but to
earn one’s livelihood and perform acts of charity.
The ears have been given not to listen to vain gos-
sip, but to listen to the sacred stories of the Lord.
In this manner, man should put each of his limbs
to proper use and sanctify his life. Today science
has advanced, but senses have become polluted.
What is the use of acquiring education, which
does not confer sense control?
Sathya Sai Speaks, Volume 33,
Chapter 14: Eradicate Immorality to Attain Immortality.
Senses Are Responsible for Both Merit
and Sin
Direct your mind on God instead of directing
it on the senses. As I pointed out yesterday, senses
are responsible for both merit and sin. If you put
them to misuse, you will incur sin. If they are used
in a proper way, it results in merit. Speak softly
and sweetly, and cultivate a good mind. Only then
will you earn the respect of others. You cannot al-
ways oblige, but you can always speak obligingly.
Cultivate right vision. Evil looks will put you in
danger. Keechaka cast his evil looks on Draupadi,
which eventually led to his death at the hands of
Bhima. Do not listen to evil talk.
Sathya Sai Speaks, Volume 34,
Chapter 4: Have Steady Faith in the Atma.
2
True Humanness Lies in Understanding
Unity in Multiplicity
The Vedanta (Upanishads which teach Self-
knowledge) declares that the Atmic Principle is the
underlying unity in diversity. Bulbs are many, but
the same current flows in all of them. Likewise,
the Atmic Principle exists in all. Man’s inability to
understand this principle of unity is the cause of
his ignorance. True humanness lies in understand-
ing unity in multiplicity. You have to develop right
vision in order to develop unity. This was Buddha’s
first teaching.
Next, He stressed the need for sacred speech.
One should speak only those words that cause no
annoyance to others and that are truthful, pleas-
ant, and helpful. Whatever you speak should not
cause any disturbance to others. It should be truth-
ful as well as pleasing. You cannot always oblige,
but you can always speak obligingly. Sacred speech
is the manifestation of Divinity.
Sathya Sai Speaks, Volume 34,
Chapter 9: Attain God’s Grace through Sacrifice and Love.