QUENCH THE FLAMES

QUENCH THE FLAMES

 

 

Shirdi Sai Baba said, “This Maya (illusive power) of the Lord (Shri Hari) teases God Brahma and others; then what to speak of a poor Fakir like Me?” in Sri Sai Satcharitra, Ch. XIII.

 

 

Many of us think that saints are never subject to temptations like us, ordinary mortals. This is not so!

 

A young man once complained to a saint, “Master, I have struggled for eight long years, and I have not succeeded in restraining my passions.

 

“Eight years of struggle?” replied the saint. “For sixty years, I have been fighting against my passions in the desert, and so far I have not been spared a single day!”

 

St. Benedict lived a life of great austerity. He wore a rough shirt and lived for three years in a desolate cave, beyond all human reach. His Spartan food was let down to him at the end or a rope. But ever here, temptation did not spare him! He was haunted continually by the memory of a beautiful woman he had met. He was even tempted to leave his life of austerity and seclusion and follow her!

 

Near his cave was a clump of thorns and briers. Having undressed, he threw himself on the thorns and rolled around till his body bled with many wounds. This he continued to do until the fires of passion were quenched forever.

 

Yes, saints too are tempted, even as we ordinary mortals are. The difference is, we easily succumb to temptation; saints overcome temptation and grow in spiritual strength and splendour!

 

 

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THE INTERVIEW WITH GOD

THE INTERVIEW WITH GOD

 

 

I dreamed I had an interview with God.

“So you would like to interview me?” God asked.

“If you have the time” I said.

God smiled. “My time is eternity.”
“What questions do you have in mind for me?”

“What surprises you most about humankind?”

God answered... “That they get bored with childhood, they rush to grow up, and then long to be children again.”

“That they lose their health to make money... and then lose their money to restore their health.”

“That by thinking anxiously about the future, they forget the present, such that they live in neither the present nor the future.”

"That they live as if they will never die, and die as though they had never lived.”

God’s hand took mine and we were silent for a while.

And then I asked... “As a parent, what are some of life’s lessons you want your children to learn?”

“To learn they cannot make anyone love them. All they can do is let themselves be loved.”

“To learn that it is not good to compare themselves to others.”

“To learn to forgive by practicing forgiveness.”

“To learn that it only takes a few seconds to open profound wounds in those they love, and it can take many years to heal them.”

“To learn that a rich person is not one who has the most, but is one who needs the least.”

“To learn that there are people who love them dearly, but simply have not yet learned how to express or show their feelings.”

“To learn that two people can look at the same thing and see it differently.”

“To learn that it is not enough that they forgive one another, but they must also forgive themselves.”

"Thank you for your time," I said humbly.

"Is there anything else you would like your children to know?"

God smiled and said, “Just know that I am here... always.”

-author unknown

 

 

LEARN TO GIVE

LEARN TO GIVE

 

 

Baba said, “Give with faith, give with magnanimity, i.e. liberally, give with modesty, with awe and with sympathy” in Sri Sai Satcharitra, Ch. XIV.

 

A wise man, on his deathbed, uttered the following statement,

 

“What I gave, I have.

 

What I spent, I had.

 

What I kept, I lost!”

 

Truer words were never spoken! Whatever wealth he had saved, hoarded, he could not carry with him after death – so, all that he had kept, was lost to him. Whatever he had spent, he had enjoyed the use of it on this earth – it was had, over and done with. But whatever he had given away in love, charity and service, out of the love of God, would be credited to his account in the Bank of Providence – so what he gave, he could have eternally!

 

The truly wealth man is not one who has – but one who gives away what he has!

 

 

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GOD LOVES THE UNLOVED ONES

GOD LOVES THE UNLOVED ONES

 

 

 

 “Fakiri is true kingship. Fakiri alone will last forever Look how evanescent is wealth.” Baba said this always! – Shri Sai Samartha Satcharita, Ch. 8, verse 112.

 

 

“I have a number of dolls,” said the little girl to a guest. “Would you like to see them?”

 

“Sure, I would!”

 

The little girl ran and brought a number of dolls. Some of them were very cute. One was Barbie doll.

 

“Which one do you love the most?” asked the guest. He felt certain the girl would point the Barbie doll.

 

Imagine his surprise when the girl picked up a ragged doll which had scratches on its cheek, a broken nose and a missing arm.

 

“How so?” enquired the visitor. “I thought you would love the Barbie doll the most.”

 

The little girl answered, “If I don’t love this doll, no one else will!”

 

The little girl taught a great lesson. God loves the unloved ones – the poor, the broken, the miserable, the wretched, the forsaken, the forlorn, the lowly and the lost!

 

Let us learn to love likewise, and we too, shall grow Godlike.

 

 

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DISCIPLINE OF SPEECH

DISCIPLINE OF SPEECH

 

Tame your tongue - it is an unruly devil. Sacrifice, gift, austerity, the study of the sacred scriptures, truthfulness - all these will help you to develop virtuous conduct. Practise austerity of speech. Whatever you speak must be truthful and beneficent.

 

Do not utter anything that will give annoyance to anybody. A thoughtless man who has not controlled his organ of speech and who speaks at random, is entangled in the foolishness of his own words. Therefore be very careful when you speak.

 

Speak little. Think twice, think ten times before you speak. Weigh the words carefully, before they come out of your mouth. Speak only words which can do good to others. Always be polite and courteous. Never speak in a harsh tone, never hurt the feelings of others.

 

Do not talk much. Become a man of measured words. God has given you two ears and two eyes. But He only gave you one tongue, so that you may hear and see more than you speak. Lingual diarrhea is a terrible disease.

 

Words exist for the transmission of ideas. Words and ideas are inseparable; they are like fire and its heat, or like ice and its coldness. Be careful in the selection of your words. They can produce violent disturbance in the feelings of others. Speak only those words which give happiness and comfort to others.

 

Think more. Do much. Speak measured words. Let your tongue never utter an unkind word, or a harsh word. Let it never speak sharp criticism. An undisciplined tongue is a sword that cuts others' hearts. It produces a wound that will never heal, even in a lifetime.

 

Observe silence. You will have abundant energy. You will conserve your energy this way. You will enjoy peace of mind and good health. You will be able to turn out more work. Silence is soothing for brain and nerves.

 

Your goal is God. Your centre is God. Your ideal is God. Turn back to God and realise everlasting bliss. Resting on Him you will be saved. As the lamp cannot burn without oil, so too, you cannot live without God. God is within you all the time, inspiring you, lifting you up. Withdraw. Aspire. Meditate. Realise.