In the beginning the lessons are plain: do not speak lies, do not cheat,
do not steal, do no harm to others. The consequences of such misguided
actions are quickly realized. Yet, despite the fact that suffering inevitably
follows selfish action, some people take little precaution to avoid
it. Although we may be burned repeatedly, some of us continue to reach
into the fire.
The saddest part of the story is that man,
thought he sees and hears, suffers and falls, does not get quite
convinced that sin is a dangerous experiment, that it unmistakably
brings on its harvest of tears.
Sathya Sai Speaks 2
When incorrect action is recognized as the source of
pain, the battle is half won. The seeds of suffering can be pulled from
the Earth before they sprout. With time, vetoes rise to the fore. Serve
others; love others as yourself; see divinity in all God’s creatures.
Through adherence to high moral standards, the grace of God may be won.
Each step becomes easier and each good deed leads to another. When we
follow the straight path of spiritual duty, God makes our load lighter
and easier to bear. With each passing day our way becomes clearer. We
learn that a virtuous character is our only lasting possession.
Be moral, be virtuous, Be sincere in thought,
deed, and word. Be honest to yourself. Money comes and goes! But
morality comes and grows! So man has to give up the yearning for
money and yearn for more and more morality.
Sathya Sai Speaks 7
The drive to live virtuously is the essence of spirituality.
It reflects our ability to distinguish the transitory from the real.
Few people give much thought to the nearness of death, yet it may arrive
at any moment. Death takes all our worldly possessions, however guarded
and fostered they may have been. We are left only with our qualities
of being. The value of our lives will be appraised not by the accumulation
of our possessions, but by our discernment of spiritual reality ---
and our willingness to act on that vision.
Do not think that only those who worship
a picture or image with pompous paraphernalia are devotees. Whoever
walks straight along the moral path, whoever acts as he speaks and
speaks as he has seen whoever melts at another’s woe and exults
at another’s joy---is a devotee, perhaps a greater devotee.
Sathya Sai Speaks 2
We do not require another person to show us right conduct.
Right conduct is a function of our conscience, the voice within. The
pursuit of a moral life is an unfolding journey, which takes us toward
the God within. It is the heart of spiritual practice, which carries
us from the most basic lessons on the path to realization of formless
divinity. That search is our true reason for living. We fulfill our
duty when we value virtue rather than material possessions.
Moral and spiritual values have to be honored
as much as, if not more than, economic and material values. Life
must be a harmonious blend of these values with emphasis on moral
strength.
Sathya Sai Speaks 8
The integrity of a nation depends on the character
of its citizens. A nation without moral standards follows the road of
decline. If a nation is to make enduring contributions to the world,
it must be founded on eternal values. A society, like an individual,
earns God’s grace based on its adherence to virtue.
The honor of a nation depends upon the morality
of that nation. A nation without morality will be doomed.
Summer showers 1972
