In plain words
To while away the time, when it is the village gossip, you are ready indeed, with the keenest attention; but when the sweet tales of the Lord are told so tenderly, you will not keep still, O ears?!
Is it for this that we were given ears?! In this modern age many try to restrain the mind without bringing the five senses under control. That is a great mistake. Only after we have brought the five senses under control can we restrain the mind. First we must bring the five senses under control and set them on the sacred path.
See no evil; see only what is good. Hear no evil; hear only what is good. Speak no evil; speak only what is good. Think no evil; think only what is good. Do no evil; do only what is good. This is the royal road to reach God.
Purity in thought, word and deed is humanness itself
Why did God give us these hands? Why did He give this throat? Why did He give these ears? Is it to adorn them with jewels? No, no. The ornament of the hand is charity, the ornament of the throat is Satya, the ornament of the ears is listening to the śāstras. Then what need have we of these physical ornaments?!
When you are born from your mother's womb, where are the necklaces? None is to be seen; there are no strings of fine pearls, not one for show; no chain of pure gold about the neck; no ropes of gems are shining there; no strands of emeralds are set there; there is, there is one garland round your neck, stringing the karmas of your former births, good or bad, leaving none out: Brahmā gives you and sends you off with this heavy garland, the necklace that strings together all your karmas.
This garland is round the neck of every one. Whether good or bad, we come wearing the necklace that is the fruit of the karmas we have done. So whatever work we do, we must do it with all our heart. Who are you? You are a human being. So your heart, your word and your deed, all three, must be one. The teaching joined with values that is given to students in the Sathya Sai institutions they call EHV (Education in Human Values). But I do not call it EHV; I call it 3HV. The first H, Heart; the second H, Head; the third H, Hand. The oneness of these three Hs is humanness itself.
Sītā's forbearance
After Rāvaṇa was slain, at Rāma's command Hanumān, Sugrīva and Vibhīṣaṇa, all three, went to bring Sītā. In the very Puṣpaka vimāna in which Rāvaṇa had carried her off and brought her to Laṅkā, Sītā now sat and set out for Rāma. Then Hanumān, “Mother! These demons tormented you a great deal through the ten months you were in this Aśoka grove. If you command it, I will burn them all to ashes in an instant,” he said. Then Sītā, “Hanumān! Do not be carried away. These only carried out their master's command; they did not do this of their own will. Besides, to torment is the nature of demons. Each one's nature is his own. So we must not torment them in return,” she said, and told him a fine story.
Good in return for harm
A tiger came chasing a hunter, and finding no way to escape he climbed a tree. On that tree lived a bear.