In plain words
2. Don't waste food. Food is God.
Food is the form of God. So do not waste food.
3. Don't waste time. Time is God.
‘Kālāya namaḥ, kālakālāya namaḥ, kāladarpadamanāya namaḥ, kālātītāya namaḥ, kālasvarūpāya namaḥ’: so you worship God, do you not! Time is the form of God. So to waste time is to waste life itself.
4. Don't waste energy.
Do not waste in the least your seeing, your thoughts, your hearing, your words or your deeds. If you waste these, you will have wasted your energy (your strength).
5. Do not forget God even for a moment.
Wherever you go, God is right with you: in your home, at your side, before your eyes. You need not go to some temple to pray. Your heart is the temple. So turn your gaze inward and understand the principle of the Ātma. You grow tired with these journeys. So you need not come often, even here. That you may do as far as it satisfies you.
‘I am the devotee of My devotees’
As far as you can, build up an atmosphere fit for living your life in peace. That is the one thing Swami asks. I expect nothing. Since you have all come to this Prasanthi Nilayam, since you think of yourselves as devotees of Sathya Sai, become people whose lives are an example. Earn the name: “The devotees of Sathya Sai and the students of Sathya Sai lead lives that are very pure and full of peace.” That name will be yours, not Mine. You go about saying, ‘We are devotees of Sathya Sai.’ But I have no devotees. I Myself am a devotee. Of whom? The devotee of the devotees. To fulfil the wishes of devotees is My duty. All are Mine! I belong to all! Strengthen this oneness. This is the one thing I hope for. I have never liked having My birthdays celebrated, nor many decorations put up for them. Ahaṅkāra and show are good for no one. Do not waste time with mere talk. Step into practice. Grow these good feelings and, wherever you go, share them with many. It is no use showing Bhakti only while you are in Prasanthi Nilayam and forgetting it the moment you step out. Even after you go out, you must go on sharing it with many. Swami has no distinctions of caste, religion or language at all. The caste of humanity, the religion of Prema, the language of the heart: experience the truth of these three fully, share it with many, and rejoice.