Sādhana
Spiritual practice and its stages.
- 18 September 2026Friendship Coupled with AweBhakti (devotion) denotes a feeling of friendship coupled with awe.
- 15 September 2026Spirituality Is Living for GodActive workers (of the Sri Sathya Sai Seva Organisations) should have no feeling of arrogance or ostentation in carrying on their activities.
- 7 September 2026Pain Without SufferingIf you take the love of the Gopis (milkmaids of Brindavan), you may ask for what purpose did they love Krishna.
- 6 September 2026Knowledge That Is LivedBooks are not intended merely to be read.
- 27 August 2026The Yajña That Became a BattleThe first step in spiritual training is to curb the Ichha shakti (power of desires), which prompts the senses to pursue objects.
- 24 August 2026Full, Free and ComprehensiveThere are two truths that must be accepted by every pilgrim or devotee: (1) Devotion has to be full, free, and comprehensive.
- 20 August 2026Gold in the CrucibleWherever faith and dedication to God are evident, forces that tend to ridicule it and diminish its strength also are found.
- 19 August 2026Hand the Keys to the CharioteerGod is all-powerful; God is everywhere; God is all-knowing.
- 14 August 2026Understanding Before PracticePeople who go about this land will notice the large concourses that attend temples, partake in bhajan and namasankirtan where the glory of God is sung with demonstrative enthusiasm, and mill around venerable personalities who preach and teach the ways of God, and they infer that this is a sacred land full of pious individuals who tread the pilgrim path to Divinity.
- 6 August 2026Education as SādhanaThe process of education must render the individual a happier and more useful person; it must also make him a better citizen, able and willing to further the progress of the nation to which he belongs.
- 3 August 2026The Vessel Must Be PureThe first step on the path of spirituality is the acquisition of anasuya or freedom from envy, jealousy, malice and covetousness.
- 13 July 2026Arise and Plunge into ServiceSai’s philosophy does not lie in encouraging devotees to sit in a corner, control their breath, and go on uttering, "Soham!
- 12 July 2026A Heart Polished Like a MirrorA great painter once came to a Prince and offered to do a fresco on the palace wall; behind him came another, who declared that he would paint on the wall opposite, whatever painting the first one drew, even if a curtain hid it from view and even if he was not told the subject of the fresco!
- 10 July 2026Eating the Old HarvestDo not grieve that the Lord is testing you and putting you to the ordeal of undergoing them.
- 7 July 2026Love Is Manifested, Not ManufacturedThe knowledge that the students acquire in schools and colleges is only information-oriented.
- 6 July 2026When the Mango RipensAlways think that God is present in this temple of body, and whatever you do is an offering to Him.
- 3 July 2026Pure Food and the Balance of Body and MindTrue penance is to shun evil thoughts, actions, and habits, cultivate harmony of thoughts, words and deeds, and have purity of mind.
- 2 July 2026The Decoction That Must Be DrunkPeople offer worship to the paper and the words of the Bhagavad Gita, but they do not drink the nectar of the bliss which results from the practice of its teachings.
- 1 July 2026Two Kinds of Knowledge, and the Practice of BothThere are two types of knowledge which man needs to acquire.
- 25 June 2026Two Fires and the Discipline of Conscious LivingYou eat more when the food is tasty.
- 23 June 2026Do Not Get Down Before the FatherSuppose an elderly person travels in a train with his children; he has the tickets for all of them.
- 21 June 2026Śraddhā, the Fire WithinWe must shape ourselves into fit instruments for the spiritual pilgrimage.
- 18 June 2026The Unwavering Mind of DharmajaEven when Dharmaja’s wife was humiliated in the open court, he fixed his unwavering mind on Krishna.
- 13 June 2026Become the FluteThe body becomes healthy by exercise and work; the mind becomes healthy by upasana (devout contemplation) and namasmarana (remembrance of the Divine), by regular, well-planned discipline, joyfully accepted and joyfully carried out.
- 12 June 2026Love Is the Easiest PathThe votary of the Karma Marga (the Path of Action) performs many actions for the welfare of the world.
- 8 June 2026The Namkeen With the ChaiSome people want to have uninterrupted happiness.
- 21 May 2026Comparisons Are OdiousPride, conceit, passionate (rajasik) exhibition of one’s superiority, anger, craving to know unsubstantiated details of strengths and weaknesses of others, trickery—all these are obstacles in the path of meditation (dhyanam).
- 20 May 2026Swami’s Warranty on SādhanaWhile practising sadhana, one must follow the rules laid down in scriptures or follow the commands of the Guru or that of God.
- 19 May 2026Fanning the Flame of DiscontentMost men spend the lifetime allotted to them or earned by them in the partaking of rich but harmful food and drink and indulge in glamorous but more harmful pastimes.
- 17 May 2026Renouncing the IYou have been reading about renunciation for a long time.
- 13 May 2026Digesting the TeachingsWhatever teachings that you hear and read, you should imbibe them in your heart.
- 11 May 2026The Bondage of Not Knowing Who We AreOur life has its roots in the Atma, and it grows through the agitated waves of living.
- 10 May 2026Many Paths, One GoalThe glory and majesty of the Lord are imminent in the universe, as a fragrance in the air, as heat in the fire, or as butter in milk.
- 9 May 2026The Swimmer and the SquirrelThe swimmer in the river has to push aside the waters in front to the sides and to kick the waters to the back so that he can move forward straight and fast.
- 30 April 2026The Whetstone and the BladeA whetstone is used for sharpening the razor and not for making the stone smoother.
- 14 February 2026Stirring the Sugar at the Bottom of the CupIf there is sugar at the bottom of a tumbler filled with water, you can make the whole water sweet by stirring the sugar and dissolving it in the water.
- 22 September 2025The Tree Within the SeedThere may be a time gap between the action performed and its consequence, however, there is no separation between them; the consequence is intertwined with the action.
- 17 September 2025Singing the Name with AwarenessRemember that nothing in this world is as powerful as the Lord’s name to protect it.
- 16 September 2025The Fire That RisesWhere there is care and where there is a desire to learn with attention, wisdom will appear.
- 14 September 2025The Bliss That Is Already YoursThere are two categories of Ananda (bliss) in the world: Sadhana-Janya Ananda (Acquired bliss) and Swatah-Siddha Ananda (Self-generating bliss).
- 13 September 2025Hands Raised to the LordIf only you can listen to the good words of the elders and follow the straight path contained in the words of your elders, there is every chance of you becoming wise.
- 4 September 2025Placing the DotsGenerally, all take food of some or other kind for the body five times a day: an early cup of bed coffee, breakfast two hours later, heavy lunch at noon, tea at four, and fat dinner at night.
- 2 September 2025The Live Prayer of Daily LivingThis is a chance for service for which you must feel extremely delighted, for here you can transmute your devotion and faith into positive acts of service for the benefit of your brothers and sisters.
- 1 September 2025Rāma or KāmaRavana was the mightiest monarch of his day, as Valmiki describes him.
- 30 August 2025The Stone of DisciplineThe snake gourd is apt to grow crooked if left alone.
- 28 August 2025The Signpost and the JourneyThe body is transient.
- 26 August 2025The Diamond of Human BirthEvery human being is the embodiment of the Atma.
- 24 August 2025The Gold and the ClodScientists, especially those belonging to the geological department, know this very well.
- 6 August 2025The Flower of the HeartThe flower symbolises the heart.
- 4 August 2025Going Near the SupremeVyasa taught the essence of the Vedas in just two sentences: Paropakaraya Punyaya, Papaya Para Peedanam - Helping others is meritorious.
- 3 August 2025From God’s Pantry to PrasādIn the world, the good takes birth from the bad.
- 1 August 2025Do Not Ask, O MindSadhana is not only japa, rituals, bhajans, etc.
- 31 July 2025The Bundle That Was a BearLike the poor villager who jumped into the flood to salvage a bundle of rugs which was really a bear being carried along by the raging waters, and found that the bundle caught hold of him so tight that he could not escape, man too jumps in, to retrieve what he considers a treasure, but is himself caught and bound.
- 27 July 2025The Tapas of the GopīsGopikas were devotees with equal-mindedness.
- 26 July 2025Turning the Vision InwardNot being able to recognise your innate divinity is ignorance.
- 12 July 2025The Poison in the PāyasamTo eliminate the mind and remove the delusions from it, desires have to be controlled.
- 11 July 2025Brahman Is Found in SocietyThere are two kinds of knowledge which man can seek in his quest for happiness.
- 6 July 2025A Sample of the Real BlissEvery human being is an embodiment, repository, and vehicle of ananda (bliss).
- 1 July 2025The Mirror Turned Towards the SunThe sun shines brilliantly when there is no obstruction, but when we build a house and fit it with doors and windows and close all of them, there is only darkness, but no light inside that house.
- 12 June 2025Keep the Bulb ConnectedReading is not enough; you may master all the commentaries and you may be able to argue and discuss with great scholars about these texts, but without attempting to practice what they teach, it is a waste of time.
- 31 May 2025Looking Ahead Is TapasFirm faith is essential for realising the Self.
- 7 May 2025One Current, Many WattagesThe Chaitanyam (Atmic consciousness) that is present in the Divine is also present in living beings.
- 14 April 2025The Fire Latent in the WoodGod is not an external contrivance or convenience like the air cooler.
- 13 April 2025Soften the Heart, Reach the WaterWhen there is hard rock below, you have to bore deeper for tapping the underground perennial pure water.
- 12 April 2025Cutting the Channel for PremaWith determination, man can touch the sky and conquer the world.