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What Shirdi Sai Baba Taught

1.0 PREAMBLE
1.1 Sri Sai Baba of Shirdi, to His devotees, has come to stay
as`Para Brahma Swarupa' (God Incarnate), Supreme Spirit, Primary
Cause of the universe and Pure Consciousness. Baba lived a
saintly life at Shirdi during the period 1858-1918. His actions
are unique in nature, diverse in purpose and different in
character. Baba showered His grace on the devotees in multiple
ways -- to some He appeared in dreams, to some in physical form
and to selective few He showed His Godly form (Self).

1.2 Lord Sai extended His helping hand and blessings to many
`Sadhakas' who tread the path of self realisation through
meditations. In the process, Swamy (Baba) made the Sadhaka look
for internal divinity and upliftment of the soul through
constant guidance either by way of direct communication or
through messages.
1.3 The author with the blessings of Sri Shirdi Sai underwent
all experiences indicated above covering a period of sixteen
years (1978-94). Nearly hundred and ninety three messages
received directly from Baba were made available to the devotees
and readers by way of printed books. The purpose of the present
book is to cover another thirty five messages received in
meditation with focus on enlightenment from Sri Sai Baba on
"Salvation of the Soul". This is a "Process" and "Sadhana" and
has to be pursued sincerely through ones life for the end
purpose of holy communion with the Lord (Sai Baba).
  2.0 PATH FOR GOD REALISATION
  Meditation
2.1 In ancient times, there used to be ample scope for an
individual to choose mountain caves or dense forests for
meditation to understand oneself and realise the truth (God).
This is not possible for every one today. In the present day
world, with several stresses playing dominant role on the
physical and mental framework, human being is looking forward to
develop the inner spirit. For this purpose, control of body and
mind are essential through meditation. Similarly, soul needs to
be uplifted and purified through prayer and meditation.
  Sacrifice
2.2 Sacrifice to God is an essential component of `Sadhana'.
Surrendering passion, possessiveness, desire etc. constitute an
important element of such `Sadhana'. Service towards betterment
and welfare of humanity is sacrifice to God. It helps to
cleanse the heart and also promotes firm-faith in the Lord.
Through purity of heart, upliftment of soul is ensured. An
elevated soul through sacrifice finds a place with the Lord (God
Almighty).
  Namasmarana
2.3 Namasmarana is a kind of prayer by way of repeating the name
of God (Sai). The process of chanting the precious name of God
(`Om Sai Ram' or `Om Sai Sri Sai Jaya Jaya Sai', Allah Malik,
Baba and so on) with pure heart is one of the important steps in
Sadhana. It has tremendous spiritual potential and almost takes
a `Sadhaka' nearer to the final goal of God realisation. In
essence, salutary effects of `Namasmarana' are as follows:

•

Cleanses the environment in and around the prayer spot or dwelling.

•

Tears off `Maya', curbs passions.

•

Puts strength into the body (to see God and communicate with Him)

•

Develops concentration on "Reality".

•

Builds up detachment.

•

Bliss descends.

•

Bestows enlightenment (Gyana Jyothi).

•

Ultimately, the total effect of "Namasmarana" results in the development of an "elevated soul".

  Liberation
2.4 Human being is subjected to `Karma' for his actions in the
past lives as well as the present one. It is cumulative in
effect. Redemption from `Karma' in its duration, magnitude and
intensity is in the hands of God. As such, faith in God and
prayer to Him are essential to eliminate `Karma'. `Namasmarana'
is one of the potent sadhanas which washes off `Karma'. Complete
annihilation of `Karmic action', arrests rebirth and thus
builds-up a state of liberation -- freedom from `Karma'. It is
only through complete elimination of `Karma', the soul ceases to
have any further life and merges with the Lord (God).
  Elevated Soul
2.5 Soul is like an uncut diamond. Just as a diamond needs to
be cut and polished on several edges and faces to reveal its
true brillance, so also the soul needs to be purified through
various steps of `Sadhana' -- prayer, penance, sacrifice,
service and surrender to the Lord (Baba). Single elevated
(evolved) soul saves the sins of millions of people. As such,
evolution of millions of people. As such, evolution or
upliftment of the soul is important in the process of God
realisation.
  Salvation of the Soul
2.6 Sacrifice and surrender to the Lord (God) are needed for
salvation of the soul. Desires of the body have to be
suppressed through meditation to brighten the soul. The only
hope and path for deliverence of the soul from bondage to the
body and rebirth is prayer. Wisdom derived through `Sadhana'
put into practice salvages the soul for eternal bliss. Through
`Sadhana', one can also awaken the Divinity within and free the
soul from bondage. The process in totality, if pursued, would
help complete merger of the soul with the Almighty (`Moksham').
  3.0 MESSAGES ON "THE PROCESS"
  `The Process'
3.1 Various steps in `Sadhana' elucidated above, put together
constitute "The Process". At times, in the pursuit of spiritual
path, additional undefined `Sadhanas' and "The Process" are
intertwined giving double strength to the cord woven for God
realisation. The attached sketch symbolises various steps
involved in "The Process".
  Prayer and Messages
3.2 Messages received in meditation directly from Sri Sai Baba
on the subject "The Process" are reproduced below in
chronological order covering the period (1983-94) with the fond
hope that the same would help assist the devotees in their
"Sadhana" for God realisation.
  PRAYER
December 1983
"Baba, save me from the agony of life,
Save me from the torture of the mind,
Save me from rebirth,
Allow me to enter into Thee for eternal bliss".
  MESSAGES
February 1984
1. "An ugly insect can be turned into a beautiful butterfly
through proper transformation, so also any cruel or wicked
person can be transformed into a close associate of the Lord
through spiritual transformation".
May 1984
2. "One should avoid moving and thinking only along the path of
a circle,
One should aim to move along a straight line,
Any movement on the perimeter brings one to the same point,
Movement on a straight line gives scope to progress,
Even on a straight line, you get stunted,
If `Maya' overtakes you; you get blurred in vision;
To overcome this, you need the vision and grace of the Lord
through prayer"
December 1984
3. "Soul is the powerful part of the Lord (Almighty) lying
invisible in you -- if you harness the same, you merge with the
Lord for supreme bliss"
February 1985
4. "Human life is not the life you lead at the moment, it is a
process of lives and deaths till it reaches the sublime state of
merger with the Lord. This could be achieved through prayer and
penance, the latter embraces sacrifices one carries out to the
Lord under multiple facets. As such, life has to be looked in
its totality and not in segments".
PRAYER
July 1985
"I am in search of the Truth,
The Truth that symbolises the Supreme,
It is a long process and in this process,
I may make mistakes,
But I still pray to Him to put strength in me to overcome the
same,
And reach Him with Supreme bliss".
MESSAGES
April 1986
5. "To reach the absolute Purity (Lord Almighty)
One should get purified;
This is a process wherein you get burnt several times by the
flames of temptation,
`Maya' and desire;
But you emerge purer and purer as gold if you keep the goal --
to merge with Divine Purity".
6. "Life is a process -- a struggle to overcome desire, temporal
benefits and unreality (illusion);
In essence, a struggle to conquer `Maya' -- the force that
resists seeking the Truth (Reality);
In this process, there may be many pitfalls;
But the helping hand is extended only through one source -- the
source of Reality (God Almighty).
March 1987
7. "Human being often forgets that he or she is only a
missionary of the Lord in this world".
June 1987
8. "One should cultivate control of thought, desire and mind to
serve Me -- this is a process".
August 1987
9. "Physical body is a filth;
Mental part of the body needs control -- as it is dominated by
`Maya';
Sensory part of the body needs to be subdued;
Soul of the body needs to be uplifted and purified -- through
prayer and meditation;
This is "The Process" for God realisation difficult and
prolonged in practice"
10. "Instead of developing extreme attachment to the body and
undergoing agony, pray for the opportunity to cast-off the frame
(body) and merge the soul with the Lord (Almighty)".
(Translated from a message given in Telugu language).
September 1987
11. To keep the mind at peace is in essence the first step in
"The Process".
February 1988
12. "Through prayer seek recluse in Lord Sai and release the soul
from bondage"
November 1988
13. "Hear to the voice of the Lord (God Almighty)
And conduct thyself on the earth".
14. "Divinity within has to be awakened,
For this, sacrifice from human being is needed in many ways,
Elevated soul through sacrifice finds a place with the Lord,
This is the ultimate goal of life -- this life or repetition of
lives".
15. "To define life is difficult,
Human being attributes many values to life,
But in the eyes of God, the purpose of life is one -- to merge
with Him.
(through sacrifice, purity and penance)
September 1989
16. "Do not deal much with this frame (body) for materialistic
things,
Detach from the same through enlightment of the soul,
This is the path for permanent bliss".
November 1990
17. "Develop the inner spirit to control the outer environment,
This enables to control the five elements -- air, water, fire,
sky and earth.
Ancient saints have followed this method of meditation
(process) to uplift the soul and deliver its bondage from the
body".
18. "Environment to protect the process of meditation or prayer
needs to be built by the individual (person) seeking the Truth
(Almighty) rather than try to create or protect the environment
in nature".
(Sadhaka through meditation builds up an envelop of powerful
radiation around the place of penance which protects him from
poisonous creatures, wild animals and also from the influence of
`Maya'. This is one of the ways to control external environment
by developing inner spirit.)
19. "Prayer and meditation helps the process of contact,
conversation and holy communion with the Lord. Through this
process, detachment of soul with the body develops. The
process, if pursued, would help complete merger of the soul with
the Almighty (`Moksham').
February 1991
20. "Every cloud has its own silver lining,
But the source behind the lining is the same (Sun);
So is the case with every individual
The source behind individual is God Almighty".
21. "One should make many sacrifices, before one experiences the
grace of the Lord".
22. "Dictates of the mind should be honoured with discretion,
Discretion should emerge from moral values,
Moral values should be derived through meditation".
23. "Process is `Sadhana',
It cannot be achieved overnight,
It is to be cultivated through devotion and sacrifice to the
Lord"
March 1991
24. "Environment of body is different from the environment of
the soul;
The effort to separate the environment of the soul from the body
is a long drawn process (Sadhana);
To attach the liberated soul to Lord Almighty is `Moksha
Sadhana'".
April 1991
25. "Prayer has the power to shackle the bondage (between body
and soul),
It has also the power to bring you nearer to God (Baba),
Hence, do not give up Bhakti Marga -- path of prayer".
(Translated from a message given in Telugu language).
August 1991
26. "Keep the Lord nearer to you through sacrifice (surrendering
passion, possessiveness, desire etc.);
Place at His feet the sorrow and misery of humanity and seek for
redemption of `Karma'.
March 1992
27. "To seek God is a process,
It is a `Saga',
It is sacrifice".
July 1993
28. "The seat for Guru (Spiritual Master) and Daivam (God) is
the heart of the devotee. If that seat is worshiped with
special prayer (Abhishekam) with emphasis on `Namajapam', the
soul gets purified. This brings the devotee nearer to God.
Human being merges with Lord Almighty with the purification of
the soul. That is salvation of the soul -- `Moksham'."
(Translated from a message given in Telugu language)
PRAYER
August 1993
"OM SAI MA
Give me strength to serve you with sacrifice,
OM SAI MA
Provide me patience to pursue your mission of service,
OM SAI MA
Bestow me faith to follow you all the time,
OM SAI MA
Bless me to have your `Darshan as Manifested form of Divinity'".
November 1993
29. "I (Baba) am every where
`Bhakta' (Devotee) has to realise this truth,
My (Baba's) presence is felt through prayer and faith".
30. "A wondering mind wavers on many things including faith in
God,
A doubting Thomas does nothing to humanity,
But a `Sadhaka' should strive for irrevocable faith in Almighty".
December 1993
31. "Spiritual discipline is key to successful `Sadhana".
32. "God realisation is a process to be followed with patience
and faith".
February 1994
33. "Sadhana is surrender to Swamy (Baba),
Sadhana is service to Swamy,
Sadhana is sacrifice to Swamy"
March 1994
34. "Sadhana is embodiment of prayer"
35. "Sadhana symbolises faith and patience in prayer"
  4. Explanation to Important Terms
1. Sadhaka -- One who endeavours to follow spiritual discipline
with a goal to attain `Moksha' (final liberation).
2. Sadhana -- Religious practice towards the goal of freedom
from bondage and merger with God.
3. Inner spirit -- Divinity within oneself
4. Namasmarana -- Kind of prayer involving repetition of divine
name.
5. Karma __ Person's cumulative actions in successive states of
existence (life) viewed as deciding his fate for next life or
destiny.
6. Soul -- Spiritual, indestructible and immaterial part of
human being which survives death.
7. Maya -- Illusion, unreal
8. Abhishekam -- Kind of ritualistic prayer to a particular God
or Goddess -- bathing the idol with milk, sandalwood paste,
curd, honey, ganges water and flowers etc.
9. Lord -- Lord Sri Shirdi Sai
Swamy -- " "
Almighty -- " "
Truth -- " "
Reality -- " "
10. Peetam -- A platform like base on which an idol, to be
worshipped, is placed or rested.
11. Saga -- Continuous and relentless effort.

Om Sai Ram

October 1983

1. "Lord is the pole on which you can lean safely,

Lord is the bed on which you can rest comfortably,

Lord is the stick with which you can walk safely,

Nothing else is dependable as they are all illusory".

2. "When the world sleeps, I am awake,

When the world is awake, I am vigilant,

I am the watchdog for humanity"

3. "There is no sorrow for the soul

It is only for the body an d

4. "The key is in My hands,

I have to open the right door for you to enter -- a place with suitable light and environment for enlightenment".

December 1983

5. "Take what I give

Accept what I decide

Enjoy what I bless".

6. "It is difficult for everybody to accept God,

Unless one experiences Him through prayer".

7. "Do not entertain everything the body and mind demands, Entertain only what the soul requires -- to upgrade thyself".

8. "For good or bad I am the Master".

January 1984

9. "Our lives are for sacrifice and not to demand service from others".

10. "Unless the heart is pure the act of the hand even for serving others has no meaning, Unless the heart is pure the act of speech from the lips has no meaning, Unless the heart is pure any act even to save others has no meaning, Link the heart to the Lord to make it pure".

11. "There is no secret before the Lord, Admit all faults and sins before Him, As redemption from sins is in His hands".

12. "No act of service to the Lord goes unheeded, It has its reward at the appropriate time."

February 1984

13. "Anger belongs to the body Peace belongs to the soul".

14. "If you do not identify with the body and mind, Many things could be overcome."

March 1984

15. "Man has to bear many burdens of life as a process of `karma,' It could be lightened through the grace of the Lord -- have faith in Him."

16. "The love and affection derived from `Divine Mother' has no match to anything else in this world".

April 1984

17. "Man judges a human being by his/her nature, God judges a human being by upliftment of the soul, The touch stone to test the soul is in His hands".

18. "Your possession is only one, Hang on to it forever -- in life, disease of death, It is nothing but the Lord".

19. "You owe an explanation to nobody in this world, But you owe an explanation to Me for every act of Yours in this world"

20. "If you understand the Soul You have no sorrow, If you understand the soul, you have no religion, If you understand the soul you have no death, If you understand the soul you have God realisation".

21. "Develop purity of heart to develop the soul".

22. "`Parayanam' has to be performed to purify oneself and not to please Me".

23. "Sacrifice for the Lord, Sacrifice for humanity, Sacrifice of self are essential for the human being to attain bliss".

May 1984

24. "I am the light house, My vision is the beacon light to guide the lost ship to safe shores from high seas". (The lost ship is the drifted person in the sea of `Maya')".

25. "False steps in life need not be cursed all the time, As they provide many times an opportunity to look to the Lord".

July 1984

26. "Let one live in his own pride and arrogance, Till one hears the golden voice of the Lord, And sees the truth, reality and destination"

August 1984

27. "Burn the desires of the body and brighten the soul".

September 1984

28. "Man proudly announces that he is the master of many things, God accepts humbly his (man's) ignorance".

29. "When one experiences the grace of the Lord (`Anubhuti'), Worldly labels of mother, brother, sister, son, wife etc, cease to have any special significance, Only the act of compassion dominates to help humanity".

October 1984

30. "Do not pretend in prayer, As the Lord knows the depth of service and longing of the heart".

31. "What is important in prayer is the heart and not the routine rituals, As your prayer is judged by the agony of the heart and craving for the Lord".

November 1984

32. "If you live with the body you live with misery, If you life with the soul you live with mercy -- mercy from the Lord, And that is the path for peace".

33. "What is destined by the Lord to eliminate `Karma' has to be undergone in life, Not knowing the process, one blames the Lord".

January 1985

34. "If you live with the body you live with misery If you live with the soul you live with bliss".

February 1985

35. "Those who trust the Lord Get the best in the end." (End in this case is not the end of present life alone but future lives also).

March 1985

36. "Time, place and nature of death are not in the hands of human beings".

April 1985

37. "Whatever is done through mind and body is temporary and destructable, Whatever is done for the soul is permanent and constructive".

July 1985

38. "Any sacrifice made in the name of God stays permanently". (eg: Sacrifice for humanity Sacrifice from possession Sacrifice from passion etc)

39. "Patience pays Prayer saves".

40. "Through prayer and meditation kindle the supreme within you and see the Light-Light of Truth and the Light that filters the dictates of the mind".

41. "Live with Me You will be liberated, Ask for Me You will be answered, Pray for me You will be protected".

August 1985

42. "There is no greater power than the power of the Lord, There is no greater appeal than an appeal to the Lord, There is no greater wisdom than to realise the power of the Lord".

September 1985

43. "Have My strength and be humble, The universe shrinks before you".

October 1985

44. "Emulate My life in thought, action and deed, you will be emancipated from sin".

45. "To live with Me all the time, One should know the emptiness of the physical body".

46. "The power of man lies in the depth of prayer he offers to the Lord".

47. "Man's irrationality reaches it's base level when he ignores the magnanimity of the Lord".

November 1985

48. "Touch My feet I shall crown your head".

December 1985

49. "Sacrifice to the Lord is service to humanity --hidden or exposed".

April 1986

50. "Heart is the king-pin for prayer to the Lord and to get His grace".

June 1986

51. "Search inside and save thyself, Harness the God within and suppress the Devil, His grace will descend and the vision will be clear".

52. "Surrender to mind brings misery into sight, search inward saves the vision".

53. "Do not chase the mirage, It is not the reality, Look inside and light the lamp, The vision becomes clear and the goal is near".

August 1986

54. "Sacrifice is required to search the Truth -- that truth which is the ultimate Truth (the Supreme)".

October 1986

55. "There is only one source of solace, seek the same through sacrifice (prayer) to the Lord".

56. "There is no limit to luxury And there is no end to comfort, But there should be a full stop some where and that is `Contentment', Yearning for contentment emerges from prayer, Prayer answered brings perpetual peace, Perpetual peace is the permanent link with the Lord".

57. "Condition the mind to comfort -- not for materialistic comfort but for permanent peace -- through prayer".

November 1986

58. "Heart is not only the vital organ to sustain the human system, But it is the vital organ to link you to the Lord, As the heart pumps purified blood to keep the human system alive, It should also get purified (through prayer) to communicate with the Lord".

59. "Prayer is a potential panacea for many miseries of mankind".

60. "Plead for the mercy of the Lord, Mankind will be at peace".

61. "Sacrifice to the Lord through service is the first step to eliminate Karma and elevate the soul".

62. "Prayer is the potential service to the Lord".

63. "Prayer with pure heart is the passage to salvation"

December 1986

64. "Service to humanity is sacrifice to Me".

65. "Comfort the mind through prayer and control the desires, the mission of life is much fulfilled".

March 1987

66. "Faith in God provides protection to mankind, Faith in God processes the mind to sublime thought; Faith in God is the firm anchor to the turbulent world; Faith in God is the ultimate to attain the goal -- God realisation".

67. "Do not surrender to impulse Make impulse surrender to wisdom Seek wisdom from the Lord".

October 1987

68. "The power of God cannot be assessed; The grace of God cannot be measured; The will of God has to be accepted".

November 1987

69. "God is concerned with humanity only to comfort it".

70. "Man suffers from many complexes, God straightens the vision".

February 1988

71. "Soul has to get rid off the bondage with the body, For this, the only hope and path is prayer".

October 1988

72. "Chastity is the strength of woman, Sacrifice is the strength of man, Surrender to the Lord (God) is the supreme strength for both".

November 1988

73. "Power of God cannot be measured by human being, Nature of God is all embracing, Sacrifice to God should be unlimited".

74. "Have faith in Me You will progress in life, Have trust in Me You will tide-over difficulties; Sacrific for Me You will be saved; Surrender to Me Your soul will be elevated".

75. "Trust Me to the core You will be taken to the highest point -- a point of no return (absolute bliss)".

May 1989

76. "Do not sin with this body, You suffer to serve another life".

January 1990

77. "Faith is the foundation for prayer,

Prayer acts as the window for the glimpses of God, Experience of the glimpses elevates the soul, Merger of the soul with the Lord brings permanent bliss".

February 1990

78. "Light the wick of Divinity within, You will dispel the darkness around".

March 1990

79. "If you honour the senses You live subdued life, If you honour the soul You live sublime life".

80. "Look internally, Awake the Divine within, Free the soul from bondage".

June 1990

81. "Body is for the pyre Soul is for the Lord Seek wisdom through prayer And choose between the two".

November 1990

82. "In sorrow speak to Me In anger repeat My name In bliss sing for Me".

December 1990

83. "Purify the heart through prayer Seek solace at my feet".

September 1991

84. "Do not surrender to senses and suffer departure from the Supreme".

October 1991

85. "Limit your desires And live with internal peace".

November 1991

86. "Disposition towards God Dispels darkness" (Darkness of mind, darkness of life etc.)

January 1992

87. "Power lies not in physical form Power lies in nearness to God Power multiplies through purification of soul"

February 1992

88. "Keep the heart pure Before you seek solace from God"

March 1992

89. "Live in harmony within Live in commune with Me Peace descends"

90. "Gold in medicine is good for health Gold in wealth is prosperity Devotee who sees Me in golden form is blessed with health and wealth" (Baba appeared as a gold statue in Samadhi Mandir and conveyed the message)

April 1992

91. "Detach from desires Attach to Almighty"

May 1992

92. "Patience is needed in pursuing God Sacrifice is needed for salvation of the Soul"

93. "Think of Baba Things will be done".

July 1992

94. "Devil within deminishes As grace of the Lord dominates".

95. "Seek the grace of the Lord Sorrow will disappear".

October 1992

96. "Desist the thought from desire Detach the mind from the body Attach the soul to Almighty". (Path for liberation.)

Explanation to Key Words

Lord - Lord Sri Shirdi Sai

Swamy - Lord Sri Shirdi Sai

Baba - Lord Sri Shirdi Sai

Soul - Spiritual, indestructible and immaterial part of human being which survives death.

Maya - Illusion, material world regarded as unreal.

Karma - Person's cumilative actions in

successive states of existence (life) viewed as deciding his fate for next life or destiny.

Parayanam - Methodical and orderly reading of the sacred book covering the biography of Lord Sri Shirdi Sai Baba with religious fervour.

Anubhuti - Personal experience of divine grace.

Om Sai Ram

PRELUDE

Before the reader dwells into the contents of the book and derives the benefit, it is essential to know the sequence of events that culminated into the shape of this compilation.
The author had the fortune to be initiated through Sri Brij Kishorjee, Hyderabad (India) to Shiridi Sai's grace on the "Sivaratri day" in 1978. In the same year in the month of July, Swamy entered the authors residence in the from of a gold idol, just before the commencement of bhajan. Later, several experiences were felt by the author and his family members at their Hyderabad residence.
In March 1979, the author had to move to Sri Lanka on a foreign assignment with the grace and blessings of Lord Shiridi Sai. As the family also moved to Colombo in June 1979, the bhajans at Hyderabad residence could not be continued; but everyday `Pooja' to Sri Sai remained unchanged at Colombo. Especially on Thursdays the intensity of prayer was more alongwith the family members.
Inspite of the above, it took considerable time and effort to cleanse the surroundings and environment, so as to purify the same for permanent dwelling of the Lord. This process was achieved through vigorous "Nama japam" and constant prayers.
Since January 1980, the grace of the Lord descended through prayers. This process was coupled with meditation. The Lord not only started showing His "Leelas" but his actual presence could be felt during the prayers. Initially, it used to be for a couple of minutes, but now extends even for hours. The whole process of five years stay in Colombo (1979-83), gradually shunning all social life and deeply engrossed with the Lord's service, has to be treated as a special mission carved out by Swamy for the author. During this period, several people have been benefited by the grace of Lord Shirdi Sai and virtually some of these are nothing short of miracles.
The most significant and completely different nature of benefit derived by the author through this process of meditation cum prayer is the receipt of messages of wisdom from the Lord directly for the benefit of humanity.
It may be remembered that intelligence is different from knowledge. Similarly wisdom is different from knowledge. Knowledge can be acquired through study but wisdom cannot be acquired through knowledge. Wisdom only dawns. Meditation provides means for this process of enlightenment. Wisdom derived through the grace of the Lord is the first step. Wisdom put to practice in life is the greatest sacrifice one can offer to the Lord for the deliverance of the soul.
What has been recorded in these pages of the book for the benefit of mankind is nothing but truth and only the truth. It is hoped that these messages, derived through the Lord's grace would be of immense benefit in shaping the lives of many ardent devotees.
Let us bow to the Lord to give us further strength to receive the nectar of messages and derive the spiritual strength to fulfil the mission of life -- God realisation.
K.V. Raghava Rao

OM SHIRDI SAI

FOREWORD TO THE SECOND EDITION

It gives us great pleasure to bring out the second edition of this precious book. This reflects on the rapid spread of Sai cult in the country.
I hope it will surely fulfil the glorious task of helping, guiding and transforming several lives on their onward progress towards God realisation.
We earnestly pray Sri Shirdi Sai Baba and Sadguru Narasimha Swamiji to shower blessings on one and all.
Jai Sai Ram
December, 1992 At the feet of the Master
Madras.
T. KESAVA RAO President, A.I.S.S., Madras
Om Sai Ram

JANUARY 1980
1. "Inflict suffering on thyself
You are one step
nearer to the Lord".
FEBRUARY 1980
2. "Development of individual soul
is the prime essence of life".
3. "Nearness to the Lord depends
on the strength of detachment
one develops
from worldly bondage".
DECEMBER 1980
4. "I am the wick, I am the light,
I am the eye -- without the eye </