Where is real bliss or Ananda to be found? Bhagawan lovingly guides us so that we may pursue the right path.
Real bliss can be won only by means of the transformation of impulses that agitate the mind. It’s not to be found in wealth. You think that a rich man is happy; ask Me, I shall reveal to you that they are full of grief, for they come to Me in large numbers for relief! They have no peace at all. A strong physique doesn’t by itself give peace; nor does scholarship, asceticism or rituals. Only constant dwelling with the Name of the Lord gives unshakable peace, unaffected by the ups and downs of life. It makes man a hero! Sai Baba was a formless Name to you, but now it has come with Form and you can keep the Form in your mind. So too, the Name ‘Rama’ has a form, and you should picture the Form when you repeat the Name; then Name becomes concrete and remembrance of the Name is easier. Live always in the presence of that Form-filled Name. Then life becomes one continuous worship of the Lord!
– Divine Discourse, Sep 02, 1958.
How can we lead a life of divine contemplation even as we dispense our duties? Bhagawan lovingly coaches us, taking an example.
Do not give up your worldly duties, but do them with the name of God on your lips, inviting the grace of God on your heads. Do not involve yourselves in the affairs of your neighbours or others to the extent that you get so entangled that you cannot extricate yourselves. Spend your time in the contemplation of the beauties of nature, which are spread out before you in earth and sky — green expanses of the crops you have raised, cool breezes that waft contentment and joy, the panorama of coloured clouds, the music of the birds, and so on. Sing the glories of God as you walk along the bunds of the fields and the banks of the canals. Do not talk hatefully in the midst of all this evidence of love, do not get angry in these placid surroundings; do not disturb the sky with your shouts and curses, and do not pollute the air with vengeful boasts.
– Divine Discourse, Sep 02, 1958.
