Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba, the revered Sathya Bodhaka (Teacher of Truth), in His infinite grace, permitted a select band of students and academics of Sri Sathya Sai University to participate in spiritual retreats, organised in Kodaikanal during four summers. Bhagawan Baba answered in the traditional Upanishadic style, questions on a wide range of topics - political, economic, social, psychological, metaphysical, ethical, educational, scientific, cultural, and spiritual. These conversations indeed constitute an Upanishad for modern living. Prof. Anil Kumar, an academician and well known devotee of Baba, compiled them in two volumes under the title 'Satyopanisad', in three parts, viz. Samskriti and Sadhaka (Volume I), and Sadhana (Volume II). These two volumes are highly beneficial to devotees seeking answers to genuine spiritual doubts.
Started in 1958, Sanathana Sarathi is a monthly magazine devoted to Sathya (Truth), Dharma (Righteousness), Shanti (Peace) and Prema (Love) - the four cardinal principles of Bhagawan Baba's philosophy. It is published from Prasanthi Nilayam (the Abode of Highest Peace) and acts as a mouthpiece of Baba's Ashram as it speaks of the important events that take place in His sacred Abode, besides carrying Divine Messages conveyed through Divine Discourses of Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba. The word meaning of Sanathana Sarathi is the 'Eternal Charioteer'. It signifies the presence of the Lord in every being as the atma guiding their lives like a charioteer. It implies that he who places his life, the body being likened to a chariot, in an attitude of surrender in the hands of the Lord, will be taken care of by the Lord even as a charioteer would take the occupant of his chariot safely to its destination. The magazine is an instrument to disseminate spiritual knowledge for the moral, physical and mental uplift of humanity without any discrimination as the subject matter discussed therein is always of common interest and of universal appeal. The fifteen Vahinis - streams of sacredness - known as the Vahini Series comprising annotation and interpretation of the Upanishads and other scriptures, Itihasas like the Ramayana, the Bhagavatha and the Mahabharata, and authentic explanations on Dhyana, Dharma, Prema, etc., have been serially published in this magazine as and when they emanated from the Divine pen of Bhagawan Baba. This magazine is published in almost all Indian languages, English and Telugu from Prasanthi Nilayam and others from respective regions. Every year Sanathana Sarathi comes out with a special issue in November commemorating the Divine Birthday. The English and Telugu magazines are posted on the 10th and 23rd respectively, of every month, from Prasanthi Nilayam. This magazine has wide, ever increasing circulation in India as well as abroad, as the study of it brings the reader closer to the philosophy of the Avatar in simple understandable language THUS SPAKE SAI... Discoursing during the launch of Sanathana Sarathi... From this day, our Sanathana Sarathi will lead to victory the cohorts of truth - the Vedas, the Sastras and similar scriptures of all faiths, against the forces of the ego such as injustice, falsehood, immorality and cruelty. This is the reason why it has emerged. This Sarathi will fight in order to establish world prosperity. It is bound to sound the paean of triumph when universal Ananda is achieved.
The Summer Showers in Brindavan, 1974 are no showers, but a flood. Bhagawan in His compassion and boundless love covered the whole gamut of truths, esoteric and explicit, contained in the Vedas in His discourses. While unfolding the esoteric content and explaining the technical terms, He dispelled many misconceptions in the minds of students and pundits, particularly about the term ‘Brahman’, which He established by drawing from scriptural texts, as also His own testimony as Eternal and Universal. He explained the term Bharath as embracing the whole world and not confined to the geographic entity now called ‘India’. Bhagawan has made a loving and passionate appeal to all students to take His teachings to heart and practice Dharma all the while. In fact, it can be, without exaggeration, renamed ‘The Sathya Sai Gita’.
“What Bhagawan Baba told me during this visit was, I believe, the essence of all religious teachings. It is, therefore, not really important what occupation I may have, or where I may live in order to speed up my journey to self-realisation. It is, however, very important that I extend unconditional love to all around me and render unconditional service in the best way I can.” - Dr. Mehdi N. Bahadori (‘Love and Service’) Amazing grace! The first volume of Full Flame: Infinite Scenarios was blessed by Bhagawan on 26th November, 2009. It is not easy for the vast majority of educated devotees to get hold of a copy of many of these essays in out-of-print publications. These extraordinary human experiences are in danger of being lost to Sai devotees now spread the world over. Here is yet another compendium of Sai, covering almost every aspect of Sai Bhagawan – from the biographical to the metaphysical and philosophical – for the enjoyment and edification of even the common reader. Several authors here recount Sai experiences of earlier decades, beginning with the ‘40s. Each of these articles takes up some aspect of the mission, such as education, health, divinity, etc. The volume adds up to an overview of the entire mission to-date and its key cast in this cosmic play, and the divine wisdom, insight, patience, and perseverance, with which Swami has gathered His devotees for unconditional love and service. The rising, surging generations of devotees especially need to know about them. I place this book, Full Flame II: Unconditional Love, too at the Lotus Feet of Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba. Dr. Ranga Rao is a Visiting Faculty at Prasanthi Nilayam Campus of Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Learning (Swami’s University).
"The world is teaching man innumerable lessons all the time. Each one should try to discover for himself the secret of his life and the Universal Consciousness that is inherent in him. The first requisite for each one is to make himself his own guru," said Bhagawan in a discourse at Sri Sathya Sai University (then, Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Learning) on July 3rd, 1986. This book is the story of the efforts made by the author in obedience to that instruction and of some of the ways she has been assisted in her inner search by Baba's simple, but very effective teaching methods. This book does not attempt to tell anyone else how to live his life. It does not include any experiences, except those of which the author has first-hand knowledge. No attempt is made to describe or explain Sathya Sai Baba, but the author illustrates by incidents in her personal story what knowing Him has meant to her. This book is the first volume in the quartet, the other volumes being, "Life Is A Challenge, Meet It!", "Life Is A Dream, Realize It!", "Life is Love, Enjoy It!".
Prof. N. Kasturi, who had the extreme fortune of being close to Bhagawan Baba, has brought out in this volume the life story of the Divine Avatar from 1973 to 1979. For those, who are unaware of Baba’s might, this book will reveal His mahimas and leelas.
Swami says, “When a mother is feeding her child, you can see her inducing the child to eat by means of harsh words, a smile, a joke, a threat, or a story, diverting its attention, showing the child a dog, a flower, or the moon. I have also to adopt the same tactics to make you listen and assimilate the valuable food that is so necessary for your growth. That is the reason why I relate stories, sing, recite poems, etc. in My discourses!” With this inspiration, Bhagawan’s teachings and related moral stories are compiled in the form of this book from His Divine Discourses, for better understanding of His teachings. This book should help us in getting inspired, to put His teachings into practice in our daily lives and grow spiritually better and better, with each day.
"Baba is Himself an open book, with no mystery or pomp or abstruseness about Him and everyone can approach Him and secure His grace,” says Sri N. Kasturi, author of this series, Sathyam Shivam Sundaram. In this series, which is divided into four parts, the author brings out the life history of the Divine Avatar from His birth in 1926 to 1979. Sri Kasturi, who had the extreme fortune of being close to Baba, shares His Mahimas and Leelas with the readers. The first Part of this book was placed in the hands of the readers in 1961. The need for the revised and enlarged edition was felt by the publisher for more comfortable reading, especially by the elderly readers. As a result, these Volumes are brought out in larger format, with computerised typesetting, using larger typeface, better line spacing, and with a number of photographs. With these changes, it is hoped that all spiritual seekers will benefit and enjoy reading these series. Convener Sri Sathya Sai Books & Publications Trust Prasanthi Nilayam June, 2001
Baba has clarified that the word Vidya used for this Vahini (Stream of Thought), means (Ya) that which (Vid) “illumines.” It is this sense that is highlighted in expressions like Atma Vidya, Brahma Vidya, etc., or even the name Vidyagiri given to the campus of Prasanthi Nilayam, which comprises the Institute of Higher Learning. Baba makes us aware of the comparatively less beneficial lower learning, which deals with theories, inferences, concepts, conjectures, and constructions. The Higher Learning hastens and expands the universal urge to know and become Truth, Goodness, and Beauty, Sathyam Sivam Sundaram. Baba has come as Man among men on a self-imposed mission, to correct the wrongs inflicted on mankind through the fanatically blind pursuit of lower learning. The human race has to voyage on an even keel; it is leaning too alarmingly towards the briny grave; the lower learning is lowering it into the bottomless pit. Vidya alone is the remedy. From His childhood days, Baba has stood forth as an educator, a Guru as the villagers loved to address Him. He warned, without hesitation, elders at Puttaparthi, teachers in the schools, and headmen of castes against cruelty to animals and exploitation of labour, usury and gambling, pedantry and illiteracy, hypocrisy and pomp. Through gulps and jests, parody and satire, songs and plays, the young, teenager Teacher ridiculed and reformed the society, which honoured or tolerated such evils. Through Bhajans sung in chorus by groups of men and women, He reminded them of the universal, human values of Truth, Morality, Peace, Love, and Non-violence as early as 1943, when he was barely seventeen. These were the basic acquisitions that Vidya, the Higher Learning, can confer on votaries. As Lord Krishna, He said to Arjuna, “Adhyatma Vidya, Vidyanaam.” “Among all the Vidyas, I am Atma Vidya,” the search for Atmic Truth. The world can be saved from suicide only through this Vidya. The search for Truth and Totality, for Unity and Purity is the means; the Awareness of the One is the consummation of the process. This Message is the sum and substance of every Discourse of His, during the last five decades. This precious book provides us the chance to peruse nineteen essays He wrote, in answer to appeals for the elucidation of the principles, which must guide us while rehabilitating education as an effective instrument for establishing peace and freedom, in us and on Earth.
