Sri Sathya Sai Baba – His Writings
Introduction – The Avatar’s Pen
Baba speaks of Himself as a mother who longs to feed a rebellious child who, in his ignorance, refuses to eat what cures his hunger. The child has to be coaxed and coaxed, wheeled and caressed, even taken unawares at times by a story or a song, to induce him to accept the nourishment he needs. Baba’s immeasurable Love persuades him to package a medicinal dose in a sweet smile, a panacea in a tasty parable, or a profound thought in a sugary joke. Let us dive into the books Baba has given to humanity to lure it to the feast He has prepared for its hunger. His books are an invitation to His presence, however fresh and fascinating they may be.
Baba writes in simple, elegant prose, colloquial in Telugu or English. The message is always improvised, and his ideas are expressed in mellifluous poems and songs that pour out exquisite delight. Poetry and melody shine through every phrase and behind every sentence and clause lies a form which is seemingly human, but is imbued with Divine Wisdom.
All the immortal pieces came from Baba’s pen as articles for the Ashram magazine ‘Sanathana Sarathi’ (The Eternal Charioteer) during its early years. Prof. Kasturi, the first editor of Sanathana Sarathi, who used to collect Bhagavan’s material every month for the magazine, narrates the following remarkable experience about Bhagavan’s Omniscience and the innate simplicity with which Bhagavan wrote the Vahinis.
The greatness of the Omniscient Master
Professor N. Kasturi writes:
“Baba decided on a small book on the Upanishads, the Vahini Upanishad, to enthrall the world with the efficacy of Vedanta. As the editor of the magazine, which serially published the chapters of this book, I had an amazing experience every month. After sending out the magazine on the 16th of every month, I would go to Him for the next part of the series. Announcing the name of the Upanishad itself, He would ask me to wait for a while in His room and proceed along the veranda with a notebook and a pen, towards the room where there was a table with a chair beside it and nothing else.
Once it was the turn of the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad, which must be abridged and simplified. It is the largest and most profound of the ten. I am sure Baba never read it or consulted others who could speak about it. And there was no copy available anywhere within a radius of miles. But forty minutes after He left with a pen and a notebook as His only possessions, I was able to walk down the eighteen steps from His room with a ten-page dissertation on the truths enshrined in this Upanishad! I glanced at the script as I walked towards the printing press and my eyes fell on the Telugu words, which read, “The greatness of the intellect of the sage Yajnavalkya is breathtakingly evident in this Upanishad.” I said to myself that the greatness of the Omniscient Master that is Baba is now breathtakingly evident to me.”Once it was the turn of the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad, which must be abridged and simplified. It is the largest and most profound of the ten. I am sure Baba never read it or consulted others who could speak on it. And there was no copy available anywhere within a radius of miles. But forty minutes after He left with a pen and a notebook as His only possessions, I was able to walk down the eighteen steps from His room with a ten-page dissertation on the truths enshrined in this Upanishad! I glanced at the script as I walked towards the printing press and my eyes fell on the Telugu words, which read, “The greatness of the intellect of the sage Yajnavalkya is breathtakingly evident in this Upanishad.” I said to myself that the greatness of the Omniscient teacher that is Baba is now breathtakingly evident to me.
The Vahinis
It was Prof. Kasturi who collected all the articles Baba had written for the ‘Sanathana Sarathi’, the Ashram newspaper, and published them in book form as the ‘Vahini Series’, as Baba used to title all His articles as Vahinis. Vahini means flow or current.
There are 15 vahinis in all, written in Telugu by Baba and translated into English by Prof. Kasturi. Vahinis like ‘Prema Vahini’ and ‘Dhyana Vahini’ are little gems, classics of spiritual life from the time Baba wrote them. Their simplicity, while at the same time enclosing such depth of meaning, is unique. They speak of Peace, Meditation, Love and Wisdom. They seek to acquaint the reader with the Upanishads and the Gita. In a class by itself is ‘Sandeha Nivarini’, the dispeller of doubts. It poses various metaphysical problems and answers them.
Important note: the links to these books are all in English language, for a version in your national language kindly refer to you country NCP, closer Sai centre, or contact person featured in your country’s subpage.
Dhyana Vahini – Stream of Meditation
Dharma Vahini – Stream of Righteousness
Jnana Vahini – Stream of Spiritual Wisdom
Gita Vahini – Stream of the Divine Song (Gospel)
Prashanthi Vahini – Stream of Supreme Peace
Sathya Sai Vahini – Stream of Divine Grace
Prasnothara Vahini – Answers to Spiritual Questions
Sandeha Nivarini – Dispelling doubts
Leela Kaivalya Vahini – Stream of the Divine Cosmic Play
Sutra Vahini – Stream of Aphorisms on Brahman
Vidya Vahini – Stream of Illuminating Knowledge
Upanishad Vahini – Stream of the Upanishads
Bhagavatha Vahini – Stream of Divine Devotion
Ramakatha Rasa Vahini – Stream of the Sweet and Sacred Story of Lord Rama | Part I Part II
Prema Vahini – Stream of Love
Baba has said that if He were to be identified by one characteristic more than any other, He would be most appropriately called “Prema Swaroopa” – the Embodiment of Love. The first Vahini (stream) that flowed from His pen to fertilize the mind of man was the book “Prema Vahini”. Narada, the great exponent of love as a spiritual discipline, defines the path of love as equivalent to supreme devotion. Love is described as Supreme, because it is full and free, without conditions, without a trace of bargaining, without a taint of fear. Once such love is practised and experienced, all distinctions disappear, duality ceases and only truth remains.
Baba cites the love of the simple milkmaids and cowherds of Brindavan for Krishna as the best example of this parama prema (Supreme Love). Krishna Himself appreciated it thus: They yearn for Me so deeply, their thoughts, words and actions are so imbued with Me, that they have no sense of time or space, no awareness of their bodies and their needs. They are so absorbed in Me that they are like rivers that have merged into the ocean and have lost their individual names and distinctions.
Baba says in Prema Vahini that only through love can faith become stable; only through faith can knowledge be acquired; only through knowledge can parabhakthi (complete devotion, self-surrender) be secured; and only through parabhakthi can the Lord be realized.
To read ‘Prema Vahini’ online, press here
Dhyana Vahini – Stream of Meditation
Today quacks with novel ideas lay down rules for Dhyana (Meditation), says Baba. Each has his own special prescription and claims that his system can confer more benefit than that of others. But none has experienced for himself the sweetness of holiness. That is the real reason why Dhyana has brought upon itself the cynical laughter of many. My intention is to instruct such people and guide them on the right path.
Baba goes on to reveal with these words the origin of His book, “Dhyana Vahini”. Even the most potent drug will not cure if it is merely praised in fancy phrases at the bedside of the patient. The drug must be taken and allowed to enter the bloodstream. Reading what I write about Dhyana will not make it any easier. The mind is a mad pleasure-seeker, running after mirages seen through the inefficient and therefore deceptive senses of perception. The manifold desires that infect the mind must be smothered and the mind focused solely on Ananda (bliss). Of course, he himself will turn towards God. When knowledge is accepted as the teacher, when the mind is denied the food that breeds depravity, when the senses are tamed by firmness and faith, Dhyana will surely lead you to that Goal.
Baba distinguishes between concentration, contemplation and meditation. Concentration is an unwavering determination in daily life, in the realm of the senses, feelings and intellect. Contemplation is achieved when the senses are withdrawn for a time and attachment to the objective world subsides; when you have completely broken off all attachment, you enter a state of meditation, says Baba.
Baba gives the guidelines for meditation and mental control in Dhyana Vahini. He says that Dhyana sustains life as much as dhanya (food). Baba explains the choice of place, posture, time and curriculum, but places greater emphasis on the compassion of the Lord who answers the prayer embodied during Dhyana.
Since God assumes, for the sake of the sadhaka, the name and form in which he meditates, Baba assures us that Dhyana need never be a bartering enterprise; the summit can be reached with perseverance, for He lifts up to Himself the struggling and the exhausted.
Baba warns us against nine enemies that beset the serious sadhaka. Three of them are physical: adulterous impulses, greed to possess things or win exclusive love, and the tendency to harm living beings; three are verbal: the pleasure of causing panic by false alarms, telling lies, and spreading scandals; and three are mental: craving for other people’s property, envy, and cynicism.
Baba orders that meditation on form should be accompanied by uninterrupted absorption of the sweetness of the name with which that form is identified. When the form passes unnoticed, the name will soon bring it back; when the name disappears from consciousness, the form will restore it to the mind. In this way the constant presence of God in consciousness is ensured, says Baba.
To read ‘Dhyana Vahini’ online, press here
Dharma Vahini – Stream of Righteousness
Baba says: Dharma (right conduct) is like the river Saraswati, which flows invisibly beneath the deepest levels of human consciousness, nourishing the roots of activity, filling the springs of thought, cleansing the whirlpools of feelings. When the river dries up or is clogged by greed and hatred, the avatar comes to let in a torrent of grace and restore its fresh, free flow.
Baba in the Dharma Vahini has installed dharma on an unshakeable basis as the unity of all life, indeed, of creation: He who conquers the ego and overcomes the natural tendency to regard the body and its furniture as his true self, is surely on the path of Dharma, for he would soon discover the truth behind all the sparkling multiplicity. He would realize that the objective world is like a gem-studded wheel, about Brahman, which is the only truth. Sarvam Khalvidam Brahman (All is verily Brahman, God).
When man is aware of this truth, there will be no other; all will be you. Since you love yourself most, your love will flow in full measure to all and will embrace the living and the non-living. Dharma must be built on deep understanding of the depths of the Self. Build your life, says Baba, on the Atmic pedestal, the faith that you are a wave in the ocean of bliss, a spark of cosmic intelligence.
He then asks: When you worship an idol, what are you actually doing? First, a form of God is imprinted on your mind, after that, you meditate on His Power, Grace and Omnipresence and project these qualities on the idol, thus allowing your consciousness to transcend it and become unconscious of the lithic substance before you.
In the same way, impress upon your consciousness that form of God which most delights and enlightens you, and project that form upon every man, beast, bird, and insect, every tree and plant, every rock and hill; this sadhana (spiritual practice) will make you true, good, and beautiful. This is the fundamental rule: Atmic consciousness: the ceaseless remembrance of the One which appears to be many.
To read ‘Dharma Vahini’ online, press here
Jnana Vahini – Stream of Spiritual Wisdom
Whenever the gross and even the subtle are transcended, when intelligence is cleared, when the self is free from feelings, impulses and instincts, what remains in consciousness is only the true self. The person, then, is one with the Eternal Truth, the One who is beyond everything. He becomes Brahman or Paramatman, says Baba. This consciousness is the acme of Ananda (or bliss).
In the Taittriya Upanishad it is stated that from Ananda all this is born and through Ananda all this lives, in Ananda all this merges and in Ananda all this rests. The greater the consciousness of Paramatman (Supreme Divinity), the more Ananda.
Baba sums up the Truth in one sentence. Consciousness is Life and then goes on to reveal that all men are Divine like Me: the only difference is that they are not yet conscious of their divinity. They have come to this karmic prison through the karmas of many lives. I have taken this mortal form by My own will. They are bound to the body, while I am free from this bondage.
To read ‘Jnana Vahini’ online, press here
Gita Vahini – Stream of the Divine Song (Gospel)
Baba’s Geetha Vahini is the sacred Bhagavad Gita retold to save modern man from the myopia of selfish materialism. It is not a resume or a commentary or a summary. It is the voice of Krishna Himself, resonating over the clash of hatred and greed and calling us to more worthy victories. He has declared that He has come to unify and clarify, fructify and strengthen the holy aspirations of man. The doubts and delusions that torment us while we are engaged in battle with our external and internal kith and kin are here dealt with with love and sympathy by Sai Krishna, who also provides us with the answers.
In Geetha Vahini we are encouraged to offer Baba the prayer that He puts in the heart of Arjuna (in the great epic Mahabharata): “As You guide this chariot, guide me also and show me the way,” for, indeed, He is the charioteer installed in all. The Geetha, as expounded by Baba, is a textbook of Yoga and a guide to spiritual practice. It is a yoga shastra and Brahma vidya (Self-Knowledge) in one. Through smiles and stories, taunts and laughter, jokes and rebukes, questions and counter-questions, Baba pours upon us the nectar of wisdom in this beautiful volume.
At Kurukshetra (the battlefield of the Mahabharata), Krishna said that the mind and its whims could be tamed by Abhyasa (discipline) and Vairagya (detachment). In Geetha Vahini, Sai Krishna adds Vichara (discriminative reasoning). Baba also discusses the concepts of Kshetra (place), Yagna (sacrifice), Yoga and Maya (illusion) and sheds light on many corners that the lamps of the ancient masters did not illuminate. The ideal of Nishkama Karma (selfless action) takes on a sheen of heroism when He interprets it as a conscious rejection of the fruits of activity, a courageous turning away from both success and failure.
There are many passages in Baba’s ‘Geetha Vahini’ of self-revelation, where it becomes difficult to determine who is speaking to us so intimately – Krishna or Sai. How can I forget Him who never forgets Me? That is the question, Baba asks. Forgetfulness is a human weakness. Let me tell you that there is no need for Yoga, Tapas (penance) or even Jnana (wisdom). I only ask you to fix your mind on Me, to devote it to Me. That is all I demand and all you must do, says Baba.
This is the promise of Grace, which all devotees can hope to receive. Grace revives us when we are in great pain and restlessness. It revives us when we are staggering down the great alleys of our empty and meaningless lives. It revives us when our disgust at our own being, our own indifference, our weakness, our hostility and our utter lack of direction and composure have become intolerable.
It revives us when year after year the longed-for perfection does not appear, when stale compulsions reign in us as they have for decades, and when despair destroys all joy and courage. Sometimes, at such a moment, a wave of light breaks through our darkness and says: You are accepted.
Geetha Vahini also condemns the fanatical and short-sighted gurus and pompous exponents of Geetha whose oratory rings hollow because they themselves do not practice what Geetha preaches.
To read ‘Gita Vahini’ online, press here
Prashanthi Vahini – Stream of the Supreme Peace
Baba’s book Prasanthi Vahini gives us the key to the treasure of that peace which eludes understanding and defies logic, namely, “Prasanthi” (or supreme peace), which the Gita calls the goal of human endeavour.
“Santhi” means peace which is unaffected by desire, greed, hatred or anger. It is not limited by adversity or multiplied by unexpected gains. Baba says that we should cultivate the three virtues of viveka (intelligence), vairagya (detachment) and vichakshana (discrimination) to equip ourselves with Prasanthi. He prescribes the Viveka Chudamani, composed by Adi Sankara, as the text which can develop these three virtues in us.
Baba says: Just like children who play with dolls, you too call some beings elephants and others horses, some friends and others enemies, and you spend your whole life in that fantasy. Once you realize that without the spirit they are the same inert substance, the notion of many and the diversity of names and forms disappear, and there can be no more like or dislike. You laugh and cry, love and hate, live in joy, sorrow, anger and fascination, but all these varied reactions do not make the objective world any less unreal.
Vairagya (detachment) takes on a new meaning in Prashanti Vahini. “Raga” means attachment and vairagya comes when you realize that the stone you were attached to is actually god. The stone is like a veil thrown by your ignorance over what is really of the same substance as yourself. The vairagya that results from this enlightenment is long-lasting and most sublime, Baba explains.
To read ‘Prasanthi Vahini’ online, press here
Sathya Sai Vahini – Stream of Divine Grace
Bhagavan has announced Himself as the Divine Teacher of Truth, Beauty and Goodness. By precept and example, through His writings and discourses, letters and conversations, He has been inculcating supreme wisdom and instructing all humanity to translate it into righteous living, inner peace and universal love.
When the ‘Ramakatha Rasavahini’, the unique and authentic nectarine stream of the Rama story, was serialised in its entirety in the ‘Sanathana Sarathi’ (the monthly publication of the ashram), Bhagavan blessed the readers with a new series, which He called ‘Bharathiya Paramartha Vahini’ (The Stream of Indian Spiritual Values). While these precious essays on the basic truths, which foster and nourish Indian culture, were being published from times before the beginning of history, Bhagawan decided to continue the flow of enlightenment and instruction under a more comprehensive and meaningful name, ‘Sathya Sai Vahini’ — the sacred stream from the Lotus Feet of the Lord — “The Flow of Divine Sai Grace”. Therefore, this book contains the two Vahinis that have merged into one master stream.
In inaugurating this series, Bhagawan wrote, for publication in the Sanathana Sarathi: “Moved by the urge to cool the heat of conflict and quench the agonizing thirst for ‘self-knowledge’ that afflicts you, behold, here it comes, the Sathya Sai Vahini, wave after wave, with the Sanathana Sarathi as the medium between you and me.”
With infinite compassion, this Sathya Sai incarnation of Omniwill is liberating millions of people in all countries from disease, distress and despair, narcotics, narcissism and nihilism. He is encouraging those who suffer sadness from wilful blindness to light the Lamp of Love to see the world and the Lamp of Wisdom to see themselves. “This is a tempting world of true and false. Its apparent diversity is an illusion. It is One, but is recognised by the mutilated multiple vision of humans as Many,” says Bhagavan. This book is the twin Lamp He has devised for us.
‘Sathya Sai Vahini’ reveals to us in no uncertain terms that the self in man is “none other than the Higher Self or God.” We are told that this is true not only for humanity but for all beings, everywhere and anywhere. Indeed, “The Will brings about this unreal multiplicity of the Cosmos upon Him Who is. He can by the same will put an end to the phenomenon.” “The Self (God) is behind the Becoming and the Becoming merges in the Self. This is the eternal Game,” says Bhagavan.
In short, the ‘Sathya Sai Vahini’ is the holy gospel given to us by the Person who, as the Eternal Charioteer, is eager and ready to hold the reins of our senses, mind, consciousness, ego and intellect, and guide us safely to Prasanthi Nilayam, the Abode of Supreme Peace, the goal of all humanity.
To read ‘Sathya Sai Vahini’ online, press here
Prasnothara Vahini – Answers to Spiritual Questions
Prasna means “question.” Uttara means “answer,” and Vahini indicates “a stream.” This book is the stream of questions that have elicited answers from Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba. Among the tasks Bhagawan has taken up while incarnated, He has declared as basic what He calls “the clarification and purification of the religious scriptures of humanity.” Every Vahini emanating from Him has rendered this service to some aspect or another of man’s spiritual upliftment.
This Vahini is one of the first in the series, as it seeks to elucidate the fundamental concepts and precepts of religion, especially the technical words and expressions that seek to concretize them. For some years this was published as an Appendix to only one Vahini, the Geetha Vahini, but later it was placed in the hands of seekers as a key publication, useful to readers of all Vahinis.
The Ancient Wisdom (Sanathana Dharma), the Perennial Path, has been communicated to posterity in words that have suffered distortion, devaluation, dilution and denigration through the passage of time and controversies among commentators. Varna (social system based on profession), Asrama (stages of life according to ancient religion), Yoga, Sanyasa (renunciation), Yajna (sacrifice), Karma (action), are interpreted by dialecticians and practitioners of various schools and sects, in confusing and contradictory versions.
Bhagavan has resolved these entanglements. His exemplary love and patience sweeten not only every answer but also every question, for He, by adopting the posture of an interrogator, has made the clarifications full and fruitful.
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Sandeha Nivarini – Dispelling doubts
A series of articles by Baba published to remove the weeds of doubt that were growing wildly in hearts was collectively titled “Sandeha Nivarini.” Even in His teens and twenties, Baba took delight in prompting those who gathered at His feet to ask Him questions on spiritual matters. These became the keys to dissertations, short and long, with many parables, poems or songs interspersed, to lead the questioners from darkness to light.
In Sandeha Nivarini Baba says: I am happy when someone asks me about things he has not understood. Of course, you have every right. He then asks the student, but are you reflecting on the answers I give you and practising what I have told you, with the conviction born of faith? What am I here for? Is it not to explain to you the things you do not know? Ask Me without hesitation or fear. I am always ready to answer. Only the enquiry should be serious and arise from a genuine desire to know and practise what is good.
It may now be revealed that the bhaktha (devotee) who visits Baba with questions (personal, philosophical and religious) in every chapter of Sandeha Nivarini is a creation of the Divine pen. Baba reveals through this character His infinite compassion towards the samsayatma, the person afflicted with doubts. He poses the problems and provides the answers.
He writes: Bhaktha! I converse with you on every point you put to me and I allow many to participate in this conversation. The light of the sun falls on the mirror, the light of the mirror on the walls of the bungalow and the light of the walls on the eye. Similarly, this Sandeha Nivarini has been planned so that the illumination of My teaching may fall on you and from there on the pages of the ‘Sanathana Sarathi’, so that the effulgence may illuminate the world and bring light and harmony to the heart of humanity.
To read ‘Sandeha Nivarini’ online, press here
Leela Kaivalya Vahini – Stream of the Divine Cosmic Play
The ‘Vedas’ (ancient Indian scriptures) originated from the breath of God; every syllable is sacred. Every word is a mantra. It exhorts all men to pursue the same holy desire. All hearts must be charged with the same impulse for good. All thoughts must be directed by noble motives towards holy ends. All men must tread the one path of truth because all are manifestations of the One.
The world is charming because it has a tempting appearance, though it is fundamentally false. It is a phenomenon that is disappearing. When this truth is understood, one becomes aware of the Cosmic Sport of God and the Eternal Universal Self.
‘Leela Kaivalya Vahini’ (pronounced ‘Lila’ Kaivalya Vahini’) is a fresh, crystal-clear stream that flows from the Divine pen of Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba to dissolve all obstacles like doubts and dogmas, aimless arguments and flimsy fancies of the sadhaka (spiritual aspirant).
These articles, originally published in the ‘Sanathana Sarathi’ (the Ashram newspaper), were given book form and placed at His Lotus Feet on the auspicious occasion of His 65th birthday, which eventually coincided with the 50th year of the proclamation of Avatarhood.
To read ‘Leela Kaivalya Vahini’ online, press here
Sutra Vahini – Stream of Aphorisms on Brahman
An aphorism (sutra) expresses the genre of its meaning in a few concise words. The Brahma Sutras systematically explain the basic principles of Vedanta, the science of the Supreme Reality. When contemplated, they reveal the innermost metaphysical secrets. Today, harmony is the need of the hour. The ephemeral world needs spiritual consciousness, and this is what the Vedantins (propagators of Vedanta) visualize. The Vedic scriptures offer comforting advice. They shed a kind light.
In the words of Bhagavan Baba, “Only the acquisition of higher knowledge can fulfill the main purpose of human life. Such knowledge makes us aware that we are not the inert, insensible body, etc., but that we are consciousness itself manifesting as the embodiment of self, consciousness and bliss (satchidananda). When this truth arises and is experienced, one becomes a liberated person in life (jivan-muktha).” This is the state of realisation of the innate nature of a people – the divinity of humanity.
In this Stream of Aphorisms (Vahini Sutra) on Brahman, Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba has lit the universal lamp of wisdom (vidya) of Atma/Brahman (Divine Self). This stream of aphorisms first appeared in serialised form in “Sanathana Sarathi”, the periodical publication of the Ashram. Bhagawan, in His infinite love, elaborated the “Essence of the Brahma Sutras in twelve selected aphorisms”.
The sublime and profound words and spiritual wisdom of Bhagawan are indeed very uplifting and illuminating. Bathing in this translucent Stream of Aphorisms, a person develops a correct or true vision of Reality, giving him supreme delight.
To read ‘Sutra Vahini’ online, press here
Vidya Vahini – Stream of Illuminating Knowledge
Baba has clarified that the word ‘Vidya’ used for this Vahini (Stream of Thought), means (Ya) that which (Vid) “illuminates”. It is this sense which is brought out in expressions like Atma Vidya, Brahma Vidya, etc., or even the name Vidyagiri given to the Prashanti Nilayam college campus comprising 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. Higher Learning accelerates and expands the universal urge to know and become Truth, Goodness and Beauty, Sathyam Sivam Sundaram. Baba has come as Man among men with a self-imposed mission to correct the wrongs inflicted on humanity through the fanatically blind pursuit of lower knowledge. The human race has to travel in balance; it is leaning too alarmingly towards the salty grave; lower learning is to lower it into the bottomless abyss. “Vidya” alone is the remedy.
From his childhood days, Baba has stood out as an educator, a Guru, as the villagers loved to address Him. He warned, without hesitation, the elders of Puttaparthi, the school teachers and the caste heads against cruelty to animals and exploitation of labour, usury and gambling, pedantry and illiteracy, hypocrisy and pomp. Through drinks and jokes, parodies and satires, songs and plays, the young teenage Teacher ridiculed and reformed the society that 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 years old. These were the basic acquisitions that “Vidya,” Higher Education, can confer on the devotees.
As Lord Krishna told Arjuna, “Adhyaatma Vidya, Vidyaanaam,” meaning, “Among all kinds of knowledge, I am Atma Vidya, the search for Atmic Truth.” The world can be saved from suicide only by this knowledge. The search for Truth and Wholeness, for Unity and Purity is the means; the Consciousness of the One is the consummation of the process.
This Message is the sum and substance of every Discourse of His, from the time He first spoke in the early 1950s. This precious book gives us the opportunity to read nineteen essays He wrote in response to calls to elucidate the principles that must guide us as we rehabilitate education as an effective instrument for establishing peace and freedom in ourselves and on Earth.
To read ‘Vidya Vahini’ online, press here
Upanishad Vahini – Stream of the Upanishads
Upanishad Vahini is a synoptic review of the ten main Upanishads with a prologue and epilogue on the rare text called “Brahmanubhava Upanishad”. These Upanishads are esoteric and highly cryptic, but they elucidate the highest truths discernible to the intellect of Man.
Vedic literature is classified into ritualistic, consecrational and metaphysical (karma, upasana, jnana), and the Upanishads are grouped in the third category. But Baba says that each main Upanishad deals with all three and is therefore instructive for all types of spiritual aspirants. Besides the special rites described in most of them, the worship of preceptors or deities is also recommended.
Baba says: The Upanishads consecrate the whisperings of God to Man. About the ten on which Adi Sankara and other learned saints have written detailed expositions, Baba says, Humanity can either gain or lose by these ten. They are the synthesis of human thought, experience and aspiration at their highest level. They confirm the possibility of human perfectibility, declare and prove that man can attain God-consciousness as his reality, if only he will throw off the veil of ignorance which he now delights in wearing.
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Bhagavatha Vahini – Stream of Divine Devotion (Lord Krishna’s Story)
The Gita is a central jewel in the crowning jewel of the great Indian epic, the Mahabharata. Sage Vyasa wove this intricate tapestry of sublime physical, mental, moral and spiritual heroism. He had also codified the Vedic hymns and rituals. He prepared a magnificent garland of aphorisms that summed up the basic philosophical truths. In spite of His encyclopedic erudition and great creative skill in the realm of thought, Vyasa was afflicted by a deep inner sadness. There was no sweetness or peace left in him.
Narada, the sage who propagated the validity of devotion as a means to attain bliss, had advised Vyasa to describe the glories of God, who had become incarnated as Krishna. The exposition that emerged from this advice is called the ‘Bhagavata Purana’. Baba has given it to us again in a sweeter and more concise form as the ‘Bhagavata Vahini’.
Baba’s Bhagavata Vahini flows clear and fresh, straight from the page to the heart. The book splendidly narrates Krishna’s lielas (divine sport) and the dedicatory acts of those who received His Grace. It also includes the regions mapped by Vyasa under the demands of school rules. As a result, Bhagavata Vahini is not just a book, it is a tonic, a balm, a pilgrimage, a hallelujah, a clarion call and a beacon of light.
It is designed by Baba to free us from the bondage of the trivial and tame the wildness of our minds. Vyasa’s son Suka had recited the Bhagavata for the benefit of King Parikshit, who had been cursed to die within seven days. The recitation occupied those seven days. As the king had filled his mind with this narration of the glory of the Lord, he died with the name of the Lord on his lips and the form of God before his eyes.
Each one of us is under such a death sentence, only we do not know when death will confront us. The Bhagavata Vahini can save all those who choose to free themselves from the fear of death and prepare them to pass beyond the realm of life, with joy and hope.
To read ‘Bhagavatha Vahini’ online, press here
Rama Katha Rasa Vahini – Stream of the Sweet and Sacred Story of Lord Rama
Ramakatha Rasa Vahini is a lucid account of the life of Rama. Baba has announced that He is Rama Himself, returned to carry out His mission through His horde of followers. Drawn by His Love, we now have the same good fortune to share in His task of refashioning man in His image.
The Ramayana (or the Story of Rama) is an intensely human drama where God poses as man and gathers around Him, on the vast world stage, the perfect and the imperfect, the human and the subhuman, the beast and the demon, to bestow upon us, by precept and example, the gift of Supreme Wisdom. It is a story that touches with its tender fingers the heartstrings of man, evoking swift and limpid responses of pathos, piety, joy, adoration, ecstasy and surrender, transforming us from the animal and the human to the Divine, which is our center.
Sai has declared that He is the same Rama returning and that He is seeking out His former associates and workers to assign them roles in His present Mission of reviving Righteousness and leading man to the Shelter of Peace. In relating the incidents of His life as Rama, Baba has included in His narrative certain details of dialogues and deviations not contemplated by Valmiki or any other later author. He mentions many additional events and encounters, which fill up the lacuna that has long troubled the admirers of the Ramayana.
Now He Himself has deigned to tell us the story of this epic act of that Drama, in which He assumed the role of Rama. As Rama, Sai instructed, inspired and invigorated, corrected, consoled and comforted His contemporaries in the Tretha Age. As Sai Rama, He is now engaged in the same task. Reading these pages, readers will often be pleasantly surprised by the identity of the Rama of this story and the Sai Rama they are witnessing.
Baba has put an end to the controversy as to whether Rama should be regarded as a historical prince or an incarnated God. The ‘Ramakatha Rasavahini’ is the very nectar of the great epic Ramayana.
The entire volume of the story of Rama is divided into two parts. The first part deals with the history of Sri Rama from His birth to His banishment to the forest and the installation of Rama’s sandals on the throne of Ayodhya. The second part begins with Rama’s stay in the forest till the installation of Lava and Kusha on the throne of Ayodhya, the end of the Ramayana.
To read ‘Rama Katha Rasa Vahini, Part I’ online, press here
To read ‘Rama Katha Rasa Vahini, Part II’ online, press here
Publications of Sri Sathya Sai Sadhana Trust
If you wish to purchase books online, the main way is through the official website of the Sri Sathya Sai Sadhana Trust’s publishing division. Shipments are made abroad. There is a wide catalogue of books in up to 10 languages.
Additionally, you can purchase books and other materials at your nearest Sri Sathya Sai Centre.
