Teachings of Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba Volume 2

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Repeat God’s Name in the Silence of the 

Heart

The magnet cannot draw to itself a bit of iron 

that is covered with rust and dust. You cannot 

yearn for God when your mind is laden with the 

rust of material desires and when the dust of sen-

sual craving sits heavy on it. Clear the rust, know 

the glory of God, and repeat His name in the si-

lence of the heart. Any one of the names that de-

note Him can be selected. Do not listen to people 

who canvass for one particular name and cavil at 

others. 

Sathya Sai Speaks, Volume VII, 

Chapter 45: The Treasure under Your Feet. 

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Keep Silent if Speaking Truth Causes 

Grief or Pain

If you want to know the way in which you 

have to observe truth in speech, read the Bhagavad 

Gita. It tells you that the best speech is speech that 

does not create pain or anger or grief to others. 

The scriptures also say, “Speak the truth and speak 

pleasantly. Do not speak the truth which is not 

pleasant. If speaking truth will cause grief or pain, 

keep silent.” 

Sathya Sai Speaks, Volume VII, 

Chapter 46: Truth and Love. 

 2

The Voice of God Can Be Heard Only in 

the Depth of Silence

It is only in the depth of silence that the voice 

of God can be heard. Speak as low as possible, as 

little as possible, as sweetly as possible. 

Sathya Sai Speaks, Volume VIII, 

Chapter 33: The Creeper and the Tree. 

 

All Joy Is Within

All the joy you crave for is in you. But, like 

a man who has vast riches in the iron chest but 

who has no idea where the key is, you suffer. Hear 

properly the instructions, dwell upon them in 

the silence of meditation, practise what has been 

made clear therein; then, you can secure the key, 

open the chest, and be rich in joy.

Sathya Sai Speaks, Volume IX, 

Chapter 3: Mahashivarathri. 

2 

Avoid Entangling Yourself in the Affairs 

of Others

Detachment is the first step in spiritual prac-

tice. Silence helps you avoid entangling yourself in 

the affairs of others; that is why it is encouraged as 

a preliminary. 

Sathya Sai Speaks, Volume IX, 

Chapter 19: Counsel for the Chosen. 

 2

Talk to Others in Whispers

One of the first principles of straight living 

is – practise silence. For the voice of God can be 

heard in the region of your heart only when the 

tongue is stilled and the storm is stilled and the 

waves are calm. There will be no temptation for 

others to shout when you talk to them in whis-

pers. Set the level of the tone yourself – as low as 

possible, as high as necessary to reach to the out-

ermost boundary of the circle you are addressing.

Sathya Sai Speaks, Volume X, 

Chapter 4: The Very Breath. 

 2

Silence Promotes Self-Control

Silence. This is the first step in spiritual prac-

tice; it makes the other steps easy. It promotes self-

control; it lessens chances of anger, hate, malice, 

greed, pride. Besides, you can hear His footsteps 

only when silence reigns in the mind.

Sathya Sai Speaks, Volume X, 

Chapter 16: Labels Are Libels. 

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Spiritual Practice Is Done in Silence

There are many who go about the country, 

preaching about repeating God’s name and medi-

tation, pretending to be highly advanced experts. 

They claim to be masters, so that they can collect 

huge audiences and show off their skills. But such 

exhibition of talent is not a sign of spiritual attain-

ment. Spiritual attainments shun publicity. Spiri-

tual practice is to be done in silence, away from 

public gaze. The name and form of God are ex-

tolled by Mira as “precious gems”; precious gems 

are not brought out as wares to the market place; 

only vegetables are so exhibited for all to see. The 

units of our organisation should not encourage 

pomp or show – for they are alien to the spiritual 

path.

Sathya Sai Speaks, Volume X, 

Chapter 33: Faults and Failures. 

2 

Maintain Silence in the Recesses of the 

Heart

God is omnipresent. So, do not act differently 

when you are away from My presence. Be always 

and everywhere conscious of the presence. Be vigi-

lant, even while engaged in little tasks. Maintain 

silence in the recesses of the heart, as well as out-

side. 

Sathya Sai Speaks, Volume XIV, 

Chapter 59: The Search for Fulfilment. 

Cultivate Inner Silence

The very first spiritual practice one must adopt 

is the cultivation of inner silence, to put an end to 

the endless dialogue with the mind. Let the mind 

rest for a while. Do not project on the mind ir-

relevant details and pollute it with fumes of envy 

and greed. Every idea we entertain, either good 

or bad, gets impressed on the mind, as on carbon 

paper. An element of weakness and unsteadiness is 

thus introduced in the mind. Keep the mind calm 

and clear. Do not agitate it every moment by your 

non-stop dialogue.

Sathya Sai Speaks, Volume XV, 

Chapter 42: The Triple Purity. 

 2

The Mind Must Desist from Wandering

Speech is produced cheaply, but it has high 

value. It can elevate as well as demean man. Lis-

tening to a speech, a zero can rise into a hero or a 

hero can collapse into a zero. Speech can inspire 

or plant despair. It must be true and sweet, not 

false and pleasant. Man must endeavour to ac-

quire speech untouched by subterfuge, limbs un-

touched by cruelty, hands free from violence, and 

thoughts free from vengefulness. Frenzy, fanati-

cism, and gusts of anger have to be controlled, for 

they lead to disasters whose range is beyond calcu-

lation. By constant practice, these can also resort 

to the vow of silence. The mind too must desist 

from wandering when the tongue is desisting from 

talking. Otherwise, the vow cannot be fruitful. Be 

conscious that every word we utter or hear will 

leave an impression on our consciousness and pro-

voke reactions that may or may not be beneficial. 

This is the reason why the company of God and 

godly people is to be sought.

Sathya Sai Speaks, Volume XV, 

Chapter 42: The Triple Purity. 

 

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