Teachings of Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba Volume 2

11

Remain Calm and Composed

Always speak the truth. Apart from speaking 

the truth, you should remain calm and composed 

in the face of criticism. Only then can there be 

peace. Our ancient sages used to observe silence 

as part of their spiritual practices. Observance of 

silence helps you to progress on the spiritual path. 

When you practise silence, you can easily experi-

ence peace of mind. Love manifests from peace. 

When you are filled with love, you will have no 

enemies. Therefore lead your life with love. Only 

through love can we establish peace in the world. 

Sathya Sai Speaks, Volume 41, 

Chapter 13: Love Is Truth; Truth Is Love. Live In Love.

2 

Do Not Indulge in Excessive Talk

Too much talk is very bad. Do not indulge 

in excessive talk. Try to mend your nature. Ob-

serve silence as far as possible and be quiet. Talk 

as much as is needed. Just answer to the point. 

If you talk more, you will be branded as a chat-

terbox. Too much talk is not good, even from the 

health point of view. This is very important, es-

pecially in the case of children. You have to keep 

your mind steady right from a young age. What is 

important is not studying textbooks, but steady-

ing your mind. Textbooks, you can always study, 

in the classroom, in the hostel, etc. 

Sathya Sai Speaks, Volume 42, 

Chapter 5: Love God and Meditate on Him. 

 2

Maintain Silence While Eating and 

Drinking

We should never talk while drinking some-

thing or eating. In the olden days, the great sages 

used to maintain silence while eating or drinking.

If you talk while eating, the digestive sys-

tem will be spoiled. Once the digestive system is 

spoiled, several diseases will confront you. Pray to 

God silently, keeping your eyes closed, and then 

partake of your food. Most children do not know 

this rule. Take your food in silence in a calm at-

mosphere. Do not howl, talk, and chitchat. Do 

not laugh or cry while eating. Do not entertain 

any worry before or while eating. These are some 

of the precautions one has to take to lead a happy 

daily life. 

Divine Discourse in Prasanthi Nilayam on October 12, 

2002: Soham ‒ the Right Sadhana.

 2

Solitude Means to Be in Communion 

with God

God is the embodiment of truth. Truth is God. 

Therefore you should rely on truth. In fact, you are 

the embodiment of truth. It is not something new 

to be discovered afresh. Truth will manifest in you 

if you sit in deep silence and solitude. What does 

the word “solitude” mean? People have wrong no-

tions about this word and misinterpret it in many 

ways. They think that sitting alone in a room with 

all doors and windows shut is solitude. This is not 

solitude but loneliness. Many others think that 

sitting under a tree in a forest or in a mountain 

cave is solitude. That also is not the true meaning 

of solitude.

Solitude means to be in communion with 

God, wherever you may be – in the bazaar, in a 

meeting, or in the midst of a large number of peo-

ple. Wherever you are, your mind should be fo-

cused on God without being distracted by worldly 

and family matters. Solitude is total communion 

between you and God. Nothing else should divert 

your attention from God. That is the real meaning 

of solitude. Whatever you may be doing or even 

when traveling in a bus or train or plane, always 

keep your mind firmly fixed on God. While do-

ing meditation or contemplating on God, do not 

allow any other distraction to divert your mind. 

Only then can you have the experience of Divine 

light.

Sanathana Sarathi, September 2011. 

Lack of Values Is the Cause of Violence in the World.

---

12

You Cannot Always Oblige,

But You Can Always Speak Obligingly

Speak with Love

Speak Good Words

Always Speak with a Smile

Speech Promotes Friendship as Well as Differences

In this world, speech carries more value than the currency note. In ancient 

times, people used to give immense value to speech. With the help of speech they 

were able to become rich and prosperous; they could even win kingdoms. Man 

becomes virtuous only when his speech is good; he becomes evil when his speech 

is bad. 

Speech promotes friendship. It also brings about differences between friends. 

Speech promotes affinity among relatives. It also creates discord. Effects of speech 

are not confined to ephemeral and worldly matters only; speech affects our spiri-

tual progress also. Speech may even cause death. Speech can save one’s life, too. 

Sweet speech brings you name and fame. Since man today has lost his pleasant 

speech and sweet temper, he is subjected to innumerable ordeals and sufferings. 

That is why I tell the students now and then, you cannot always oblige, but you can 

always speak obligingly. When the speech is good, man becomes a hero. But man 

will become a zero if the speech is not good.

Sathya Sai Speaks, Volume 32, Part 1, 

Chapter 11: The Ephemeral and the Transcendental.

---

13

Wound Inflicted by the Tongue Can 

Never Be Healed

Never use harsh words. You cannot always 

oblige, but you can always speak obligingly. Bodi-

ly wounds can be cured by the use of medicines. 

But the wounds inflicted by the tongue can never 

be healed. That is why I repeatedly tell you to cul-

tivate love and talk with love. I never use harsh 

words even when I appear to be angry. I always 

speak lovingly. You too will become Divine when 

you cultivate such Divine love.

Cultivate good thoughts. Good thoughts lead 

to good actions. Good actions lead to good com-

pany. Cultivate love. Everything is based on love 

and love alone. Man is born in love, is sustained in 

love, and ultimately merges in love. Love is the ba-

sis of human life. But you are forgetting such true 

love and are getting carried away by worldly and 

physical love, which is not love in the true sense.

Sathya Sai Speaks, Volume 33, 

Chapter 19: God Incarnates to Serve Mankind.

2

See No Evil; See What Is Good

The image of every seen object gets imprinted 

in the mind. Therefore first of all one must have 

right vision. Right vision is that which is untaint-

ed by the baneful influence of evil feelings, evil 

thoughts, and evil deeds. See no evil; see what is 

good. That which develops your insight to under-

stand what is good, eternal, and true is right vi-

sion.

Next comes right listening. You should lend 

your ear only to good speech. Under no circum-

stances should you listen to evil talk. For this, you 

should listen to sacred texts, devotional songs, and 

talks about sacred acts.

Everything in this world is impermanent. The 

Vedas say, “All that is seen is bound to perish.” All 

that you see will disappear one day or the other. 

For the nine-fold path of devotion, good listening 

is the beginning. Listening, singing the glories of 

the Lord, constant remembrance of the name of 

Vishnu, serving the Lord’s feet, worship, saluta-

tion, servitude, friendship, and self-surrender are 

the nine paths of devotion. The first step to the fi-

nal act of self-surrender is listening. Ancient scrip-

tures are derived from listening only.

Right Vision and Right Listening Lead to 

Right Speech 

The next virtue is right speech. Right vision 

and right listening lead to right speech. Your 

speech should be good. Never utter harsh words. 

Speak softly and sweetly. That is why I tell you of-

ten, “You cannot always oblige, but you can always 

speak obligingly.” Say what you have to say with-

out harshness. Speak softly so that only the person 

for whom your words are intended may hear you. 

Such soft and sweet speech should be developed. 

Good vision, good listening, and good speech lead 

to good thoughts. “As are your thoughts, so is the 

result.” Right thoughts lead to right action. With-

out good thoughts, it is not possible to perform 

good actions.

Buddha performed penance for many years to 

put his five senses on the sacred path. Mere book-

ish knowledge is of no consequence. It is in fact 

artificial. Mere textual knowledge will not lead 

you to right vision. Similarly, your sense of hear-

ing does not become holy by listening to the ex-

positions of a teacher. Good thoughts cannot be 

acquired by reading scriptures or by listening to 

the teachings of the preceptor. By self-effort you 

should put your senses of sound, touch, form, 

taste, and smell to right use. That alone leads you 

to proper spiritual practice.

Sanctify Your Senses

When you put your senses in the right direc-

tion, your life will also enter the right path. For 

the wrong attitude of man today, senses are the 

cause. As the senses become impure, the entire life 

too becomes impure and unsacred. If you want 

to make your life sacred, you have to first sanctify 

your senses. So, Buddha, who did penance for sev-

eral years, understood that all ritualistic practices 

were useless. He declared right vision, right listen-

---