Is it possible to limit the ONE to a temple
Who pervades the entire cosmos?
How can one offer food to the One
Who has the entire cosmos in His belly?
How can one give a bath to the One
Who is present in all rivers? (Telugu Poem)
(SSS Vol.39, p. 99)
One with good Behaviour is a Boy
One with good Manners is a Man
One with good Discipline is a Devotee.
(SSB 1995, p. 9)
The Muslims pray in the name of Allah, the Jews pray in the name of Jehova, the Vaishnavites pray in the name of Phullabjaksha, the Shaivites pray in the name of Shambho. That one to whom prayers are offered in this manner, He is God and may He grant happiness and prosperity to everyone. God is One though He is addressed and prayed to by different people through different names. (SSB 1972, p. 122)
God is and can be only One, not more! There is only One God and He is Omnipresent! There is only one Religion, the Religion of Love. There is only one Caste, the Caste of Humanity! There is only One Language, the Language of the Heart. (SSS Vol.7, p. 366)
There is only One - the Parabrahman. The Advaita Shastras (Vivekachudamani) proclaim Brahma satya jagat mithya, jivo brahmaiva naparah - Brahman alone is true; Creation is a myth, the Jiva, or the individual, is Brahma Itself. All that happens to man in the world is as unreal as the dream experience. They disappear, and appear again. The pleasures and joys experienced in life are as mirages appearing on the desert sands of hatred, envy and selfish greed. (SSVahini, p. 103)
The Spirit, be it individualised or universalised, is One and the same, and One only. The individual and the Supreme Soul are One and indivisible.
The One became many; everyone of the many is real only because of the One within it. The cosmic illusion is a component of the One, and by the emphasis on that component, the One transformed itself into the many. (UD, pp. CII - 10)
Paramatma, Atma and I - are only forms and names for the ONE - the Paramatma, the ONE Atma, the Divine Atma. (SSVahini, p. 110)
It is an arduous process for man to become aware of the ONE, which is his core. The person is of the essence of Food (Anna). The gross body is the product of the food consumed. But in man, there is a subtler force, an inner vibration, named Prana or Vital Air. The Mind (Manas) within is subtler still, and deeper than the manas and subtler, the intellect (Vijnana). Beyond the intellect, we have in us the subtlest sheath of ananda or Bliss. When man delves into his ananda region of himself, he can experience the Reality, the Brahman, the ONE. The awareness is indeed the most desirable. (Sutra Vahini, pp. 32-33)
First of all, you must grasp the complete Oneness of the three incarnations (Shirdi Sai Baba, Sathya Sai Baba and Prema Sai Baba) of contemporary times with those of the past like Rama and Krishna. This is a difficult task. When people cannot understand the present, how can they comprehend the past? Every incarnation is full and complete in relation to the time, the environment and the task. There is no distinction between the various appearances of God as Rama, Krishna or Sai. Rama came to feed the roots of truth and righteousness, Krishna followed to foster the plant of peace and love. Now these sacred principles are in danger of wholesale destruction by reason of human weakness under the onslaught of evil forces. They are overcoming the good, the spiritual and divine in man. That is why the present Avatar has come invested with the totality of cosmic power to save Dharma (righteousness) from anti-Dharma. (S&M, pp. 235-236)
God is One without a second. He is infinite. It is impossible to measure Him or compare Him with anything. He is Omnipresent. Comparison is possible only when there is a second object. The Vedas declare: ‘Ekam evadvitiyam Brahma’ (One alone without a second). (SS Oct 88, 1988, p. 261)
God is one without a second. You can adore Him according to your own fancy and pleasure. He does not change. He is not changed, when the Names you adore Him by are changed or the Forms you picture Him by, are changed. We have many kinds of sweets – many names and forms. But sugar is the One substance that makes each one sweet. You may prefer one sweet thing more than another; you are welcome to prefer it, but, do not condemn or prevent others preferences.
God will assume the Form for which you thirst. You may adore Krishna, for that name and form gives you the greatest joy, the maximum thrill; but, do not find fault with a brother who worships the same God through another Name-Form: Rama, Shiva or Vishnu, or any such other. He has as much right as you, to worship God in the form he likes. The effectiveness lies not in the Mantra or in the Name and Form it is centred upon. It lies in the heart, in the yearning, in the thirst. God will assume the form and answer to the Name for which you thirst! That is the measure of His Grace. (SSS Vol. 10)
On that October 20th, I did not go to the school. In the school I used to lead the prayers every day. There was a platform with a few steps. In the prayer there was a song, which ran as follows:
Aharaha tava ahvahana pracharita,
suni tava udar vani,
Hindu-Buddha-Sikha-Jaina-Parasika
Musalmana-Christiani.
Even in those days there was the recognition of the oneness of all religions. Some of the teachers used to wonder how this boy was propagating the unity of all religions. (SSS Vol.23)
Just as there is traffic of various kinds of vehicles in the city, there is a macro-level traffic of planets in this universe, each of them whirling at a tremendous speed. There are traffic lights (unseen by man) which regulate the movements of the innumerable planets, so that each of them confines itself to the path ordained for it, thereby preventing clashes or collisions and the consequent cataclysmic disasters. And there is one who controls those unseen automatic traffic lights; and that One is this ONE! (Saying this, Swami pointed at Himself) (Uniq, p. 40)
Nations are many, but earth is one, Beings are many, but breath is one, Stars are many, but sky is one, Jewels are many, but gold is one. (SS Nov 98 , p. 292)
Let us develop this spirit of equanimity at all times. You should not have any hatred or jealousy towards each other in the organisation. God is the one in all. Ekatma Sarvabhutantaratma - there is only one God present in all beings.
There are so many bulbs around. The same current flows in every bulb. Different currents do not flow in each bulb. All bodies are like bulbs. There may be difference in colours and wattages of the bulbs but the current is one. You should develop that feeling in the Organisation, that I am just like a bulb, but the current is one. That is unity in divinity. We should try to accomplish that divinity.
Many work in the Organisation for a long time but we have not understood the unity in divinity. When there is no unity, enmity enters. Because there is enmity, there is a community which makes you suffer further. So we should not have any feeling of community or enmity but have unity. Divinity will originate when you develop unity.
The Organisation will progress the day when you achieve this unity. The Organisation is not for Swami. The Organisation is for you. The doctor administers a bitter medicine. Do you think the doctor dislikes you? No, it is only a curative measure. Whatever Swami gives is only to cure the disease. God is the doctor of doctors. You do not know the disease. But you want the medicine to be sweet. You should take the medicine that will cure the disease. Whatever Swami says and does is for your good. So unity in divinity is needed.
See so many are here. Beings are many but breath is one. Bulbs are many but current is one. Jewels are many but gold is one. Nations are many but earth is one. That is the thing we should work for. All of us should remain on earth only not in between the sky and earth. The earth is our dwelling place. We are children of Mother Earth. We should know this truth and strengthen this faith. We will have peace on earth when we strengthen that faith. (DTB Vol.3, pp. 12-14)
It is an arduous process for man to become aware of the ONE, which is his core. (LA, p. 199)
The same wind is referred to as breeze, whirlwind, storm, typhoon or hurricane. Similarly, the same God is referred to by different names... So, your duty is to emphasize the One, and experience the One in all that you do and speak... Do not give any importance to differences of religion or sect, status or colour... Have the feeling of Oneness permeating every act of yours. Only self-confidence, self control and self-knowledge can lead peace, the golden coin. (YG, p. 265)
There is an ocean. There are waves over that. You have the foam on the waves. The coolness, taste and colour of water in the ocean is the same as in the waves as well as the foam. In the same manner, the water in the ocean is contained in the waves. The foam that comes out of the wave will be the same. Therefore, the spiritual, worldly and the superimposition are one and the same.
In the worldly parlance, we take it in the worldly way. We call it spiritual at the mental plane. As you spend the time in thought, it is spoken as superimposition. Truth is one though the names are different. So we should have the oneness in a community to know divinity. Hence from divinity we enter the creation, join the community and know the individual self. We should understand the unity behind the individual, community, creation and the divinity. There cannot be a community without an individual. When there is no community, there is no creation either. One tree does not make a forest. An individual does not make a society. One house does not make a village. Many houses put together constitute a village.
The combination of individuals makes a society. Many trees make a forest. The forest comprises the very same tree and the tree is in the forest as well. The individual is present in the community and the community has the individual in it. There is no society without the individual. There is no forest without the tree. In Vedantic parlance so many names are given to teach these to the people; but the ultimate reality is one. Therefore, with the spirit of this unity we should live in this community and creation and merge with divinity finally.
We can think of divinity and the individual in a small sense. The individual is a being here, Community is treated as God. God is the combination of all. The human being is at the individual level. Then what is the difference between divinity and the individual? God is the collective form, which we should visualise. That is called cosmic form - Vishva Virata Swarupa. (DTB Vol.5, pp. 3-5)
When the One is realised, there can be no fear. For how can the One fear Itself? There can also be no desire, for when there is no second, how can the desire to possess arise? Neither can there be envy, hatred, greed, pride or any of the evil passions that torment man and allow him no peace. The awareness of the ONE ensures unshaken tranquillity, Peace. (NNSG Vol.4, p. 75)