Sri Sathya Sai Guidelines to Sai Students: "Be 'Street Lamps', not 'Street Dogs'"

Baba with students 
in the Prasanthi Nilayam portico

November 27, 1991

Today, Swami was telling some of the boys to go home for vacation. 

Swami: I have that knack with Me. No one has that much of it as I do. What can I do? To cut butter, you use your finger; to break iron, you use a hammer. Similarly, to cure you of your ‘crack’ (madness), I use My knack! So many boys are going home for vacations. You go as ‘street lamps’ and come back as ‘street dogs’! If you go before a mirror and do ‘Namaskar’, your reflection will also do the same. If you shake your finger threateningly, the reflection in the mirror will also do the same. You must be like the incense stick, which when lit, spreads good fragrance all around it. The diamond is a very precious jewel. You hence hide it inside an iron safe and keep it under strict watch. The diamond is not easily available in the market and hence attracts everyone’s attention. Its presence is kept as secret as possible. It is not like the (‘Santhapakodalu’) cheap savouries sold in the market that are made with unhygienic oil, Maida (flour) and utensils, in a dirty atmosphere. You are not realising the value of the diamond and are hankering after the worldly benefits that are as dirty and attractive as the 'Santhapakodalu’. Many of you also think that you can get away with ‘part-time devotion’. You all are under that illusion. If you have part time devotion, God also gives only part-time payment. Your relation to God must be purely, heart to Heart. Part-time devotion is like this. If you say ‘Hello God’! God also will say ‘Hello’! If you say ‘Good-bye God’! God will also say ‘Good-bye’. God will only reciprocate what your own feelings are. You are all getting small containers and asking for such a large quantity from Me. How can I then give it? Swami never wants to waste His love and grace. I want taste, not waste. But first, I test. You cannot straight away perform the operation without first performing some tests. Similarly, I first test your progress. I then give you the taste of My love and grace. Once you have tasted it, you can 'rest'. 

Test-To-Taste-To Rest - that is the method I always follow.

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