Aum Sri Sai Ram
‘Ceiling on Desires’ Sadhana for Baba’s 85th Birthday

Sri Sathya Sai UK Young Adults 2010 Sadhana in Dedication to Baba for His 85th Birthday is to follow His Divine advice of ‘ceiling on desires’: do not waste food, money, energy or time.

‘What is the meaning of ‘Ceiling on Desires? People become deluded by unlimited desires, and live in a dream world. It is most important to keep one’s desires under control, to put a ceiling on them. People are spending too much money. Instead of spending inordinately for their own pleasure, one should be spending for the relief of the poor and the needy. This is the meaning of the ‘Ceiling on Desires’ programme. Do not make the mistake of thinking that giving away money is all that is needed, giving away to others while allowing your own desires to continue to multiply. Curtail your desires, for materialistic desires lead to a restless and disastrous life. Desires are a prison. One can be freed only by limiting one’s wants.’

- Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba

‘Spiritual love has to be distinguished from love or attachment related to the body, mind or the intellect. The latter are related to the world and are a source of sorrow. True love is pure, selfless, free from ego and is full of bliss. Worldly attachments are not real love at all. They are transient, whereas the everlasting, pure love arises from the heart. How is it that man is unable to recognise this all-pervading love? It is because man’s heart has become barren and polluted. The heart is filled with all kinds of desires and there is no room in it for pure, unsullied love to enter. It is only when worldly attachments are expelled from the heart that there will be room for true love to abide in it and to grow.’

- Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba

For us to become Embodiments of Divine Love, the starting point is the sadhana (spiritual exercise) of sense control. Sense control is achieved by practising ceiling on desires. By practising ceiling on desires, we learn about the power of our senses and how not to waste either our divine energy or the resources of nature, which are nothing other than a manifestation of God. As Baba says, man is a part of the human community. Mankind is a part of nature. Nature is a limb of God. Through exercising control over our senses and desires, we are able to transcend our animal nature, rise to the level of humanness and through the practise of the human values of truth, right conduct, peace, love and non violence, in the harmony of our thought, word and deed, manifest our divinity – which is pure love: the love of Sai.

We recommend reading, ‘Ceiling on Desires (expanded edition 2009, available direct from www.LegendaryPublishing.com) by Phyllis Krystal which is based on her interview with Sri Sathya Sai Baba and which gives practical exercises how we can make begin to transform ourselves and help create a more sustainable future for our home, mother Earth.