*IMPORTANCE OF SPEAKING SOFTLY -
AS QUOTED BY
SATHYA SAI*
Pl. read below a few extracts of Sathya Sai's discourses
on the topic of "SPEAK SWEETLY"
1
*Speak softly, sweetly*, without malice in your
heart; speak as if you are addressing the Sai who resides in every one. - Baba
One of the first principles of straight living
is: Practice silence. For, the voice of God can be heard in the region of your
heart only when the tongue is stilled. Then the storm is still and the waves
are calm. *There will be no temptation for others to shout when you talk to them in whispers.*
*Set the level of tone yourself: As low as
possible*, as high as necessary to reach the outermost boundary of the circle
you are addressing. Conserve sound, since it is the treasure of the element
space (Akasha), an emanation from God Himself.
Reason can prevail only when arguments are
advanced without the whipping up of sound. Silence is the speech of the
spiritual seeker. *Soft sweet speech* is the expression of genuine love. Hate screeches, fear squeals and conceit trumpets. But love sings lullabies; it soothes and applies balm. Practice the vocabulary of love; unlearn the language of hate and contempt! -
Divine Discourse, Feb 19,1970.
2
*Talk sweetly and softly. You cannot always oblige, but
you can always speak obligingly.*
Divine Discourse, Apr 14, 1999.
3
*The senses are gifted by God for humans to
lead ideal lives. See good, think good thoughts, speak sweet words* and listen to what is good. Be good and do good. The ancient Indian Sages practised silence as a spiritual discipline because they realised the myriad benefits derived from *Mounam (silence)*. Swami Vivekananda learnt a valuable lesson when he found that after ten days of endless talk, he had forgotten all the shlokas (verses) he had learnt by heart. By practising complete silence for a fortnight he got back his memory powers. People should realise that God's grace is secured by the sacred use of the senses endowed on man by the Divine.
Divine Discourse, Oct 06, 1997
4
*Talk soft, talk sweet, talk only of God* - that is the process of softening the subsoil. Develop compassion and empathy; engage in service, understand the agony of poverty, disease, distress and despair; and share both tears and cheers with others. That is the way to soften the heart, and help sadhana to succeed. -
Divine Discourse, May 10, 1969.
5
*Fill every word of yours with love, fill every
act of yours with love. The word that emerges from your tongue shall not stab
like a knife, wound like arrows, or hit like a hammer. It must be a foundation of sweet nectar, a counsel of wisdom, a soft path of blossoms; it must shower peace and joy*.
Divine Discourse, Jul 29, 1969.
6
Spend your life in cherishing sacred thoughts,
listening to good things, *speaking good words*, and doing good deeds.
Divine Discourse, Apr 14, 1993
7
Love for all should spontaneously flow from
your heart and *sweeten your words*.
Divine Discourse, Mar 30, 1973
8
*Do not soil your tongue using it for uttering dirty words. Utter God’s name*
Divine Discourse, Apr 1973.
9
To remember the omnipresent Divine, to chant
His glories and adore Him, you need the tongue (power of speech). Jayadeva *hailed the tongue as a God-given instrument to
glorify the Lord. This sacred instrument should not be misused in any way for
speaking ill of others or causing unhappiness to them. As enjoined in the Gita,
avoid unpleasant speech and use only words that are true, comforting and good. Harshness in speech should be avoided. Only when the tongue is used in this way can it become pure and sacred. When your speech is sanctified, your life itself becomes sanctified!*-
Divine Discourse, Jan 19, 1989.
10
*As words increase, the
vagaries (an unexpected and inexplicable change in a
situation or in someone's behavior) of the mind
also increase. Annihilate the mind by quietude*. - Baba
Dhyana Vahini, Ch 8
11
*Words don’t cost anything but they are priceless. So, they have to be used with care*. - Baba
Silence is the only language of the realised.
Practice moderation in speech. That will help you in many ways. It will develop
love (prema), for *most misunderstandings and factions arise out of carelessly
spoken words*.
*When the foot slips, the wound can be healed, but when the
tongue slips, the wound that it causes in the heart of another will fester for
life*.
*The tongue is liable to four big errors: uttering falsehood,
scandalising, finding fault with others, and excessive articulation. These have
to be avoided if there has to be peace for the individual as well as for the
society*.
*The bond of brotherhood will be tightened if
people speak less and speak sweetly. That is why silence was prescribed as a
vow for spiritual aspirants by the spiritual texts* -
Divine Discourse, Jul 22, 1958.
12
*Loving words sweeten life. Let your speech be always sweet, whatever be the circumstances*. - Baba
One important thing to be remembered is that *it
is possible and desirable to utilise the full power of words through softness and sweetness*.
*If one is anxious to see God in every object,
the sweetness of the word will be of immense help. Imagine how happy others
will be in your presence, and how light your minds will become by the practice
of softness of expression!*
When meditation is carried on in that happy
atmosphere, how quickly concentration can be attained!
*Instead, if in conversation you use words that blame others and despise them, in turn you become the target of blame, and your mind gets agitated by the effect of both*; then the object of meditation is not realised because the atmosphere turns impure. Therefore, if you really wish to be happy through meditation, as a preliminary to the process, you must be engaged either in joyful conversation or in happy thoughts and memories.
*Sweet and soft conversation helps meditation a great deal*. -
Dhyana Vahini, Ch 10.
13
*Sweet words and sweet manners lead to sweet actions and sweet reactions*. - Baba
You attach importance to quantity, but the Lord
considers only quality! *Lord doesn’t calculate how many measures of
“sweet rice” you offered, but how many sweet words you uttered, and how much sweetness you added in your thoughts*!
Divine Discourse, Feb 08, 1963.
14
*Speak with love. There is no Divinity greater than love. When
you fill your heart with love, your thoughts, vision, words and deeds will be suffused with love*! -
Divine Discourse, May 07, 2001.
15
*Health does not depend on medicine. Good words, good manners,
good sight, good thoughts - these are essential*. What can even powerful or costly medicines do if one is ill with bad thoughts and bad feelings?
Divine Discourse, Nov 20, 1982.
16
*Firmly believe that God resides in all beings. Speak such words, those that would spread truth, goodness, and beauty.* - Baba
Divine Discourse, Oct 25, 1972.
17
Your thoughts, *words, and deeds should be suffused with love. Make efforts to alleviate the suffering of your fellowmen*.
Divine Discourse, Oct 23, 2004.
18
Practise nonviolence (ahimsa). What is the
meaning of nonviolence? *Ahimsa means not to hurt
others by thoughts, words, and deeds*. Never leave unity of thought, word, and deed, even for a moment. Only when you observe unity of thought, word, and deed in all your endeavours will divine feelings manifest in you.
Divine Discourse, Jul 29, 1996.
