What is more important than the building of temples and going on pilgrimages?

 In past ages, many sages, kings and ascetics left home and dwelt in the solitude of the forests and having earned unlimited bliss themselves, they taught others the source of their bliss, namely, the Divine that is encased in the human. Remove the vices of lust and hatred, and put out the raging flames of anger and greed; then, they said, the innate shantam and soukhyam 

(tranquillity and happiness), the swarupam and swabhavam (one's own form and nature)

of man, will manifest unhindered! Shantam is the swarupam, soukhyam is the swabhavam of man. Individual reconstruction is much more important than the construction of temples. Multiply virtues, not buildings; practise what you preach, that is the real pilgrimage; cleanse your minds of envy and malice, that is the real bath in holy water. Of what avail is the name of the Lord on the tongue, if the heart within is impure?

Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba

How firm should our love for God and faith in the Divine be?

 The green vitality of a tree is a sign of the Divine Will, which sends its roots deep into the soil. The roots keep the tree safe from storms, holding it fast against the violent tug of winds. So too, if the roots of love in man go down into the springs of the Divine within him, no storm of suffering can shake him and crash him into disbelief. As a lump of sugar sweetens every drop of water in the cup, the eye of love makes every person in the world friendly and attractive. The simple milkmaids of Gokul saw each other as Krishna; such was their overwhelming love for the Divine Incarnation. The Bhagavata, where their love and the love of many other devotees of the Lord are described, is a textbook of Divine Love, Bhakti. Mahabharatha, which describes the exploits and excellences of Krishna, is a textbook of Dharma, of ethics, of social and political life, as corrected and straightened by the supremacy of the Right. Begin loving service, this day, this moment. Each act will urge you to the next, for the thrill is so inspiring!

Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba

Which is the best form of service we can offer to another?

 One there was a king who questioned many a scholar and sage who came to his court, "Which is the best service and which is the best time to render it?" He could not get a satisfying answer from them. One day while pursuing the forces of a rival king, in the thick jungle he got separated from his troops; he rode a long way, exhausted and hungry, until he reached a hermitage. There was an old monk who received him kindly and offered him a welcome cup of cool water. After a little rest, the king asked his host the questions that were tormenting his brain: "Which is the best service?" The hermit said, "Giving a thirsty man a cup of water." "And, which is the best time to render it?" The answer was, "When he comes far and lonely, looking for some place where he can get it." The act of service is not to be judged, according to the cost or publicity it entails; it may be only the offering of a cup of water in the depths of a jungle. But the need of the recipient, the mood of the person who offers - these decide whether the act is gold or lead.

Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba