The following extracts from the discourses given by Sri Sathya Sai Baba proclaim the purpose of the organisation:
“You must have the firm belief that the aim of this Organisation is to remove the obstacles that keep man away from God, that separate maanavathwa (humanity) from Maadhavathwa (Divinity). There can be no human; it is all Divine. This Organisation must elevate the human into the Divine.”
— Divine Discourse, All-India Conference, Prashanthi Nilayam, 21 November 1970
“The main objective of the Sathya Sai Organisation, which you must always keep before you is to help man to recognise the Divinity that is inherent in him. But, this Divinity is latent; it is veiled; it is not always apparent to oneself or others.”
— Divine Discourse, Bombay, 6 January 1975
In a revealing discourse delivered on the 23rd of February 1968 in Prashanthi Nilayam, Sri Sathya Sai Baba clearly explained the purpose of the organisation. He said:
“The Organisations named after Me are not to be used for publicising My Name, or creating a new cult around My worship. They must try to spread interest in japam (recitation of God’s Name), dhyaanam (meditation) and other saadhanas (spiritual practices), which lead man Godward; they must demonstrate the joy derivable from bhajan (devotional group singing) and Naamasmarana (remembering God’s Name), the Shaanthi (peace) that one can draw from Sathsang (good company). They must render seva (service) to the helpless, the sick, the distressed, the illiterate and the needy. Their seva (selfless service) should not be exhibitionistic; it must seek no reward, not even gratitude or thanks from the recipients. Seva is saadhana, not a pastime of the rich and well placed. Each one must realise his own truth. That is the purpose of all the teaching, all the curing, all the counselling, all the organising, all the advising that I do”
— Prashanthi Nilayam, 23 February 1968
It is emphasised that the Sai Organisation is not a religious or a proselytising organisation. It has also not been established to preach any particular religion. At no point is an individual asked to follow a certain religion or rituals. On the contrary each is inspired to follow his own faith so as to ensure that a Hindu becomes a better Hindu, a Muslim becomes a better Muslim, a Christian becomes a better Christian and so on. In fact, this spiritual basis inspires everyone to pursue his own religion better by putting into practice Love and Selflessness. That is why the Organisation features in its emblem the symbols of the major religions of mankind.
Thus, without any distinction of religion, nationality, race, socio-economic status, either for those who work in the Organisation or for those who are served by it, the Organisation transcends all barriers leading humanity towards the ideal of ‘Fatherhood of God and Brotherhood of Man’.
