Thought for the Day

Never feel depressed when you are weighed down by difficulties. God will never impose on you ordeals that you cannot bear. He tests His devotees in various ways. Test is the ‘taste’ of God. Never fear any test. Be ready to sacrifice even your life for the sake of God. Only then will God protect you. There are no defects in God. All His words and deeds are perfect. What you see is the reflection, reaction and resound of your feelings. They are psychological in nature. God always grants us welfare alone. Understand and experience this Truth

Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba

Thought for the Day

1.Balarama and Krishna studied under Guru Saandeepini, offering him the tribute of love and reverence. Giving joy to the teacher, studying well what has been taught, avoiding the pursuit of sensory pleasure and devoting oneself solely for the pursuit of knowledge - they lived by these guidelines. They never interrupted the discourse of the preceptor or interposed their will against his. They did not overstep his will or direction in any instance. They never challenged his authority or dared disobey his instructions. Though Balarama and Krishna were the repositories of Supreme Authority over Earth and Heaven, they gave their preceptor the respect and obedience that was due to his eminence and position. They were full of earnestness and devotion. They did not allow anything to distract them from their lesson. That is how a good student should be, that is what Balarama and Krishna were!

2.A cart can move only when two bullocks are yoked to it. And it can move safely only when the animals are trained to walk on roads and pull carts. Instead, if they have never stepped out of their shed, or if they have always moved only round and round the post to which they have been tied, the bullock cart cannot proceed! So also, the cart of inner consciousness (anthahkarana) cannot move by itself; it must be attached to the bullocks of intelligence (buddhi) and mind (manas), and made to follow their tracks. But, prior to the journey, the bullocks - intelligence and mind - should be conversant with the road to the village that the inner consciousness is eager to reach. They must be trained to proceed in that direction. If this is done, the journey will be easy and safe.

3.Reflect for a while how inspiring is the example of Lord Krishna while he underwent his education and how his conduct and earnestness contributed to the joy of the elders. Though all learning emanates from Him and is to be earned through His Grace, He plays the role of a pupil, as a representative of the ideal pupil, in order to show the world by His own example, the way in which a Guru is to be chosen and served, the quality of humility that education must instil, and the gratitude and respect that the pupil has to offer to the teacher. It is with the intention of guiding and prompting the students of today that Krishna Himself went through the educational process and lived the ideal. Notice how subtle is the mystery of God and His Leelas!

4.If you tread the holy path of truth, righteousness, peace, and love, the Lord Himself will bestow on you, all that is needed and deserved! That will give you peace of mind. Offer everything to the Lord without any desire for the result; that indeed yields complete joy; that is indeed the easiest! While it is very difficult to speak untruth and act against Dharma, it is very easy to utter the truth and walk the path of Dharma (righteousness). It is a very pleasant task to speak out the thing just as it is; one need not spend a moment of thought upon it. To speak of what is not, one has to create the non-existent! It also plunges one into fear and fantasy, into an atmosphere of restlessness and worry. So, instead of following sensory actions (Vishaya Karma) which offer all these troubles and complications, follow actions that liberate (Shreyo Karma) - the path of Atmic bliss which is true, eternal, and holy.

Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba

Thought for the Day

1.All things that are seen are transient and unreal. God alone is eternal and real. Attachment with objects ends in grief. God is your own Reality and this Reality, that is, the God in you, has no relationship with the changing transitory objective world. He is only Pure Consciousness. Even if you posit some relationship for it, it can only be the type that exists between the dreamer and the objects seen and experienced in dreams.

2.Everything has energy latent in it be it a piece of paper or a strip of cloth. When this latent energy is exhausted, it results in death; when energy fills, birth happens. Sath-Chith-Ananda is energy. In fact energy is all and this energy is derived from God - it is the very basis of man. These days we are building superstructures ignoring this basic and foundational Divine principle. We are fascinated by subjects and studies that promise to feed our stomachs and make us materially happy and powerful. But the hard truth is that the Divine underlies everything. Man must either know the supreme truth of the One Being behind all Becoming or at least know the practical truth of love and brotherhood.

3.God is Omnipotent. He knows no distinction between the possible and the impossible. His wizardry and His sport, His play and His pranks cannot be described with the vocabulary that man commands. Though He has no Form, He can assume the Form of the Universal Person, embodying all Creation in His Form. He is One, but He makes Himself Many. Matsya, Koorma, Varaha, Narasimha,Vamana, Parasurama, Rama, Krishna,Buddha, Kalki - people usually relate God to these Divine Forms that He has assumed. But that does not describe Him as vast as His magnificence. We have to visualise all forms as His. The vitality of every being is His Breath. In short, every bit in Creation is He, it is the manifestation of His Will. There is nothing distinct or separate from Him.

Actions that bind include all activity in relation to exterior objects. Such acts are usually resorted to with a desire for the result. This craving for the results leads one to the morass of “I” and “mine” and the demons of lust and greed. If one follows this path, there will be sudden flares, as is seen when clarified butter (ghee) is poured in the sacrificial fire! Assigning priority to sense objects (Vishaya) is the same as assigning importance to poison (Visha)!

4.Those who seek to know or lay down the causes for the Lord willing one way and not another are really on an impertinent adventure; so too are those who assert and describe His power and His plans through different characteristics, qualifications and limits, and also those who claim to know that the Lord will act only in a particular mode, and that the Divine Principle is of a specific nature and not otherwise! There can be no limit or obstacle to His Will. There can be no bounds to the manifestation of His power and His glory. He fructifies all that He wills. He can manifest in whatever form He wills. He is unique, incomparable, and equal to Himself alone. He is His own measure, witness, and authority.

Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba

"As the Teacher, so the pupil"

1.When viewed without the twin distortions of like and dislike, love and hate - all forms, all effects, and all causes are experienced only as Brahman (Divinity). When the vision is affected by love or hate, each form, effect and cause, appears different from the rest. When feelings are calm and balanced, the many is experienced as the one. An agitated mind can never have a single vision. It runs along contrary lines, so it experiences the world, nature, and the cosmos as separate from God. Such vision also creates division. Serene vision reveals unity. As is the vision, so is the impression, the view of the world.

2.You must exercise constant watchfulness over your feelings and reactions. You must keep out selfishness, envy, anger, greed and other such evil tendencies from entering your minds. These are nets which entrap you; these vices overwhelm and subdue your holiness, so that you cannot be influenced any longer. Then you forget yourself and behave like an individual caught in frenzy. You blabber as your tongue dictates without regard to the effect - good or evil and engage in those works which your hands favour. Be aware and keep them in control! If you carefully discriminate, you can be recognised by the good company you keep, the noble works you delight in and the good words you utter.

3.Among students today, we do not find the spirit of focus, singleness of purpose and fraternal co-operation. Sadbhava (good feelings) and Sathsanga (good company) have become rare; mutual love and yearning for good company have weakened. “As the ruler (Raja), so the ruled (Praja),” says the proverb. “As the teacher, so the pupil” seems to be equally true. Realizing this, teachers, therefore, have to be interested in high thinking and a life steeped in renunciation.

Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba