Followers

Sunday, March 13, 2011

Thought for the Day

1.Anyone who is intent on following the spiritual path or meditation must take every care that these ten enemies do not even approach them (the tenfold sins: 3 physical, 4 verbal, and 3 mental. The physical sins are: injury to life, adulterous desire, and theft. The verbal sins are: false alarms, cruel speech, jealous talk, and lies. The mental sins are: greed, envy, and denial of God). These sins have to be eschewed completely. Instead, you need tendencies that will help you progress and not drag you back. You must speak and act only good (shubha), for good alone is auspicious (mangala) and the auspicious alone is Shiva. This is what the scriptures (shastras) teach. The good is the auspicious. The auspicious is the spiritually helpful. Thus being good is the true instrument that aids in merging with Lord Shiva.

2.So many nights have passed by since we were born, but not all those nights can be termed as Shivarathri. Since this night is spent in meditation and singing the Glory of the Divine Name of Lord Shiva, it is called Shivarathri. Not only this night, in fact, whenever you spend an entire night meditating upon the Divine Name, that night is also called Shivarathri. Always attach yourself to the Divine Name. Not merely contemplation, always meditate on the Divine Name with intense love for Him. Your love for God should be continuous through day and night, and never undergo a change.

3.Light bulbs have different wattages and last for a limited period of time. Avatars (incarnations of the Divine) are like these electric bulbs. Throughout history, God has incarnated as several Avatars. You must be attached, NOT to the physical form of a particular Avatar, but to DIVINITY as the Supreme Parabrahma beyond form and attributes, which has manifested several times, in many ages. Though you were born as a baby, grow up as a child, turn into a youth, and later become an elderly person; you are the same individual in all these various stages. Therefore, you must constantly meditate upon the Divine, who is True and Eternal.

4.All religious fanaticism and conflicts will vanish as soon as we grasp the Reality. Faith in God is based on genuine experience. Once we accept this, introspection begins and we are able to measure how far we have journeyed towards the goal, or away from it. We will then realize that we are groping in the dark and dragging others into darkness as well. Only then will we give up factional hatred in the name of religious conflict with those professing other faiths. Those who revel in religious confrontation should be asked, “Have you seen God? Have you become aware of the Divine Atma? If not, what authority do you have to decry or deny a particular name of God? You are lost in darkness and trying to drag me into that same darkness. Can a blind man lead another blind man along the road? That is an impossible task. Therefore, first understand your Truth before
you defame, or deny mine.”


5.Welfare is the fruit of knowledge; malevolence is the fruit of ignorance. Through welfare alone can peace, joy, and progress be attained. One’s very basic duty is to strive for the good of all beings. Promoting it and contributing to it is the right task. Living out one’s span of life in discharging this task is the ordained path.

Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba

No comments: