Thought for the Day

1.Bhakthi Yoga teaches people the path of Love – to love all as you love yourselves, and prosper by love. Then no harm can come to you. It will only spread joy and happiness to all. God is present in all beings as Love. They all endeavour to merge their love with the Ocean of Love that God is. Wherever Love is evident, take it that it is God’s own Love. God is the greatest Lover of mankind. Therefore, when anyone decides to serve humanity whom He loves, God showers Grace in plenty. When the human heart melts at the suffering of others and expands as a result of that sympathy, believe that God is present there. That is the sign of the validity of the path of devotion (Bhakthi Yoga).

2.All that you see is the reflection of what is inside you. If you call a person bad, it is the bad in you being reflected in him. It has got nothing to do with him. Good and bad are but reflections of your inner being. Never consider them as separate from you. Good thoughts are the source of good vibrations. If your inner being is full of love, the same principle of love will find manifestation in your speech and actions. When you have sacred thoughts, you will become a divine person.

3.For the bird flying over the deep, blue waters in mid-ocean the only resting place is the mast of a ship sailing in those waters. In the same way, the Lord is the only refuge for the man who is tossed about in the stormy seas of this world. However far the bird may fly, it knows where it can find rest and that knowledge gives it confidence. The Name of the Lord is like that mast; remember it always, associate it with the Form and have that Form fixed in the mind's eye. It is a lamp shedding light in the recesses of your heart. Have the Name on the tongue and it will drive away the inner darkness as well as the outer.

Bagavan Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba

Thought for the Day

1.The sea of life (samsara), turbulent with the waves of joy and misery, can be crossed only by those who have an unflinching desire for the essence of bliss. The capacity to overcome the qualities (gunas) of Nature (prakriti) is not inherent in everyone; it comes to one with the grace of the Lord. And that grace is to be won by repetition of the divine name and meditation. This must first be clearly understood: it is impossible for everyone to control the tendencies of Nature; this power is possessed only by those who have Nature in their grip and whose commands Nature obeys.

2.Just as soap is necessary to make this external body clean, repetition of the divine name, meditation, and remembrance of God (smarana) are needed to cleanse the interior mind. Just as food and drink are needed to keep the body strong, contemplation of the Lord and meditation on the Atma (Soul) are needed to strengthen the mind. Without this food and drink, the mind will just stumble this way and that. When the waves of desire agitate the waters of the mind, how can one see the base, the Atma? So, clean the mind with contemplation of the Lord. Feed it with meditation on the Atma. Only meditation and spiritual practice (sadhana) can clean the depths of the mind and give it strength. Without purity and strength, the Atma recedes into the distance and peace diminishes.

Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba

Thought for the Day

1.Some people object that Karma Yoga (the spiritual discipline of action) involves too much physical strain. They say, “I sought only to do good to them, but they ignored my desire and tried to injure me”. Such disappointment makes one lose interest in activity. One wants to do good hoping to derive joy and share it. When such joy does not arise, despair sets in. But the lesson that Karma Yoga teaches is - do the Karma, as Karma, for the sake of the Karma. Why does the Karma Yogi fill his hands with work? Because that is his real nature. He feels happy while working; that is all. He does not bargain for results. He is not urged by any calculation. He gives, but never receives. He knows no grief, no disappointment; for he has not hoped for any benefit.

2.Yoga means ‘union’. In India, where yoga has been flowing in the veins of the people since time immemorial, we must strive for the harmonious coexistence of the many faiths and beliefs, which is the ideal type of Universal Religion. Those who can heroically put their faith into daily living can accomplish this ‘togetherness’ in their relationships and between their outer behaviour and inner nature. The Sadhaka (aspirant for spiritual progress), intent on the path of Prema (Love), must strive for union between himself and the embodiment of Prema, namely, God. Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba

Aum Sri Sai Ram

Bagavan
Sri Sri Sri
Sathya Sai Baba
leave his body.

Thought for the day

1.The spiritual aspirant must not give way to any feelings of dispiritedness, despondency, failure or doubt. The aspirant must be patient and bear events with fortitude, and must develop enthusiasm, faith, and joy. Keeping the ultimate result of the effort constantly in view, spiritual seekers must boldly confront all difficulties and temptations. Since difficulties are but short-lived and transient, with a little patience, they can be overcome with ease. If the aspirant is not vigilant and patient, all the success achieved will melt away in an unguarded moment.

2.The Cosmos does not exist. It is an illusion. It never is, has been or will be. The creation of the Cosmos, the dissolution of the Cosmos, these billions of individuals emerging and merging, all this is but a dream. There is no individualised Jivatma at all, no separated Atma. How can there be billions of Jivatmas? There is only ONE Indivisible Complete Absolute. Like the one sun reflected as a billion suns in a billion lakes, ponds, and drops of water, the Jivatmas (individual souls) are but reflections of the One in the minds that it shines upon.

3.A good character is essential for the realization of theAtma. In other words, all evil propensities have to be uprooted. Just as the army becomes dispirited and surrenders when its commander falls, so too, the army of evil qualities will surrender its arms as soon asahamkara (egotism) is destroyed. The evil qualities are all natives of the realm of anger, so if that region is destroyed, the soldiers can never again raise their heads. It is enough to accomplish this alone, for what can ‘commander-in-chief’ egotism achieve without a single soldier to march under his orders? So, all efforts must be directed to destroy the realm of anger so that no general can venture to let loose the hounds of war. Let each spiritual aspirant preserve the region of his mind in peace, by putting a stop to the rise of this commander and his soldiers. Let each spiritual aspirant bask forever under the smile of the ruler, the Atma.

Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba

Thought for the Day

1.When people who are fanatical in their beliefs about God approach us, we must welcome them with a smile, and be eager to listen to them with a heart filled with devotion to God. When someone who is passionate about his/her work approaches us we must share with them our skill and strength and toil together. By this means it is possible to bring harmony between followers of various faiths and cultures. It will bring together various schools of thought and belief. How wonderful it would be if this kind of harmony and friendly co-operation becomes more prevalent! How happy the world would be if everyone comprehends that their viewpoint can at best be only the partial truth and that it requires the harmonious commingling of many other facets to arrive at the whole truth!

2.Humanity suffers from two kinds of ills, physical and mental. One peculiar fact about these two types of illness is that cultivation of virtue cures both. An attitude of generosity, of fortitude in the presence of sorrow and loss, a spirit of enthusiasm to do good and to be of service to the best of one's capacity - these build up the mind as well as the body. The joy derived from service reacts on the body and makes you free from disease. Thus, the body and the mind are closely interrelated.

3.Those who assert that the Universe is real, but declare at the same time that the existence of God is but a dream, are only proving themselves ignorant. For when the effect, namely, the Cosmos is real, it must have a cause, for how can there be an effect without a cause? God can be denied only when the Universe is denied. What now appears as the Cosmos is really God. This is the vision that the true aspirant will get when he/she succeeds in their endeavour. As a matter of fact, the Universe we experience is the dream. When we awake from the dream, the truth of it being God will shine in the consciousness. From the beginning of time, the God whom we posit outside ourselves has been the reality inside us also. This truth will become steady with growing faith.

4.When faults are found in anyone, you will have to conclude that there are deficiencies in their behaviour, but do not think that there is no Divine Atma in them. As a result of the company they keep or the inefficiency of the society in which they grew, faults have grown in them. They are not native to their nature, which is Atmic. You will have to provide them with good company and beneficial surroundings, and persuade them to enter the positive environment. You should on no account condemn them as born incorrigibles, and keep them aloof.

Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba

Chitra Festival - Madurai

Thought for the day

1.It is only when the mind is completely under control that we can grasp our real identity. Then all troubles and travails, doubts and dilemmas, come to an end. We can then overcome all sorrow, delusion and anxiety, and become established in the holy serenity of Shanti (peace). Spiritual life is not a matter of meaningless talk. It is an experience of pure Ananda (bliss).

2.Consider how you dream in your sleep – dreams do not arise from somewhere outside you nor do the varied images and activities disappear into some place outside you. They arise and disappear within you. While dreaming, you consider the events and persons as real, and you experience the feelings of grief, delight, fear, anxiety, and joy as realistically as in the waking stage. You do not dismiss them at the time as illusory. The Cosmos is the dream of God. It arises in Him and merges in Him. It is the product of His Mind. The cycles of birth and death are all fanciful weavings of maya, illusory agitations and unreal appearances. Those who have experienced this highest wisdom can attain oneness with the Divine, here and now.

3.Everyone aspires for happiness and wants to avoid sorrow. But in this world, truth and untruth, righteousness and unrighteousness, joy and sorrow pass and change with time. You should have faith in the Ultimate Principle out of which both good and evil arise. The true human being treats pain and pleasure equally. Trust the Divine and experience His love in your hearts. In this world, the gain from sorrow is more than out of happiness. The saints and sages of yore, who have become immortal in history, aspired for hardship rather than happiness. The joy that arises out of overcoming hardships is more lasting than that gained from happiness. Hence, we should not be averse to sorrow nor should we look for happiness alone.

4.The cessation of the modifications and agitations of the mind are the prerequisites for obtaining an audience with the Divine. His reception hall has eight gates through which one has to pass: control of the inner senses, control of the outer senses, right sitting posture, breath control, mind control, concentration, meditation, and super-consciousness. Meditation is the royal road to attain super-consciousness. After the mind has been brought under control by these eight disciplines, will power can easily be developed. The Lord, by mere willing, can accomplish anything immediately and easily. In man, will power is generally not so strong; when one achieves that power, one attains something equal to the power of the Lord. That is the meaning of merger (laya). Such merger is made possible through meditation (dhyana).

5.The Atma is also known as Brahman, so learning the Atma Vidya (Atmic knowledge) is to be considered the main objective by every student. Students who yearn to acquire this knowledge have to earn some primary qualifications. They are: Viveka (discrimination), Vairagya (renunciation), and the zeal to ensure that all evil propensities are uprooted within themselves. Only then do they deserve the status of being a student. Aspirants who possess a good character through these qualifications can confidently hope to attain the Atma without much difficulty.

6.“We have helped the helpless, so our path will be smooth and safe. We have uplifted the downtrodden, so we can avoid troubles on our path. We have busied ourselves in singing the Lord’s Glory in chorus (bhajan), so we are sure of Heaven”— these are the calculations of some people who engage themselves in ‘good acts’. When such people give up their bodies, their soul reaches Chandra Loka (region of the Mind) as a Deva (angel). Residence in that Loka (region) is the reward they have secured for their good deeds in the past. When the joy emanating from the good deeds is experienced and finished, the balance of the consequences accumulated has to be suffered, and so the soul comes back to earth as a human. Therefore, one has to engage in charitable acts and attain the highest good, cleansing one’s heart in the process. Once this happens one reaches Brahma Loka (the region of Brahma) from where there is no coming back.

Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba

What is liberation?

What is Moksha (liberation)? It is giving up the Anatma, the unreal. Suppose you want a glass of fruit juice, unless you throw away the water already in the glass, you cannot pour juice into it. Similarly, unless you give up worldly desires, Atmabhava (spirituality) cannot take root in you. When you spend your hours immersed in thoughts about God, you become free from evil ways. You will not be tempted to abuse others or harm them in any way. You begin to live in Love, accepting all that happens as His gift. Then your home verily becomes heaven on Earth; the joy that bubbles in your heart becomes the mark of Vaikunta (abode of Lord Vishnu), and the earnestness and care that you evince in your work will symbolise Kailasa (the abode of Lord Shiva).

Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba

Thought for the Day

If you follow truth right from this very day, you will certainly become an ideal to the entire country. What is Truth? God's word is Truth. Hence, when you speak and act with the feeling, Sarva Karma Bhagavad Preetyartham (every action performed is only to please God), everything will become truth. Every thought and feeling emanating from you is a reflection of your inner truth. Unfortunately it gets converted into falsehood by the improper use of the tongue. The tongue is one of the five senses. The senses are the cause of changes in us. They are responsible for the sin or the merit that we earn. Himsa (violence) is not just limited to harming or hurting others…in fact acting contrary to one's words is also himsa. Remember this always: Verily, there can b e no greater Ahimsa (non-violence) than using our tongue in a sacred manner.
Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba

There should be perfect harmony between your thoughts , words and actions

Sathya (Truth) and Dharma (Right Conduct) are the two main teachings of Rama. Do not consider yourself as a mere human being. Develop full faith that you are none other than the Divine! The very same Atma that pervades the entire universe took a form and incarnated as Rama. You should take Sathya (Truth) as your very basis. You must sustain and promote Dharma (righteousness). Dharma is not confined to any particular place or country; it is present in all. It is born out of Sathya. What is Dharma? Dharayati iti dharmaha (that which sustains is Dharma). Some people wrongly limit Dharma to mere feeding of the poor or acts of charity. Dharma should flow from your own heart. Then, it should be put into practice. Do as you say; that is your foremost duty. On the other hand, if you happen to say one thing and do something contrary to it, know that it connotes Adharma (unrighteousness). There should be perfect harmony between your thoughts, words and actions.

Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba

Chant the sacred name of Lord RAMA with great devotion

1.Be one a millionaire or a pauper, everyone takes refuge in the Divine Name in times of difficulties. Many sages in the past performed penance and undertook several kinds of vows to spread the glory of the Divine Name in this world. Lord Rama never told anybody to chant or contemplate on His Name. Rama, in fact, declared that all are embodiments of Divinity. The foremost teaching of Rama was that everyone should follow Truth. Rama practised truth all through His life and achieved unity in thought, word and deed. Hence, even to this day, people, young and old, chant the sacred name of Lord Rama with great devotion.

Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba

Thought for the day

1.Doubts may arise in your minds when you hear the story of creation and the early history of man on earth. The processes of the Divine Will are mysterious wonders. They cannot be grasped by the faculties with which you measure earthly events. Often, they may strike you as devoid of any basis, but the Lord will never involve Himself in any deed without a proper cause. That Will need not be explicable. It is its own prompter. Everything everywhere is certainly due to His Will.

2.Even if someone through perversity or blind conceit has thus far not cultivated good qualities, they can at least make a try to secure them! If this is not done, the excellence of life cannot be tasted; it becomes a waste with no worth at all. The mind, by sheer force of negative impulses, gets lost in false values and is unable to develop along the right lines. Such a mind, turned away from good, might cause indescribable evil. All progress won by the sadhaka (spiritual aspirant) might get destroyed by such a mind in an unguarded instant because of a moment’s negligence! It is like a spark falling on a keg of gunpowder.

3.There is only One; He is described by the wise in a myriad ways. He is seen and experienced in various ways by different people, according to their angle of vision and the level of their intelligence and awareness. Different people describe the same thing in distinct ways. How can anyone declare that they should not do so? Or that what they describe is wrong? No one has the right to disparage or deny. Only those who strive to rise above the here and now, and become aware of the Transcendental Principle of Godhead deserve to be called true devotees. Those who revel in hurting others do not justify to be called devotees.

4.Some try to be devoid of gunas (qualities), but they achieve only living death. Their pale faces reveal only lack of zest and interest. This is the result of unreasoned haste in one’s spiritual discipline. Though one should ultimately transcend the gunas, there should be no hurry to reach the goal. Even though a person may have the ardour, it very often leads to dilemmas, which many solve by means of drastic measures! Hence, first, one must accumulate the wealth of character.

Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba