Thought for the Day

1.Cultivate prema (love) for the Lord. It has infinite potentiality. Even an iron chain can be broken, but not the chain of love that binds a devotee to the Lord. Remember, even the cruelest of animals can be overpowered by love! What a holy deed it would be, to direct all the floodwaters of this love to the the Lord who is the ocean of pure love rather than to worldly lakes and shoals. By doing this the Jivi (individual) will realise the purpose of life. To direct one's love to the divine name and form incessantly is true meditation. This is the highest Moksha (liberation).

2.The ancient rishis (sages), out of their own genuine experience, have clearly described the means to sanctify our lives. Their counsel is not based on knowledge gathered from books. According to them, in order to carry out with perfection one's karma (duty), bhakthi, jnana and yoga (devotion, wisdom and self-control) are essential. Dharma (right conduct) is the taproot of the great tree of religion; the eternal source of its strength. This tree is nourished by the waters of bhakthi (devotion). The leaves and flowers are renunciation and other virtues, and the fruit is jnana (wisdom). If there is any interruption in these stages of growth, or deficiency in the nourishment, the fruit of jnana will be adversely affected.

3.Do not mistake this temporary abode as your eternal dwelling place. Do not lose heart at evanescent troubles and short-lived tragedies. Immerse yourselves in the effort to attain the eternal Lord. Everything in this world is subject to decay - if not today, sometime in the future. It is not right to reject the Lord, who is eternally related to you, and be misled by this world with which one is connected to for a short while! Consider the number of births you have taken, the countless mothers, fathers, wives, husbands, sons, daughters, friends and enemies you’ve had. Do they exist today? Do they remember the relationships? You are no one to them, and they are nobody to you. But you and they have the Lord in common as the unchanging relative. He is there throughout all births; He is eternal. He watches over you from one birth to another. The Lord will never give you up. What greater tragedy can there be than forgetting such a Lord? With the senses weakened, powerless and refusing to function; with the parents, wife, children, and all relations crowding on one side; while the messengers of death compelling you to pack up for the journey without delay on the other side - who knows when this call will come and how? Before that moment comes, be ready with the thought of God.

Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba