Thought for the Day

1.The senses are extrovert by nature and so they drag the ignorant perpetually towards external objects. Hence the spiritual aspirant, endowed with discrimination and renunciation, must suppress the outbursts of the senses, just as the charioteer wielding the whip and the reins does to the raging steeds. Uncontrolled senses cause great harm. But before using concentration and meditation to control them, cultivate good habits. Concentration must have Sathwa-guna (pure qualities) as its basis. The mind has to be purified by proper treatment of the character through good habits. Concentration has to follow this purification process, not precede it. Else the whole effort would be futile. Many great people have ruined their careers by aspiring for concentration without the discipline of good habits.

2.Upasana means the acquisition of the Divine presence and the achievement of the bliss of adoration. Vedic tradition sanctions four paths as legitimate and fruitful to win this achievement: Sathyavathi, Angavathi, Anyavathi and Nidaanavathi. We shall consider the path of Sathyavathi today. The scripture defines the Divine thus: Sarva vyaapinam aatmaanam, ksheere sarpith iva arpitham - the Atma is immanent everywhere just as ghee permeates every drop of milk. When the seeker pursues the Truth with this conviction, his spiritual practices are called Sathyavathi (Truth-based). The Lord declares, “In My latent form, I am in the entire Creation, operating the mystery. See in Me all and see all as Me.” The Lord promises this vision of immanence and transcendence to whomsoever that persists with sincerity o n this Sathyavathi path.

3.To concentrate effectively, establish your attention on a form that gives you joy. Sit in the padmasana (lotus) posture and fix your eyes on the tip of your nose. In the beginning, practice meditation for a minute; then for three minutes. A few days later try for six minutes and after some time, for as long as nine minutes. Thus the concentration has to be strengthened gradually, without undue hurry. Slowly the mind can be held for even half an hour; this discipline must be developed steadily. With practice, the mind will get fixed and the power of concentration will increase. To attain concentration and acquire one-pointedness, you must undergo exertion to some extent. You must fasten your mind on the Lord and keep off all other thoughts from the mental plane. By such exercise done constantly, your vision will be firmly fixed on the Lord residing in your heart . That is, verily, the goal, the full fruition of meditation.

4.Angavathi and Anyavathi are two of the many paths of adoring the lord. The Universal Being is the Fire, the Wind, the Sun, the Moon and all else. He is the breath that sustains life and the rain that feeds the plants which provide sustenance. So He can be adored as having graciously assumed all these beneficent forms. This approach, through the benign manifestations of Angas, is the Angavathi path. Anga means a limb or a feature. Adoring Divinity by symbolising a certain facet of the Universal being is the Anyavathi path; Anya meaning the other or the appurtenances. Easwara or Shiva (the facet of dissolution) has the trident symbolising in its three prongs, the Past, the Present and the Future. Krishna, the manifestation of universal love, bears a flute which is the symbol of the egoless, desireless se eker. In the Anyavathi path seekers meditate on these pleasing personifications and the significance of the symbols and adore the Divine in the delight that wells up in their hearts.

Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba