1.One should engage in activity with a mind steady in fortune and failure, good and bad. Unless the intellect is purified and trained, it is impossible to give up attachment to the fruits of action and continue doing things as duty or dedication. Cultivate this mindset and through it, liberate yourself from the bondage of action (Karma). You might say that you will desist from action rather than practise the difficult discipline of renouncing the fruits thereof; but that is impossible! Karma is inevitable. Not for a single moment can one free oneself from action. Every deed (Karya) or activity has a beginning and an end, but Nishkama Karma (desireless action) has no such. That is the difference between the two. When action (Karma) is done with an eye on the gains therefrom, one has to suffer the loss, the pain, and even the p unishment. But Nishkama Karma frees you from all these.
2.Your worthiness is not measured by the number of temples you have visited, or the quantity and cost of the offerings you have made there. Do not calculate the length of time you have spent with the Lord’s Name and exult; calculate rather the time you have wasted away from the Lord, and repent. How did Mother Sita in the epic Ramayana brave the taunts, insults and tortures of the aggressors in Lanka? What gave her the mental stamina? It was repetition of the Name of the Lord and nothing else. Always remember that desire, anger, greed and hatred can never co-exist with Divinity. A tasty dish will become inedible, if a drop of kerosene falls on it. One bad thought or action is sufficient to spoil the spiritual discipline, built painstakingly over time. Have the Divine Name ever in your thoughts and you can brave any calamity.
3.Desire the fruits of action (Karma) and you will be born again and again, caught up in that desire; give up that craving and you are liberated from the flux. The main point is to stick to the goal consistently. Your goal should be Karma (action), not Karma phala (the fruits of the action). Be aware that the desire for the fruits of one's actions is an indication of Rajoguna (quality of passionate action, resulting in pain). If you choose to remain inactive, it is an indication of Thamoguna (quality of sloth and inaction leading to ignorance)! That is even worse than Rajoguna. This lesson was not for Arjuna alone; this advice is intended for every seeker and the whole of mankind.
4.The field of your heart must be cleared of bushes and thorns. It must be ploughed and furrowed, watered and dampened to depth. Then the seeds must be planted into the earth; not scattered on the surface. After planting the seeds, water the field, remove the weeds, keep away stray cattle, manure the plants, dust them with pesticides, and then you can reap the bounteous crop. Spiritual discipline (Sadhana) means and includes every one of these steps. If there is crooked vision, character, thought and feelings, how can devotion even sprout or bloom? If the lamp is not burning, it means that you have not lit it! Your spiritual progress is what is reflected back to you as Grace. Your decline is reflected back as its absence. Engage yourself in action that will direct your intellect and mind along divine and sublime channels, and win His bounteous grace through worthy action.
Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba
2.Your worthiness is not measured by the number of temples you have visited, or the quantity and cost of the offerings you have made there. Do not calculate the length of time you have spent with the Lord’s Name and exult; calculate rather the time you have wasted away from the Lord, and repent. How did Mother Sita in the epic Ramayana brave the taunts, insults and tortures of the aggressors in Lanka? What gave her the mental stamina? It was repetition of the Name of the Lord and nothing else. Always remember that desire, anger, greed and hatred can never co-exist with Divinity. A tasty dish will become inedible, if a drop of kerosene falls on it. One bad thought or action is sufficient to spoil the spiritual discipline, built painstakingly over time. Have the Divine Name ever in your thoughts and you can brave any calamity.
3.Desire the fruits of action (Karma) and you will be born again and again, caught up in that desire; give up that craving and you are liberated from the flux. The main point is to stick to the goal consistently. Your goal should be Karma (action), not Karma phala (the fruits of the action). Be aware that the desire for the fruits of one's actions is an indication of Rajoguna (quality of passionate action, resulting in pain). If you choose to remain inactive, it is an indication of Thamoguna (quality of sloth and inaction leading to ignorance)! That is even worse than Rajoguna. This lesson was not for Arjuna alone; this advice is intended for every seeker and the whole of mankind.
4.The field of your heart must be cleared of bushes and thorns. It must be ploughed and furrowed, watered and dampened to depth. Then the seeds must be planted into the earth; not scattered on the surface. After planting the seeds, water the field, remove the weeds, keep away stray cattle, manure the plants, dust them with pesticides, and then you can reap the bounteous crop. Spiritual discipline (Sadhana) means and includes every one of these steps. If there is crooked vision, character, thought and feelings, how can devotion even sprout or bloom? If the lamp is not burning, it means that you have not lit it! Your spiritual progress is what is reflected back to you as Grace. Your decline is reflected back as its absence. Engage yourself in action that will direct your intellect and mind along divine and sublime channels, and win His bounteous grace through worthy action.
Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba
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