Thought for the Day

When the seven colours of the spectrum come together, the effect is ‘no colour’; when they stand apart, the seven colours can be separately identified. The betel nut is brown, betel leaf is green and the chunnam (slaked lime) is white, but when you chew these three together, your tongue becomes red. When the three blades of a ceiling fan revolve fast enough and no blade is separately noticeable, they give cool comfort. So too only when the different qualities of Sathwa, Rajas and Thamas are unrecognisably integrated, one can be happy. When the three gunas are equated in saadhana (spiritual practice), the result is peace. The lamp is the sathwa guna, the wick is the thamo guna and the oil is the rajo guna. When all the three are integrated, they give the light of wisdom, which illumines.

Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba

Thought for the Day

Those who are trying to build the human community on the foundation of wealth (dhana) are like builders using sand as their foundation. Those who seek to build it on the rock of righteousness (Dharma) are the wise ones. Always remember that righteousness is the very root of this world. (Dharma Moolam Idham Jagath). Those who practice evil are cowards, they will constantly be haunted by fear and have no peace within them. Practice righteousness and you will remain happy forever. Respect for the parents who brought you into this world is the first lesson in right conduct. And gratitude is the spring which feeds that respect. 

Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba

Thought for the Day

Education must train the children to love, to co-operate, to be brave in the cause of truth, to be helpful, to be sympathetic and to be grateful. Dear children! Revere your parents, elders and teachers, be humble before them and respect their experience and deeper love for you. You must follow these virtues consistently and strictly. The educators, elders and parents too, on their part, must cleanse their intelligence and practice the same virtues with humility and detachment. There is no use teaching the children one thing and holding out examples, contrary to the teachings. Thus, true learning occurs when noble truths are taught and supplemented by the conduct of the teachers, parents and the elders.

Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba

Thought for the Day

“Deho Devalaya” – Body is the temple, scriptures teach us. Realize that the human body is not just a mass of flesh and bone. The human body is a sacred instrument equipped with reason and emotion, capable of being used for deliverance from grief and evil; you have earned it after long ages of struggle. Honour it as such, keep it in good condition, so that it might serve that high purpose. Maintain it even more carefully than your brick homes and never let go of the conviction that it is an instrument and nothing more. Use it justly, for the purpose for which it has been designed and given. Install the Lord in the altar of your heart and invite Him into it. God loves to reside in a pure and aspiring heart.

Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba

Thought for the Day

Sand that has little grains of mica is valuable. But the sand, which has veins of gold, is much more precious. Thus, sand is valued according to the preciousness of the metal, which it has in its fold. Similarly, human hearts are evaluated by the contents therein. Keep God in your hearts. That is the best way to make your heart the most precious of your possessions. When God is installed in the heart, you will see only God everywhere, even in the objective world. The influence of God is such that even as you contemplate on Him, all traces of envy and greed will disappear from the mind.

Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba

Thought for the Day

Resolve this day to engage only in virtuous deeds, good thoughts and noble company. Let your mind dwell on elevating thoughts. Do not waste a single moment of your time in idle gossip or vain boasting or demeaning recreations. Death stalks behind you to snatch you and carry you off. Consider President Kennedy – how death was lurking around, waiting for the right time? Did he not have powerful soldiers and security men to guard him? All was in vain. No security personnel or device can prevent death from occurring. So while life persists, do good things, speak softly and sweetly. Never injure or insult another, serve those in need and keep the image of God, ever before your mind’s eye.

Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba

Time wasted is life wasted

Many of you are wasting a lot of time in meaningless pursuits. Time wasted is life wasted. Our ancients considered God as the embodiment of time and extolled Him thus: Kalaya Namah, Kala Kalaya Namah (Salutations to the Embodiment of Time, the One who conquered and transcends time). Do not forget the truth that time is verily God. You eagerly wait for a Sunday, thinking that you can relax and enjoy. In fact, you should feel sad that you are wasting time without doing any work on a Sunday. Utilise your time in a proper way. If you do not have any work, undertake social service. When your feelings are pure, and you utilize your time well to perform noble actions, your life will be sanctified and all work you do will be transformed into worship.

Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba

Thought for the Day

All that I seek from you is that you love your fellowmen, share their sufferings, and engage yourselves in serving them. Rich people and those in power have plentiful servants. But the distressed, the poverty-stricken, and those who suffer have no one to serve them. Go to such people and be their friends, their kith and kin, and their closest well-wishers. Let them welcome you as such. If you pour spirituality into the ears of those who are tortured by hunger, it will not be assimilated. First satiate the hunger. Give them God in the form of food and in the form of clothes. Give God in the form of peace to those who are afflicted with anxiety and in the form of medicine to those who are suffering from ill health. Give God in a form that will assuage fear, pain and sorrow. It is only when this is done that spirituality can soak into their hearts.

Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba

For men or women, character is the foundation.

The happiness that one derives from virtues is far superior to the happiness that you get from the possession of wealth. Unfortunately, many educated youth today are striving for wealth, physical strength and friendship. But all these have little value without the wealth of character. For men or women, character is the foundation. If you lack character, you become feeble in all other respects. Know that one’s strength lies in character and not in the wealth one earns. Materialistic wealth is not what we need today. Wealth can never confer true happiness. Hence, earn the wealth of virtues by developing good character. Without good character, all learning will prove futile, sooner or later. Embodiments of Love! With good character and purity of heart, perform all your actions. Know that even if a small act is done with a pure heart, it becomes fruitful.

Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba

Your fortune or misfortune depends on your actions.

Your fortune or misfortune depends on your actions. Without realising this truth, you are indulging in evil deeds. You feel sorry when the consequences of your sins haunt you. What is the use? You have to be careful right from beginning not to commit sin. Truth is the ornament for your neck (Sathyam kantasya bhushanam), Charity is the true ornament of the hand (Hasthasya bhushanam daanam). Your hands are useless if they do not perform acts of charity. You have to sanctify each limb of your body by engaging in sacred activities. Let your eyes ever look only at sacred things. These teachings are simple to practise in your daily life. But do not take them lightly. Though they appear to be simple, they lead you to liberation. You may not be able to see the results of your meritorious deeds. But they confer on you all the happiness and comforts in due course of time.

Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba

Thought for the Day

An old man was once warned that there was a cobra on the roadside of the path he proposed to walk through. But he said, he had never seen it and so he did not believe it. Unfortunately for him, he did believe in it later, after it bit him. But then, it was too late to benefit from the information that he had heard earlier. Several leaders had to acknowledge that there is destiny that shapes events in lives, irrespective of individual efforts. Know that everyone has to come to the same conclusion, sooner or later – for, there is a limit to the capacity of the individual to control events in the world. Beyond that, there is an Unseen Hand that takes over the wheel of events. One may call it Destiny, another may call it Providence and the third may call it God – the Names do not matter. What matters is your humility, your ability to wonder, and sense of awe at the grandeur and magnificence of Divinity.

Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba

Give up all negative thoughts

The teachings of a mother play a vital role in shaping the future of her children. She should make every effort to drive away bad qualities and infuse human values in them. Embodiments of love, lead an exemplary life. Give up all negative thoughts and develop sacred feelings. Talk softly and sweetly. Never hurt others' feelings with harsh talk. Look after your home diligently and conduct yourselves in a pleasing manner. Treat guests cordially; to the extent possible, extend your help to those who are in need of it. Empathise with those who are in difficulties. You should try to comfort and console them with soothing words. Know that anyone who hurts others' feelings, will be hurt twice as much. No one can escape from the consequences of their actions. Hence, sanctify your lives by reforming your conduct to help ever and hurt never.

Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba

Thought for the Day

Sensuous pleasures are momentary and leave a trail of pain behind. Yet most people, from the learned to the illiterate, seek only such fleeting and unreal pleasures (preyas). Hence, instead of seeking preyas, develop a desire for spiritual well-being (Shreyas). Surely there is a need for some concern about physical comforts. ‘Even the body is essential for the realisation of Dharma,’ says the scripture. The demands of the body have to be satisfied. Society has to be served. Family responsibilities have to be discharged. The body is the basis for all these. But this should not be the ultimate goal of life. Together with this, there should be the yearning for a higher Shreyas. All actions aimed at Spiritual bliss are related to Shreyas and it is when you yearn for Shreyas, that even preyas leads you to fulfilment.

Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba

Education must encourage the acceptance of the good and the rejection of the bad

Education is no book-worm affair; the process must include the study and appreciation of all trades and professions. It must encourage the acceptance of the good and the rejection of the bad. Spiritual education is not a distinct and separate discipline; it is part and parcel of all types and levels of education; in fact, it is the very foundation on which a lasting edifice can be built. Secular and spiritual education are like the two halves in the seeds of pulses; the germ that sprouts is in between and it is fed by both. Cultivate Love; sow the seeds of love in all hearts. Shower Love on the desert sands and let the green shoots, the lovely flowers, the luscious fruits and the sweet harvest of nectar be earned by all mankind.

Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba

Thought for the Day

1.Step by step, you reach the end of the road. One act followed by another leads to a good habit. Listening over and over again, you get prodded into action. Resolve to act, to mix only in good company, to read only elevating books and to form the habit of remembering the Lord's name (Naamasmarana), then ignorance will vanish automatically. The Divine Bliss that will well up within you by the contemplation of the lord who is Bliss Personified, will drive out all grief and worry. Move forward towards the Light and the shadow falls behind; move away from it and you have to follow your own shadow. Go every moment one step nearer to the Lord and then maya (illusion) which is the shadow will fall back and will not delude you at all.

2.The basic cause for the occurrence of feelings like hatred, jealousy and anger is body consciousness. As long as body consciousness remains, the body will be subject to these types of feelings. For instance, all experiences derived through the senses and the mind occurs only during the waking state. When you go to sleep none of these experiences are present. The experiences in the dream state are real as long as the dream lasts. The experiences in the waking state are real in that state. The Reality or Truth, is the ‘I’ that remains in all the states. Over the ages, by identifying the ‘I’ with the body, its true nature has been grossly underrated. The truth is, this ‘I’ is subtle and incomparable. It is beyond change. This is the characteristic of Divinity. You must be aware of this and make efforts to recognise this inherent Divinity.

Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba 

How to overcome sorrow?

When happy news is heard, the heart is elated. But when we listen to something sad, the heart shrinks with sorrow. Similarly, the heart gets enraged when the ears hear harsh words about you, and you are filled with joy when you listen to words of praise. What is responsible for these varied responses, though all the words are heard by the same ears? The ears are inert (jada) and are incapable of any reactions by themselves. The responses of joy or sorrow are related to the contents of the messages conveyed by the ears. Given this, ask yourself, how can the operations of these senses be deemed as Sathya (Truth or Reality)? When the senses are unreliable, the reactions and experiences produced by them are equally unreliable. Enquiring along these lines, one can overcome sorrow.

Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba

Thought for the Day

I desire that festivals should be celebrated, understanding their inner significance. Deepavali is a special day for getting rid of all the bad qualities in us. As long as the demonic qualities remain, you will be immersed in darkness. The destruction of the demon Narakasura symbolizes destruction of evil and restoration of virtuousness. Also, on Deepavali day, a whole array of lamps are lit by the light from one lamp. That One lamp symbolises the Supreme Effulgent Lord. The other lamps are the light in individual selves. The truth of the Vedic saying, "The One willed to become the Many" (Ekoham Bahushyaam) is exemplified by the lighting of lamps from the flame of one. Another significant fact is that, wherever the lamp may be placed, the flame goes upwards only and never down. Likewise, the flame of Spiritual Wisdom (Jnana) always leads you to a sublime level through the path of Righteousness.

Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba

Thought for the Day

When a man falls into a well, of what use is it if he controls his voice and his emotions and whispers quietly, "I have fallen into this well.. I have fallen into this well... I am in great danger... Please save me?” and so on. No one will be able to hear or save him. He must shout full-throated, with all the anguish he is experiencing and with the extreme desire to be saved. Then he can hope to get succour. Similarly, when you are caught in the coils of this world, when you have fallen into this deep well of worldly misery, shout with all your might and all your heart, that you may be saved by God. There is no use muttering faintly and half-heartedly, "Save me... I am floundering in this samsaar (worldly life)." When the prayer comes shrieking through the heart, help is assured. Sing with intense yearning for God and enjoy the experience of adoring Him.

Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba

Thought for the Day

You must probe into the real significance of samkeerthan (or Bhajan singing) that you are engaged in. Keerthan is ‘singing aloud the Glory of God.’ Samkeerthan is the process of singing that originates in the heart, not from the lips or tongue. It is the expression of the joyous thrill that wells up from the heart when the Glory of God is remembered. It is the spontaneous manifestation of inner ecstasy, no attention is paid to the blame or praise that others may give. It does not seek the admiration or the appreciation of the listeners. It is sung for one's own joy, satisfaction and delight. Keerthan of this supreme type, alone, deserves the name samkeerthan. It is with this high purpose in view that this programme of global samkeerthan was designed. Singing this intense yearning for God and enjoying the experience of adoring Him, helps to purify the atmosphere. It is with this high purpose in view that this programme of global Akhanda Bhajan was designed.

Bagavan Sri Sri Sri sathya Sai Baba

The first step to love all and serve all is to expand love in your own homes.

The first step to love all and serve all is to expand love in your own homes. You must revere and please your parents who gave you this chance to live and learn. If you ill-treat them or inflict grief on their minds, how can you ever gladden others by service and understanding? You know that when a balloon is blown, it bursts and the air inside it merges with the vast limitless expanse outside. Similarly your love must fill your home, then the society you live, and finally burst open to spread in the Universe. A drop of water held in the palm is soon evaporated; but drop it into the sea and it survives as a part of the sea. It assumes the name and the taste, the majesty and might of the sea! Cultivate Love; sow the seeds of love in all hearts, everywhere around you. That is My Wish, My Mission!

Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba

The motherland is not a mere lump or earth

1.All worldly pleasures are transient and temporary. Very often they result in sorrow and disappointment. You often experience loss, depression and confusion and have no contentment. Know that lack of contentment is the real loss (Asantrupto nijo nashtah). There is no limit to desires. One feels hungry, another is thirsty. If the thirsty man is offered water, he is not satisfied, he wants a cool drink. When he is given a cool drink, next he wants ice cream, and so on. He is not satisfied with anything. Realize that there is no end to desires for material things in the world. To get rid of these desires, one must turn their mind towards God. The purpose of human birth is to realise the inherent Divinity. That is the way to achieve contentment and lasting bliss. God alone is the source of enduring bliss.

2.When students score low marks parents feel great grief. Similarly, when we fall low in morals and spiritual virtues, our motherland bemoans her fate ten times more sadly. We have to assuage the grief of the physical mother and promote the peace and prosperity of our motherland. The motherland is not a mere lump of earth. When we desire her progress, we have to promote the progress of the people who dwell therein. The skills needed for resuscitating and reforming are found in youth. The reforming process involves the removal, in daily living, of bad conduct and bad habits, and the practice of good conduct and good deeds. You must express your humility, fortitude, equanimity, and gratitude for kindness received, in various acts in your daily life, every day.

Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba 

Egoism is the most dangerous illusion that has to be exploded and destroyed.

Egoism is the most dangerous illusion that has to be exploded and destroyed. Arjuna too suffered this ego. One day when Krishna brought the chariot back to camp, Arjuna wanted that like all charioteers, Krishna should get down first and open the door of the chariot for him. Krishna refused and insisted that Arjuna should alight before He does. At last Krishna won and Arjuna got down. As soon as Krishna left His seat and touched the ground, the chariot went up in flames! The fact was that the various fiery arrows that had the power of burning the chariot had actually hit the target, but due to the presence of Krishna, their igniferous powers could not manifest themselves. Realising this, humbled Arjuna; his egoism had a rude shock. He also realised that every action of Divinity was full of significance.

Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba

Thought for the Day

You must take care of your body, which is the case for the Divine Spark, until its purpose of Self-Realization is fulfilled. But its nourishment and care should not overshadow the attention due to the mind, its purification and sublimation. Now the body is nourished with breakfast in the morning, lunch at noon, snack break at 4 PM and dinner at night. The body is the cart and the mind is the horse that drags it. Unfortunately no food is given to the horse, which is really the more valuable of the two. Give the mind and culturing of the mind, the importance it deserves, only then life is worth living. The mind has to be hale and hearty, joyous and peaceful, free from agitations and worries. You can keep it happy by recitation of holy names and doing noble acts that helps the wellbeing of all. This will confer you everlasting joy.

Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba

Thought for the Day

Many worry themselves with questions on the multiplicity of Divinity. The same current activates the fan and gives air, illumines the bulb and gives light, heats the stove and cooks, moves the wheels around in a train. The instruments are different, but the inner energizer is the same. Some bulbs are 40 watts and some are 60, 100 or 1000 watts. Hence, though the current is one, the illumination varies. Name and form are not essential, focus on the inner truth. Take the case of your own body - the hand is a limb of the body, the hand has fingers, the fingers have nails and so on. Through every part of this and every other limb, flows the same life force. So too, in this universe, which is the body of God, every being is a part, sustained by the same divine essence. So honour everyone, revere the essential Divine.

Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba

Thought for the Day

The very first lesson I gave when I declared My Identity at Uravakonda was: "Maanasa Bhajare Gurucharanam, Dusthara Bhava Saagara Tharanam." That is to say: First know that you are in this cycle of birth and death, the ocean of worldly life (bhava saagaram); then resolve on crossing it (tharanam); then fix on a Guru or the Name and Form of God which appeals to you; lastly, dwell on His Glory, do bhajan, but do it with all your mind. He, who is deluded by this relative reality is the worldly person (samsaari); he who is aware that it is only relatively real is the spiritual practitioner (saadhaka).

Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba

Think and feel only pure thoughts and emotions

The best means to stay in contact with the Higher Self at all times, is to follow the simple exercise of Namasmarana, the repetition of any one of the Names of the Lord; a Name that signifies the glory that lies embedded in every being. People indulge in all types of purposeless gossip, conversations and scandal. Many find time and interest in these degrading pursuits. But they have no inclination to awaken the Divine in them by constant remembrance of the Creator and His Splendour. See only those scenes that will foster this discipline; speak only of elevating and uplifting subjects; listen only to purifying topics; think and feel only pure thoughts and emotions. That is the way to develop the Divinity inherent in each one.

Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba

Thought for the Day

It is true that milk contains butter; sesame seeds contain oil; cane yields sugar. But by merely holding milk in the hand, you cannot get butter; filling the lamp with sesame seeds you cannot light the wick, shaking the cane will not result in a shower of sugar. By placing sweets on a plate in front of you and reciting 108 times "sweets, sweets.." can your tongue relish it? Similarly you study many holy books, and chant mantras and hymns. Of course, the time spent in these activities is thereby rendered holy. But, these are not helping you to transform the work you are engaged in into an offering acceptable to God. Are you putting into practice at least one percent of what you read or recite? Mere reading and singing will not free you from the cycle of birth and death. God has to be planted firmly in the mind, the omnipresent God has to be enshrined in the heart; God has to flow with the blood in the veins. God has to be visualised through the inner eye.

Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba

Thought for the Day

Millions read and write; millions have qualified for degrees and have become experts and specialists. This only means that they are efficient collectors of information or big encyclopaedias of general knowledge! But none can say, who one really is. People try to fly millions of miles into space, but they are powerless to travel even half an inch into their own inner realm and discover what lies therein. What is the use then, of the vast amount of exertion and energy they have spent for their education? True learning must be like that of ancient India, where knowledge and scientific temper was developed and practised along with sense and mind control, and character development. That will be beneficial to the individual, the society and lead to the progressive unfoldment of the Divinity present in every being.

Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba

Thought for the Day

Illusion is like a fierce dog that will not allow anyone to near its Master, God. You can easily manage to by-pass it by assuming the Form of the Master which is called Sarupyam or by calling out to the Master so loudly that He comes down and accompanies you into the house; that is to say, by winning His Grace as proximity, Saameepyam. Illusion is His pet and so will not harm you, if He orders not to. Illusion is the blemish that affects the mind. The Master comes to save not just one good person from Illusion, but the whole of mankind. Of course, He has to come assuming a form that man can love, revere, and appreciate.

Proceed ever towards strength (balam). Do not take to untruth, wickedness, and crookedness – all of which denotes a fundamental fatal trait of cowardice and weakness (bala heenam). Weakness is born of accepting as true, a lower image of yourself than what the facts warrant. That is the main mistake. You believe you are the husk, but you really are the kernel. All spiritual practices must be directed to the removal of the husk and the revelation of the kernel. So long as you say, ”I am so and so”, there is bound to be fear. Once you say and feel “I am Divine” (Aham Brahmasmi), you get unconquerable strength.

Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba