Thought for the Day

The Lord cares for your concentration (Ekagratha) and purity of mind (Chittashuddhi). You need not worry if you are near or far from Him. He has no ‘near’ or ‘far’. When the address you write is correct and clear, your letter will be delivered whether it is to the next street or a distant city. Remembering the Lord (Smarana) is the stamp. Recapitulating His Glory in your heart (Manana) is the Address. Select any Name that appeals to you for Smarana and Manana. Be careful not to talk ill of other Names and Forms. Conduct yourself like the woman in a joint family. She respects all elders in the family (father in law or brother in law), but her heart is dedicated to her husband, whom she loves and reveres in a special manner. Never carp at others’ faith, it reveals that your devotion is fake. If you are sincere, you will appreciate the sincerity of others.

Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba

Thouht for the Day

If you want to attain God, cultivate love. If you promote love and look upon all with love, hatred will never be your lot. That is the one important lesson I teach always. I do not ask that you should become a scholar or a recluse or an ascetic skilled in recitation of holy Names and Meditation (Japa and Dhyana). God only examines, “Is your heart full of love?” Firmly believe that Love is God, Truth is God. Love is Truth, Truth is Love. For it is only when you love that you have no fear. Fear is the mother of falsehood. If you have no fear, you will adhere to truth. The mirror of love reflects the Divine Self within you and reveals to you that the Divine Self within you is Universal and is immanent in every being.

Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba

Thought for the Day

You do not wail that the pot you are holding is a mud pot, if you know that what is contained in it is nectar, is it not? Having a mud pot with nectar is far better than having a gold pot with poison! There is no value to the land of riches or a mansion if the quality of life is deplorable. Even if the standard of life is poor, it does not matter if the way of life is pure, full of love, humility, fear of sin and reverence towards elders. It is easy to restore this way of life provided the Vedas are studied and fostered and its teachings practised in earnestness. The Mother of Vedas (Vedamatha) will foster in you love and kindness. The teachings for right conduct laid down in the Vedas are the best armour to guard you against sorrow and difficulties.

Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba

Thought for the Day

The others are part of yourself. You need not worry about them. Worry about yourself that is enough. When you become all right, they too will be all right, for you will no longer be aware of them as separate from you. Criticising others, finding fault with them, etc. - all this comes out of egoism. Search for your own faults instead. The faults you see in others are but reflection of your own personality traits. Pay no heed to little worries; attach your mind to the Lord. Then, you will be led onto the company of good people and your talents will be transmuted. Consider everyone as the children of the Lord, as your own brothers and sisters, develop the quality of love and seek always the welfare of humanity. Be like the bee, drinking the nectar of every flower, not like the mosquito drinking blood and distributing disease in return. If you continue to love, you will be loved in return.

Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba

Thought for the Day

The three qualities (gunas) of the mind have to be transcended sequentially. Lethargy (Thamas) should be transformed into passionate activity (Rajas) and Rajas into serenity and poise (Sathwa) and finally into atributelessness. The Gunas bind the person and leave impressions. Thamas is like the worms that creep and crawl in offal. Rajas is like the fly that sits on foul and also good things. Sathwa is like the bee that visits only fragrant flowers. But all the three are drawn towards objects nonetheless. One should be free from all traces of attachment. When your heart is infested with flies and worms, the pesticide of Namasmarana (constant remembrance of the Name of the Lord) has to be used for disinfecting.

Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba

Thought for the Day

The first step in Self-Enquiry (Athma Vichara) is the practice of the truth that whatever gives you pain, gives pain to others and whatever gives you joy, gives joy to others. So do unto others as you would like them do unto you; desist from any act in relation to others, which, if done by them will cause you pain. Thus, a kind of reciprocal relationship will grow between you and others and gradually you reach the stage when your heart thrills with joy when others are joyful and shudders in pain when others are sad. This is not the kind of affection towards those who are dear to you or those who are your kith and kin. This sharing of joy and grief is automatic, immediate, and universal. It is a sign of great spiritual advance, the wave knows that it is part of the ocean; all the waves are but temporary manifestations of the sea and with the same taste of the ocean itself.

Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba

maganum magalum thirunthinaargal

சப்கோ சன்மதி தே பகவான்

Thought for the Day

The world today is suffering more from Rajobuddhi (passionate intellect) than Thamas (inertia). People have violent likes and dislikes. They are carried away by noise, show and propaganda. That is why discrimination has become essential. To reach the goal, Sathwabuddhi (pious intellect) is essential. This intellect will lead you to seek the truth calmly and stick to it, unmindful of the consequences. You might have heard people talk about the miracles; of My 'materialisations', of My fulfilling all your wants, of My curing illnesses. But they are not so important as the Saathwaguna (poised state) I appreciate, promote and instil. In fact, I confer on you the boons of health and prosperity, only so that you might, with greater enthusiasm and less interruption proceed on the path of spiritual practice. 

Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba

Thought for the Day

Kama (desire) is a three-headed demon; when you win your desire, you develop lobha (greed) to retain the gain and see that it multiplies; when you are defeated in desire, you develop krodha (resentment or anger). Kama, lobha and krodha are all forms of rajoguna (quality of passion and activity), the feverish activity that ignores the ‘means’ while concentrating on the ‘end’. Rajoguna pursues the goal, but is not particular about the correctness of the path. Lanka was a land that reverberated with the recitation of the Vedas; its air was thick with sacrificial smoke. Yet the demons living there were wicked. Rituals must result in righteousness; otherwise, it is only rigmarole. Ravana sought to gain Prakrithi, not Purusha (the manifestation not the Manifestor), and so his life became futile.

Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba

Thought for the Day

All that I can tell you about the spiritual disciplines have been told often before; the human capacity, nature, and talents are all ancient possessions and so the advice regarding how to use them is also ancient. The only new thing is the directions in which these talents are wasted, and the way one is playing false to one’s own nature. Man is essentially an animal, endowed with viveka (Discrimination). That is why one is not content with the satisfaction of mere animal needs. One feels some void, some deep discontent and some unslaked thirst, for man is a child of Immortality and so feels that death is not and should not be the end. This viveka urges man to discover answers to the problems that haunt him: "Where did I come from, whither am I journeying, which is the journey's end?" To find answers to these questions, the intellect (buddhi) has to be kept sharp and clear.

Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba

Thouht for the Day

Right Conduct (Dharma) is the feet and Realization (Moksha) is the head of every human being. Wealth and Desire (Artha and Kama) are the trunk and the limbs. The tragedy in the present times is that the Head and Feet are ignored while trunk and limbs are reckoned as vital. Enough warning about the tragedy this approach can lead to has been given in the ancient texts. Sanathana Dharma has laid down the rules and regulations for the best possible utilisation of life, but for want of teaching, exposition and example, they have been sadly neglected. The neglect of these rules which give real happiness and peace, is like inflicting injuries on oneself. The land may be rich, but, if life is mean, it is deplorable. It does not matter if the standard of life is poor, provided the way of life is pure, full of love and humility, and is led with fear-of-sin and reverence towards elders.

Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba

Thought for the Day

Prema (Love) is what the individual and the nation must cultivate now for progress. Your love must transform all relationships – Personal, Social, Economic, Educational, Family, Religious, Legal, etc. The father must love the child a little more intensely and intelligently. The mother must spread the love to all who come within her influence. Children must love the servants. The sense of equality that everyone is a repository of Divinity must transmute individual and social behavior. The Grace of the Lord is always flowing like the electric current through the wire. Fix a bulb and the current, to the extent of the wattage, will illumine your homes. The bulb is the Sadhana you perform, the home is your heart.

Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba

Thought for the Day

When the house catches fire, you run about in desperate haste to get succour and to put out the flames. But you do not realise that the fire raging inside you is far more devastating and devouring. You must take up the duty of firefighting in right earnest and never rest until those flames are put out. Start the fight right now. That is Sadhana, spiritual effort. Start serving your parents, teachers, elders, the poor, the diseased and the distressed. Do not foster factions and divisions. Promote love, concord, co-operation and brotherliness. You all are in the state of bondage to the senses and to the objective world. Join the company of the good, the striving and the yearning aspirants and you will soon reach the stage of peace within and harmony without.

Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba

Practise moderation in speech

Practise moderation in speech – it will help you in many ways. When the foot slips, the wound heals after a few months; when the tongue slips, the wound it causes in the heart of another will fester for life. The tongue is liable to four big errors – uttering falsehood, finding fault with others, excessive articulation and indulging in scandals. These have to be strictly avoided if there has to be peace for the individual and the society. The bond of love and brotherliness will be stronger if people would speak less and speak sweetly. Silence (mounam) has been prescribed as a spiritual practice, for this same reason. You are all spiritual aspirants at various stages of the road and so this discipline is valuable for you also.

Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba

Thought for the Day

Every being is Divine, take it from Me! All of you are really here on a holy mission, for a divine purpose. To consider yourself weak or sinful is itself a sin! You must earn your birthright, which is Peace (Shanthi). Restlessness (ashanthi) is an unnatural state. To recover this heritage of peace, people try many methods – accumulation of riches, maintenance of good health, mastery of knowledge, cultivation of arts, etc. All these are not fundamental. Three basic needs remain even after all these methods are exhausted - the need for Truth, Light and for Immortality. It is only when these are won that Peace will be permanently established.

Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba

Thoguht for the Day

Devotion is like a King who has two aides-de-camp called Wisdom (Jnana) and Detachment (Vairagyam). Without these body-guards, devotion is never safe or secure. Devotion must be built upon the foundation of Wisdom and must flower as Detachment from the world. The man of wisdom (Jnani) is unmoved by the agitating feelings and emotions and is unshaken by the storms of good fortune and bad (a sthithaprajna). The one who is detached (vairagi) is the one who has rid himself of the three gunas (or qualities of the mind). A devotee is one who has love towards all living beings. Bhakthi, Jnana and Vairagya are three peaks of the same Himalayan Range. Prema creates daya (compassion), Vairaagya induces dhama (tolerance); and, jnaana (wisdom) leads you along the path of dharma.

Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba

Thought for the Day

The mind must become bhakthimaya (saturated with devotion to God). The intelligence must be transformed into Jnana (divine knowledge). The body must be a willing and efficient instrument for the practice of righteousness. Such a life is indeed the crown and glory of humanity. The rest are merely contaminated, contained and caged lives! So sadhana (spiritual endeavours) alone makes life worth while; the rest are like froth which is fake and momentary. Join the company of the good, the striving, the yearning spiritual aspirants and you will soon reach the stage of peace within and harmony without.

Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba

Thought for the day

Just as you attend to the needs of the body regularly, feeding it three times a day to keep it in good running condition, so too spend some time regularly to keep your inner consciousness in good trim. Spend one hour in the morning, another at night and the third in the early hours of the dawn (the Brahma Muhurtha) for japam (contemplation) and meditation on the Lord. You will find great peace descending upon you and new sources of strength welling up within as you progress in this spiritual practice (Sadhana). After sometime, the mind will dwell on the Name, wherever you are and whatever you are engaged in. Peace and Joy will become your inseparable companions.

Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba

Thought for the Day

When you say that Lord Krishna was born in Gokul, grew up in Brindavan, ruled over Mathura and later Dwaraka, what does that signify? The mind is the Gokul where He was born. He is born to everyone, even today, whoever has taken to a spiritual path. The heart is the Brindavan where He grows. He grows in every heart, where Divine Love develops and expands. Your Intellect (Chitha) is where He begins His rule, and the Nirvikalpa stage (the state of absolute oneness) is the Dwaraka where He firmly establishes Himself as the reigning monarch. Make your thirst and devotion for the Lord grow through these stages, and you will be saving yourself.

Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba

Thought for the Day

The poet Kalidasa once said, “I would get liberation, as soon as I go”, implying, liberation is achieved as soon as the ego disappears. For then one would shine in his native splendour, as the indestructible Atma. The ‘I’ when crossed out becomes the symbol of the cross. So what is crucified is the ego. Once this happens, the Divine nature spontaneously manifests itself unhampered. The ego is most easily destroyed by devotion, by dwelling on the magnificence of the Lord. You can call Him by any name, for all names are His. Select the Name and Form that best appeals to you. That is why Sahasranamas (thousand names of the Lord) are composed for the various forms of God; you have the freedom and the right to select any one of the thousand.

Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba

Thought for the Day

You can understand Radha only if you can fathom the depth of her thirst for Krishna. Radha believed that Krishna is the Aadhar (basis). She performed Araadh (worship) in a continuous Dhara (stream). In fact she is Prakrithi (nature), another form of the Lord Himself. How can those, who are full of evil tendencies and impulses grasp that relationship? The recitation of the Name of the Lord is the best method for cleansing the mind of all these evil impulses. If you have pure and steady faith in the Lord, He will provide for you, not just food, but the nectar of immortality itself. You have the potential in you to make Him grant you that boon.

Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba

Thought for the Day

The Lord is the Kalpatharu (the divine wish fulfilling tree) who gives whatever is asked for. But you have to go near the tree and wish for the thing you want. The atheist is the person who keeps far away from the tree. The theist is the one who has come near. The tree does not make any distinction – it grants boons to all. The Lord will not punish or take revenge if you do not recognize Him or revere Him. Earn the right to approach the Lord without fear and the right to ask for your heritage. You must become so free that praise will not emanate from you when you approach the Lord. Praise is a sign of distance and fear.

Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba

Thought for the Day

If you have the ear, you can hear 'Om' in every sound announcing to you the Lord's presence. The bell in temples is intended to convey the ‘Om’ as the symbol of the Omnipresent God. When the bell sounds, the Godhead within you will awaken and you will be aware of His Presence. The jeevi (individual soul) has come in with a dress (body), like a pilgrim on a visit to a holy place. The jeevi must have a guide who will show the sacred spots and help fulfil the pilgrimage. That guide is the Lord Himself and the guide books are the Vedas, Upanishads and other scriptures. The essence of the scriptures lies in this one rule: Repeat the name of the Lord, keeping His Glow always before the mind.

Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba

Thought for the Day

The thirst for worldly goods can never be allayed; trying to satisfy it makes it only more acute. Thirst can never be quenched by drinking salt water, which is the objective world. Human desire is illimitable, without end. It makes you pursue the mirage in the desert, it makes you build castles in the air, it breeds discontent and despair once you succumb to it. But develop thirst (thrishna) for Krishna, and you will discover the cool spring of bliss within you. The name of Krishna makes you strong and steady, it is sweet and sustaining. Whoever has the thirst, Krishna will quench it; whoever calls on Him in the agony of that thirst, Krishna, the rain-cloud, will answer that call and appear.

Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba

Work done mechanically is like the flame of an oil-less wick. Your mental enthusiasm is the oil, pour it and the lamp will burn clear and long.

Many social workers visit hospitals to do service. Most of the work done, like fanning patients, writing letters for them and singing bhajans, appears mechanical. It is done as that is what is defined as service and done without paying heed to what the patient really needs! That is incorrect. Service must be done with the full cooperation of the mind, gladly, intelligently, and reverentially. The patient should not feel disgusted at the fussiness of the social worker, but indeed look forward to their arrival, as that of someone near and dear! If you do not like one type of service, do not engage in it. Do not burden your mind by the unpleasantness of a task. Work done mechanically is like the flame of an oil-less wick. Your mental enthusiasm is the oil, pour it and the lamp will burn clear and long.

Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba

Thought for the Day

All beings have to do actions (Karma), it is an universal inescapable obligation. Some feel that only meritorious acts or sinful acts are entitled to be called karma, but your very breathing is karma. There are physical, mental and spiritual karmas and doing each one of these for the good of the Self is called dedication. Do not waste a single moment of your life, for time is the body of God. He is known as Kaalaswarupa (of the Form of Time). It is a crime to misuse time or to waste it in idleness. Like the force of gravitation which drags everything down, the pull of sloth (Thamoshakthi) will drag you relentlessly down. So you must be ever on the watch, be ever active.

Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba

Respect your mother, obey her commands.

Respect your mother, obey her commands. Give her the utmost importance in human life. There may be a wicked son, but not a wicked mother. It is because of the noble feelings of the mothers that children become virtuous, intelligent, attain exalted positions and earn name and fame. The mother fosters you, nourishes you, knows your choices, preferences and fulfils all your needs. So, be grateful to your mother always. Mother protects and helps her children always, in many ways and even after her death. Never disrespect your mother or disappoint her or hurt her feelings. Try to satisfy her in all respects. Only then will the seed of devotion sprout in you. Everyone should follow the dictum, Mathru Devo bhava (Mother is God) in letter and spirit and receive their mother's love. Also never look down upon women. They are embodiments of Nature and most virtuous. With all the sacred feelings in your heart, respect women and be respected.

Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba

Thought for the Day

Though you cannot see Rama or Krishna, you worship them because you believe in scriptures and elders have taught you so. But how is it that you are forgetting your parents, who are responsible for your progress in life? First and foremost, you should show gratitude to your parents, love them, and respect them. Your blood, your food, your head, and your money - all these are gifts of your parents. You do not receive these gifts directly from God. Young children understand the meanings of the word apple or dog only by seeing their pictures. Similarly, it is only after seeing the parents that one can understand the existence of God. All that is related to God is only indirect experience. It is only the parents whom you can see and whose love you can feel. So consider your parents as God. God will be pleased and will manifest before you only when you love and respect your parents.

Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba

Thought for the Day

I refuse to call any person a naasthika (an atheist). All beings exist as a result of His Will, in accordance with His Plan; no one is beyond His Grace. Everyone has Love towards someone or something and that Love is a spark of the Divine. Everyone has ultimately to base his life on some Truth; that Truth is God. No life can be lived out in complete defiance of Truth; one has to pay heed to Truth and speak the truth to someone in order to make life worth living. Now, that moment is God's moment and at that moment when one utters the truth or loves, or serves, the person is a theist. It is also the responsibility of all pious individuals to demonstrate in and through their lives that piety is not weakness but strength; that it opens up a vast spring of power and that a person with faith in God can overcome obstacles much more easily than one who has not.

Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba

Thought for the Day

So long as you have a trace of ego in you, you cannot see the Lord clearly. Ego is the curtain which even noble saints ask the Lord to remove from their minds. Egoism will be destroyed, if you constantly tell yourself, “Ït is He, not I”. “He is the force, I am but the instrument.” Keep His Name always on the tongue, contemplate His glory whenever you see or hear anything beautiful or grand; see in everyone the Lord Himself. Do not talk ill of others, see only good in them. Welcome every chance to help, console and to encourage others along the spiritual path. Be humble. Never become proud of your wealth, status, authority, learning or caste. Dedicate all your physical possessions, mental skills and intellectual attainments to the service of the Lord and His Glory.

Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya sai Baba

Thought for the Day

You must pay attention to the small details in your daily life, for devotion (bhakthi) is not just a pose one strikes. It is a series of little acts, directed by the attitude of reverence for Divinity in all beings. Watch for the lie that lurks on the tongue, the violence that lurks behind your fist, the ego that lurks stealthily behind a deed. Restrain them before they grow into habits and settle down as character to thwart your destiny. God is like a shopkeeper who has a store full of all the things that you need in your life. If you, as customer, go to the shop and ask for a towel, can the shopkeeper hand out a shirt? God is like that, He hands out exactly what you ask for. Material things are not at all important. Discriminate and ask God for Devotion (Bhakthi) and Spiritual Wisdom (Jnana).

Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba