Thought for the Day

New Year must usher in a new step in spiritual discipline. The old must be rung out; the new must be brought in! How do you celebrate the New Year Day? Some clean their homes by removing the cobwebs, or decorate it by hanging up festoons and placing leaf or floral garlands. Some wear new dresses and others feast on new types of dishes. For one day, everyone feels fresh and renovated. In this festival of renewal, most people celebrate outwardly and continue with their old prejudices and tendencies, outworn habits and moth-eaten principles. Should they not attempt to brush the cobwebs from their minds? Should they not get rid of opinions and motives which tarnish and demean? Namasmarana,remembrance of the Name of God, is the spiritual discipline prescribed by scriptures for the present age, Kali Yuga. This involves giving up all habits that interfere with the constant remembrance of God. So, on the New Year Day, you must resolve to accept it and practise it to the utmost.

Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba

Thought for the Day

It is creditable if a human behaves as a human being. It is laudable if they behave as God, that they really are! But to behave as a demon or as a beast is despicable indeed! For, people were long born a mineral, died a mineral; then they promoted themselves to be born as a tree and died as a tree. Subsequently they got promoted as an animal, and finally rose to the status of a human being. This rise from one scale to another has been acknowledged by science and spiritual experience. Now alas, they are born as human and die as human. It is a greater shame if they slide into a beast or a beastly ogre. Praise is due, only if they rise to the divine status. That is real fulfilment of one’s destiny. Therefore resolve today to avoid contact with vices, develop attachment to virtues, and transmute your heart into an altar for your beloved Lord.

Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba

Thought for the Day

The nature of human beings is Love (prema). You cannot survive even for a moment, when deprived of Love. It is the very breath of your life. When the six vices, to which you were attached for so long, disappear, Love will be the only occupant of your heart; but Love has to find an object, a loved one. It cannot be alone. Direct your heart full of love towards the dark-blue Divine Child, the charming Lord, who is the Embodiment of Love, Purity, Service, Sacrifice and Selflessness. Then there will be no scope for any other attachment to grow. Let this love for the Lord, step-by-step become deeper, purer and more self-denying; until at last, there is no other need for thought and the individual is merged in the Universal. When Vaasudeva, the Lord, enters the heart of man, demons have no longer a place therein. Darkness and light do not co-exist; Light removes every inch of darkness.

Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba

Everyone should treat whatever happens to them as gifts from God

Everyone should treat whatever happens to them as gifts from God. Pleasure and pain should be treated alike as Divine gifts. There is a unique joy in this process. In daily life we tend to treat defeat, loss or grief as calamities. But nothing occurs in the world without a cause. Hunger is the cause for eating. Thirst is the cause for drinking. Difficulties are the cause of sorrow. If you would like to enjoy enduring happiness, you must discover the source of such happiness. That source is love(prema). There is nothing greater than love in this world. Everything has a price. The price to be paid for enduring happiness is Divine Love. The primary wealth for man is Love. Everyone should seek to acquire this wealth. With this wealth anyone can enjoy enduring bliss.
Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba

Thought for the Day

A cleansed and pure heart is the most appropriate altar or tabernacle for the Lord. In that fragrant bower, the Lord will establish Himself. When the Lord establishes Himself, at that very moment, another incident too will happen. The group of six vices that had infested the place will quit instantly, without any farewell or fanfare. When these vices quit, the wicked retinue of evil tendencies and vulgar attitudes which live on them will break camp and disappear without leaving even their addresses! Then one will shine in one's native splendour of Truth and Love (Sathya and Prema). That person will endeavour without hindrance to realize the Self, and finally succeed in merging with the Universal and Eternal. Liberated from the tangle of ignorance or maya, the mind will fade away. The long-hidden secret will be revealed. 

Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba

Thought for the Day

Listening to expositions by a speaker who has had the thrill of genuine experience is a blessing. The speaker’s face will blossom with joy, their eyes will shed tears of exhilaration at the very contemplation of the Lord’s glory. Listeners will easily catch that inspiration and experience the joy themselves as tears stream down their eyes. When an infant smiles, everyone around the infant also smiles in unison. So too the words of those who are saturated with devotion to God will saturate the hearts of the listeners too. Through that process of listening, a dirt-laden heart will be transformed into a clean and illumined heart which shines with genuine light and love. To the foul odours of sense-pursuits, keenness to listen to the glories of God is a valuable disinfectant, besides being in itself so full of sweet fragrance. Listening will effectively cleanse your heart.

Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba

Thought for the Day

Embodiments of Divine Love! Adhere sincerely to your faith and traditions. Wherever you may be, do not give room for religious or any kind of differences. When we examine the root cause for differences or conflicts, you will find that the real reason is selfish minds, wearing the garb of religion or any other cause, and inciting conflicts amongst the people. If you desire to secure genuine peace in the world, you must hold morality (neethi) as superior to your community (jaathi). Cherish good feelings as more important than religious beliefs. Mutual regard (mamatha), equal mindedness(samatha) and forbearance (Kshamatha) are the basic qualities necessary for every human being. Only the person with these three qualities can be regarded as a true man. Hence all of you must cultivate these three sacred qualities assiduously. Using these qualities, give up all kinds of differences. Then love will develop in you. When love grows, you will have a direct vision of God.

Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba

Thought for the Day

Two thousand years ago, when narrow pride and thick ignorance defiled mankind, Jesus came as the Embodiment of Love and Compassion and lived among people, holding forth the highest ideals of life. You must pay attention to the lessons He elaborated in the various stages of His life. His first declaration was, “I am the messenger of God”. Yes, each individual has to accept that role and live as examples of divine love and charity. Jesus knew that God wills all. So even when He was on the cross, though He suffered agony, He bore no ill-will towards anyone and infact exhorted those with Him to treat all as instruments of His Will. "All are one; be alike to everyone" - Practise this attitude in your daily lives. Moon can be seen only through the moonlight. So too God, who is love, can be seen and realised only through love. Love is God, Live in Love. This is the Message I give you

Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba

Thought for the Day

Jesus sacrificed His life and poured out His blood to instill Love and Compassion in the heart of man, so that you are happy when others are happy and sad when others are sad. Let Me call upon you today, to give up, in honour of this holy occasion, two evils from your mind: self praise and talking scandal! Give them up! Instead adopt one habit: the habit of loving service to the distressed. If you spend all your time and energy in worldly comfort and sensual delight, you are disgracing this human existence. Do not spend your life in just enjoying food; eat as much as is necessary for living. Maintain your body as temple where God resides. Keep it clean, fresh and fragrant by developing compassion and love; Let holy thoughts, words and deeds emerge from you. Do not demean it by using it for low, trivial and unholy tasks. Wherever you are, make this resolution today!

Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba

Thought for the Day

People believe that Divine incarnations happen only for the punishment of the wicked and the protection of the righteous. But these represent only one aspect of the task. The granting of peace and joy, of a sense of fulfillment to seekers who have striven long —this too is His task. The Avatar, or form incarnate, is only the concretization of the yearning of the seekers. It is the solidified sweetness of the devotion of godly aspirants. The Formless assumes the form for the sake of these aspirants and seekers. They are the prime cause. The cow secretes milk for the sustenance of the calf. That is the chief beneficiary. But, as we see, others also benefit from that milk. So too, though the devotees are the prime cause and their joy and sustenance the prime purpose of an incarnation, other incidental benefits also accrue, such as fostering dharma, suppression of evil, and reforming, correcting or destroying the wicked.
Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba

Thought for the Day

There is no compulsive rule that incarnations should occur only on the earth and in human form. Any place and any form can be chosen by the fully free. Whichever place and form promote the purpose of fulfilling the yearning of the devotee, that place and form are chosen by the will of God. God is above and beyond the limits of time and space. He is beyond all characteristics and qualities, and no list of such can describe Him fully. For Him, all beings are equal. The difference between man, beast, bird, worm, insect, and even a god is but a difference of the ‘vessel’ (upadhi). The one single God activates every vessel and gives rise to manifold consequences. God appreciates the consciousness of unity as the basic motive of acts. He doesn’t appreciate the activity itself being one without variety; activity must be suited to the various needs.

Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba

Thought for the Day

Exulting in praising the Lord is the hallmark of the real good. Avoid being in the company of people who revel in sensory talks. Choose to spend your time in the company of the Divine and be engaged in the Lord’s activities. Only those who act in accordance to the above are God’s own (Bhagavathas). Reading and enjoying the stories of the glory of Krishna (Lord) in a sacred hall, temple, shrine, or hermitage of a saint, or being in the company of the virtuous and the good — that is a source of great inspiration and joy. You can approach pious people, serve them, and listen to their exposition of the glories of God. Taste for such wholesome literature is the result of accumulated merit and effort. Listening will be enough in the beginning; later, the stories will arouse interest in the nature and characteristics of God, and the aspirant will seek and find for oneself the path to realisation.

Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba

Thought for the Day

The infant doesn’t know the taste of milk. But by taking it daily, it develops a deep attachment for it, such that when milk is to be given up and rice substituted, it starts to protest. But the mother doesn’t despair; she persuades the child to take small quantities of cooked rice daily, and slowly, the child starts liking rice and gives up milk. Milk though once its natural food, is replaced by rice through practice to such an extent that if rice is not available for a day, the child feels miserable. So too though sense pleasures are ‘natural’ at first, by means of practice and listening to the wise, slowly the joy derived from listening and recapitulating the glories of the Lord is grasped. Over time, the company of the worldly who chatter about the senses or sense-objects will no longer attract; the company that exults in the Love of Lord becomes sweeter and then you begin to genuinely experience the Divine.

Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba

Thought for the Day

Generally people get drawn to sense objects, for they are victims of instincts. And instincts come along with the body and aren’t derived by any training. The infant seeks milk from the mother, no training is needed for this. However for the infant to walk and talk, some training is necessary, because these actions are not automatic but are socially prompted, by example and by imitation of others. Training is essential even for the proper pursuit of sense pleasure, for it is the wild and untrained search for such pleasure that promotes anger, hatred, envy, malice, and conceit. To train the senses along salutary lines and to hold them under control, certain good disciplines like repetition of the name, meditation, fasts, worship at dawn and dusk, etc. are essential. When one is asked to do such spiritual acts, one has no inner prompting at all. Still, one shouldn’t give up in despair. No one has a taste for such practices from the very beginning, but constant practice creates the zest.

Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba

Thought for the Day

The quintessence of the scriptural texts is this: Realise that the awareness of Divine or Brahman cannot be won by the accumulation of wealth nor by giving away the riches. Nor can it be achieved by reading texts, rising to power, acquiring degrees and diplomas, or performing scriptural sacrifices and rituals. The body is an anthill, with the mind inside as a deep cavity. The mind has hidden in it the serpent named ignorance or nescience (a-jnana).The serpent cannot be killed by resorting to satisfaction-oriented works (kamya karma). Spiritual wisdom (jnana) is the only weapon that can kill it. To achieve spiritual wisdom, you must have ‘Steady Faith’. Shraddhavan labhathe jnanam, states the scriptures. Meaning, that person alone, who has steady and unwavering faith, can certainly secure wisdom.

Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba

When your heart is filled with good thoughts and feelings, all that comes out of the senses - your speech, your vision, your action - will all be pure.

You must know that there is no end to the incarnations in which God indulges. He has come down on countless occasions. Sometimes He comes with a part of His glory, sometimes with a fuller equipment of splendour, sometimes for a particular task, sometimes to transform an entire era of time or a complete continent of space. God is like the electric current that flows through various contrivances and expresses itself in many different activities. The wise see only the one uniform current; the ignorant feel that they are all distinct. The HolyBhagavatha elaborates His Story that transforms humanity. The subject matter of the Bhagavatha is the drama enacted by the Avatarand the devotees who are drawn toward Him. Listening to it promotes the realisation of God. Many sages have testified to its efficacy and extolled the Bhagavatha, which they helped preserve for posterity.

Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba

Thought for the Day

Om is the sum and essence of all the teachings in scriptures about Divinity;“Om ithi ekaaksharam Brahma” states the Vedas, meaning, the one syllable Om, is Brahman, the Divine! Om is a composite of three sounds A (aa), U (oo) and M (mm). It has to be pronounced rising in a crescendo as slowly as possible, and as gradually coming down, until there remains only the echo of the silence reverberating in the cavity of your heart. Do not take it in two stages, arguing that your breath will not hold so long. Persevere until you are able to be stirred by the upward sweep and the downward curve and the silent sequel. These represent the waking, dreaming and sleeping, and the fourth, beyond the three stages. It represents also the flower of your individuality maturing into a fruit and filling you with sweet juice from your own inner essence, and thereafter the final release.

Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba

Thought for the day

You dread that it is very difficult, nay, impossible, to realise God. It is very simple; its very simplicity makes you feel that there must be some hidden trap. You do not appreciate simple things and habits. For example, there is nothing so simple as speaking the truth; yet how many stick to Truth! If you venture into untruth, you have to invent new stories all along the line and keep in memory all the stories and all the persons to whom you have related them. Each student has a watch on his wrist. And, you look at the watch at least a hundred times a day. Well, learn from the watch a great lesson. When you watch the watch, remember the five letters of the word, WATCH; each is giving you a fine lesson for life: W tells you ‘Watch your Words’; A warns you ‘Watch your Action’; T indicates 'Watch your Thoughts’; C advises 'Watch your Character’; and H declares 'Watch your Heart.' When you are consulting your watch, imbibe this lesson that the watch is imparting.

Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba

Thought for the day

Do not get too much attached to the world, and too involved in its tangles. Keep your emotions always within check. The waves agitate only the upper layers of the sea; down below it is calm. So too, when you sink into your depths, you must be free from the agitation of the waves. Know that most things are of no lasting value and can therefore be brushed aside; hold fast to the solid substance alone. Use your discrimination to discover and distinguish lumber from treasure. The Pranava japa (recitation of Om and contemplation of its significance) will help to calm the roaring waves. Gita affirms that when the word ‘Om’ (Supreme Universal Reality) is spelt by the dying with their last breath, they attain the Divine. To be able to spell it then, dwell upon its sweetness and significance throughout your life, from today. Then the final Om that emerges from your lips will be an offering that merges in Him!

Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba

Thought for the Day

People have forgotten their real nature and believe that they are the body, the senses, etc. When these (instruments) crave for objective pleasures, people ignorantly convince themselves that this pleasure is wanted by them! Under this mistaken notion, they seek to fulfill the cravings. They delude themselves that they can secure bliss (ananda) by catering to the body and senses. However they are rewarded with disillusionment, defeat and disaster, and reap pleasure and pain. Though the objective world appears real, one must be aware that it is deluding us. As a result, one has to give up the yearning for deriving pleasure from the objects that appear and attract, both here and hereafter. The false knowledge (a-jnana) can be destroyed only when one knows theAtma (the Divine Self) principle. When the false knowledge disappears, the sorrow produced by one’s involvement in the ups and downs of the world of change (samsara) also gets destroyed.

Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba

By your efficiency and enthusiasm earn the right to play higher and higher roles - that is the meaning and purpose of life.

Sorrow affects you because you feel you deserved joy and did not acquire it; but there is one impartial distributor of joy and sorrow, who gives you what you need, rather than what you desire. You may need the tonic of tragedy to set you on the road to recovery. The Compassionate One, the eternal all-knowing God, He knows best. Welcome the tragedy and fight your way through, with the armour of the remembrance of the Divine. As all rivers hurry towards the sea, let all your imaginings wend their way to God. The play is His; the role is His gift; the lines are written by Him; He decides the dress and decoration, the gesture and the tone, the entrance and the exit. You have to act well your part and when the curtain falls receive His approbation. By your efficiency and enthusiasm earn the right to play higher and higher roles - that is the meaning and purpose of life.

Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba

Thought for the Day

Consider all your acts as worship. Duty is God, Work is Worship. Whatever happens accept it gladly as His handiwork, a sign of His compassion. – Baba

Thought for the Day

God assumes many forms and enacts many activities. The nameBhagavatha is given to the descriptions of the experiences of those who have realised Him in those forms and of those who have been blessed by His grace and chosen as His instruments. The great epic called Bhagavatha is a panacea that cures physical, mental and spiritual illnesses. By Bhagavatha we also mean those with attachment to God, those who seek the companionship of God. Being in the midst of such Bhagavathas fosters one’s own devotion. Unless you have a taste for God-ward thoughts, you will not derive joy therefrom. To create that taste, the Bhagavatha tells stories to the earnest inquirer that relate to incarnations. Then one develops the yearning to experience the thrill of God, through all the levels of consciousness. One who has this intense yearning can alone be a true Bhagavatha.

Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba

Thought for the Day

Keep the Name of the Lord always radiant on your tongue and mind. That will keep the antics of the mind under control. When the lamp is burning, darkness will not spread its fumes around you. When the word for Brahman (Supreme Universal Reality), Om, is spelt with the last breath by the one dying, they attain the Divine. To make that final utterance of Om, just as the flower blossoms on the creeper of life, you need to dwell upon Om all through the years of your current life. The Geeta advocates the process of continuous meditation in a neat little formula: mam anusmara yuddhya cha! - "Keep Me in your memory and fight!" The cue here for you is to fight the battle of life, have God in your consciousness as your Charioteer at all times. This is not merely a direction for Arjuna; it is a prescription for all humanity.

Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba

Thought for the Day

The Kaivalya Upanishad declares: “Not by means of works, not by means of human power, not by means of wealth, but by renunciation alone can immortality be attained.” The ‘works’ referred to are rituals like sacrifices, vows, charities, donations, pilgrimages, etc. Through such activities, one cannot achieve liberation; that is to say, one cannot get rid of the veil of ignorance. ‘Human power’ means acquisition of positions of authority, of skill and intelligence which can manipulate people and things, of fame and supremacy, of personal charm, of health and happiness, or of a large family with many children - these cannot confer liberation. The works mentioned above and the acquisition referred to can succeed only when one has ‘wealth’. But the Upanishad announces that spiritual wisdom is not related to riches. So liberation cannot be earned by means of wealth. Renunciation alone can confer immortality.

Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba

Thought for the Day

Yaga (ritualistic sacrificial prayers) is prescribed by the Karma Kanda (the parts that expound on actions or Karma as a spiritual path) of the Vedas. It is for sanctifying time and fulfilling the goal of human birth. The practice of renunciation and dedication through the rite of the yaga promotes worldly happiness as well as spiritual progress. It fosters charity and social cohesion. The ritual sacrifices pleases the deities presiding over the forces of Nature and so brings down rain, which helps growing crops, and increases food for man and beast. Activity that is divorced from spiritual goals, and devoid of reverence and humility, leads to conceit and authoritarianism. It makes one arrogant and cruel; but the sages of India laid down that all activity has to be done as a yaga, as offerings for the glory of God, in an atmosphere of thankfulness and awe, of humility and holiness. The goal of all activity was idealised as the happiness and peace of all living beings.

Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba

Thought for the Day

To discriminate between good and bad, one must resort to scriptures. The Vedas emerged from the Divine Himself and were ‘heard’ by sages attuned to the voice of the Divine, who in turn, taught them to their disciples. This process of imparting the Vedas and the wisdom enshrined in them has continued through many generations of Gurus and disciples until now. The Upanishads, the Brahma Sutra and the Bhagavad Gita contain the very essence of the Vedas. Hence these are designated as ‘three fundamental texts (Prasthana traya)’ of the science of spirituality. Acquisition of higher knowledge alone can fulfil the main purpose of human life; it makes one aware that one is not the inert non-sentient body but an embodiment of being-awareness-bliss. When this truth dawns and is experienced, you are freed from the fog of ignorance and are liberated, in this very life.

Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba

Thought for the Day

A real student is one who contemplates and understands the value of the education being received. Higher knowledge (Vijnana) and Supreme wisdom (Prajnana) are not merely products of education that can be acquired by learning or listening. Everyone can develop these sacred powers through culture and refinement gained through education and consistent practice. What is culture? Culture is the conscious effort put in by every being to achieve a transformation in their daily lives from untruth to truth, from non-conformance to scriptures to conformance to scriptural authority, and from evanescence to eternity. It is a spiritual journey towards Divinity. Human beings are embodiments of truth. Everyone must persevere to protect the practice of Truth (Sathya) and Righteousness (Dharma), which in turn will protect the Universe. If you succeed in doing so, the whole world will enjoy peace and prosperity.

Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba

Thought for the Day

The conflict between persons who accept God and deny Him, those who declare that God is to be found in this or that place and those who affirm that He can be found nowhere, is never ending; it has been continuing throughout the ages. Remember that it is unnecessary to awaken a person already awake and it is easy to awaken a person who is asleep. You cannot awaken, however much you try, a person not wanting to awaken! Those who do not know, can be taught by means of simple illustrations what they do not know. But those afflicted with half-knowledge and proud of that acquisition are beyond any further education. Your two eyes give a picture of a vast expanse of space, but they cannot see your whole body! For that, you need two mirrors – one in front of you and one behind. So too, to know your reality, you need the mirrors of Self-confidence (Atma-vishwas) and Divine Grace.

Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba

Thought for the Day

Mere reading of spiritual texts is not enough. You may master all the commentaries and you may be able to argue and discuss with great scholars about these texts; but without attempting to practise what they teach, it is a waste of time. I never approve of book-learning; practice is what I evaluate. When you come out of the examination hall you know whether you will pass or not, is it not? For you can yourself judge whether you have answered well or not. So too in sadhana (spiritual effort) or in conduct or in practice, each of you can judge and ascertain the success or failure that is in store. The moon is reflected in a pot, provided it has water; so too the Lord can be clearly seen in your heart, provided you have the water of Love (Prema). When you don't see the Lord reflected in your heart, do not say that there is no Lord; it only means that there is no Love within you.

Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba

Thought for the Day

Enter upon that task of Sadhana from now on; that is the lesson you must learn here. Otherwise yatra (pilgrimage) leads only to the accumulation of patra (objects and souvenirs). Devotion is something sweet, soothing, refreshing and restoring. It must confer patience and fortitude. The devotee will not be perturbed if another is blessed with more grace. The devotee is humble and bides one’s time, knowing that there is a higher power that knows more and that it is just and impartial. In the light of that knowledge, the devotees will communicate their troubles and problems only to their Lord; they will not humiliate themselves by talking about them to all and sundry, for what can a man, who is as helpless as another, do to relieve them? It is only those who have that implicit faith in God, who will deign to communicate only with the Lord and none else, who deserve Amrita (nectar of immortality).

Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba

Thought for the Day

People suffer because they have all kinds of unreasonable desires and they pine to fulfil them and they fail. They attach too much value to the objective world. It is only when attachment increases that you suffer pain and grief. If you look upon Nature and all created objects with the insight derived from the Inner Vision, then attachment will slide away, though effort will remain; you will also see everything much clearer and with a glow suffused with Divinity and splendour. Close your external eyes and open your inner eyes - What a grand picture of essential unity you get? Attachment to Nature has limits, but the attachment you develop to the Lord when your inner eye opens, has no limit. Enjoy that reality, not this false picture.

Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba

Thought for the Day

People suffer because they have all kinds of unreasonable desires and they pine to fulfil them and they fail. They attach too much value to the objective world. It is only when attachment increases that you suffer pain and grief. If you look upon Nature and all created objects with the insight derived from the Inner Vision, then attachment will slide away, though effort will remain; you will also see everything much clearer and with a glow suffused with Divinity and splendour. Close your external eyes and open your inner eyes - What a grand picture of essential unity you get? Attachment to Nature has limits, but the attachment you develop to the Lord when your inner eye opens, has no limit. Enjoy that reality, not this false picture.

Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba

Thought for the Day

To pray to God with excessive adulation and request a favour stems from a tone of despondency. Describing Him as One who is beyond praise by Brahma and other gods, and narrating glories beyond description of how He helped devotees and then asking, "Oh Lord! You have talked to them and given them so much! Why don't You come to my help?" appears to stem from jealousy. It is only when God is regarded as a friend and a companion that He is pleased the most. When you address Him as, "O my dearest friend! My beloved One! The darling of my heart," you are giving Him the greatest joy. We use words of praise towards an unfamiliar person to show respect and regard as he/she is a stranger. But we welcome an old friend with easy familiarity and intimacy. Hence approach God as your loving friend, He will come to your aid and fulfill your needs.

Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba

Thought for the Day

Do not be led away by all this present-day talk of equality, either of men and women, or of all men. Each has a certain fund of intelligence, and a peculiar bundle of instincts, impulses and vasanas (past impressions). To the extent that you develop them or divert them or diminish their strength, to that extent there is bound to be difference in your equipment and achievement. Use all chances you get to develop your skills, your health and your character. That is your present duty. Do not by any action of yours cause pain to another; nor suffer pain yourself, by foolishness or sheer bravado. Do not dishonour your elders; cultivate the spirit of service and learn how to serve the sick and the needy, and seize every chance to help others. Or at least, desist from causing sorrow to others.

Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba

Thought for the Day

By praying to God and asking for trivial and petty things, people demean the Lord’s Divine estate. No one appreciates the valuable, sacred and divine favour God may choose to confer on a deserving devotee. Hence never seek from God, nor desire, nor pray for some petty trifles. More precious and desirable than everything else is God's love. If you wish to ask for anything from God pray to Him thus, "O Lord! Let me have You alone." To crave for anything other than Divine Love is like asking for coffee powder from the Kalpataru (Wish-fulfilling Tree)! For, once you have secured the Lord, you will naturally get everything you want! While praying to God for His grace, do not indulge in extravagant praise and flattery to win His approbation and seek His favours; that prayer then acquires a commercial tinge! Pray sincerely and earnestly from within.

Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba

Thought for the Day

Have faith that Truth will save you in the long run; stick to it, regardless of what might befall. For if you are true, the sense of guilt will not gnaw your insides and cause pain. It is cowardice that makes you hide the truth; it is hatred that sharpens the edge of falsehood. Be bold and there is no need for a lie. Be full of love and there is no need for subterfuge. The easiest habit is speaking the truth, honesty; for if you start telling lies, you will have to keep count of them and remember how many you have told to whom, and be always alert not to contradict one lie with another! Love a person and you need no longer deceive the person with a lie; you will feel that the loved one deserves the truth and nothing less than the truth. Love saves a good deal of bother.
Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba

Thought for the Day

The one who is filled with love has great peace of mind, is pure at heart and is unruffled by any adverse circumstances, failures or losses. This fortitude is derived from love of the Lord, and it endows one with self-confidence. Self-confidence generates an immense internal power. Everyone has to develop this power to experience the bliss of the Self (Atma-Ananda). Love should be free from feelings of expectation of any return or reward. Love which arises out of a desire for something in return is not true love. Utterly selfless and motiveless love should be developed. This is the bounden duty of all. You should not pray to God seeking this favour or that, for your vision is limited. None of you can fathom what immensely precious, Divine and magnificent treasures lie when you secure the treasure-house of Divine Grace.

Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba

Causing harm to others is displaying animalistic behavior

All of you have a whole set of animals within: the dog, the fox, the ass, and the wolf. You must choose to suppress the tendencies of all these beasts and encourage the human qualities of love and friendship to shine. Above all, begin the cultivation of virtues; that is more important and beneficial than mere book-learning. This will give real Ananda (bliss); that is the essence of all knowledge, the culmination of all learning. Treat everyone as your own and even if you cannot do them any good, desist from causing them any injury. Light the lamp of love inside the niche of your heart and the nocturnal birds of greed and envy will fly away, unable to bear the light. An unbending person is infected with egoism of the worst type; Love (Prema) makes you humble, it makes you bend and bow when you see greatness and glory. Use that capacity and derive the best advantage out of it.

Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba

Thought for the Day

You must become heroes in action. It does not behoove of you to spend your time in idle talk, without involving yourself in some solid work for the benefit of the nation. Bend your body and work hard to attain glory. A seed that is sown in the soil, loses its shape to ultimately become a gigantic tree. That tree yields sweet fruits. Similarly it is only when you destroy your ego and lose your identity, real fruit of your actions come out. Therefore, remove your attachment to your body (dehabhimana) and develop attachment to the country (deshabhimana). Love is a quality permeating every living being. Truth is verily the embodiment of Divinity. It is in you, with you, around you, everywhere, protecting you always, at all times. You need not search for God in some distant place. Truth is the very embodiment of God. Do not ever move away from Truth.

Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba

Doing one’s duty selflessly is the highest spiritual endeavour.

Life will be unfulfilled by merely spending time. When you enquire earnestly whether duty comes first or right comes first, several people insist upon ‘rights’. Ask yourself - Where did ‘rights or entitlements’ come from? When you perform your duty, its fruit, in the shape of rights, accrues to you! How can a child exist without the mother? So also, when you perform your duties sincerely, the result of that action comes as rights. When you enquire into the fact whether rain comes first or the flow of water, it becomes clear that flow of rainwater follows rain. Without rain, there cannot be a flow. The flow can be compared to one’s ‘rights’ and rain to ‘duty’. Therefore accord your highest priority to your duties!

Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba

Thought for the Day

Many must be thinking about the gift to offer Swami on His Birthday. The present given to God must be pure, steady and selfless Love. You can rejoice that you have given the Lord a real gift only when you love your fellowmen, share their sufferings, and engage in serving them. Adopt villages and make them ideal villages. Rich and powerful have plentiful servants. The distressed, the poverty-stricken, and the diseased have no one to serve them. Go to them and be their friends and relatives, their closest well-wishers. Let them welcome you as such. Do not pour spirituality into the ears of those who are tortured by hunger and afflicted by pain. First satiate their hunger. Serve them as God and give food, clothes, and medicines and then teach them spirituality. I bless you with long life, good health, bliss, peace and prosperity. May you devote your physical, mental, intellectual and spiritual strength and skills for the service of the Universe.

Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba

What is culture?

A real student is one who contemplates and understands the value of the education being received. Higher knowledge (Vijnana) and Supreme wisdom (Prajnana) are not merely products of education that can be acquired by learning or listening. Everyone can develop these sacred powers through culture and refinement gained through education and consistent practice. What is culture? Culture is the conscious effort put in by every being to achieve a transformation in their daily lives from untruth to truth, from non-conformance to scriptures to conformance to scriptural authority, and from evanescence to eternity. It is a spiritual journey towards Divinity. Human beings are embodiments of truth. Everyone must persevere to protect the practice of Truth (Sathya) and Righteousness (Dharma), which in turn will protect the Universe. If you succeed in doing so, the whole world will enjoy peace and prosperity.

Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba

Education is the means of unfolding the moral and spiritual potentialities of human beings.

Modern education is mere bookish knowledge, confined to what is contained in the texts. Today many are pursuing such secular education only (i.e., value neutral). Secular education alone is not enough. It must be supplemented with spiritual education. Spiritual education has its effect on one’s heart, and is called Educare. Educare means bringing out the latent Divinity, that is hidden in the heart of human beings and establishing it as an ideal to the whole world. Through Educare, you must develop the principle of love and students must follow the path of truth. True education is that which is suffused with truth and love. Secular education is for making a living, whereas spiritual education is for reaching the goal of life. It is the duty of students as well as educators to harmonize the secular education with spiritual education. This is the prime necessity today.

Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba

Thought for the Day

Do not find faults with others. If you point an accusing finger at someone, remember three fingers are pointing to you. Wear the ornament of Truth to adorn your neck (Sathyam Kantasya Bhushanam). Charity is the true ornament that make your hands beautiful and elegant (Hasthasya Bhushanam Dhanam). Thus you must sanctify each limb of your body by engaging in sacred activities. Your eyes should look at only sacred things. Do you know what an enormous power is latent in your eyes? There are crores of light rays in them. In olden days, people used to invoke the grace of Sun God to have a better vision. When you performSurya-namaskar (worship of Sun God) and invoke His grace, the light rays in your eyes will become more effulgent and inspire you. People aspire to attain liberation. What is liberation? Help ever, hurt never - that is true liberation. To get rid of attachment (moha) is true liberation (moksha).
Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba

Thought for the Day

Women should look after their homes diligently and conduct themselves in a pleasing manner. Treat your guests in a cordial manner and to the extent possible. Empathise with those who are in difficulties, comfort and console them with soothing words. Those who talk harsh words are verily demons. If you hurt others' feelings, you will be hurt twice as much and you cannot escape from the consequences of your actions. Embodiments of Love! These teachings are simple to practice in your daily life. But do not take them lightly - they can confer on you liberation! It is your good fortune (adrishtam) to know them! What is good fortune? A-drishtam is that which cannot be seen. You may not be able to see the results of your noble conduct and meritorious deeds, but they will confer on you all happiness and comforts in due course of time.

Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba

இன்றைய சிந்தனை

மாற்றத்தை விரும்பும் ஒருவர் அந்த மாற்றம் ஏற்படும் முன்பாக அவர் அந்த மற்றமாக மாறிவிடவேண்டும். ஒன்றை உங்களால் செய்ய முடியும் என்று எண்ணினால் ஒரு வேளை அதை நீங்கள் செய்து முடிக்கலாம்.ஆனால் அது உங்களால் முடியாது என்று நினைத்து கொண்டால் நிச்சயமாக அதை நீங்கள் செய்யவே முடியாது.  ஒன்றை எதிர்பாத்து  அது சற்றும் எதிர்பாராமல் நடந்துவிட்டால் அந்த அற்புதத்தை கடவுளே நிகழ்த்தியுள்ளதாக கருதுங்கள்.

பகவான் ஸ்ரீ ஸ்ரீ ஸ்ரீ சத்ய சாய் பாபா

He is always with you, caring for you and waiting for you to turn to Him.

People today speak about God having forgotten them. This is not true. Most often, it is the devotee who gives up God. It is the devotee who forgets Him. It is their own feelings that are reflected in their utterances. People forget God and indulge in the world and one day they suddenly declare that God has forgotten and forsaken them. Separation from God is the primary cause for people wallowing in sensuous pleasures. Mind is the cause of one's pleasure and pain. It must be directed towards God to secure freedom from pleasure and pain. You stray away from God and think God is moving away from you. God can and will never forget His devotee. God is never away from you. He is always with you, caring for you and waiting for you to turn to Him.

Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba

Refinement of action is true culture

There are many Nobel laureates. How many remember them? But the great benefactors of mankind, the men of noble qualities, are cherished by all mankind. For instance, Kolkata produced many great intellectuals, who after a time are not remembered at all. But Ramakrishna Paramahamsa, a noble soul from that city, even though he was illiterate, is enshrined in the hearts of millions all over the world. Is education responsible for it? Likewise if many noble persons are instilled in the hearts of people, what is the reason? They have earned their good name by their faith in God, their character, magnanimity and spirit of sacrifice. This means that together with concern for worldly things, there should be devotion to God as well. Together with education Samskara is essential. What is the meaning of culture (Samskara)? Refinement of action is true culture - Samyak Kriti Iti Samskara.

Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba

Recognize the magnitude of your internal powers and leverage them in your daily lives.

The supreme virtue in every human being is to forget their individual differences and move with everyone in a spirit of harmony and equality. What lends beauty to sports and games is this spirit of unity. Unfortunately many people today derive only physical fitness and strength from sports and games, not the spirit of love and unity! Fulfillment in life can never be attained from physical health and strength alone. Even if your stomach is full, you can be happy only when both your body and mind are healthy. Young people must understand this truth and not be focused only on physique and beauty. The Divine has endowed everyone with physical, mental and spiritual potencies of many kinds. Your mind is the source of infinite powers. A subdued mind can help you realize the Divine. Recognize the magnitude of your internal powers and leverage them in your daily lives. 

Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai baba

All are One, Be alike to everyone. - Baba

A flower has many petals. These petals appear distinct from each other. But all petals have emerged from the same single stem. The stem is the seat of the Atma, from which the petals have emanated. But we view the flower as a single object. The flower is one, but the petals are many. Same analogy is applicable to the endless number of waves arising on the ocean. The waves are many and distinct. But they are of the same stuff as the ocean. From the waves arises the foam, which has the same properties as the waves and the ocean though different in form and name. All the three are based on the ocean. This is the logical basis forAdvaita (philosophy of non-dualism). The Atma is the basis for everything. Ignoring this truth people pursue the myriad ephemeral objects of the phenomenal world, but ultimately all come to a realisation of the Atmic Principle. 

Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba

Thought for the Day

You have immense potency within you. Like the light that illumines, your vision must be pure, sacred and pleasing. Do not taint or pollute the blessing of sight by looking at undesirable objects, or by looking with bad thoughts. A magnetic energy circulates in you. Although this energy is present throughout the body, its presence is conspicuous in the hand. Hence the hands should be employed for good purposes. They should never be used for harming others. The ears listen to gossip, slander and evil talk. The result is that the power of hearing gets polluted. Also the power of speech. This power finds expression in sound waves and it has to be used with great care. The words one utters should be examined to see that they do not excite, irritate or anger others. Bad words come back to the speaker with double strength. Hence one's speech should be soft and sweet.

Bagavan Sri sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba

Fear is nothing but a bundle of negative thoughts. Counter it with positive thoughts.

Desire and disappointments are the order of the day. Human life for most people seems to be full of fear. Various types of fears haunt wherever one is, whatever one does. How can one escape fear? Even the little objects of happiness which one seems to derive from life, is coupled with fear of losing them soon! Sin and merit, joy and sorrow, profit and loss, light and darkness are pairs of opposites that every being undergoes during their lives. Truly speaking, the absence of one (sorrow), indicates the presence of other (joy)! Saint Adi Shankara further clarified, “Where there is no attachment, there will be no fear!” How can one attain that state? By attaining proximity with the Divine! He further exhorted, “Banish fear by cultivating detachment (Vairagya) and journeying towards the Self. It is through Self-Realization that you can understand the true nature of fear and overcome it.

Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba

Thought for the Day

The hard working farmer has no fear of starvation. The one who chants the Lord’s Name has no fear of worldly worries. The person of a few words will be free from enmity. Through excessive talk, people fall prey to quarrels. Everyone must cultivate moderation in speech. Restraint in speech is conducive to friendly feelings. The one who is careful in behavior, doing all actions after due deliberation, will have no fear of danger. True education consists in knowing how to lead a peaceful life. To embark on or have a successful career, you must aspire for world peace. For you are part of the world and your well-being is intimately tied to that of the world. Give up all narrow feelings and acquire unity and fellowship. Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba

Thought for the Day

You may encounter any number of losses and difficulties in life. You may undergo a lot of suffering. But, you should never give up truth, faith and love. Loss, suffering and difficulties are like the waves in the ocean of life. They just come and go. But the water of the ocean is permanent. Hence develop the faith of ‘water’, i.e., Divinity. The power of the divine name is unparalleled. Do not take it lightly. God’s name is the real diamond. Keep it safe and secure. Do not ever be bothered by pain and suffering, losses and difficulties. Your thoughts are like the passing clouds. Once you seek refuge in the lotus feet of the Lord, never give it up. Wherever you go, the divine feet will protect you. If you install the divine name firmly in your heart, your life will become sanctified. That is devotion (bhakti). That is your power (sakthi). That is liberation (mukti).
Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba

Do all acts as offerings to God; do not classify some as ‘my work’ and some as ‘His’ work. - Baba

While performing your duties in your house or outside, constantly remind yourself, “Whatever I do, think or speak, everything belongs to God.” The proper attitude should be, ‘Sarva karma Bhagavath preethyartham’. Take for example, the process of cooking. You add different ingredients to the dish being cooked in definite proportions and try to make them tasty. But the real taste comes only when the job of cooking is done as an offering to God. The food becomes divine when it is offered to God. On the other hand, if the various items are cooked with the attitude, ‘I am doing this job as a routine; I am cooking these items for my family members to partake’, it does not reach God. Hence undertake every act in your life as an offering to God, chanting His Name. Whatever you think, speak or do, consider it as God’s command, God’s work.

Bagavan Sri SRi Sri Sathya Sai Baba

Do not criticise or ridicule anybody. Give happiness to all by sharing your love selflessly. This is true spiritual practice. Follow this simple path, experience ananda and sanctify your lives.

Human life is highly sacred, noble and divine. It should not be wasted in unworthy pursuits. Take to the sacred path and sanctify your time by chanting the divine name. There is no need to allocate a specific time or place for Namasmarana. You can do it wherever you are and whatever you are doing. One needs to pay tax for water, electricity, etc., but there is no tax for Namasmarana. Nobody can stop you from doing it. It is very simple, yet most effective. Many people do not realise its immense value as it is so easy to practise. They think incorrectly that God can be attained only through severe austerities. Chant the divine name without troubling yourself or causing trouble to others. Cultivate love for God. Do not criticise or ridicule anybody. Give happiness to all by sharing your love selflessly. This is true spiritual practice. Follow this simple path, experience ananda and sanctify your lives.

Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba

Akhanda Bhajan

Akhanda Bhajan involves constant contemplation on God in the morning, evening or even during the night time. No doubt, many people today are repeating the holy name; but not with love and steady faith. Some are concerned about how others are singing, whether their tune is in order, etc. This equates to doing namasankirtan with a wavering mind; no transformation will occur with such namasankirtan, despite doing it for hours together. It must be done with absolute concentration and steady faith to achieve transformation. To attain purity that pulverizes all negativity, it is not enough if chanting of the divine name is confined to a limited period. Hence global Akhanda Bhajan is held for 24 hours, every year. Consider yourself very fortunate to participate in an Akhanda Bhajan. If only you make good use of it, your life will be sanctified. Practice Namasmarana and make it a continuous spiritual exercise throughout your life.

Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba