Thought for the Day

During meditation, care must be taken to keep the back straight and steady without bending forward or backward or sideward. If you bend or move, misdirection of highly potent energy (Kundalini) can occur resulting in mental derangement. Also wear loose clothes. Your eyes must concentrate on the tip of the nose. They must be half-open, so you are neither distracted nor falling asleep. Free your mind from bad thoughts and fill it with sacred ones. To achieve this, you must control your senses. Your ears must be trained to listen only to noble and elevating ideas, and to eschew evil speech and gossip. Your eyes must be tuned to see the Divine. The restless mind must be restrained by making it concentrate on inhalation and exhalation while incessantly repeating the Mantra, ‘So-Ham’ (I am He). Through these postures and activities , your life-breath is controlled and this will ensure that the great power of Yoga is revealed unto you.

Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba

Thought for the Day

The chief objective of all Sadhana (spiritual striving) is to eliminate the mind, to become A-manaska. Then illusion will disappear and Reality will be revealed. During the dark fortnight of the month, Sadhana must be done to eliminate a fraction of the mind each day; for, every day, a fraction of the Moon is shrinking. On Chathurdasi (the 14th night), the night of Shiva, only a fraction of the moon remains. If some special effort is made that night, through more intensive and vigilant Sadhana, like puja, japam, dhyana (ritual worship & meditation), success is ensured. Hence, Shiva must be meditated upon that night, every month, without the mind straying towards thoughts of sleep or food. Once a year, on Mahashivaratri, a special spurt of spiritual activity is recommended, so that the Shav am (corpse) can become Shivam(God), through perpetual awareness of its Divine Indweller. Dedicate the vigil of this Shivaratri night to the Shiva present within each one of you.

Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba

Thought for the day

Meditation is a process that takes place beyond the senses. Consider a rose plant with branches, leaves, flowers and thorns. Locating a rose plant with a flower in a garden requires concentration. Once we have concentrated and identified the flower, the next stage is to pluck it without the thorns. Love is the flower, lust is the thorn. We have to carefully pluck the flower, without the thorn. This is contemplation. Having plucked the flower, what do we do with it? We must offer it to the Lord. Thus, meditation means offering the flower of love to the Divine. In the rose plant of our body, there is the rose of pure and sacred love, emitting the fragrance of good qualities. Below the rose, however, there are thorns in the form of sensual desires. The purpose of this life and meditation is to separate the rose of selfless Love from the senses and offer it to the Lord.

Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba

Thought for the Day

Bear in mind the company you keep. The great saint-poet Kabir once said, “I salute the bad and also the good”. Kabir was asked, “We understand you offering salutations to the good, but why do you salute the bad?” He responded, “When I salute the bad, I am doing this with a prayer to remove themselves from my presence; I am saluting the good, requesting their presence before me.” This is a profound statement. You must avoid bad company and cultivate the company of good. When you join with good people, you will be happy and you will confer happiness upon others. Strive to get rid of all your bad thoughts. Give up all your negative traits. Discharge your obligations to your parents. Render selfless service to the community. Redeem your lives by earning the Grace of the Lord. This is My blessing to all of you.

Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba

Thought for the Day

The path to God is difficult, but you can win. Let God do whatever He wants. Surrender to Him and say, “I brought nothing with me! Whatever You have given me, I offer it back to You.” You may think your parents gave you the body. Who put life into your body? Who makes your heart tick incessantly? You may feed the body with tasty food but who digests all the food you eat? Who is the driving force behind the circulation of blood? God Himself regulates every single act within every living being. The eye that is not even an inch long can clearly perceive the stars, far away in the sky. Who gave this little eye, this big strength and power? God alone has conferred and is conferring everything upon you. With your little ego, you are confused that you are the doer. This is the greatest ignorance. Whatever He gives, accept it, it is for your highest good.

Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba

To avoid bad thoughts, do not take excessive food, or that which is earned by unrighteous means, or non-vegetarian diet or food that is not offered to God.

At times, to get more protein and strength you may be recommended to consume animal foods like fish and poultry. Consuming non-vegetarian food is not required and you must avoid it. A healthy balanced diet of greens, milk, curds and grains will provide you with all required nourishment. There is a close relationship between your food, head and God. Animal foods will let you develop animal traits. Some may ask, do not plants have life and will they not suffer when we cut and cook them? All plants and vegetables have life, but lack the senses, just like a patient who is given anaesthesia during an operation lacks the awareness and pain of the doctor’s cuts and stitches. However animals have senses and when we cut them, they suffer intensely. To avoid bad thoughts, do not take excessive food, or that which is earned by unrighteous means, or non-vegetarian diet or food that is not offered to God.

Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba

the work you do, not only enables you to earn a living, but also benefits the nation and the community you live in.

Undertake any work and perform it such that there is no untruth, unfairness or evil motive in the way you execute it. See to it that the work you do, not only enables you to earn a living, but also benefits the nation and the community you live in. Everyone must observe this purity in their lives. If you thus engage yourselves in right action, you will not be bound by the consequences of action (Karma). You are who you are, based on the past Karmas. Through your present actions you can ensure freedom from birth. Through love, develop faith and earnestness. Through faith and earnestness, you acquire knowledge, and from knowledge you develop Sadhana (spiritual practices) through which you achieve your goal. Hence to strengthen your Sadhana, all these - wisdom, earnestness, faith and love - are quintessential. Love is the most powerful means to acquire control over your senses.

Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba

Test all your thoughts, words and actions on this touchstone: 'Will this be approved by God?'

Test is a taste of God. Unless you are tested, your determination will not become strong. Students often write three or four tests in a year. Why? Exams are not to trouble them, but to validate and strengthen their understanding of the subject. When they pass in flying colours, they are either promoted to higher classes or gain admission to very good Universities. God also does the same. Hence, welcome tests, not as a punishment, but as a protection. However hard they may be, you must clear it. Then you will definitely attain a higher state. God already knows who you are, but He may test you in order to set an ideal for others. What you see is one and what God sees is another. God tests you so all your sins and shortcomings are washed away. Just as gold is tested and attested for its purity, God’s tests are always for strengthening your courage, patience, determination and devotion.

Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba

Thought for the Day

Lord Krishna’s friend Uddhava, was adept in the Path of Knowledge. He approached Krishna so that he can teach it to the cowherds. Krishna smiled and said, “Devotion and purity are fundamental to Gopikas – they are in Me, I am always enshrined in their hearts, you may not understand it!” Uddhava wasn’t convinced, so Lord Krishna sent him to Gokul. Uddhava said to them, “Let me teach you the path of wisdom to realize the Divine”. The Gopikas admonished Uddhava, “We don’t want to waste time on Yogas and Scriptures. Krishna is everything to us, give us one simple means.” Confused, Uddhava, now asked the Gopikas, “How would you become one with Krishna?” The innocent Gopikas responded, “If Krishna were a flower, I would be a bee whirling around Him. If Krishna were the mountain, I will become a river. If He is the deep ocean, I will be a small stream, joining Him”. Uddhava then understood that Gopikas always tuned themselves to adore the Lord, anywhere and everywhere.

Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba

Take good care of the mind. If you do so, even if you go to a forest, it will be for-rest!

Consider your physical body a chariot. Just as the horse is important for the chariot, your mind is the most important thing for your body. What is the point if the chariot is very tastefully decorated and the horse is starved? Today, many of you are caring so much for the body and entirely neglecting the mind. Many have a very good, soft bed and stay in air-conditioned rooms, yet their body feels the heat and the mind is suffering from restlessness, with no peace of mind. Why? You are caring so much for the body and neglecting the mind. Take good care of the mind. If you do so, even if you go to a forest, it will be for-rest! The most appropriate food for your mind are virtues, good feelings, good conduct and good thought. Feed the horse well, the chariot will run! So too, take good care of your mind, you will be happy and peaceful.

Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba

Thought for the Day

There was once an old woman in Paris. It was winter and December was around the corner. Many poor people were sleeping on the streets and shivering with cold. She went around the streets and covered them with a blanket. She completed the job without any fuss or noise. Over time, the people in the town came to know about it. They wondered why this humble old woman who was herself struggling to make her ends meet setting out to help others! When children used to ask her, “Grandma, why are you walking with your head down? You are a great person!” she would respond humbly, “God is giving us everything with many hands, and I am giving with a single hand. Is that not a shame for me?” Many great people world over, have placed before us the high ideals of charity.

Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba

Thought for the Day

Many people try to do Hata Yoga or develop Kundalini Shakthi and so on. Some invoke evil spirits to harm others. These forms of spiritual practices are not Satwik. God is the Eternal Absolute (Sat) and the individual is Consciousness (Chit). When these two (Sat andChit) merge, you have bliss (Ananda). Your spiritual practices must help you to realise this bliss (Sat-chit-ananda). Only such practices deem to be called Sadhana. Where is God (Sat)? God is present in everyone. So always be prepared to serve everyone, regarding them as Divine. Your spiritual practices (Sadhana) must help you cultivate the feeling of Universal Love and adoration for the Divine who embraces everyone. There is no higher spiritual practice than the cultivation of Love. Hence, intensify your spiritual practices in the spirit that the one God pervades the many forms in the Universe.

Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba

Always help the poor and those suffering and in distress.

Always help the poor and those suffering and in distress. Once upon a time, in Tamil Nadu, lived a poet saint who squatted on the small veranda of his hut and chanted beautiful songs to the Lord. One day, it was raining heavily. Another man came and asked him if he could also take shelter there. The devotee said, “There was place just enough for me to stretch out, but now that you are here we will both sit erect.” Later, another man stopped by and asked for shelter. The devotee again agreed saying, “There was place for the two of us to sit. Now that you also have joined, let us all stand.” He thus taught the principle of helping everyone and not sending anyone away who needed help, even when the means are limited. Cultivate this attitude of sharing with others any good thing you have. Thus you can practice daily, the great principle of fin ding God in every being.

Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba

There is only one caste, the caste of humanity. There is only one religion, the religion of love. There is only one language, the language of the heart.

God dwells in each and every one of us. Do not criticise anybody, you will accumulate sin. Do not hate anyone. Never deride anyone’s action or ridicule them on the grounds of caste, race, gender, religion or community. There is only one caste, the caste of humanity. There is only one religion, the religion of love. There is only one language, the language of the heart. All of you must understand and internalize this. Become an ideal person from today. Develop faith in the ‘Brotherhood of Man and the Fatherhood of God’. Do not worry about the past, forget it. This will lead you to real bliss. Thus I bless you!

Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba

Thought for the Day

Do not think that God is at some distant place. He is with you, nearer than your most beloved family. Develop good qualities. Be a part of the society by undertaking noble activities. God (Bhagawan) does not expect anything from you nor does He need anything. All He cares for is your good reputation. The body is bound to perish. No one can escape death, even if they hide themselves in a forest. Do not worry about it. Continuously develop virtues as they will remain with you and protect you always. Use your discrimination, but this should not be individual discrimination, but be discrimination at the societal and universal level. Only then truth and right conduct will prevail. This should be the barometer for your conduct.

Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba

Thought for the Day

Who is a bad person? Anyone who sees evil in good is bad; stay away from them. If you join bad company, knowingly or unknowingly, you will lose good qualities. Many have reaped poor fate due to bad company. Who is a good person? Anyone who sees good, even in a bad person, is good. You must develop friendship with the good. There may be some evil qualities in you; do not worry or become weak because of this. Develop good qualities increasingly. God will always be in you, with you, around you and will take care of you. Whatever task you undertake, discriminate carefully, follow the noble path and always do good acts. Keep your heart sacred and pure. Never fill it with bad thoughts and feelings. You must start early, drive slowly and reach safely. When you develop good qualities, your journey to the future will be smooth.

Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba

We must control our desires. Do not waste money, time, food, resources and energy. - Baba

If the number of passengers in a bus is within the permissible limits, travel is safe. On the other hand if it is overloaded with people or luggage, its owner has to pay the fine imposed by the Road Transport Officer (RTO). Similarly, if you overload yourself with food or desires, the Officer of Virtues, will impose the fine of grief and ill-health on you; you might even be penalized by the Break Inspector, for lacking sense control and speeding up. Hence moderation is very essential for happy living – be it in food or desires. An overloaded truck driver will find it difficult to drive it up a steep-hill and at times, the consequences can be disastrous. If you want to progress and maintain good health consistently, it is imperative that you must not over indulge yourself. You will not be able to attain the elevated stage of bliss, if you eat more than what your body needs.

Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba

Thought for the Day

With regards to service, you must be clear on what is Rajasik service andSatwik service. You may go to clean streets, build roads, dig wells or build houses, and do them all as service to the community. You may also go to a hospital and visit patients. Doing service in the name of ‘social work’ is not real service. Satwik service is that which gives real happiness. It requires that you serve any and every person as an embodiment of the Divine. Divinity (Narayana) is present in two forms amongst all people – wealthy (Lakshmi Narayana) or poor and needy (Daridra Narayana). A rich man may have any number of people to attend to him. But there would be no one to serve the destitute and disadvantaged. Treating the poor and needy as Divine embodiments and serving them lovingly is Satwik service.

Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba

Develop good thoughts and give up bad company.

When you face troubles develop courage in yourself. Do not think, “Why should I be troubled like this?” Develop broadmindedness. Firmly believe that whatever happens is only for your good. Never forget that trouble, loss, illness, etc. come only for your good. Do not see bad in good. Always see good in bad. Light has much more value when there is darkness around. The value of joy is realized only when there are troubles. During the rainy and winter season, we want heat. In summer times, we look for coolness. You need both heat and cold, depending upon the circumstance. No matter in which situation you are, you must develop good feelings. You must start this habit of always having noble feelings from a very young age. Whatever thoughts and feelings you develop then, will last forever. Develop good thoughts and give up bad company.

Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba

Never make any mistake or offence that you will not tolerate if others do unto you.

It is necessary to fill the room where you live or study with a Satwikatmosphere. The pictures or objects you see must be filled with peaceful and loving thoughts. Objects that arouse agitation and bad thoughts should have no place in your living area. The room must be clean and free from anything that is impure. Along with a clean room, your thoughts and feelings must be pure. Only then you can get the full benefit of a clean room and a good family. If you must develop Satwikfeelings, your vision must be pure. All creation (srishti) is based upon your sight (drishti). It is only when you have wrong vision that you develop wrong thoughts. With pure thoughts, you will naturally have pure feelings. Never make any mistake or offence that you will not tolerate if others do unto you.

Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba

Without sorrow, there is no value for happiness.

If you work for 24 hours in an air-conditioned place, you will take this for granted and not realize its value. But if you work for four hours in the Sun, and then sit in an air-conditioned room, you will recognize its value. Without heat, there is no value for the air-conditioner. So too, without troubles, we will not realize the value of comforts. Only when we suffer, we realize what is joy! At times, to relieve the pain and suffering in one part of your body, the doctor may perform an operation. The surgery is a painful procedure. However, without undergoing that short term pain, you cannot remove the long term suffering. That is why the scriptures clearly call out that happiness cannot be derived from happiness. Without goodness, life has no meaning. Without sorrow, there is no value for happiness.

Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba

Thought for the Day

All food emanated from God. As it has come from the Divine(Brahman), it should be offered to God and only then be taken. Then it becomes Satwik food. There are many impurities associated with the grains and vegetables you purchase. These impurities enter inside you. To remove the various types of defects associated with food, offer it to the Lord and then partake of it as Prasadam. When the food is offered to God (Naivedyam), there will no longer be any defects in it. Meera was a great devotee of Lord Krishna. She always offered everything to the Lord before partaking it. When the Maharana asked his associates to give her very strongly poisoned milk, Meera was unaware of it. As is her habit, she offered the milk to Lord Krishna and took it, and remained unharmed. Thus any type of food, once offered to the Lord will turn nectarous, even if it is poisonous.

Bagvan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba

Thought for the Day

In the Mahabharata, the Kauravas believed in ‘I first, World next and God last’. The Pandavas believed in ‘God first, World next and I last’. The Kauravas took shelter under wealth and prosperity and did not protect themselves properly. The ego of ‘I’ was minimum in the Pandavas and hence they reached an elevated state and took shelter in the Lord. The Pandavas firmly stood for the five qualities of Truth, Righteousness, Peace, Love and Nonviolence. Hence Lord Krishna Himself became the charioteer of Arjuna. Even during the present times, the Pandavas are held high as exalted examples. We also must conduct ourselves just like the Pandavas. We have many qualities like bad thoughts, bad acts and bad attachment. The battlefield of Kurukshetra occurs even today in our hearts – it is the battle between the good and the bad. To emerge as victorious like the Pandavas and attain Him, you must work hard and give up your selfishness.

Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba

Thought for the Day

The word ‘Health’ is derived from the Anglo-Saxon word ‘Helig’ meaning holistic or wholeness of the spirit. You are made up of sense organs, mind, intellect, consciousness and the indwelling spirit. ‘Wholeness’ includes all these elements. Your mind should be in a state of fullness; there should be no room for confusion or depression. To achieve such a state of mind, it is necessary to connect with the Divine and understand the situation. For instance, students should not get depressed if they did not score as well as they expected or perhaps failed in an examination. Instead, they should examine the reasons for the result – whether they studied well or understood the subject correctly. If the conclusion is inadequate preparation, then the resolve should be to do better in the next opportunity. You must develop you r moral and mental strength by practicing Sadhana for disciplining the mind and achieve holistic wellbeing.

Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba

Love is the key to open the doors locked by egoism and greed.

All of you have seen a map of the world, is it not? How little is India in this map? Compared to India, Andhra Pradesh is small. The district of Anantapur is still tinier. In this district, Puttaparthi is virtually a microscopic dot on the map. Now you as a person residing in Puttaparthi are practically so insignificant. Then how can you suffer from ego? Remember, God is all around you. There is no meaning at all in being egoistic. You may feel proud that you are educated; there are more educated people than you. You may think you are beautiful; there are any number more beautiful than you. Maybe you are good at singing; there are several who can sing better than you. Why are you then so proud of yourself? This is mere ignorance. Do not give place to ego. Become egoless, give up pomp and show. Be selfless and lead a life that befits an educated person. Always, He lp Ever, Hurt Never.

Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba

Thought for the Day

You must be able to get up with the same ease with which you sat to have your food. If you sit down feeling light and feel heavy and difficult to get up after eating, you have taken more than you need and it will developTamasik qualities. The space in your stomach is divided into four parts. Youngsters should fill three parts of their stomach with food and remaining one part with water. For adults, two parts of stomach with food, one part for water and one part for air is advisable. If you fill all four parts with food with no place even for water, you are violating the rules for digestion! After having your lunch, rest for just ten minutes. That will help blood to circulate freely from your head to your toe. At night, after dinner, you must go for a walk. This is a sound routine for good health and to develop Satwik nature.

Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba

Thought for the Day

Truth is that, which does not change with time. A policeman wears his uniform and performs his duty. When you see him, you think that is the truth. After his duty, he goes home and changes to a night-dress. Now too he is a policeman! Though the clothes he wore has changed, his body does not change. Similarly, ‘Dehi’ your indweller, does not undergo any change. Your body is associated with Satvik, Rajasik and Tamasikqualities. Remove them and you will see the divine ‘Brahman’. In a cold hill station, you wear vest, shirt and then a protective coat on top of it. If you want to see your heart (chest), you must remove your coat, shirt and vest; only then you can see your heart. Similarly, the body of a human being is covered with many qualities. When you go beyond these, you will be able to see the Divine in your heart.

Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba

Thought for the Day

Many take tea and coffee in excessive quantities; this kill the body’s capacity to sleep. Drivers who drive vehicles during nights take excessive tea and students who are preparing for exams also do the same. Do not avoid sleep, this is a great mistake. A person can live without food, but not without sleep. Many students have the habit of studying through the night and sleeping during the day. Most living beings, including birds and beasts, sleep during the night. A person, who reads in the night as a habit, is cultivating Rajasic and Tamasic qualities. Change this habit slowly. If you read throughout the night and sleep through the day, your retention of what you studied will not be very strong. If you must put in hard work, get up early, say 3 or 4 am4 a
.m. and study. After early morning study, do not go and sleep again. 
This is the Sathwik way of life.

Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba