Thought for the Day

You might say that the karma of the previous birth has to be consumed in this birth and that no amount of grace can save man from that. Evidently, someone has taught you to believe so. But I assure you, you need not suffer from karma like that. When a severe pain torments you, the doctor gives you a morphine injection and you do not feel the pain, though it is there in the body. Grace is like the morphine; the pain is not felt, though you go through it! Grace takes away the malignity of the karma which you have to undergo. There are also dated drugs, which become ineffective after a certain time. Well, so too, with Grace, the effect of karma is rendered null, even though you go through the experience. Hence, it is wrong to say the ‘Lalaata likhitam’ (fate written on the forehead) cannot be rendered ineffective. Grace can surpass anything; nothing can stand in its way. Remember, it is the grace of the ‘All-mighty’!
Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba

Thought for the Day

You have listened to hours of spiritual discourses and you spend days and nights in spiritual practices. Have you taken any concrete efforts to sublimate your life? Endeavour to lead an ideal life. If there is no change for the better in your daily conduct, remember that all your so-called spiritual practices will be futile! People claim to spend hours in prayer and meditation. But of what use is it if there is no concentration of mind? It is better if you engage yourself in doing your regular duties or render social service or participate in bhajans. By these means try to bring the mind under control. Then your work will be transformed into worship. Dedicate all your thoughts and actions to God. You can purify your actions when you do everything with the only goal to please God (Sarva Karma Bhagavad preethyartham). If you want to experience God, you have to do it through your duties and actions. This is not so easy!

Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba

Thought for the Day

Without the control of your senses, your spiritual practices (Sadhana) will be ineffective; it is like keeping water in a leaky pot! When the tongue craves for some delicacy, assert that you will not cater to its whims. If you persist in giving yourself simple food that is not savoury or hot, but amply sustaining, the tongue may squirm for a few days, but it will soon welcome it. That is the way to subdue it and overcome the evil consequences of it being your master. Since the tongue is equally insistent on scandal and lascivious talk, you must curb that tendency also. Talk little, talk sweetly, and talk only when there is a pressing need. Also, talk only to those to whom you must, and do not shout or raise the voice in anger or excitement. Such control will improve health and mental peace. It will lead to better public relations and less involvement in contacts and conflicts with others.

Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba

Thought for the Day

Embodiments of Divine Love! Wherever you may be, never give room for any differences. Everyone must get rid of all selfishness, self-interest and self-centeredness. Mutual regard (Mamatha), equipoise (Samatha) and forbearance (kshamatha) are basic qualities necessary for every human being. Hence develop love, forbearance and compassion. Realise that love is present in everyone. Get rid of all differences and adhere to your faith and traditions. Learn to live in love and harmony with all the members of your society. When differences of all kinds are given up, love will grow in you and you can have a direct vision of God. Without love, verbal prayers are of no avail. Divine love is the only unifier, motivator and harbinger of joy to everyone. God is love and God can be realised only through love. All saints and religions have emphasized the greatness of love, truth, sacrifice and unity. Therefore cultivate love.

Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba

Thought for the Day

Since I moved freely among people, talking and singing with them, even intellectuals were unable to grasp My truth, My power, My glory, or My real task as Avatar. I can solve any problem however knotty. I am beyond the reach of the most intensive enquiry and the most meticulous measurement. Only those who have recognised My love and experienced it can assert that they have glimpsed My reality. Do not attempt to know Me through the external eyes. When you go to a temple and stand before the image of God, you pray with closed eyes, don’t you? Why? Because you feel that the inner eye of wisdom alone can reveal Him to you. Therefore, do not crave from Me trivial material objects; but, crave for Me from within, and you will be rewarded. The path of Love is the royal road that leads mankind to Me. My grace is ever available to devotees who have steady love and faith.

Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba

Thought for the Day

Consider the meaning of the name, Sai Baba. Sa means 'Divine;'ayi means 'mother' and Baba means 'father'. Your physical parents exhibit love with a dose of selfishness; but Sai, your Divine Parent, showers affection or reprimands only to lead you towards victory in the struggle for self-realisation. You cannot realise God in the outer objective world; He is in the very heart of every being. Gemstones have to be sought deep underground; they do not float in mid-air. Seek God in the depths of yourself, not in the tantalising, kaleidoscopic world. This human birth is granted to you for this high purpose; but, you are now misusing it, like the person who cooked his daily food in the gem-studded gold vase that came into his hands as an heirloom. I desire that you may be inspired to observe the discipline laid down by Me and progress towards the Goal of self-realisation, the realisation of the Sai who shines in your hearts.

Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba

Thought for the Day

Discipline must be strictly observed. From the moment you wake up, you have to carry out your morning ablutions, meditate on God and then do your prescribed duties in an orderly manner without deviating from the regular routine. Variations in the routine from day to day are undesirable. The day's activities should be regulated by the same schedule. The ambience in the morning is calm and serene. In this setting, immediately after finishing the morning chores, one should devote, at least a few minutes, to loving meditation on God. Discrimination comes next. The world is a mixture of good and bad, right and wrong, victory and defeat. In a world replete with opposites, you must constantly make the choice between what is right and proper, and what is wrong and undesirable. You should not be guided by your mind, but listen and follow the directions of your intellect (Buddhi). As long as you follow your mind, you will not be able to attain Divinity.

Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba

Thought for the Day

Illusion haunts people as desire (trishna or kama). Prompted by desire, you run after sweet sounds that satisfy the ear, and smooth and soft things that yield pleasure to your skin! You pursue the forms of beauty that appeal to the eye to satisfy the fire in you, crave for food and drink that are tasty to appease the water element in you, and enjoy the perfume and pleasant smells to please the inner urge of the Earth element! The malignant designs of desire rob you of lasting happiness. The insufferable heat of the Sun is controlled and reduced by your body to maintain a congenial temperature of 98.4 degrees. So also, you must keep the destructive forces of your elemental passions born out of the clamour of sound, touch, form, taste, and smell (shabda, sparsha, rupa, rasa, gandha) rigorously in check and bring it down to tolerable levels. Then you can lead a healthy and happy life. 

Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba

Thought for the Day

Ignorance can be cured only by knowledge; darkness can be destroyed only by light. No amount of argument, threat or persuasion can compel darkness to move away. A flash of light is enough to destroy years of darkness! The light is already there in you. But since it is heavily overladen by repressing factors, it cannot reveal itself. Prepare yourself for that flash of illumination! Everyone must achieve it, whether one is striving for it now or not. It is the inevitable end to everyone’s struggles, the goal to which every being, knowingly or unknowingly is proceeding. Do not be afraid of reaching the goal of liberation (Moksha). Do not conceive that stage as a calamity. Liberation indeed is the end of all calamities. It is death to all grief - grief that you will be born again. It is the birth of joy, a joy that knows no decline!

Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba

Thought for the Day

Devotion (Bhakti) is the highest form of Love. “Service to God is Devotion” say the Scriptures. Devotion means constant contemplation of God. The term Bhakti is derived from the root Bhaj meaning to worship. Devotion means loving contemplation of God, repetition of His Name, worshipping Him and doing penance for Him. Service to the Lord is the highest expression of devotion. There is nothing that is not attainable through loving service to the Divine. Devotion does not mean merely doing bhajans or performing puja. These forms of devotion at present are based on some kind of self-interest and self-seeking. True devotion should be an expression of love from within. Devotion is not something to be proclaimed or demonstrated. True devotion must be free from selfishness of all kinds. Exhibitionistic devotion will definitely result in disaster.

Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba

Thought for the Day

You are the formless (Nirakara) infinite, taking the form of a finite human (Naraakara). You are the Absolute, pretending to be the Relative; you are the Self, pretending to be the body! The Universal Self (Atma) is the basis for all the beings. The sky was there before houses were built under it; the sky penetrated and pervaded them! The houses crumbled and became heaps and mounds over time, but the sky was not affected at all! So too, the Atma pervades the body and subsists even when the body is reduced to dust. The same inexplicable and invisible electric current when it enters a bulb, a fan, a stove, a cooler or a sprayer, activates each one of them or even all of them together! So too, the Divine Principle activates all beings (Ishwara Sarva Bhutanam). That is the inner core, the Divine Spark, more minute than the minutest, more magnificent than the most magnificent!

Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba

Thought for the Day

Dedication means offering. You all offer flowers to the Lord. Flowers symbolise your heart. When you offer the flower of your heart to God, it should be free from the pests of desire, hatred, envy, greed, etc. So, ask yourself, is the flower of your heart pure or infested? Is it free from Self-conceit (Ahamkara) and envy (Asuya)? Self-conceit is the biggest barrier between you and God, and is based on eight different factors: Physical prowess, birth, scholarship, beauty, power and penance. As long as a trace of this self-conceit is predominant, it is impossible to recognise the Divine or realize your innate reality. Pride of wealth very quickly brings about your downfall. So carefully demolish these completely. Only when you sacrifice the egoistic pride at the altar of the Divine, can you discover your true nature. This dedication of your pure and loving heart to God is the first step in the spiritual journey.

Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba

Thought for the Day

You have immense capacities latent in you, waiting to be tapped and used. You have many talents which have to be brought to light. At times, you all feel the urge to love all beings, to share your joy and grief, to know more and satisfy your intellect, to peep behind the awe and wonder that Nature arouses in you. You are all adept at gathering information about what goes on in all corners of the world. Let Me ask you: Are you aware of what happens in the corner of your own mind? Do you know the answer to the simple question, “Who am I?” Why have you not felt it essential to answer this important question? Without knowing this answer, how can you go about rashly judging, labelling and even defaming others? Earnestly ask this of yourself and seek out the answers to the enigma, from within yourself. Our scriptures guide you on the process by which you can discover it yourself!

Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba

Thought for the Day

On New Year's day, people get up early, have a sacred bath and put on new clothes. They are interested only in external cleanliness and are not concerned about purifying their hearts which are tainted with evil thoughts and feelings. It is rather easy to have external cleanliness and to wear new clothes but that is not the purpose of celebrating festivals. True celebration of New Year lies in giving up evil qualities and purifying one’s heart. Human heart in its pristine state is highly sacred and human birth is difficult to attain. Having attained such a precious life, people are not making any effort to live like a true human being. Today people have become a bundle of desires. All time and effort is spent in fulfilling desires. One should realise that only annihilation of desires will lead to ultimate bliss. True happiness lies in the state of desirelessness.

Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba

Thought for the Day

Jesus came to teach mankind the greatness of divine love. After His father passed away, with His mother’s permission, He embarked to serve the people. He resolved on three tasks: (1) to be filled with Divine love and share it with others (2) to not succumb to praise and (3) to inspire in others the conviction that the Divinity within is omnipresent. Jesus considered spreading the gospel of love as his foremost task. He faced all the ordeals and challenges along His path courageously. He was determined to treat pleasure and pain, sickness and failure with equanimity. He could not bear to see anyone suffer. He was opposed to the traffic in birds going on in Jerusalem. The affected persons turned against him. But Jesus carried on regardless of their hostility and in the end He sacrificed His life for the sake of others and out of His love for all.

Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba

Thought for the Day

On New Year's day, people get up early, have a sacred bath and put on new clothes. They are interested only in external cleanliness and are not concerned about purifying their hearts which are tainted with evil thoughts and feelings. It is rather easy to have external cleanliness and to wear new clothes but that is not the purpose of celebrating festivals. True celebration of New Year lies in giving up evil qualities and purifying one’s heart. Human heart in its pristine state is highly sacred and human birth is difficult to attain. Having attained such a precious life, people are not making any effort to live like a true human being. Today people have become a bundle of desires. All time and effort is spent in fulfilling desires. One should realise that only annihilation of desires will lead to ultimate bliss. True happiness lies in the state of desirelessness.

Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba

Thought for the Day

Celebrate festivals by understanding and experiencing their true significance. Right from this moment, embark on a new life giving up bad thoughts and bad qualities. Purify your heart and your life will become blissful. There is no point in reading sacred texts or visiting noble souls unless you purify your heart. Let your thoughts, words and deeds be sacred. This is the true significance of celebrating New Year. When you undertake any task with a sacred heart, you will certainly meet with success. You all believe you are devoted to Sai, then you must adhere to My teachings strictly. Fill your lives with love. Stop criticizing others. Respect even those who hate you. Hatred is a bad quality. It will ruin you. Hence, get rid of this evil. Love everyone. When you follow My teachings, you will certainly achieve sacred results and earn a good name. Give up selfishness and dedicate your life for others well-being.

Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba

Thought for the Day

It is not possible to progress in the Universe without sacrifice (yajna). Yajna maintains the order of the Universe. Sacrifice pleases the gods; the gods send rain; the rain feeds the crops; the crops yield harvest, the harvest strengthens the limbs and widens the outlook; it broadens the heart and clarifies the vision until man reaches the goal, where there is no more struggle or death. The highest and the most fruitful sacrifice is that of the ego. Crucify it and be free. Dedicate your ego to God and be rich beyond all dreams. Prepare yourself for this supreme status, by engaging in holy action (karma), meaning, karma cleansed in the crucible of righteousness (dharma), and attain God (Brahman - the One Indivisible Absolute) as your reward! Have faith in God; He sees everything; He is everywhere; He is all-powerful. He lives in every heart.

Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba

Thought for the Day

Love can conquer anything. Selfless, pure, and unalloyed love leads man to God. Selfish and constricted love binds one to the world. Unable to comprehend the pure and sacred love, people today fall a prey to endless worries because of their attachment to worldly objects. The primary duty of every being is to understand the truth about the Love principle. Once a person understands the nature of selfless love, one will not go astray. One's thoughts, words and looks should be filled with selfless love. This is divine love. One who is saturated with this love can never be subject to suffering. Men and women today are affected by praise or blame. But one who is filled with divine love transcends praise or censure. They will be unaffected by criticism or flattery. They will treat alike joy and sorrow, profit and loss, victory and defeat

Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba

Thought for the day

All religions and scriptures agree that going to the aid of fellow-beings in times of need and saving them from distressing situations is the greatest virtue of a person. Suhrudham Sarva bhutanam (Wish well for all beings), Ekatma Sarva Bhuta Antharatma (the same soul resides within all beings) - these are well known aphorisms from the scriptures. To be friendly towards all beings is the duty of everyone, since the same Atma is there in all beings. Comprehending this truth, it is the duty of everyone born as a human being to do good to others on the basis of love. There is no need to search for God anywhere, since God resides in every being. The body therefore is to be considered the temple of God. Today people are breeding bad thoughts in the mind, thereby polluting the heart which is the seat of the Divine.

Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba

Thought for the Day

Devotion is faith, steadiness, virtue, fearlessness, surrender and ab­sence of egoism. Worship done however elaborately and pompously is sheer waste of time and energy. Why pluck flowers and hasten their death? You may be circumambulating the temple, but be aware that while your feet are taking you round by force of habit, your tongue blabbers the faults of others, or the price of vegetables, or the dishes you propose to cook for lunch. Making the rounds is not to be taken as prescribed for loosening the limbs or giving them some exercise. The senses have to be curbed into obedient servants of the spirit. Before you start on your rounds, which you call pradakshina, offer your mind as dakshina (offering of gratitude) to the Resident of the temple, the Lord. That is the first thing to do, and perhaps the only thing to do.

Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba

Thought for the Day

The Lord, it is said, punishes some and favours others. Let Me tell you, the Lord does neither. He is like the current in this electric wire. It rotates the fan and makes life comfortable; it operates the electric chair and makes a life shorter. It neither has the wish to allay the warmth nor it has eagerness to kill. God’s grace is like the wind. Roll up your sails, and the boat lies limp and lame; unfurl them, and the boat moves faster and further. A father gives his wealth to the son who respects his wishes and obeys his orders, not to the rebel son who flouts him. The Lord is the Father of all. If you are an asthika (one who accepts God’s existence and lives accordingly), then you will get the asthi (property). A person who is ignorant of their true interests, and is unaware of their own downfall, is not entrusted with their own property; a guardian has to take care of his affairs until he proves himself able to manage it with care.

Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba

Thought for the Day

Devotion and faith are the two oars with which you can ferry the boat across the sea of worldly life. A child told its mother when it went to bed at night, “Mother! Wake me up when I am hungry.” The mother answered, “There is no need child, your hunger will itself wake you up.” So too, when the hunger for God comes, it will itself activate you and make you seek the food you need. God has endowed you with hunger and He supplies the food; He has endowed you with illness and He provides the medicine. Your duty is to see that you get the proper hunger and the right illness, and use the appropriate food or drug! Remember, the Lord is a Mountain of Love (Prema); any number of ants carrying away particles of sweetness cannot exhaust His plenty. He is an Ocean of Mercy without a limiting shore. Devotion is the easiest way to win His grace.

Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba

To gain liberation, to win Rama’s grace, it is not enough to repeat His name; you must practice the Rama principle.

The scriptural injunctions declare, “Speak the truth” and “Practice Righteousness”. Lord Rama stuck to truth despite all temptations and never deviated from the righteous path. Rama never provoked another in order to create a convenient excuse to destroy him; on the other hand, He gave the adversary every chance to be saved. He carried the message of dharma to the monkeys and demons (vanaras and rakshasas), as well as to sages like Jabali. He accepted the homage of Vibhishana without demur, and He announced that He was prepared to accept even Ravana, if only he would repent his iniquity. Repetition of Lord Rama’s pure name will save you only if you are devoted to your parents, like Lord Rama. If not, repetition of Rama’s name is merely a movement of the lips. Meditate on Rama’s form and true nature when you chant or write His name. This practice will make you spiritually healthy and strong.

Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba

Thought for the Day

Dharma (Righteousness) is the code of conduct that will promote the ideals of each stage of a per­son: student, householder, earner, master, servant, spiritual aspirant, ascetic (sanyasi), etc. When the code is distorted and mankind undermines its earthly career, forgetting the high purpose for which one has come, the Lord incarnates and leads people along the correct path. Lord Rama was one such incarnation. He truly is the Embodiment of Virtue (Dharma-swarupam) shrouded in an illusory human form; He stuck to dharma in daily practice, even from His infancy. He is the personification of dharma. There is no trace of vice (a-dharma) in Him. His Divine Nature is revealed in His calm temperament and feeling of love and affection. Meditate on Him and you are filled with love for all beings; dwell on His story and you find all the agitations of your minds quietening in perfect calm.

Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba

Thought for the Day

There are three types of devotion: The Vihanga method, where like a bird swooping down upon the ripe fruit on the tree, the devotee is too impatient and by the very impatience one exhibits, loses the fruit, which falls from one’s hold. The Markata method is akin to a monkey which grabs one fruit and then chooses another and tugs at that, giving way to unsteadiness as it is unable to decide which fruit it wants. So too, the devotee of this type hesitates and changes the goal much too often and thus loses all chances of success. The third and ideal type is the Pipilika method, where like the ant, which slowly but steadily proceeds towards the sweetness, the devotee also moves directly, with undivided attention towards the Lord and wins His Grace.

Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba

Thought for the Day

No one is prepared to make the effort for spiritual victory. If you demand the job of a District Collector to be given to you straightaway, how can it be done? There are certain qualifications required - scholarship, efficiency, talent, experience, etc. The flower must become the fruit, the fruit must ripen and the ripeness expresses itself as sweetness. So everything takes its own time! Hence from today, resolve to engage only in virtuous deeds, good thoughts and good company. Do not waste a single moment in idle gossip or vain boasting or demeaning recreations. Do only good things, speak soft and sweet, never injure or insult another, serve those in need and keep the image of God always before your mind's eye. Implant God firmly in your heart. Then, you will see God everywhere, even in the objective world! For, everything in this Universe is truly Divine (Sarvam Brahmamayam)!

Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba

Thought for the Day

It is indeed a pity that people are choosing not to eat the most nourishing fruit from the garden of Nature. People are climbing the wrong tree and seeking to pluck the wrong fruits, so their appetite is ruined, their taste is vulgarised and their health is destroyed. Only the glory of the Lord can satisfy the hunger of a person, for that person is part of that glory. You can win the Grace of the Lord only by practising righteousness. Righteousness naturally induces the spirit of self-surrender and assiduously cultivates it. With the training that the practice of right conduct (dharma) gives to your senses, your feelings and emotions, you can have steady faith and steady detachment. The Lord is Dharma conceived as a personality. Lord Rama indeed was known as ‘Vigrahavan Dharma’, Righteousness Personified. If you step outside the bounds of righteousness and play foul, you will never win the game of life!

Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba

Thought for the Day

Once, a person in great distress clamoured for a reservation at the booking office of a railway station, but the clerk there was helpless for the person did not know where he wanted to go. He was anxious only to get away, he had had enough of that place. How can anyone help him? All, sooner or later, behave like this. Life is no unmixed good. No one is happy by being immersed in worldly life. Every individual is tossed about by the waves of joy and grief; buffeted by fortune, good or bad; a target of brickbats and bouquets. The evil around affects one’s peace and anxiety, and robs one of sleep and quiet. One therefore tries to escape from all this, but one is not sure to where! The spiritual teacher (Guru) can guide you where to go, which place to seek; but, even a Guru cannot make you reach it. You have to trudge along the road yourself.

Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba