Thought for the Day

The word shastra used to indicate scriptures means, ‘that which commands, orders, and directs with authority’. The shastras need not contain orders like, “Before eating food, cook it well; before sowing seeds, prepare the soil through ploughing.” Who commands the newborn calf to seek food at the udder of the mother cow? Birth takes place along with sustenance for those being born. As a matter of fact, sustenance is ready first, and the birth of the individual to be sustained takes place later. The individual’s food and standard of living are dependent on the merit or demerit accumulated in previous lives while struggling for these two. But the really valuable guidelines for human progress are beyond the understanding of people and their intelligence. The learned should realise that activities recommended in the scriptures promote the best interests of people here and lead to peace and harmony in the hereafter.

Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba