Thought for the Day

Buddha once brought home to those who began abusing him, an important lesson. He asked one of them: "Child! A beggar comes to your house asking for alms. You bring some food. If the beggar says, 'This is not the alms I asked for, and I will not accept it' what will you do?" The man replied: "I will keep back the offering." Buddha said: "In the same manner, you attempted to offer me the alms of your abuse. I did not accept it. To whom does it belong? It remains with you. So, you have only abused yourself, not me," said Buddha. If a registered letter is addressed to someone who declines to receive it, the postal department will deliver it back to the sender. Similarly, if you criticise someone or hate somebody, if the other person remains unaffected and unperturbed, your criticism and hatred come back to you. Jealousy and hatred do more harm to those who entertain these feelings than to those towards whom these are expressed.

Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba