Thought for the Day

You must sow the seed of love in all loveless hearts. Water it with love. Let love flow in a flood and reach all. Modern man directs his love towards worldly objects and gets entangled in several complications. Love lives by giving and forgiving; Self lives by getting and forgetting. Cultivate selfless love. Love all. Let others think what they like. There is no need to fear anyone. Make your love pure. Then the whole world will become pure. Pray for the welfare of all and lead an ideal life. Human life is not gifted to you to hanker after worldly objects. Set an ideal to the whole world. What is the ideal you have to set? You must help all to your utmost capacity. The best way to love God is to love all and serve all. Adopting service and love as your ideals, start a new life from this moment - this is My blessing and benediction to you!

Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba

Thought for the Day

Peace is essential for man at all the three levels: body, mind, and spirit. This is the reason we chant shanti (peace) three times. You can attain peace at these three levels only by developing love for God. The one without love for God will never be peaceful. All worldly pleasures are fleeting and momentary. The same sentiment was echoed by Sankaracharya: Ma kuru dhana jana yauvana garvam, Harathi nimeshath kalah sarvam - ‘Do not be proud of your wealth, progeny and youth. The tide of time may destroy them in a moment.’ What is happiness? Is it sitting in an air-conditioned room or partaking of delicious food? These confer happiness only at the physical and mental levels, not at the level of the Atma. True happiness is that which is related to the Atma. You should not be afraid of difficulties; they are passing clouds. Do not waver. Follow the heart, which is steady and unwavering.

Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba

Thought for the Day

 Prahlada never gave up the Name of the Lord even in times of adversities. As he surrendered himself to Lord Narayana completely, he was protected. When he was thrown into the ocean, the waves assumed the form of Lord Narayana. When he was pushed from a mountain top, Lord Narayana held him in His arms, and when he was bitten by venomous snakes, the poison became nectar. Never feel depressed when you are weighed down by difficulties. God will never impose on you ordeals that you cannot bear. Test is the taste of God. Never fear any test. When you purify your heart and surrender yourself to God completely, He manifests instantly. He does not delay even one moment. This was proved in the case of Saint Ramdas too! Vedanta says, Brahmavid Brahmaiva Bhavati - the knower of the Brahman (Divine) becomes Brahman. “As you think, so you become!” If you think of God incessantly, you will assume His form.

Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba

Thought for the Day

Embodiments of Love! Everyone is born in this world, by the will of God. Having taken birth as a human being, one has to realise the Divinity within. Every human being is a messenger of God. The primary duty of every individual as a messenger of God, is to practice and propagate the principles of truth, love and peace, to experience the bliss, and to share it with others. The one who propagates the worldly, fleeting and ephemeral cannot be called a messenger of God. One should not waste one’s life in merely eating, drinking and sleeping. In fact, such a life is a blot on human nature itself! One has to overcome difficulties to be successful in life. Every activity should reflect the divine message. You see many people suffering. In what way are you helping them? Give happiness to those who are suffering. Consider your every activity as God’s work.

Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba

Thought for the Day

Hold the rosary over the middle finger, keeping three Guna fingers together. This means that you are now transcending the world of attributes and qualities, of name and form, of multiplicity that is the consequence of all this transformation, and proceeding towards the knowledge of Unity. The Jeevi finger (index finger) now slowly passes each bead towards the thumb (Brahman), touching the tip of the Brahman finger. When the bead passes over, mergence is emphasised with every bead and every breath, for, while the fingers learn and teach the lesson, the tongue too repeats the mantra or the Name, with the pranava (the primal sound of OM). The japamala (rosary) is very useful for beginners in sadhana, but, as you progress, japa (chanting) must become the very breath of your life and so, the rotation of beads becomes a superfluous and cumbersome exercise in which you have no more interest! Always, at all times, in all places, Hari (Lord) is meditated upon. That is the stage the japamala should lead you.

Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba

Thought for the Day

Transcend anekatwa bhava (the feeling of multiplicity) and cultivate ekatwa bhava (the feeling of oneness), that will end strife, grief, pain and pride. See all as expressions of the same God, as appearances on the same screen, and as bulbs lit by the same current, though of manifold colours and wattage. Feel that you and they are able to talk and walk, and think and act because of the God within. Differences that strike you while you cast your eyes are illusory; you have not yet developed the vision that makes you apprehend the unity which is the truth of all the seeming diversity, that is all! The fault is in you, not the world. The world is One; but, each takes it to mean what pleases one most! The world is One, but, each sees it from one’s own angle and so, it appears as if it has multiple faces.

Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba

Be humble, be calm, be tolerant. Cooperate with all and treat everyone with courtesy and kindness.

When Christ was born, three kings came to see the infant. One of them declared that the child would be a lover of God. The second one said that he would be the beloved of God. The third one declared that he was God. A lover of God is a messenger of God. The one whom God loves is a ‘Son of God’. When one experiences both of these, he becomes one with God - ‘Father and Son are one’. Therefore, at the outset you must prepare yourselves to be messengers of God. This means that you should live up to the message of God. The message calls for service to all. Compassion, morality and integrity are essential elements in the message. In propagating this message faith in God should be promoted. Love should be the watchword. The absence of love gives rise to hatred. Today there is no unity among the people. Without unity how can there be bliss? Without bliss how can anyone experience God?

Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba

I am the luckiest person COVID 19

Last month I was tired and I applied Medical Leave up to 30-11-2020.  I went to Chennai and stayed for a week where I got cold, sneezing and my nose was running and also  blocked. Self medication was made and not went to see doctor.  But  I never had fever. Then I returned to Madurai. I have taken rest and never went to anywhere. Days went smoothly and then I  felt wheezing and felt difficult to breath.  So I went to see the Doctor in her clinic.  Chest CT scan was taken as instructed by the Doctor which shows I was affected by pneumonia and then I was medicated properly.  After a week I had fever everyday at night and taken paracetamol as per doctor advice along with the medicines already prescribed.  I had fever even after taking paracetamol for four days.  Then Doctor advised to hospitalize for further treatment.  In the meantime I have taken COVID 19 Test and it was negative.  I met the specialist and told everything. He doubted that I had COVID 19 and again asked to take COVID 19 test along with CT Chest SCAN test for COVID 19. As usual Swab test shows negative and CT Chest scan shows positive and urgently I was hospitalized and took treatment for 9 days and at the time of discharge I was advised to take self quarantine for 14 days at home and prescribed some medicines.  Then I went for review. Doctor told I that I was fully recovered.  After three days I felt pain under both ribs while drinking water and swallowing food.  Again met the the Doctor and prescribed medicine for ulcer.  Today I feel good and normal.  For this reason I have not posted any thing for a long time.  The only depression faced by me is expenses made towards treatment. Through out all these things my wife and son took great care of me with the grace of Sai Ram

Om Sri Sai Ram

Thought for the Day

It was to teach mankind the greatness of divine love that Jesus came. He resolved on three tasks: one, to be filled with Divine love and to share it with others - this was the main purpose of his life; two, he should not succumb to praise or censure in carrying out his mission; three, to inspire in others the conviction that the Divinity within is omnipresent. Jesus considered spreading the gospel of love as his foremost task. He encountered many ordeals in carrying out his mission, but he regarded them all as challenges to be overcome. He was determined to treat pleasure and pain, and sickness and failure with equanimity. He could not bear to see anyone suffer. Every human being is potentially a messenger of God. Humanness demands that everyone should manifest the Divinity within him. Everyone should be a real messenger of God and strive to promote peace and security in the world. There is no other path to be followed. God's message is sacred and totally free from self-interest.

Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba

Thought for the Day

One day, young Jesus went to a lonely hilltop. Jesus was sitting and meditating on God all the while. After some time, he returned. As he was returning, he ran into a group of worried men on the coast of the sea of Galilee. When Jesus enquired, they said that they were fishermen and that for quite some time they were unable to catch any fish in their nets. Jesus said, “Follow me; are there any waters that do not have fish?” He took them to the middle of the sea and asked them to cast their nets at a particular spot. To their utter astonishment and great joy, the fishermen found that their nets were full with fish. This event created a lot of faith in the minds of the fishermen. Faith is indispensable for humanity. Where there is faith, there is love. Where there is love, there is truth; Where there is truth, there is peace; Where there is peace, there is bliss; Where there is bliss, there is God.

Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba

Thought for the Day

Sat is the Existence Principle, the ‘IS’ that is the basic truth of the Universe. Align with the Truth, the Sat in you, the Satya (Reality) on which the Mitya (false) is imposed by minds that do not see light. By dwelling in that Sat, the flame is lit, light dawns, darkness flees and the Jnana Bhaskara (Sun of Realisation) rises. When there is hard rock below, you have to bore deeper for tapping the underground pure water. Softer the subterranean soil, quicker the success. Make your heart soft; then success is quick in sadhana. Talk soft, talk sweet, talk only of God - that is the process of softening the subsoil. Develop compassion, sympathy; engage in service, understand the agony of poverty, disease, distress and despair; share both tears and cheers with others. That is the way to soften the heart and help sadhana to succeed!

Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba

Thought for the Day

What is Sadhana, fundamentally? It is upavasam, upasana. ‘Upa’ means near, ‘Asana’ means sitting, and ‘Vasam’ means residing. We sit near a cooler so that we may feel cool. We sit near God, so that we might derive some Godly qualities and get rid of ungodly characteristics. God is not an external contrivance or convenience like the air cooler. He is the Antaryamin, the Inner Director, the Inner Reality, the Unseen Basis on which all this seeable world is built. He is like the fire-principle that is latent in wood, which can be made manifest, when one piece is rubbed vigorously against another. The heat that is produced consumes the wood in fire! Satsang (Company of the good and the godly) makes you meet with other individuals of like nature, and creates the contact that manifests the Inner Fire. Sat-sang means meeting the Sat, the Sat (Truth) which is spoken of while extolling God as Sat-chit-ananda.

Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba

Thought for the Day

To realise the Brahman through continuous meditation on Brahman is not an enjoyable path for all to take. This was why spiritual teachers like Ramanuja favoured the path of devotion. They experienced themselves the bliss flowing from love of God and propagated the love-principle as the easiest means to experience the Divine. There have been teachers who have emphasised the Karma Marga (the path of Action), the Jnana Marga (the path of knowledge), the different types of yoga or other means to realise the Divine. But the common under-current that flows through all of them is the path of Bhakti - the path of Divine Love. This is accepted by all of them. Love must expand from the individual to the whole universe. Love is God. The universe is permeated by God. To see God in everything, to love everything as a manifestation of God and to offer everything to God as an offering of Love - this is the way of Love!

Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba

Thought for the Day

 Without firm faith in the omnipresence of the Divine, devotion has no meaning. By developing faith, devotion is nourished and devotion enables one to face all the vicissitudes of life with fortitude and serenity, regarding them as dispensations of Providence. Finally one-pointed devotion for God leads to union with the Divine. Today devotion begins with the morning ritual of yoga (a form of worship), progresses towards bhoga (enjoyment) at mid-day and ends with roga (sickness) at night. "Satatam Yoginah," says the Gita. To be absorbed in the Divine always is the mark of a yogi. This cannot be achieved in one jump. But can be achieved through constant practice. Self-realisation is the goal. Love is the means. It is through the cultivation of Love that life can find fulfilment. Everyone must strive to achieve this fulfilment by filling this human adventure with the sweetness of love and transforming it into an expression of Divinity. This is My benediction for all of you.

Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba

Thought for the Day

Idols are inert in nature and do not possess the qualities of compassion, love, etc. It is for this reason that some people are against idol-worship. This is ignorance. Are you not worshipping the pictures of your parents and grandparents? Do these pictures have life in them? No. Nor do they have the qualities of compassion, love, sacrifice, etc. Then what is the point in worshipping them? It is through these pictures that we are reminded of their virtues and ideals they stood for. Take for instance a hundred rupee note. There is neither life nor virtues of love or compassion in it. Yet people love it and would like to possess it. Money is valuable because it bears the government’s seal. Similarly, we respect the national flag for the value it stands for, though it is merely a piece of cloth, which is inert. If idol worship is considered foolish, then the same should apply to love for money and respect for flag, which are also lifeless. Man’s beliefs are based on his likes and dislikes.

Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba

Thought for the Day

When a drop of water falls into the ocean, it achieves immortality and infinitude. If you hold a drop of water in your palm, it evaporates in a few moments. But when you join it with the ocean, it becomes boundless and one with it. Only through Love can union with the Universal be realised. To a devotee who achieves such a union with the Eternal, everything appears as Divine. The Gopikas of Brindavan were such devotees. They experienced divine bliss through their intense devotion. Like a fish that cannot live out of water, the devotee who is immersed in the nectarous ocean of divine love, cannot exist for a moment without love of God. He cannot relish any other thing. Every part of his body is so much filled with love of God that each organ finds expression in proclaiming the glory of God or rendering service to God. This was the devotion Gopikas had for Krishna. It was something beyond intellect and power of reason.

Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba

We pray for the welfare, wealth, and health of all. Never wish for the misfortune of any other person. There is no room for hatred in this world. All are friends. If you persist in this manner, wishing well for everyone, and praying for their prosperity, you become an ideal for the whole world.

One should never speak ill of others. Mounat kalaham nasti (strife does not arise out of silence). Salute those who offend you. Don’t return offence with offence. If you act in the same manner as your opponent, how can you become greater? While saying that the other is acting wrongly, will you be right if you act in the same manner? Never act in this manner. Let those who commit offence continue their offensive behaviour. Never react. Wish for the welfare of everyone. When all are happy, you are included. We pray for the welfare, wealth, and health of all. Never wish for the misfortune of any other person. There is no room for hatred in this world. All are friends. If you persist in this manner, wishing well for everyone, and praying for their prosperity, you become an ideal for the whole world.

Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba

Thought for the Day

Everyone must strive to fill the heart with true devotion. Constant contemplation on the form of the Lord and frequent repetition of the Lord's name are the means by which the heart is filled with the love of God. When there is this love, the devotee is filled with inexpressible ecstasy. It was out of such ecstasy that Kulasekhara Alwar, the royal saint, exclaimed: "Oh Lord! People talk of Moksha (liberation) as the means of redeeming life and getting rid of birth and death. I do not ask for such redemption. I shall be content with loving You and serving You in countless lives. Allow me to love You and serve You - that is the only blessing I seek from You and not Moksha." The universe is permeated with love. It is the embodiment of Vishnu. There is nothing in the cosmos, no place in it where He is not present. To regard the Universe as a manifestation of God and to experience it as such is real devotion.

Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba

Thought for the Day

The sages addressed all human beings as ‘Children of Immortality, Amirtasya-putrah." But in spite of this definite assurance and the inexhaustible joy that can be experienced therefrom, man degrades himself into an Anrita-putra (child of falsehood) and starts wailing that he lacks this, that or some other comfort or contraption! Thieves who rob him of valuable treasures like peace and contentment, equipoise and courage, are being honoured as masters, and masters who ensure peace and happiness are treated with irreverence and disgust. You can bolt your doors and windows against thieves, but who can bolt the door against death? The thieves - lust, anger, greed, attachment, pride and hate - are honoured as welcome guests and the real well-wishers like tranquillity and humility are shown the door!

Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba

Parents should feel happy only when they see their children lead blameless lives, acquiring a good name and behaving properly.

Plant in the tender hearts of children, the seeds of love, sympathy, truth, justice, charity, compassion, repentance and self-control. That is the prime duty of all who deal with children. When the father asks the child to tell someone at the door that he is not at home, or when the son asks his brother to reply to a phone call, saying he has gone out, the vice of dishonesty is implanted in the child. Do not burden the tender brains with all kinds of lumber, information that can never be put to use, facts that warp and twist the truth, and so on. Teach them only as much as they can use beneficially and as much as can be of direct help to them in their lives. Train their character more than their brains. The parents first and foremost, teachers next, comrades, playmates and companions next, and the various levels of society later - these shape the character of the children, and the destiny of the country!

Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba

Thought for the Day

The body is the chariot, buddhi (intelligence) is the charioteer, desires are the roads through which it is drawn by the rope of sensual attachments, moksha (liberation) is the goal, and Moola-Virat-Swarupa (the primal-all-pervasive-Divine) is the Master in the chariot. The car which you carry about has to be treated thus. Instead, people are wildly milling round and round, in dreary circles, from birth to death, pulled by wishes or pushed by needs. No milestones on the pilgrim road are crossed, no bridges are negotiated, and no progress is registered. The very process of the journey is ignored. You may say that progress is possible only through My grace; but though My Heart is soft as butter, it melts only when there is some warmth in your prayer. Unless you make some disciplined effort or undertake some sadhana, grace cannot descend on you. The yearning and the agony of unfulfilled aim melts My Heart. That is the Avedana (anguish) that wins grace.

Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba

Parents have the primary responsibility to mould the character of children. Too much freedom should not be given out of excessive affection.

Children are fresh charming saplings. With care and love, they can be made to blossom into ideal citizens of this land who can understand and practise the great disciplines laid down by the sages for their liberation, through self-realisation. The parents must bear a major share of the responsibility for the proper upbringing of children. The earliest years of life are the most crucial. The skills, attitudes, emotions, and the impulses that make or mar the future are built into the foundation of life in those years. Parents can help or hinder in the process of making that foundation strong and straight. But parents have no equipment now for this basic role. They have no faith in their own ancient culture; they themselves have no mental peace or sadhana which the children can imbibe from them. Children must grow up in homes, where their parents honour their parents, and are happy only when they serve their elders. This must be taught to them by example, rather than by precept!

Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba

Thought for the Day

Man (manava) is called so, because he has the skill to do manana - inner meditation on the meaning and significance of what one has heard. But you have not yet emerged out of the stage of Shravanam (listening)! All the joy you crave for is in you. But like a man who has vast riches in the iron chest, yet who has no idea where the key is, you suffer. Hear properly the instructions, dwell upon them in the silence of meditation, practise what has been made clear therein; then, you can secure the key, open the chest and be rich in joy. All have Love in them, in some form or other, towards some one or other or towards their work or goal. That Love is God, a spark of the God in them. They have Ananda (bliss), however small or temporary. That is another spark of the Divine. They have inner peace, detachment, discrimination, sympathy, and the spirit of service. These are Divine in the mirror of their minds.

Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba

Thought for the Day

Sadhana (spiritual efforts) must make you calm, unruffled, poised, and balanced. Make the mind as cool and comforting as moonlight, for the Moon is the Deity holding sway over the mind. Be calm in speech, and in your response to malice, cavilling and praise. You complain that others are disturbing your equanimity; but you do not know that though your tongue does not speak, your thoughts can unsettle the equanimity of those around you. Detachment, Faith and Love - these are the pillars on which peace rests. Of these, faith is crucial. For without it, all Sadhana is an empty rite. Detachment alone can make Sadhana effective, and love leads one quickly to God. Faith feeds the agony of separation from God, detachment canalises it along the path of God and Love lights the way. God will grant you what you need and deserve; there is no need to ask and no reason to grumble, be content. Nothing can happen against His will!

Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba

The first task of teachers is the cultivation of virtue in the hearts of the pupils. This is much more vital than the promotion of learning

Schooling is a waste, if children do not learn lasting virtues and do not develop strength of character, as a result of the process. Now they learn a number of copybook maxims; but do not put a single one into practice in daily life! They must learn reverence for parents, teachers, and elders. Even as children, they must learn the glory of God who is their inner Reality; they must understand that they are not the body, but they are the one dehi (indweller), who is the dehi in all. Through bhajan (singing devotional songs) and shravana (listening to tales of God's Glory), these elevating truths can be handed to them by teachers and parents who are themselves aware of these and are practicing them in daily life. Learn your own news, before getting excited about the news of others. Learn A,B,C,D of your own alphabet and then, you will be better able to guide others, in their learning and life!

Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba

If you shed your ego and experience Divinity, you will get rid of your pain and enjoy lasting bliss

Sadhana (spiritual striving) will disclose to you your identity. But be careful; Sadhana can foster even pride and envy as the by-product of progress. You calculate how much or how long you have done Sadhana and you are tempted to look down on another, whose record is less. You are proud that you have written the name of Sai ten million times; you talk about it whenever you get the chance, so that others may admire your faith and fortitude. But it is not the millions that count but the purity of mind that results from genuine concentration on the name. Your Sadhana must avoid becoming like drawing water from a well in a cane basket! You get no water however often you may dip and pull the basket up. Each vice is a hole in the bucket. Keep the heart pure, keep it whole.

Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba

Every morning, as soon as you sit up in bed, ask yourself this question: "For what purpose have I come into this world? What is the task set for me? What is the triumph for which this struggle is preparing me? Which is the grand victory for which I have to strive?"

Every morning, as soon as you sit up in bed, ask yourself this question: "For what purpose have I come into this world? What is the task set for me? What is the triumph for which this struggle is preparing me? Which is the grand victory for which I have to strive?" You must’ve witnessed chariot festivals in famous pilgrimage centres. The colossal chariots will be gorgeously decorated; stalwart bands of men draw them along broad roads to the music of blowpipes and conches; acrobats, dancers, chanters, minstrels - all precede it and add to the exhilaration of the occasion. Thousands crowd around and their attention is naturally drawn towards entertainments provided, but they feel happiest only when they fold their palms and bow before the Idol installed in the chariot. The rest is all subsidiary, even irrelevant! So too in the process of life, body is the chariot, Atma is the Idol installed therein. Earning, spending, laughing, weeping, hurting, healing, and all the various acrobatics of daily life are but subsidiary to the adoration of God, the attainment of Atma!

Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba

Thought for the Day

You desire to drink a sweet drink, but instead of sugar, you drop salt into the cup, imagining salt to be sugar. That is the state of man today. He craves for peace, but does not know how to attain it. The means he adopts do not lead him to the anticipated end. A large percentage of people who come to me ask for moksha (Self-Realisation or Liberation) from the bondage of grief and joy, birth and death. But, when I offer to bless them with the consummation of their wish, they do not come forward; they would rather have it ten years or five years later. So all the thirst and craving are just a pose; it is a fashionable slogan, and nothing more. Man must be sincere; his word must be in conformity with his feeling, and his action must be in conformity with his word. Resolve on this practice, at least from today. Do not be false to yourself.

Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba

Thought for the Day

The mind is the puppet of the food that is consumed by man. It is prompted one way or the other by the subtle pull of the food it is fed on. The quality of the food determines the direction of the desire that diverts the mental flow. That is why in the Gita as well as in all scriptural texts, Satwik (pure) food is recommended for the upward seeking individual. Satwik food, according to some, consists in milk and fruits. But it is much more; it may not even be these. For, the calories that one takes in through the mouth are but a small part of the intake of man. The intake by the senses are part of the food that builds the individual. The sounds heard, the sights seen, the tactile impressions sought or suffered, the air breathed, the environment that presses for attention, appreciation and adoption - all these are 'food.' They have considerable impact on the character and career of the individual.

Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba

Thought for the Day

The eyes should see only what is good. The hands should be engaged in good actions. The ears should hear no evil and listen only to what is good. Talk no evil. Talk only what is good. Think no evil. Think what is good. Do no evil. Do what is good. This is the way to God. The eyes should see only sacred objects. The whole world will be transformed when your vision becomes holy. Devote every moment to actions that will please God. Develop love for God, which will confer every blessing on you. This is exemplified by the life of Harishchandra. He sacrificed everything in the cause of truth. And ultimately he got back everything by the grace of God. Lead a long life, happy life, peaceful life, loving life and divine life. Redeem your lives by practicing Divine Love. Life is a Game, Play it! Life is a Dream, Realise it! Life is Love, Enjoy it!

Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba

Thought for the Day

Most people confine themselves to ritualistic worship for a brief time everyday. They don’t attempt to know what for they are performing these rituals. There is no meaning in performing rituals without understanding the purpose and goal of life. The ultimate purpose of all spiritual exercises is to realise the Love Principle (Love of Divine). To foster love is the purpose of all spiritual endeavors. In no circumstance should love be given up or ignored. Where there is love, there can be no hatred, grief or want. Time is passing. You are all growing in years. But there is little change in your attitudes. Purity in thought results in purity in knowledge and wisdom. Self-Realisation comes only through spiritual wisdom (Jnana). To lead a sacred life and have sacred experiences, engage yourself in sacred actions. The good and evil in the world can be changed only when there is a change in men’s actions. Transformation of society must start with transformation of individuals.

Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba

Thought for the Day

Embodiments of Love! Eschew bad qualities like hatred and envy. See that your love for God does not fluctuate according to whether your wishes are fulfilled or not. Remember that you reap the fruits of your actions, according to whether they are good or bad. Love of God alone can confer enduring bliss. Many in the world acquire wealth, fame and position. But what have they achieved in terms of the goal of life? Their failure is due to lack of understanding of the unity that underlies the apparent diversity. It is a mark of spiritual goodness to recognise the divine in everyone. Prahlada declared that you can find God wherever you seek Him. His father, Hiranyakasipu, was a great person because of his attainments. But he failed to achieve goodness because of his denial of the Divine. The lesson for students today is that they should follow the sacred path of righteousness. They should work for the welfare of society.

Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba

Thought for the Day

The Navaratri festival is observed by contemplating on God for ten days and cleansing one's self of all impurities, to experience the Divinity within. The penultimate day of the festival is dedicated to what is termed as Ayuda Puja (worship of weapons). The weapons to be worshipped are the divine powers within. When the Divine is worshipped in this way, one is bound to progress spiritually. On the contrary, the usual practice now is to treat the Divine and the devotee as separate from each other. This is wrong. The Divine is omnipresent and is in everyone and in every object. Realising this oneness, all actions should be done as an act of dedication to the Divine. Imagine the bliss that can be experienced in such a state of mind! It is essential to celebrate the festival in this sacred spirit. It is not enough to do this for only ten days during the Navaratri festival. It should become the rule all through one's life, till the time one draws one's life-breath.

Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba

Thought for the Day

The Chakora bird is an example for man in the pursuit of purity. It will not drink any water except what rains from a cloud in the sky. It sees in a dark rain-bearing cloud the divine form of the Lord. Man should seek to see and experience the Divine in every object and every being. Students should experience the Divine in all their studies and sports. It has been said: Life is a game, Play it! Life must be permeated with love. Through love, truth can be realised and a righteous life can be lived. The cowherd maids (Gopikas) provide the supreme example of how to lead a life dedicated to the Divine. The episode of Uddhava’s mission to the cowherd maids and their reaction to it as described in the Bhagavatam shows what true and one-pointed devotion to Krishna meant for the cowherd maids. They had totally surrendered their minds and hearts to Krishna.

Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba

Thought for the Day

 We witness in the world all kinds of pains and sorrows. But none of these is permanent. Every pain is followed by pleasure. The experience of pleasure is refined by the earlier experience of pain. Like refinement of gold by melting in a crucible, pain divinises pleasure that follows it! 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 man is to enjoy enduring happiness, he must discover the source of such happiness. That source is love. There is nothing greater than love. Everything has a price. The price to be paid for enduring happiness is Divine Love. Without Love, no object can give you real happiness. Hence, primary wealth for man is Love. Everyone should acquire this wealth. With this wealth anyone can enjoy enduring bliss!

Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba

One’s own Anger assumes the form of a demon. If you develop love, then, everything you confront will have the form of love.

Once, while Pandavas were in the forest, Krishna visited them. Krishna was told that the five brothers took turns during the night to keep a vigil over the activities of evil spirits and demons. One night, an evil spirit appeared before Pandava brothers, they had great difficulty in fighting it. In view of this, Dharmaja, the eldest Pandava, tried to dissuade Krishna from participating in sentry duty. Krishna, however, insisted on his share. During that period no evil spirit appeared. Then came Arjuna’s turn, Krishna watched the scene from a distance. To Arjuna’s surprise, no evil spirit appeared while Krishna was there. Krishna then explained to Arjuna that evil spirits were only a reflection of one’s hatred and fear, and when one is free from these, no evil spirit would appear or do any harm. Krishna revealed that the Divine existed even in so-called evil spirits and that if a person gets rid of the evil qualities within him, evil spirits can do no harm.

Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba

Thought for the Day

What man should seek today is not pleasure. Nor is his goal sorrow. Wherefrom does pleasure come? When pain is got rid of, pleasure is secured. Man should bring under his control the source of pleasure and pain. More than pleasure, it is pain that awakens wisdom in man. If you study the lives of great men, you find that it is out of trouble and pain that they derived wisdom. Without sorrow there can be no wisdom. It is pain that teaches many wise lessons to man. Not realizing this profound truth, man pursues pleasure endlessly. No doubt man needs to be happy. But how is happiness to be achieved? It is only when sorrow is overcome, man realises happiness. Hence everyone should welcome sorrow in the same spirit in which they greet happiness. Every man has his origin in Truth. He is sustained by Truth, and merges in Truth. He is the embodiment of Truth. When every individual recognises this truth, the whole world will be permeated by Truth.

Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba

Thought for the Day

Sankalpas or Inner Resolutions tend to be attracted towards one another, when they flow in the same direction or are related to similar desires. Cranes fly together as flock; they do not mix with crows. Crows form their own groups. Among beasts of the forest, bisons have herds of their own kind; they have no comradeship with elephants, which keep bisons away and mingle only with elephants. Deer too form groups by themselves. Similarly, a musician attracts musicians around him. Teachers seek teachers for company. Decisions which mind makes, either to commit or omit, are amazing, for, the Cosmos and all its contents can be described as their consequence. The mind decides on the fact or facet of the objective world which it has to notice. The Sankalpa bears fruit and the fruit conforms to the seed from which it springs. It has to reveal its impact, sooner or later. So, man has to avoid evil sankalpas and cultivate good ones!

Baagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba

Thought for the Day

Once when Duryodhana said that he was not afraid of God and man, Krishna told him that he was indeed, pitiable! The pasu (animal) fears; the mriga (beast) terrifies. Man should be neither. He should neither terrify nor get terrorised. He must be neither a coward nor a bully. If he is a coward he is an animal; if he is a bully he is a danava, an ogre. Every one of you is a temple, with the Lord installed in your heart, whether you are aware of it or not. The Lord is described in the Purusha Sukta as thousand headed; it does not mean that He has just thousand heads, no more, no less. It means that the thousands of heads before Me now have just one heart, which gives life and energy to all, and that heart is the Lord. No one is separate from his neighbour; all are bound by the one life-blood that flows through the countless bodies.

Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba

Thought for the Day

The Lord has endowed man with the body and so, every limb and every sense organ is worthy of reverent attention. Each must be used for His Glory. The ear must exult when it gets a chance to hear the wonderful tales of God. The tongue must exult when it can praise Him. Or else, the tongue of man is ineffective as that of frogs which croak day and night, sitting on the marshy bank. The human body has been given to you for a grand purpose - realising the Lord within. If you have a fully equipped car in good running condition, would you keep it in the garage? The car is primarily for going on a journey; get into it and go. Then only is it worthwhile to own it. So too, with the body. Proceed, go forward to the goal. Learn how to use the faculties of the body, the senses, the intellect, and the mind for achieving the goal and march on.

Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba

Thought for the Day

I utter no meaningless word. I do no purposeless deed. I plan no significance-less action. I never engage in unholy activities. I have nothing that I need. My joy consists in fulfilling your aims, and in making you reach the goal. The one thing that I ask for is a love-filled heart. Believe and hold fast, without entangling yourselves in a mesh of empty explanations and imaginary arguments — that is the way to profit. Do not develop attachment to this body. Why, attachment to any body is not desirable. This hand gives you things, but My hand is that which creates all this. My course is unique, different from all that you know. I do not identify Myself with anything. Ice is water, water is ice. The Form (saguna) is without form (nirguna), without form is this form. I am incomprehensible. The Lord’s Form can be perceived only by means of the eye of love (prema) or the eye of wisdom (jnana) or the eye of yoga, not the eye of sensual activity.

Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba

Mother and Motherland are more worthy of reverence than Heaven.

The convocation in hermitages marked the close of a sweet chapter in life when ideals to be pursued in later years were implanted. The advice given by gurus during convocations was, "Consider mother as God, consider father as God, consider teacher as God, and consider the guest as God." Follow this fourfold exhortation with full faith in its validity, derive bliss therefrom and inspire others by your example, so that the Motherland may progress and prosper. Your parents are sacrificing their comforts and even necessities in order to ensure your progress. It is your duty to revere them and make them happy. First, render your homes bright by pleasing your parents. Do not be arrogant towards your parents because you have studied a few things. Engage yourselves in acts that others will respect and not in acts of which you feel ashamed of. Do not allow your minds to get agitated with limitless desires. Love your native land. Fulfil this desire of mine, with My blessings!

Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba

“Help ever, hurt never”

“Help ever, hurt never” - That is true liberation! To get rid of moha (attachment) is true moksha (liberation). Do not try to find faults with others. If you point an accusing finger at someone, remember that three fingers are pointing at you. Satyam kanthasya bhushanam (Truth is the true ornament to the neck), and Hastasya bhushanam danam (charity is the true ornament to the hand). Your hands are useless if they do not perform acts of charity. You have to sanctify each limb of your body in sacred activities. You should empathise with those who are in difficulties and try to give them solace. 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. You cannot escape the consequences of your actions. You have to bear this truth in mind. Your life will be sanctified when you conduct yourselves in a manner not to hurt others!

Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba

I have come to light the lamp of Love in your hearts, to see that it shines day by day with added lustre.

Come, I am the repairer of broken hearts and damaged four-fold instruments of mind, intellect, memory, and ego. I am like the smith, who welds, mends and sets right. The Lord will be waiting outside the door of the worship room of the devotee, anxious to fulfil their wish! Verily, one who has the Lord as his Servant — that one is the real Lord! Only do not allow your faith to falter. Do not become a slave to others; no, not even to God. Test. Test, examine, and experience. When you find God, demand as if it is your right. But before you get that right, you should appear for the examination and pass, is it not? I set tests not as a punishment or because I enjoy putting you into trouble but just to give you the joy of passing! Also, do not yield to despair or become dejected. It is My resolve (sankalpa) that you progress in spiritual development. I have collected all of you and I shall lay the concrete foundation and build the walls and erect the roof and complete the mansion. My resolve never proves ineffective.

Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba

Women are the makers of the home, the nation and the world

Chandramathi was a woman of sterling character. She always followed her husband, Harishchandra. When they were passing through difficulties, she infused courage in him saying, “Oh king, you are highly intelligent and educated. You should never give scope to weakness and waver from your chosen path. We are swimming in the ocean of truth. We should not give up our resolve till we reach the shores.” In this manner, women of those days would encourage their husbands to follow the path of truth. Sita did not shed tears even in extremely trying circumstances. Though surrounded by demons, she was never afraid of them. She spent her time in the contemplation of Lord Rama, and thus set an ideal. The same can be said of Damayanti. She was one of virtues. With her strong determination, she helped her husband regain his kingdom. In this manner, women of those days earned a name for themselves with their sterling character and ideal motherhood. Today’s women should make them role models.

Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba

Do not waste time in idle gossip. Talk softly, talk as little as possible, and talk sweet. Serve all as brothers and sisters, with adoration to the Sai in them.

The first step in spiritual discipline is cleansing of the speech. Talk sweetly without anger. Do not boast of your scholarship or attainments. Be humble, and eager to serve. Conserve your speech. Practice silence. That will save you from squabbles, idle thoughts, and factions. Again, practice the attitude of joy when others are joyful and of grief when others around you are grieved. Let your heart move in sympathy. The joy and grief have to be translated into service; they should not be mere emotions! Train yourself by using the spark of wisdom that has been implanted in you. Once you try with all your might, the Lord’s grace will be there to help you forward! When the sun rises, not all lotuses in the lake bloom; only the grown buds open their petals. The others await their time. It is the same with people. Differences do exist because of unripeness, though all fruits have to ripen and fall someday.

Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba

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

Yours is a splendid chance to become guides of mankind. You, who belong to the Sathya Sai Society, have this responsibility in an even greater measure, since you must lead model lives of sincere striving. Having taken the Name, you are bound to act according to My command and shed the light of devotion on all who come near you. No attempt need be made to run away from the duties of one’s station and status. Remember, those duties have to be done as worship, as offerings of one’s intelligence and skill, qualities, and thoughts and feelings at the Feet of the Lord in a spirit of thankfulness for the chance given, without a trace of egoism or a sense of attachment to the fruits of the actions. The root of all trouble is the uncontrolled and ill-directed mind. Obligatory actions have to be carried out, wherever you are, with care and sincerity. They award the needed discrimination and non-attachment.

Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba

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

First of all, you should make an attempt to make good use of the mental and physical strengths that have been given to you. When you are so lazy as not to use them, what are you going to do with divine strengths? Suppose that you have been given food and drink by the divine grace and strength of the Lord. Because God has given you enough food on your plate, for you to think that God has to also help you in transferring this food to your stomach is a very lazy idea. For taking the food to your stomach, God has given you hands, a palate and a mouth. You should make good use of them. That we may learn to make good use of our mental and physical strengths and other organs, God comes in human form; He demonstrates how these may be used. The essential quality of an Avatar is to teach you how to make good and proper use of your thought, word, and deed.

Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Bab

Thought for the Day

Do not be carried away by worldly pleasures. Take 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 and electricity but there is no tax for namasmarana. Nobody can stop you from doing it. It’s very simple, yet most effective. But people don't realise the value of namasmarana as it is so easy to practise. They think that God can be attained only through severe austerities. This is a misconception. Without troubling yourself or causing trouble to others, you can chant the divine name. Cultivate love for God. That is true devotion. Develop sacred love. Do not criticise or ridicule anybody. Give happiness to all by sharing your love with them. This is true spiritual practice. Follow this simple path, experience bliss and sanctify your lives!

Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba

Singing the Lord's name should become an exercise in mutual sharing of joy and holiness.

Today we are having the Akhanda Bhajan (24-hour bhajan by Sai devotees all over the world). This is being done not for the sake of one individual, one nation or community. It is for the welfare of humanity as a whole. The bhajans that are sung permeate the ether in the form of sound waves and fill the entire atmosphere. Thereby the whole environment gets purified. Breathing in this purified atmosphere, our hearts get sanctified. Reciting the Lord's name is a process of give and take. Singing the Lord's name should become an exercise in mutual sharing of joy and holiness. It should be remembered that the sounds we produce reverberate in the atmosphere. They remain permanently in the ether as waves and outlast the individual uttering the sounds. Today the atmosphere is polluted by unholy and vicious sounds. This results in the growth of evil thoughts and feelings, which lead to evil deeds. If the atmosphere has to be purified, it has to be filled with pure and sacred sounds.

Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba

Happiness and sorrow coexist. You cannot attain happiness without undergoing difficulties.

We should examine the reason why the formless Lord takes the form of a human being and comes into the midst of humans. It is so that He may mix with the human beings and set up examples and ideals for them, and to convey to them all aspects which they should learn. Many people ask very innocently and ignorantly why an Avatar, who possesses all powers, should subject Oneself to all troubles; and why should the Avatar tolerate hunger and suffering all around. An Avatar who has all the powers should be able to remove all such suffering in one moment. If there is any meaning in such a question, why should an Avatar come in human form at all? The Avatar can remain as a formless Divinity and do all these things from that position itself. In time, and under certain conditions and environment, whatever has to be done must be done and such acts, at a human level, have to be performed.

Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba

Mankind can find happiness only in unity, not in diversity.

When the thirst for liberation and the revelation of one’s reality is acute, a strange and mysterious force in nature will begin operating. When the soil is ready, the seed appears from somewhere! The spiritual guru will be alerted, and the thirst will get quenched. The receiving individual has developed the power to attract the giver of illumination. That power is strong and full. Therefore, naturally the splendour that can confer illumination will get ready to bless. Though gurus of the common type have increased in number, a Guru is available for one who is far more supreme and compassionate than any or all gurus. He is none other than the Avatar of the Lord. He can, by the mere expression of His will, confer the highest consummation of spiritual life. He can gift it and get one to accept it. Even the meanest of the mean can acquire the highest wisdom, in a trice. He is the Guru of all gurus. He is the fullest embodiment of God as a human. A person can cognize God only in human form. Unless God incarnates as a person, people can never hope to see God or listen to His voice.

Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba

Thought for the Day

I have often told you that My Life is My Message. Avatars proclaim so and demonstrate their Divinity that way. They are children among children, men among men, and women among women, so that they may respond to their joy and sorrow and console them, and infuse confidence and courage into their drooping hearts. The Avatars appear among humans since birds, beasts, trees and the like have not slid into the unnatural and the strange. It is only humans who, pursuing the mirage of worldly happiness and sensual pleasure, have forgotten the task for which they have come to earth. Since God assumes human form in order to restore Dharma and lead man back into the path of virtue and wisdom, nothing can please God more than rigorous adherence to Dharma. One can stick to the path of Dharma if one is conscious of the Divine in everything that one sees or hears, touches or tastes. That will fill every moment of one’s life with the thrill of self-realisation.

Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba

Everyone needs a one-pointed agitation-less mind to guide you and guard you. -

 Mind wills, yearns, prompts and insists on effort and action. This process is called sankalpa, these are like sasanas (commands). Everyone has to be aware of the variety and validity of actions induced by these promptings. Mind is host to fifty million such! Of thoughts that appear and vanish like clouds that pass silently, many stay and stir the mind into activity. These are sankalpas. Until these are understood against their vast background, one cannot live happily and in peace. Good sankalpas elicit best out of one and help one to use all strength for uplift. A person has to recognise bad sankalpas or urges as soon as they arise, render them ineffective by systematic cultivation of beneficial sankalpas. These alone can save from disaster and keep one close to Prasanthi (supreme calm). Ships at sea are guided by compass along desired direction; without it, they risk being wrecked. Man has to sail safe across the ocean of samsara (worldly existence).

Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba

The best spiritual discipline is to strengthen your inward vision.

Constant recollection of the glory and majesty of God, who is the Indweller, through the instrumentality of the Name, helps to purify the heart. That is the B12 vitamin that promotes spiritual health. There is no need for any other tablet. Life is a pilgrimage where one drags the feet along the rough and thorny road. With the Name of God on the lips, one will have no thirst; with the Form of God in the heart, one will feel no exhaustion. The company of the holy will inspire one to travel in hope and faith. The assurance that God is within all, that He is ever near, will lend strength to the limbs and courage to the eye. Remember that with every step, you are nearing God; and God too takes ten steps towards you. There is no stopping place in this pilgrimage; it is one continuous journey, through day and night, through valley and desert, through tears and smiles, through death and birth, and through tomb and womb.

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

God is the closest, fondest and most reliable companion. But man, in his blindness, ignores Him and seeks the company of others. God is present everywhere, at all times. He is the richest and the most powerful guardian. Yet you ignore Him. The Lord is here, near, loving, accessible and affectionate. But many do not open their eyes to this great opportunity! The Name will bring Him nearer to you. Now, the Name is on the tongue, the world is in the mind and the owner of the Name is in the heart. The world and its attractions are distracting you, obliterating the answer the Lord gives to the call of the Name! The Name of God, with all its halo of glory and majesty, can cleanse the mind of passion and emotion, and make it placid and pure. When the Name is repeated without concentration and without reverence, it cannot cleanse the mind.

Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba

Thought for the Day

The instrument through which you are able to master nature is itself not really understood. When once that is understood, all that is understood through it will become plain. This is what sages of India did; they sought to know that which if known, all else can be known. The Upanishads lay down the process of this discovery. The expression of that discovery in practical life is - Love. For, it is Love that creates, sustains and engulfs all. Without Love, no one can claim to have succeeded in deciphering God and His handiwork, the Universe. God is Love; live in Love - that is the direction indicated by sages. Love can grow only in a well-ploughed heart, free from brambles. So, the heart has to be prepared by means of Namasmarana (constant recital of the Name); it can be called a yoga, like bhakti, jnana or karma (devotion, wisdom, action). It can also be called Chitta shuddhi yoga - The path of Consciousness-cleansing.

Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba

There is only one path for the realisation of the Atma. Give up the feeling of ‘mine’.

The fisherman uses a rod and line; that line has a float from which hangs inside the water a sharp hook with a worm. The fish is drawn by the worm to the hook, the float shakes, the fisherman feels the pull of the fish on the line, and he draws it on the land, where it is helpless and unable to breathe. The body is the rod, the yearning, the eager longing, is the line; intelligence is the float; discrimination is the hook; knowledge is the worm; Atma, the fish, is caught thus by the clever angler. When you get spiritual wisdom, Kaivalyam (divine status) draws towards you. Travel beyond the realms of lust, anger and hate, into Kaivalyam which is the state in which the Divine is experienced as all-comprehensive, as Will, as Activity, as Bliss, as Intelligence, as Existence. You must suppress your tamas (ignorance), sublimate your rajas (passions) and cultivate satwa (purity) in order to be established in Kaivalyam.

Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba