To get angry is but the effort of a moment; but to remain peaceful, to become unaffected by the ups and downs of life, is the result of years of training in spirituality.

Every aspirant must enter the path of inquiry. Only then can the conviction dawn and grow that nature and all learning connected with nature are unreal; only then will these be given a relative value, not an absolute value! They are, of course, to be learnt and experienced as necessary for existence, as a daily routine. However, they should not be mistaken to be the highest knowledge, the unchanging eternal truth. That mistake, if committed, leads to an agitated mind (a-santhi). Agitation produces worry and anxiety, which in turn destroys peace. If you aspire for peace and equanimity, the basic thing is to have faith in the temporary nature of Nature and be engaged in the uninterrupted contemplation of the changeless Godhead. Therefore, do not be bound by selfish attachments. Engage yourself in the discharge of your duties. Do not allow yourself to be gladdened by success or saddened by failure. Be ready to renounce all that is harmful. Then, through discrimination, you can beat the drum of victory!

BAGAVAN SRI SRI SRI SATHYA SAI BABA

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

The Lord’s grace is won more easily by devotion than the path of wisdom. In the discipline of devotion, there is the need to grasp reality and its inner meaning, fully and clearly. For this, the objective world itself is the proof and argument, the effort and means! To know this, spiritual inquiry has to be pursued; such an inquiry will grant unshakeable peace. Only inquiry can reveal the truth behind all objective world. It is your experience, isn’t it, that when you do some task carefully for a long time, correcting your mistakes as and when you discover them and avoiding their repetition while continuing with the task, you invariably achieve even more success than you hoped to get? What is wanted is the unflagging desire to achieve victory. That will lead you to discover the means thereof, to develop earnestness and care in the pursuit of those means, and to get success. Your wish must be strengthened by the will, and the will by your efforts!

BAGAVAN SRI SRI SRI SATHYA SAI BABA

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

What I will, must take place; what I plan must succeed. I am Truth; and Truth has no need to hesitate, or fear, or bend. 'Willing' is superfluous for Me. For, My Grace is ever available to devotees who have steady Love and Faith. Since I move freely among them, talking and singing, even intellectuals are 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 inquiry and the most meticulous measurement. Only those who have recognised My Love and experienced that Love can assert that they have glimpsed My Reality. For, the Path of Love is the Royal road that leads mankind to Me. 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, and you would be rewarded.

BAGAVAN SRI SRI SRI SATHYA SAI BABA

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

Why are the denizens of the deep sea so happy? Because they have water all around them. They cannot survive for even a second outside it. Even when they have perforce to come out of the water, they struggle frantically to reach it again, for the disaster will bring about death itself. So too, when one is immersed in peace, one will experience the joy and exhilaration of that state, in all ways. A person who has tasted that, can never tolerate even for a second the state of peacelessness and will never desert the peaceful stage. If it ever happens that one is forced into peacelessness, one will struggle furiously and desperately to return to the state of peace and might even die in the attempt. But why should such a person ever be thrown on the shore of peacelessness? One can be ever in a state of bliss, immersed in the ocean of peace, can’t one? One should not float on the upper waves of impulses and intentions. One must dive deeper and try to revel at the calmer levels.

BAGAVAN SRI SRI SRI SATHYA SAI BABA

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

All the senses and impulses rise up in overpowering strength like waves from the sea roar in fury, and subside in the waters; they do not confer peace. The wise thing is to forget these waves and to direct attention toward the sea beneath, which is without change. Only then can you attain peace and swim about happily in the deep undisturbed waters. Only such pure and holy peace will remove the walls that now divide people. It will transform all the absurd hatreds, misunderstandings, disgusts, and prejudices that warp human behaviour. Peace is the manifestation of the greatness of love. It will endow all who come under its authority with tremendous power for good. It can place God within your grasp and you within His. Spiritual discipline can confer no higher power. It is the very secret of the life principle in creation. It is the highest individualization of the glory of the Atma. It is the magic wand in the hands of the devotee, with which one can master the entire world. Besides, it confers the greatest degree of contentment.

BAGAVAN SRI SRI SRI SATHYA SAI BABA

If you are a slave of the mind, you cannot achieve happiness or peace.

People are bundles of impulses and intentions (vasanas and sankalpas), and giving free rein to the impulses reduces their innate Divinity and inner peace. The impulses are the fuel, the intentions are the fire. The fire can be put out only by placing the fuel aside. The dying down of the fire is the attainment of peace. Dive deep into the ocean of peace and earn the invaluable pearl - the bliss of the Atma (Atma-ananda). When that opportunity is seized, one becomes the personification of the effulgent, the holy state of peace. That is why the Vedas declare that people are the embodiment of peace. Therefore, don’t delude yourself by imagining that you are the seat of disquiet and untruth. Know that you are the embodiment of peace, that love is the blood that flows in your veins, and that your very nature is joy; realise this by actual practice and experience. Without peace, it is impossible to see the truth.

BAGAVAN SRI SRI SRI SATHYA SAI BABA

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

God doesn’t expect you to perform rituals nor does He want you to study scriptures. All that He desires from you are eight types of ‘flowers’. The flower of ahimsa (non-violence) is the first of eight flowers that one should offer to God. Non-violence means not causing harm to any living creature in thought, word and deed. We find doctors performing surgeries on patients to cure them of their ailments. In the process of surgery, doctors cut the body with a knife. You can’t call that an act of violence as it is beneficial to the patient. Some people may argue that even cutting vegetables is an act of violence because vegetables and trees have life in them. No doubt, vegetables and trees have life, but they do not have the mind. Consequently, they don’t suffer pain. One with the mind experiences pain and pleasure. Men, animals, birds and insects are endowed with the mind, not the trees and vegetables.

BAGAVAN SRI SRI SRI SATHYA SAI BABA

In order to become recipients of God’s grace, treat the pairs of opposites like pleasure and pain, happiness and sorrow, praise and blame with equal-mindedness.

Someone is abusing you; as long as the abuse is outside the range of your sense organs, you are not affected by what is said. But if the abusive words reach your ears, you get excited and enraged. What is the reason for this? As long as there was no contact between the external happenings and the sense organs, the individual was unruffled. To take an opposite example: someone is praising you and expatiating on your great qualities. As long as the words of praise have not reached your ears, you derive no joy nor do you feel a sense of endearment. But once you have heard the words of praise, you rejoice in them and develop a love for the speaker. What is the reason for disliking one or loving another? It is the contact with the things in the external world. The senses will be able to get on peacefully only when they have minimised their contacts with the world outside. It is not so easy to control the sense organs. The easier path is to develop an attitude of equipoise.

BAGAVAN SRI SRI SRI SATHYA SAI BABA

The tongue has two functions: speaking and eating. Whoever is able to master these two faculties, will be able to raise oneself to the level of the Divine.

The second flower is the flower of sense control (Indriya Nigraha). All spiritual practices will prove futile if one lacks sense control. Control of the senses is very essential for one and all. Lack of sense control is the main cause of all the unrest and agitation that you find in the world today. How can one control the senses? First of all, one should exercise control over the tongue. You must control your tongue as it always craves a variety of delicacies. You must ask this question, “O tongue, how many bags of rice, wheat and vegetables have you devoured! How many delicacies have you consumed! Fie on you if you are still not satisfied.” A morsel of food is enough to sustain the body (Bhikshannam Deharakshartham). You should eat for the sake of satisfying your hunger and sustaining the body. Do not give undue importance to taste!

BAGAVAN SRI SRI SRI SATHYA SAI BABA

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

Peace doesn’t mean inactivity, the mere inert life of eating and squatting. You should not spend your time eating and sleeping, saying to yourself that the Lord will come to your help when the need arises. You must arise and work. God helps those who help themselves, and He will help no other. Learn from the life of Prahlada the lesson that the Lord alone is to be loved; learn also the technique of that process. Do the work that has fallen to your lot sincerely and efficiently. Give up everything that is outside the service of the Lord. Follow the footsteps of Prahlada. Through the grace of the Lord, you can win the joy of peace, the thrill of fullness, and the bliss of immortality. Work has to be undertaken, so that time does not hang heavily on you and is not a burden. Work is your mission. Without it, you will get lost in the darkness of ignorance and be overwhelmed by dullness and sloth (tamas).

BAGAVAN SRI SRI SRI SATHYA SAI BABA

To transform evil thoughts and actions into good ones, it is necessary to infuse love into all thoughts and actions.

Tell your eyes to see God instead of watching unsacred things on television or video. Teach your ears to listen to stories of the Lord instead of listening to vain gossip. “Oh ears, you are interested in listening to vain gossip and tales about others, but you pay the least attention when the wonderful stories of the Lord are narrated”. Think for a while, how have you benefited from listening to unsacred things? In fact, you are polluting your heart in the process. All that you see and hear gets imprinted on your heart. Once your heart is polluted, your life will become meaningless. The human heart is like a pen. The colour of words you write will be the same as the colour of the ink in the pen. Likewise, when you fill your heart with love, all that you think, say and do will be suffused with love! God expects you to fill your heart with love and lead a sacred life.

BAGAVAN SRI SRI SRI SATHYA SAI BABA

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

Arjuna asked Krishna, “One time, You say that we should renounce all karmas; another time, You say that the discipline of action (karma-yoga) has to be adopted. Tell me, which of these two paths is better?” Krishna answered thus: “Renunciation (sanyasa) and the discipline of karma both lead to the same goal of liberation, Oh Arjuna! But know this. There is greater joy in doing work than in giving up work. The real renunciant (sanyasin) is one who does not desire one thing or hate another.” The word renunciation can well be applied to work done without regard to success or failure, profit or loss, honour or dishonour, to any activity performed as an offering to the Lord. Mere inactivity announced by the saffron cloth and the shaved head is no renunciation at all. To deserve the name, one must have avoided the duality of joy and grief, of good and bad. So, better than the giving up of activity is the giving up of its fruits; it also yields greater joy. That is the best path.

BAGAVAN SRI SRI SRI SATHYA SAI BABA

When the mind is filled with good thoughts, such as truth, love, forbearance and compassion, one’s life is filled with peace and serenity.

The third flower that is dear to the Lord is the flower of compassion (daya) towards all living creatures. Bhagavad Gita says, ‘Adveshta Sarva Bhutaanam - Do not hate anybody.’ Live in amity with everyone, but do not have too much connection with people. The fourth flower is the flower of forbearance (kshama) which is very special and significant. Pandavas suffered a lot at the hands of the Kauravas, but never did Dharmaraja lose forbearance. Not even when Droupadi was being humiliated by the Kauravas. It was the virtue of forbearance that protected the Pandavas and made them an ideal to the rest of the world. This flower of forbearance is very dear to the Lord. God will be pleased with you and confer boons on you only when you offer Him the ‘flowers’ which are dear to Him. No benefit accrues from offering the flowers, which fade away and decay. The flowers which are ever-blooming are nonviolence, sense control, compassion and forbearance!

BAGAVAN SRI SRI SRI SATHYA SAI BABA

You are born for a high destiny, as inheritor of a rich heritage. Do not fritter your days in low pursuits and vulgar vanities. Your destiny is to know the Truth, live in it and for it.

Suppose you write a letter, whatever the contents, if it is put into an envelope and posted, whom will it reach? No one. Well, will it come back at least to the person who wrote it? No. In the end, it will be neither here nor there. Instead, if on the cover the address of the person whom it should reach and the address of the person who wrote it are both written, one can even predict when the letter will reach its destination, is it not? So too, what do you do with your letter, your life? First, you must know your own full address! Who are you? The Atma. Whence did you come? From the Atma. Where are you going? To the Atma itself. How long can you be here? Until you merge with the Atma. Where are you now? In the unreal, the ever-changing. What are you engaged in? In evanescent tasks. In what form? As non-Self (An-atma). Therefore, what should you do? Give up these three and try the other three: try to enter the eternal, to engage in never-changing tasks, and to enjoy the bliss of the Atma.

BAGAVAN SRI SRI SRI SATHYA SAI BABA

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

Truth can never die; untruth can never live. You must all get firmly established in this belief. Of what can one say, “This is permanent”? How can one ever believe that anything is permanent? Truly, when one sees from birth all things changing, one’s experience itself undergoing various transformations and the atmosphere in which one grows constantly being transformed, when one grows up in an environment that has no permanency, how can that belief arise? Observing all this, it can be declared without any fear of contradiction that this is an unreal world. For if this is real, how can it change? All that suffers change is unreal; reality alone is changeless, stable, and permanent. The changeless, stable, permanent entity is the Atma alone; that alone is real, that alone is permanent. The Atma is the form of the Lord; it is the power of the Lord.

BAGAVAN SRI SRI SRI SATHYA SAI BABA

The Navaratri festival

The Navaratri festival is observed by contemplating on God for ten days, cleansing one's self of all impurities, to experience the Divinity within. The penultimate day of the festival is dedicated to what is termed Aayudha Pooja (worship of weapons). The weapons to be worshipped are the divine powers in man. 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. This truth has to be realised from the message conveyed by the process of inhalation and exhalation that goes on in everyone 21,600 times in a day. Each act of respiration proclaims the message: So-Ham (I am He). With every breath, the message is proclaimed: "I am God." Realising this oneness, all actions should be done as an act of dedication to the Divine.

BAGAVN SRI SRI SRI SATHYA SAI BABA

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

Elation at profit, joy, and cheer; dejection at loss and misery — these are natural characteristics common to all mortals. What then is the excellence of aspirants? They should not forget the principle: Be vigilant and suffer the inevitable gladly. When difficulties and losses overwhelm you, do not lose heart and precipitate some action, but meditate calmly on how they came to be. Try to discover some simple means of overcoming or avoiding them, in an atmosphere of peace. When the blow is directed to the head, see that the turban alone gets it — this is the mark of keen intelligence. Peace is essential for this sharpness of intellect. Haste and worry confuse the intelligence. Peace develops all the beneficial characteristics. Even farsightedness grows through peace, and through that, obstacles and dangers can be anticipated and averted!

BAGAVAN SRI SRI SRI SATHYA SAI BABA

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

The Varalakshmi vrata is a boon for all women. Women always strive hard for the welfare of their family. They always aspire for samata, samagrata, samaikyata and sowbhratrutwa (equality, integrity, unity and fraternity). Their speech is truthful, their hearts are full of peace and their actions are righteous. Women, being the recipients of eight forms of wealth, confer prosperity and auspiciousness on the family, society and the world at large. You might have heard the story of Savitri, who, with the power of her character, overcame many obstacles to bring her dead husband back to life. Even in this Age of Kali, it is the prayer of wives that protects their husbands in times of danger. Many women in the past performed Varalakshmi vrata with devotion and sincerity, and became the recipients of the grace of Goddess Lakshmi (consort of Vishnu and goddess of wealth).

BAGAVAN SRI SRI SRI SATHYA SAI BABA

A mind without agitations, a joyous and unblemished outlook — these are the marks of a person in whom peace has taken root.

 If aspirants are unsuccessful in following one discipline, they have to seek and know the cause of their defeat. This analysis is necessary. They must then see that, in the second stage, the trait is not repeated. They should try their best to guard themselves against it. In such matters, one must be quick and active, like the squirrel. Agility and vigilance must be combined with sharpness of intelligence too. All this can be earned only through peace. Steady and undeviating earnestness is very important for avoiding and overcoming conflicts in the mind. One has to be calm and unruffled. Courage, wise counsel, and steadiness — these make the willpower (icchasakthi) strong and sturdy. Lustre in the face, splendour in the eye, a determined look, a noble voice, large-hearted feeling, and unwavering goodness — these are the signposts of a developing and progressing will-force.

BAGAVAN SRI SRI SRI SATHYA SAI BABA

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

Let compassion and sacrifice be your two eyes; let egolessness be your breath and Love be your tongue. Let peace reverberate in your ears. These are the five vital elements you have to live upon. God will not ask you, when and where did you do service? He will ask, "With what motive did you do? What was the intention that prompted you?" You may weigh seva and boast of its quantity. But, God seeks quality; quality of the heart, purity of mind, and holiness in motives. You have been doing seva in many fields and directions, for many years. You are not novices; you are aware of the seva-way of life. But since you are human, veils and fog, weeds and worms infest the mind. Doubts and fears haunt your work. Be vigilant against the onslaughts of these! Strive every day, and be faithful to the ideal you have set before yourself to improve your seva activities along pure, unselfish, and sacred lines!

BAGAVAN SRI SRI SRI SATHYA SAI BABA

Good mothers are more essential than good wives. A good wife is of value only to her husband. A good mother is a national asset.

We see in the world today disorder, violence and conflict. The world is like a sick man afflicted with many ailments. What is the cure for these ills? Man must shed his selfishness, greed and other bad qualities and rise above his animal nature. He must cultivate charity (unselfishness) to achieve purity. Through purity of hearts, men will achieve unity, which will lead to Divinity. The mansion of human life should be built on these four bases. In the cultivation of these basic qualities, the role of women is crucial. Only dedicated mothers can offer to the nation children who will strive for a great future for the country. Truth, sacrifice and peace are predominant qualities in women. Women are concerned about the purity and welfare of the community. Good mothers are more essential than good wives. A good wife is of value only to her husband. A good mother is a national asset.

BAGAVAN SRI SRI SRI SATHYA SAI BABA

Reduce wants, live simply, that is the way to happiness.

Aspirants for mental peace should reduce the luggage they have to care for; the more the luggage, the greater the bother. A house cluttered with lumber will be dark, dusty, and without free movement of fresh air, it will be stuffy and suffocating. The human body too is a house; do not allow it to be cluttered with curios, trinkets, trash and superfluous furnishings. Let the breeze of holiness blow as it wills through it; let not the darkness of blind ignorance desecrate it. Life is a bridge over the sea of change; pass over it, but do not build a house on it. Hoist the Prasanthi Flag, on the temple, that is your heart. Follow the prescription it teaches - subdue the six enemies that undermine the natural bliss in man, ascend the Yoga stage when the agitations are stilled and allow the splendour of the Divinity within (the Atma) to shine forth, embracing all for all time.

BAGAVAN SRI SRI SRI SATHYA SAI BABA

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

Godhead expresses itself initially as the five elements: sky, wind, fire, water and earth. All creation is but a combination of two or more of these in varying proportions. The characteristic nature of these five elements are sound, touch, form, taste and smell; cognised by ear, skin, eye, tongue and nose. Now, since these are saturated with the Divine, one must use them reverentially and with humility and gratefulness. Use them intelligently to promote the welfare of yourself and others; use them with moderation and with the idea of loving service to all. They are all free and full of precious potentiality. Appreciate the plenty and the preciousness. You know from experience that excessive quantities of wind, fire or water are injurious to health. So, efficient use of these is itself a form of worship. Nature is in essence Divinity itself, lshavasyam idam sarvam: all this is divine. Vasudevassarvamidam: all this is Vasudeva, God. So, tread softly, move reverentially, and utilise gratefully.

BAGAVAN SRI SRI SRI SATHYA SAI BABA

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

Every activity of man is dependent on the energy one derives from the intake of food. The sadhanas one ventures upon depend for their success on the quantity and quality of the food taken by the spiritual aspirant, even during the preliminary preparations recommended by Pathanjali. The most external of the five sheaths that enclose the Atmic core, namely the Annamaya kosha (food sheath) has an impact on all the remaining four. The Annamaya Kosha is the sheath consisting of the material, flesh and bone, built by the food that is consumed by the individual. Food is generally looked down upon by ascetic minded aspirants and seekers, and treated as something which does not deserve attention. But, since the body and the mind are mightily interdependent, no one can afford to neglect it. As the food so the mind, as the mind so the thought, and as the thought, so the act.

BAGAVAN SRI SRI SRI SATHYA SAI BABA

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

In ancient India, teachers and students both prayed together, "May we both be guided and protected. May we progress together and achieve spiritual splendour together, through our studies. May no trace of displeasure or disturbance pollute our relationship." A loving teacher dedicating his life to his profession becomes the role-model for his admiring students. A teacher can make or mar the future of the student, for he is the hero whom pupils desire to emulate and imitate in dress, habit and style of living and thinking. When teachers divide themselves into factions or scandalise each other or revel in the game of politics, students are easily infected by the same harmful tendencies. Discipline becomes rooted in the campus atmosphere only when teachers set the example. "As the leaders, so the led." When teachers form groups to gain power and influence, students too do likewise! So, teachers must hold aloft, both by precept and practice, the ideals of scholarship, companionship, mutual love and spiritual progress.

BAGAVAN SRI SRI SRI STAHYA SAI BABA

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

Every devotee hopes ultimately to experience the joy of supreme bliss as a result of their spiritual discipline. But that bliss isn’t something newly earned or acquired; it’s not a new experience to be won by spiritual discipline. It’s always with you, within you; but it can’t be tasted because of the obstacle of ego, which acts as a screen, hiding it from view. One has to tear that veil asunder. What the aspirant needs is spiritual discipline. Then, the ever-existing bliss can be cognized. It doesn’t arise anew; it’s always there. What comes and goes is the screen of “I” and “mine”, which covers the bliss. While trying to remove the screen of “I am the enjoyer” and “these things are mine”, the aspirant shouldn’t hasten frantically and worry too much if the expected bliss isn’t discovered. At such times, peace is an unfailing help. If peace is cultivated well at first, then one can succeed in any task, however difficult!

BAGAVAN SRI SRI SRI SATHYA SAI BABA

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

God is all-knowing, all-penetrating, all-pervading; He is activating the objective world and acting through the objective world all the time. Creation is ever in His care. This is the doctrine of the dualists (dwaitins). This gives room for a question. When the world is ruled by God, how does He permit it to be so wicked and evil? The answer given is that God is not responsible for the grief and pain. The sins we commit are the progenitors of the grief we suffer. Joy and sorrow are the consequences of the good and evil that people perpetrate. God is the Witness. He doesn’t punish or cause grief. The embodied soul (jivi) is beginningless, that is to say, has no birth, but it involves itself in incessant activity and thus has to go through the inevitable consequences of that activity. This is the experience of everyone and the characteristic of every mind. This is the unbreakable law of the objective world.

BAGAVAN SRI SRI SRI SATHYA SAI BABA

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

Teachers’ virtues are reflected in their pupils; their faith inspires the young. Whether people waste their lives and ruin the lives of others by their barren pursuits or whether people lead happy lives promoting the happiness of others - the answer lies in the hands of teachers. A life without character is as barren as a temple without a lamp, a coin that is counterfeit, and a kite that has a broken string. A teacher who instructs pupils with his eye fixed on his salary, and a pupil who learns with his eye fixed on a job are both missing their vocation. The teacher has to help the pupil unfold and manifest the skills and qualities inherent in him and encourage him to rise to the fullest height he is capable of. The Divine is the core in both teacher and pupil. The educational process is to increase awareness of this truth and increase the utilisation of this latent power.

BAGAVAN SRI SRI SRI SATHYA SAI  BABA

Dasara is the festival that celebrates the victory of the forces of good over the foes that resist the progress of man towards light.

Dasara is the festival that celebrates the victory of the forces of good over the foes that resist the progress of man towards light. The sages who have decided on these festivals have a high purpose. They want us to imbibe the inner meaning and use each such day as a step in sadhana, as a reminder of the journey each person has to undertake alone to the Lord’s Feet. The forces of good (devas) are combating the forces of evil (asuras) in every living being, and if they only rely on Mahashakti, the great Divine Force that fosters and fends the Universe, they can easily win and reach the goal. People try to reform the world without making any effort to reform themselves; for, it is easier to give advice and admonish others than take the advice and advance ourselves. Strengthen the inner urges towards virtue and goodness; become impregnable there; then you can set about reforming the others.

BAGAVAN SRI SRI SRI SATHYA SAI BABA

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

You mustn’t be dependent on another for services that you can well do yourself! What is the use of tiring out a servant in subserving your wishes and you sitting lazily in meditation? Engage in activity, devote yourself in worshipful acts, do everything for the glory of God - that is far more fruitful than the 'meditation' which you are relying on. Just as the thermometer indicates the heat of the body, your talk, conduct and behaviour indicate your mental equipment and attitudes, and shows how high is the fever of worldliness that afflicts you! These have to be Satwik (pure), untinged by the passion of emotions like hate or pride. Talk in peace, promoting peace in others. What is the use of japa and dhyana, when your talk and conduct are not even human? How can you hope to approach the Divine while grovelling in the slush of the beastial?

BAGAVAN SRI SRI SRI SATHYA SAI BABA

All aspirants and devotees must ignore and forget all the thousand troubles that they have gone through and be engaged only in thoughts of the Lord!

A small child runs about in fear shouting, “mommy, mommy!”, searching for its missing mother. The mother takes the child in her arms and places it on her lap. The child stops crying and is free from all fear. But can the child calculate and find out the difference between its previous state and its present relief? No! Nor is it necessary to do so! The one who always seeks to serve the Lord will immerse themselves in God when the glorious chance comes. In that Presence, no anxiety or trouble can disturb a person! Anxiety and trouble pester only until the moment of attainment; later, all attention is diverted to the experience! The past struggle and travails are forgotten. Therefore, all aspirants and devotees must ignore and forget all the thousand troubles that they have gone through and be engaged only in thoughts of the Lord! This is the way to derive joy. Devotion has no other reward!

BAGAVAN SRI SRI SRI SATHYA SAI BABA

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

“I like very much to engage myself in only this task.” “I sought to do good to him, but he ignored my desire and tried to injure me.” These are the usual causes for the strain and stress that people mention that the yoga of action (Karma Yoga) involves. Such disappointment makes one lose interest in activity. One wants to do good, and seeks to do good to someone in some way, hoping to derive joy therefrom and distribute joy. When such joy does not arise, despair sets in! But the real yogi does activity without getting attached, without being aware of whom the action helps or how. The lesson that karma-yoga teaches is: do the action as action, for the sake of the action! Why do karma-yogis fill their hands with work? Because that is their real nature; they feel happy while doing work. That’s all. They don’t bargain for results; they’re not urged by any calculation; they give but never receive. They know no grief and no disappointment, for they had not hoped for any benefit!

BAGAVAN SRI SRI SRI SATHYA SAI BABA

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

Winning perfect security requires following the path of full devotion and dedicating oneself to the Lord. It cannot be obtained by other means. The path of spiritual wisdom (jnana) is possible only for one in a million; it is beyond the reach of all. Is it possible to negate the body and the objective world, so patent to the senses, by repeating “Not this, not this (neti, neti)”? Unless this is possible, how can the “Not this, not this” argument be applied? Under present conditions, the path of wisdom is indeed very difficult. The path of selfless activity is also not quite so feasible. It is also full of difficulties. To work in the proper spirit, love and devotion are essential for success. The path of yoga or communion also bristles with obstacles. Thus, the path of devotion is the smoothest, the most conducive to success, and the most bliss-yielding!

BAGAVAN SRI SRI SRI SATHYA SAI BABA

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

The Lord's family is our ideal, maintaining harmony and peace in spite of antagonistic elements present amongst them. The vehicles of Shiva (the bull), Parvathi (the lion), Ganesha (the mouse) and Subrahmanya (the peacock) in their natural state are inimical to each other. But living in the presence of the Lord, they shed their enmity and live peacefully. Harmony in the Divine family shows that where there is Divinity, there is peace and amity! Hatred and jealousy arise when the Omnipresence of the Divine is forgotten or ignored. Holy days like Vinayaka Chathurti should be celebrated to remind ourselves of sacred truths and to sanctify our minds and lives accordingly. They should not be treated as holidays for feasting and merry-making. Ganapati should be worshipped so that all Ganas (beings) become friendly and helpful to us. Tyagaraja sang that if one gets Lord's grace (deivanugraham) all planets (grahas) will be in his grasp. We must purify our hearts so that God may shower His grace on us.

BAGAVAN SRI SRI SRI SATHYA SAI BABA

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

Man is bound by three tendencies. The first is the longing to possess (kama). When that longing fails, anger (krodha) raises its hood. When desires are fulfilled and the thing is gained, the third tendency, greed (lobha) overtakes him. If one's desire is beneficial, God will shower His Grace. Ganesha has no desire, no anger, no greed. His Grace is available for all who seek good and godly goals. Look at the vehicle which He has chosen, the mouse! The mouse is a creature that is led, even to destruction, by vasana (smell of things). Men are all victims of preferences and predilections stamped on our minds from our past lives (vasana). Ganesha smothers and suppresses the vasanas which misdirect man and create misfortune. Association with God, as vehicles, ornaments, accessories or servants of Gods, endows even objects, animals and men with special sacred status! In this case the mouse has been honoured, it shares the worship offered to Ganesha.

BAGAVAN SRI SRI SRI SATHYA SAI BABA

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

Devotion has to be realized in your own experience, though great souls can illumine the path a little for you by their examples. With their help, you can grasp something of the path, but remember that words fail when they approach the Beyond. Maitreyi compared a devotee’s mind to a still lake, that is to say, where all agitation has stopped and the mind becomes inactive, ineffective, and worn out into nothing. Kapilamaharshi, speaking of the same devotion, compares it to a flowing stream. Streams and rivers flow uninterruptedly, without rest toward the sea; so too, from the very moment of birth, the devotee yearns to reach the sea of the grace of the Lord. In the Devi Bhagavatam, it is said that devotion is like the flow of oil from one vessel to another. Sankara characterizes devotion differently in the Sivanandalahari. Like the piece of iron that is drawn toward the magnet, the Jivi is drawn toward and attaches itself firmly to the Lord. Though each interprets it differently, all interpretations are correct, for they are all based on actual experience, which cannot be negated.

BAGAVAN SRI SRI SRI SATHYA SAI BABA

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

The yoga of devotion teaches people the path of love; not to love to gain profit. Love all, just as you love yourselves. No harm will come to you! Love only spreads joy and happiness to all; God is present in all beings as love. So, love directed to and accepted is not by individuals but by God, who is resident there! The seeker of God who relies on the path of devotion and dedication will experience this fact! Some love God as mother or father, or as “dearest and closest friend” or as their beloved, the only desired goal. All endeavour is to merge individual love with the ocean of love that is God! Wherever selfless love is evident, take it as God’s own love! God loves mankind infinitely. Therefore, when anyone decides to serve humanity, God showers His grace in plenty. When any human heart melts at the suffering of others and expands as a result of empathy, know that God is present there!

BAGAVAN SRI SRI SRI SATHYA SAI BABA

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

Just because people have knowledge of the immanence of Divine, and even of His transcendence, they cannot be honoured as people of wisdom (jnanis), for knowledge has to be digested through actual experience. This is the crucial test. It’s not enough if the intellect nods approval and is able to prove that Godhead is all. That belief must penetrate and prompt every moment of living and every act of the believer. Wisdom shouldn’t be merely a bundle of thoughts or a packet of neatly constructed principles. Faith must enliven and enthuse every thought, word, and deed. The self must be soaked in the nectar of spiritual wisdom. The intellect is a poor instrument, for what the intellect approves as correct today is rejected tomorrow by the same intellect on second thought! Intellect cannot judge things finally and for all time! Therefore, seek the experience. Once that experience is won, Atma can be understood “as all this”. That’s Jnana-yoga of wisdom!

BAGAVAN SRI SRI SRI SATHYA SAI BABA

True devotion lies in accepting both pleasure and pain with equal-mindedness.

Nourishing scriptures will promote the nourishment of the welfare of the world. To nourish the scriptures, one must speak the truth (Satyam vada); to nourish the world, speak pleasantly (priyam vada). If these two maxims are kept in view and practised, no greater discipline is needed. It is only in an atmosphere of peace that such sacred maxims can be put into action. To earn that calmness, steady effort and harmony are essential, in the same manner as for nourishing the scriptures and the world. When peace is acquired, then all is equanimity (sama-rasa). Equanimity is the very nature of peace. Everyone should be endowed with that peace and equanimity, and should establish an age of faith, devoid of non-scriptural behaviour, attitude, conduct, habits, and character. Devotion is the very fountainhead of this peace, so if everyone plants it in their heart and nourishes it with care and constant attention, a harvest of goodness and harmony can be reaped.

BAGAVAN SRI SRI SRI SATHYA SAI BABA

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

The mind should not be permitted to wander as it fancies. It must be controlled without the least tenderness or mercy. If possible, one should aim even at its destruction, to make the mind keep away from contact with worldly objects. Why? It is only when that’s done, you can grasp your real identity. The realisation of that reality is the state called liberation (mukti). Then, all varieties of troubles and travails, doubts and dilemmas come to an end; one overcomes sorrow, delusion, and anxiety and is established in the holy calmness of peace. First, give up all impure impulses and cultivate the pure ones. Then, try step by step to give up even these and render the mind objectless (nir-vishaya). Peace thus attained is effulgent, blissful, and associated with wisdom; it is indeed the experience of the Godhead, God Himself. The aspirant who yearns to attain this peace has to constantly practise a virtuous life, overcoming all initial obstacles.

BAGAVAN SRI SRI SRI SATHYA SAI BABA

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

When centuries roll over the land one after another, new problems arise and new situations and predicaments confront one, so the laws and limits of the past have to be altered here and there. Indeed, such adjustments are a part of the design. People have to be shown the path to spiritual progress under the altered circumstances, so that the code of law that suits the new era is declared as binding. Nevertheless, the following has to be borne in mind. The Atmadharma (divine dharma) enunciated in the Vedanta is eternal and unchangeable. It can never be watered down or “adjusted to the needs of the times”. The lasting teaching is: Faith in the Atma as the core, the reality, and the goal is true for all time. The truths of Atma-dharma are based on the eternal foundations of the core of a person and nature (prakriti), which is the projection of the divine will. So, they are beyond the reach of change. They are as relevant and as valid today as they were thousands of years ago.

BAGAVAN SRI SRI SRI SATHYA SAI BABA

If you act righteously in the present, your future will be good and ennobling.

Each person is the cause of their own fortune, good or bad. Each is a builder, an architect. Fate, destiny, predetermination, the will of God — every one of these explanations is toppled by the principle of karma (consequences of past actions). God and people can be reconciled and affiliated only on the basis of this principle of karma. When one realises that God has no share in causing one’s suffering, that each one their self is the sole cause, that no blame attaches to any other person, and that one is free to shape one’s future, then one approaches God with a firmer step and a clearer mind. If a person is afflicted by misfortune now, it is assuredly the result of their previous acts. Accordingly, one has to believe that happiness and good fortune also lie in one’s own hands. If one decides, happiness and good fortune can be gained.

BAGAVAN SRI SRI SRI SATHYA SAI BABA

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

Wisdom (jnana) is the precious ambrosia gathered from all sources of knowledge. It’s the sweet sustaining butter churned and collected from scriptures. Wisdom isn’t the capacity to discriminate and declare, “This is flat, this is round”, “or this is a hill, a house”, and so on. These are common knowledge! Next, we may have good knowledge (sujnana), when one distinguishes between right and wrong, or good and bad, or when you discover that a particular activity is for my betterment and others. Both wisdom and good knowledge are confined to one’s intellect! There is a higher wisdom when the heart is transformed by loyalty to truth, non-violence, and compassion. A person with this higher wisdom understands their ownself and their kinship with the cosmos and its Creator. The person lives in accordance with that understanding, without doubt or disharmony. The yardstick for higher wisdom is dharma (righteousness). The more dharma is put into practice, the more one gets rooted in the higher wisdom.

BAGAVAN SRI SRI SRI SATHYA SAI BABA

Navaratri is the festival to commemorate the victory of God over Evil.

Navaratri is the festival to commemorate the victory of God over Evil. The Embodiment of Divine Power (Para-shakti), in its various manifestations, as Maha-Saraswati (Satwik), as Maha-Lakshmi (Rajasik), and as Maha-Kali (Tamasik) was able to overcome the forces of vice, wickedness and egoism, during the nine-days struggle and finally, on Vijayadashami (the Tenth Day commemorating victory), valedictory worship is done. It’s a festival of thanksgiving. Gratitude is divine; ingratitude is demonic. But, while offering homage of gratitude, you must also try to discover who was killed and who was saved and why. The six enemies of man are eating into his vitals, embedded in his own inner consciousness. They are the demons to be killed. They are lust (kama), anger (krodha), greed (lobha), attachment (moha), pride (mada) and malice (matsarya). They reduce man to the level of a demon. They have to be overpowered and transmuted, by the supreme alchemy of the Divine Urge.

BAGAVAN SRI SRI SRI SATHYA SAI BABA

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

The significance of Durga, Lakshmi and Saraswati has to be rightly understood. They represent three kinds of potencies in man. Ichcha Shakti (will power), Kriya Shakti (power of action), and Jnana Shakti (power of discrimination). Saraswati is manifest in man as the power of Vak (speech). Durga is present in the form of dynamism, power of action. Lakshmi is manifest in the form of willpower. The body indicates Kriya Shakti. The mind is the repository of Ichcha Shakti. Atma is Jnana Shakti. Kriya Shakti comes from the body, which is material. The power that activates the body that is inert and makes it vibrant is the Ichcha Shakti. The power that induces the vibrations of the Ichcha Shakti is the Jnana Shakti, which causes radiation (of energy). These three potencies are represented by the mantra: Om Bhur-Bhuvas-Suvah. Bhur represents Bhuloka (earth). Bhuvah represents the Life-force and also means Conscience in man, Suvah represents the power of radiation. All three are present in man.

BAGAVAN SRI SRI SRI SATHYA SAI BABA

The Navaratri festival is celebrated all over India, but nobody seems to make any effort to comprehend the inner significance of this festival.

The Navaratri festival is celebrated all over India, but nobody seems to make any effort to comprehend the inner significance of this festival. The Hridaya (heart) is the abode of the Atma. No being can exist without the principle of Atma. God, who resides in all as the principle of Atma, has no specific name and form. But people attribute various names and forms to Him. He responds to the prayers of devotees in whatever form they worship Him. Hence, each one considers the form one worships to be superior to the other forms. It is a sign of ignorance to consider one form superior to the other. During the Navaratri celebrations, the Divine Mother is extolled in various names and forms. All names and forms are based on your feelings. God has no differences whatsoever. No one can comprehend the nature of Divinity. Actually, the principle of love that exists in all beings is the principle of Divinity. Love has no specific form. Divinity transcends name and form. Love is God. Live in love. Truth is God. Truth is all-pervasive.

BAGAVAN SRI SRI SRI SATHYA SAI BABA

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

Liberation is samadhi or peace attained through the spiritual discipline of the cleansing of the inner person — the spiritual discipline of negating the impressions that one gets through seeing, hearing, reading, learning, doing, and getting things done. People suffering unbearable physical agony don’t take any interest in entertainment, do they? Similarly, a sincere seeker and devotee can have no interest in the world’s theatre of objective pleasure and petty passion. These inferior desires have first to be renounced and checked. They lie at the root of all misery. Stabilising oneself in detachment is itself the highest austerity (tapas), the most exacting vow. One has to be ever alert in that austerity and strive again and again. Like a child endeavouring to walk, you might toddle a few steps, falter, and fall, but like the child, you must lift yourself up with a smile and start again.

BAGAVAN SRI SRI SRI SATHYA SAI BABA

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

To discover the presence of an all-pervading Divine in the universe, we must recognise the Divine in our daily life. Like the power of sight in the eye and the power of hearing in the ears, God manifests as consciousness in the human body. There’s no place in the world where God doesn’t exist. Creation is a manifestation of God. It is the form of God called Prakruti (Nature). Hence, man, who is a child of Nature, is inherently Divine. Man is born with divine qualities. Just as the sapling grows out of the seed, flower from the sapling and fruit from the flower, God is the seed of the entire cosmos. Man is intrinsically a combination of morality, righteousness and spirituality. Unfortunately, forgetting these basic qualities, man today is bereft of morality, righteousness and spirituality. Considering the sacredness of human birth, it is a shame that man should be so degraded today. Man is an embodiment of Sat-Chit-Aananda (Being-Awareness and Bliss) which are attributes of the Divine! 

 BAGAVAN SRI SRI SRI SATHYA SAI BABA

From today try to cleanse your heart of whatever impurities there may be in it!

From today try to cleanse your heart of whatever impurities there may be in it! How is this to be done? One, by meditating on God. Secondly, by service to society. By these two alone, purity of the heart is achieved. If you secure the love of God, you can secure anything. There is love in you. Use it to win the love of God. Pray for God's love and bliss. Embodiments of love! Many pray to God all over the world. They pray for the realisation of worldly desires of one kind or another. This is not the right kind of prayer. You should pray to God for the grace of His love. That love is everlasting. It is infinite. God has another attribute. He is the embodiment of bliss. He is Sat-Chit-Aananda (Being-Awareness-Bliss). Pray to God to confer that bliss on you. God's bliss is boundless and everlasting. All mundane pleasures are transient and ephemeral.

 BAGAVAN SRI SRI SRI SATHYA SAI BABA

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

Be bound to the Atma in you; take rest and refuge in That and meditate on That without interruption. Then, all bonds will loosen off themselves, for the bond with which you attach yourself to the Lord or the Atma has the power of unbinding all other bonds. The “unattached” have real love toward all. Their love is not only pure, it is divine as well. It is the embodiment of peace. Without a doubt, one can attain the Lord if one becomes devoid of all passion or attachment (raga) and engages in the actions detailed above. Renunciation or detachment (vairagya), of course, does not mean the giving up of hearth and home, or of high estate and even kingdoms. It is the understanding of the divinity immanent in everything, the fading away of all the distinct names and forms, and the bliss of experiencing in everything and every place the Divine, which is its reality.

BAGAVAN SRI SRI SRI SATHYA SAI BABA

Worldly benefits come and go.

Worldly benefits come and go. They are not the things which you should pray for. Seek what is eternal. Pray for God's love and bliss. Seek to realise your Divinity. Then you will experience the Divine in the entire cosmos. You will experience the bliss that fills the universe. When you see the world with the eye of divine bliss, you will find bliss everywhere. If there is hatred in your vision, you will see hatred everywhere. Hence, to start with, change your vision. Look at the world with the vision of peace, love and compassion. Then the whole world will appear loving and peaceful. When your heart is filled with love, you will experience God in the entire cosmos. See Divine in everyone. Eschew hatred and ill-will. After years of devotion, many still lack a broad outlook and an all-encompassing love. Embodiments of love, promote love in your hearts incessantly - the love that is immortal and infinite!  

BAGAVAN SRI SRI SRI SATHYA SAI BABA

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

Why does the Divine attract? Is it to deceive or mislead? No! It is to transform, reconstruct and reform - this is a process called samskara. What is the purpose of the reconstruction? To make the person useful and serviceable for society, to efface his ego, and to affirm in him the unity of all beings in God. The person who has undergone samskara becomes a humble servant of those who need help. This is the stage of paropakara. Service of this kind done with reverence and selflessness prepares man to realise the One that pervades the many. The last stage is sakshatkara. The scriptures (Vedas) proclaim that Immortality (the stage when one is merged in the Birthless, Deathless, Universal Entity), is feasible through renunciation and detachment only, and not through rituals, progeny or wealth. When man renounces selfish desires, his love expands unto the farthest regions of the Universe until he becomes aware of the cosmic love that feeds all the four processes mentioned above.

BAGAVAN SRI SRI SRI SATHYA SAI BABA

What does God expect from you? It is only your love. Love is the only tax that you pay to God for all that He has given you.

God is present in everyone in the form of love. Wherever you go, He is with you. He is the eternal witness. Share your love with others and receive their love in turn. Love is your greatest virtue. Love confers ultimate joy and bliss. God resides in the heart filled with love. Hence, it’s essential you fill your heart with love. Where there is love, there is God. You don't need to search for Him. He is always in you, with you, around you, above you and below you. Adhere to the principle of love. Never hate anyone. Hatred is your worst enemy. Once you develop love in you, hatred will naturally vanish. If you were to come across your bitter rival, greet him with love. He too will reciprocate the same feeling. How can you expect love from others when you don’t have any love for them? It is love and love alone that I practice and propagate. Try to understand the power of love. It is your greatest wealth.

BAGAVAN SRI SRI SRI SATHYA SAI BABA

You must take all the trouble and welcome all the patience needed, to seek Satsang and remain therein

The easiest and most fruitful method of keeping yourself free from dust and rust is Satsang. The company of the good and godly will slowly and surely chasten and cleanse the person prone to stray away from the straight path towards Self-Realisation. Care must be taken to see that you select and stick to the proper company. A cup of water has no cash value; but, if it’s poured into ten cups of milk, it acquires the value that people attach to milk! If on the other hand, one cup of milk is poured into ten cups of water, it loses its value and is condemned as useless. So, the Satsang you join must be purer, more venerable, and sticking to higher ideals of virtue and truth than yourself! When a smoker joins a group of non-smokers, there’s every likelihood of his giving up that bad habit; but, when a non-smoker falls into a den of smokers, he’s certain to become a victim soon! Such is the subtle influence of the company one keeps!

BAGAVAN SRI SRI SRI SATHYA SAI BABA

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

Mankind can win happiness only through unity, and not through diversity. If thoughts and feelings run along the routes of distinction and division, happiness is beyond reach and peace cannot be experienced. Without peace, you have no chance to be joyful. Consider the one indivisible ocean as the goal. Why does the direction of flow of the river matter? Why does the name matter? The rivers merge in the self-same sea, don’t they? Spiritual aspirants and devotees who adopt the path of yoga, the path of devotion, or the path of peace, dharma, truth, and love reach the ocean of grace at last, and name and form fade away; distinctions disappear. They are blessed with the merger in the sea of peace. So, unity must always be kept before the eye. Never nourish ideas of difference, of distinct names and forms of the Lord, of divergent paths. Such ideas are obstacles to the attainment of bliss. Avoid these obstacles; develop equal vision.

BAGAVAN SRI SRI SRI SATHYA SAI BABA