Thought for the Day

Just as people squeeze juice out of the fibrous cane and drink only the sweetness, just as the bee sucks the honey in the flower regardless of its symmetry and colour, just as the moth flies toward the brightness of the flame, ignoring the heat and the inevitable catastrophe, so also the spiritual seeker (sadhaka) should yearn to imbibe the expression of the emotion of tenderness, pity, and compassion with which the Ramayana is saturated, paying no heed to other subjects. When a fruit is eaten, we throw away the skin, seeds, and fibre. It is in the very nature of Nature that fruits have these components! Nevertheless, no one eats them on the plea that one paid for them! So too, in this Rama fruit called Ramayana, the tales of demons, ogres and the like (rakshasas) form the rind; the wicked deeds of these evil people are the hard indigestible seeds; sensory and worldly descriptions and events are the not-too-tasty fibrous stuff - they are all sheaths for the juicy nourishment.

Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba

Thought for the Day

 Just as people squeeze juice out of the fibrous cane and drink only the sweetness, just as the bee sucks the honey in the flower regardless of its symmetry and colour, just as the moth flies toward the brightness of the flame, ignoring the heat and the inevitable catastrophe, so also the spiritual seeker (sadhaka) should yearn to imbibe the expression of the emotion of tenderness, pity, and compassion with which the Ramayana is saturated, paying no heed to other subjects. When a fruit is eaten, we throw away the skin, seeds, and fibre. It is in the very nature of Nature that fruits have these components! Nevertheless, no one eats them on the plea that one paid for them! So too, in this Rama fruit called Ramayana, the tales of demons, ogres and the like (rakshasas) form the rind; the wicked deeds of these evil people are the hard indigestible seeds; sensory and worldly descriptions and events are the not-too-tasty fibrous stuff - they are all sheaths for the juicy nourishment.

Bagavan Sri sri sri Sathya Sai Baba

Thought for the Day

One of the objectives of education is the culture of the mind and the spirit. This too is very much like agriculture, which provides food and clothing. We want dhanya (grains) to sustain the body; we require dhyana (meditation) to sustain the spirit. In agriculture, you prepare the soil, plant seeds, feed the plants with fertilisers, and reap the harvest. In ‘heart-culture’, we have to plough the hrudhaya-kshethra (the field of the heart), remove the weeds and wild growth, and plant the seeds. The weeds are pernicious tendencies, attitudes and habits; the fertilisers are devotion and dedication. Water to help the plant grow is the quality of love. The seeds are the Names of God, which are deposited within the purified heart. The harvest which is the reward of all this spiritual discipline is Wisdom. Heart-culture has been the goal and aim of Sanathana Dharma, the ancient religion of India. It is essential for a happy, contented and peaceful life.

Bagavan Sri Sri sri Sathya Sai Baba

Take proper care of your body

Take proper care of your body and always contemplate on the selfless, pure, and steady Atmic principle. You are a member of society. Your welfare depends on the welfare of society. So aspire for the well-being of one and all. May all the beings in all the worlds be happy! Eschew narrow-mindedness; cultivate broad feelings to experience bliss. Embodiments of Love! New Year brings with it some good results also. New Year is not celebrated merely to partake of delicious dishes. You must imbibe sacred feelings and resolve to lead a fruitful life. The good and bad of the world depends on your conduct, which in turn depends on your thoughts. So develop good thoughts. Only then will you be able to lead a noble life. Set an ideal to your fellowmen. Give them happiness. Show compassion towards them. Talk to them lovingly. This is possible when you acquire Divine love. So strive to become recipients of Divine love. Chant His Name wholeheartedly!

Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba

Thought for the Day

Nothing can confer as much aananda (bliss) as virtue, neither wealth, nor material power, nor fame, nor scholarship. The highest virtue is humility, surrender to God. People speak of those who have no one to look after them as 'orphans' (anatha), but God looks after everyone. So no one can be an orphan. God alone is the orphan (anatha also means ‘one without a master’), for who can claim that he is God's guardian? Dedicate your thought, word and deed to God. Do not treat some of your activities as done for God and others as done for yourself. They are both like the two halves of a pulse grain. The plant sprouts from the middle of the grain, drawing sustenance equally from both halves. The alert and the inert, the living and the non-living, the moving and the non-moving are all God. Strengthen this faith and live in this faith. This is the prescription for perpetual Brahmananda (supreme bliss)!

Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba

Thought for the Day

 Imbibe love in your heart. Whomsoever you come across, talk to them with love. Draw all those who are in trouble close to you. Then God will shower His love on you. How can you receive God’s love if you do not love your fellowmen? If you want to become deserving of God’s love, then first and foremost you should become deserving of the love of your fellowmen. God will help you if you help others. Help Ever, Hurt Never. Never put anyone to trouble. Love everyone. Lead your life with goodness of heart. Your heart should melt with love and love should flow in it. Embodiments of love, develop love in you more and more. This is an aspect of Divinity. It is in reference to this that Lord Krishna declares that all beings are an aspect of His Divinity. My Dear ones! You are not different from Me; I am in you and you are in Me!

Bagavan Sri Sri sri Sathya Sai Baba

Thought for the Day

 Have patience; in your hurry to enjoy cheap joys, do not fall into unrighteous deeds. Have faith that God will add unto you all the joys you desire for and deserve. People ask of men for favours; they extend their hands towards others and plead “dehi” (give). But, “dehi” also means, He who dwells in the deha (body), that is to say, God! So, don't humiliate that Dehi by calling out dehi before others. Ask Him; say dehi to the Dehi; He will respond generously and graciously. Food got by foul means, and clothing procured through falsehood, will only injure you. Do not think that ease and comfort are the main things in life. Disappointment, disease, and distress are the lot of all, be it rich and poor, educated and uneducated, young and old. Let not your pure and immaculate hearts be rendered dirty by falsehood and wrong. Do not soil your tongue using it for uttering dirty words. Utter God’s name; it acts like a spark that burns into ash a big hill of cotton!

Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba

Thought for the Day

God has given us human birth to nourish and nurture each other. What are the relations like brothers and sisters for? Not merely for the sake of division of property and wealth. These relations are for developing love and sharing it with each other. Real relations are those who share love with each other. Worldly relations bereft of love are useless. Those who are strong and powerful should protect the weak and helpless. When you see someone in trouble, show kindness towards him and try to wipe his tears. This is real compassion. This compassion is righteousness; it is love. When we expand our love, we can give happiness to the whole world. Therefore, develop love. If you come across a poor man, a sick person or one who is in trouble, give them whatever help you can. When you extend help to such people, God will shower His love on you.

Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba

Thought for the Day

When you stand before another, his image is in your eye, and your image is in his; haven’t you observed this? ‘You are in me, I am in you - that is the truth this phenomenon proclaims. When you have faith in this, and when you cultivate love, humility, reverence for life, and tolerance, you are on the right path. When you are not on this path, you are certainly left out, when it is a question of sharing Divine Grace. The body is the temple of God, isn’t it? Well, what does the priest do in the temple every day? First, he cleans utensils and sacred vessels in the shrine. He sweeps the room and washes the altar. The senses are the utensils for the worship of God within; they have to be cleaned and assiduously kept free from dirt. Inner cleanliness is Godliness. That is possible only through sense-control and mind-control; or what amounts to the same sadhana - the dedication of all desires and activities to God.

Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba

Thought for the Day

The youth are endowed with a healthy body, a strong mind and a sharp intellect, capable of deep thinking, but they are misusing them. Instead of thinking of God and making proper use of their limbs, they are misusing their senses. This is a big mistake. At this age, you should put the power of the body, mind and intellect to the right use. What is the right use? It means, treading the sacred path. Just because we are gifted with eyes, there is no need to see everything. Try to see all that is good. Do not hear with your ears criticism of others or all that is unnecessary. Hearing criticism of others and seeing all that is evil is a great sin. We will acquire evil only when we see evil. We do not try to listen to good words with our ears; instead, we listen to evil talk. Surdas was blind. But he constantly chanted the name of Krishna. Hence, Krishna gave him darshan and fulfilment in life.

Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya sai Baba

Thought for the Day

When someone insults or defames you or ignores you, accept it with a smile. “This is the way of the world; it is ungrateful, ill-mannered! They are doing me good, my strength is under trial, I shouldn’t yield to anger or resentment”, tell yourself such invigorating things, and be quiet, with a smile of triumph on your lips! There was a mendicant who was abused by a gang of mischievous young men. He said, “Carry on! Enjoy yourselves! I see that you are very happy at this chance. This is exactly what I desire for you.” When you don’t accept the insult someone casts on you, it goes back to the person who indulged in it. A registered letter that is not accepted, returns to the sender! Do not damage your mental peace, by receiving the letter and reading the contents. Refuse to receive it. You have a chance of correcting the wrong-doers too; but when you accept it, you join the mischief-makers. So, be warned!

Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba

Thought for the Day

Talk lovingly and sweetly without hurting anyone. Do not cast angry looks. We should express our love while talking. Love is a supreme power. Therefore, call everybody with love, saying, “Come, brother, come.” Ask him about his difficulties, “Do you have financial or health problem?” After understanding his problems thoroughly, provide necessary help to him. There are some who lead a lonely life as they are without a father, mother, relatives or friends. We should offer brotherly affection to them. We should encourage them by saying, “I am like your brother,” and talk to them lovingly, saying, “Oh dear one, you have no elder or younger sister? I am your elder sister; I am your younger sister.” Speaking to them in this intimate way, we should give them courage and succour. You are all the children of one mother, verily. That mother is God. Follow the maxim: Brotherhood of Man and Fatherhood of God..

Bagavan Sri sri sri Sathya Sai Baba

Thought for the Day

Embodiments of Love! New Year does not bring new principles of truth and righteousness. They are changeless and eternal. When they are practised, the whole world will be taken care of. Hence we have to always keep in mind these two principles. For man, truth and righteousness are his two eyes. In fact, they are his very life principles. He may undertake any activity, he may do any job or business, but he should make truth and righteousness as the undercurrent of all his endeavours. Man has to take to a newer path. Years have rolled by, but man has not given up his old and mean feelings. He has to purify his heart. Humanness will blossom only when there is transformation of the heart. Merely putting on new clothes is not enough, man has to change his character and behaviour. His conduct should be based on truth and righteousness.

Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Saio Baba

Thought for the Day

The cosmos is a magnificent wonder, a source of continuous amazement. It cannot but impress one as a supreme marvel! When an object has to be made, we know, we need someone with the skill, intelligence, and power to make it. Without a maker, nothing can be made. Therefore, how could these visible objects - Sun, Moon, stars, and constellations, move and behave as they do without a designer, a maker, a master? Can they yield to any ordinary power? No! After observing the objects designed and made with such mighty capabilities, intelligent people can easily infer how immeasurable the power of the Maker Himself must be. Look at the marvelous variety in creation. No one thing is the same as another; no one person resembles another. This can only be the sport (leela) of the phenomenon with limitless glory - God. Anyone can understand that no lesser power could be the source. On the basis of the mystery that is inherent in creation, one can easily infer the Almighty Power that created it.

Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba

Thought for the Day

Ugadi celebration is an annual reminder of man's obligation to express his gratitude to the Divine for all benefits received from God. We hail the new year as Samvatsara because it signifies omnipresence (in time and space) of the Divine. Samvatsara does not merely mean a period (of the year) made up of minutes, hours, days and months. Every moment is Samvatsara, because without seconds, minutes, etc. there cannot be a year. If the year is to be sanctified, every moment is to be sanctified. Every second constitutes a year. It is not the new year that matters. Every new second is significant. Hence, you should fill every moment with sacred thoughts, with pure feelings and pure actions. Every moment you should try to get rid of bad thoughts and fill your mind with good thoughts.

Bagavan sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba

Thought for the Day

 Engage yourselves in pure activities with pure hearts and earn a good name. What you have to offer to Me is the good name earned by you. This is the highest expression of your gratitude. Do not bring a bad name by your conduct in the outside world. It does not matter much if you fail to bring a good name, but in no circumstances should you earn a bad name. Even if you fail to be helpful to others, do not cause harm to others. Students should bear this in mind. Not students alone, but all spiritual aspirants should cherish in their hearts with gratitude the good done to them by others and always remember whatever form in which help was rendered to them. Only those who lead such grateful lives will be able to find peace and happiness in their lives.

Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba

Thought for the Day

The third qualification (apart from viveka and vairagya), for yearning to know Brahman consists of six virtues: mind control, body and sense control, withdrawal from sensory objects, forbearance, unwavering faith, and equanimity (sama, dama, uparati, titiksha, sraddha, and sama-dana). Mind control (sama) is very hard to attain. The mind can cause bondage, but it can also confer liberation. It is an amalgam of passionate (rajasic) and ignorant (tamasic) attitudes. It is easily polluted. It relishes in hiding the real nature of things and casting on them forms and values that it desires. So, activities of the mind must be regulated. The mind has two characteristics. First, it runs helplessly after the senses. Whichever sense the mind follows, it is inviting disaster. When a pot of water becomes empty, we need not infer that it has leaked away through ten holes; one hole is enough to empty it. So too, even if one sense is not under control, one will be thrown into bondage. Therefore, every sense must be mastered to achieve mind control!

Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba

Thought for the Day

Mutual respect can be built on the faith that all are children of God and all are Divine. Then on that basis, there can be co-operation, and enthusiasm for work. Each will then do his best, knowing his duty and responsibility. The future of the country depends on the skill and sincerity of the youth. Therefore, the necessary enthusiasm and encouragement must be generated among the youth. All my hopes are based on students, the youth. They are very dear to Me. They are faultless! lt is the parent and the school that are at fault for all the waywardness and violence. They lead them into wrong directions. Instead of filling your heads with facts and figures, fill your heart with love and light. Have confidence in the vast powers of the Divine Self (Atma), which is your reality. Have faith in the Grace of God, which you can secure by prayer.

Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba

Thought for the Day

Among the preliminary qualifications for yearning to know Brahman, the first is discrimination (viveka) between the transitory and the eternal — in other words, the discovery that the Atma alone is beyond time and that all objects perceivable by the senses are only transitory. As a result of prolonged investigation, one has to gain this unshakable conviction and be established in it. The second qualification is renunciation of the desire to enjoy, here and hereafter, the fruits of one’s actions. This is also known as nonattachment (vairagya). One must reason and realise the transitoriness of joy and grief, which are the pollutants that affect the mind. One will be convinced, then, that all things are caught in a flux; they are all momentary, they yield only grief. Vairagya does not involve giving up hearth and home, wife and children, and taking refuge in forests. It involves only the awareness of the world as transitory and, as a consequence of this awareness, discarding the feelings of “I” and “mine”.

Bagavan Sri sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba

Thought for the Day

 Consider what happens when a person sees the dry stump of a tree at night: they are afraid it is a ghost or a bizarre human being. It is neither, though it is perceived as either. The reason for this misperception is “darkness”. Darkness imposes on something another thing that is not there. In the same manner, the darkness that is spread through false perception (maya) veils and renders unnoticeable the Primal Cause, Brahman, and imposes the cosmos on It, as a perceptible reality. This deceptive vision is corrected by the awakened consciousness and transmuted into the vision of universal love (prema). The cosmos of which the Earth is a part and with which we are embroiled has Brahman Itself as its basic cause, just as the stump is the basic cause of the ghost.

Bagavan Sri Sri sri Sathya Sai Baba

Thought for the Day

 Give up body attachment. Only then can you develop attachment toward the Atma. As you are endowed with a physical body, you have to discharge your duties diligently. However, do not be deluded with the feeling that this is permanent. All the physical relationships are like passing clouds and are subject to change. Truth alone is that which does not undergo change. A mother has four sons. The first son asks her for red colour juice, the second for green colour juice, the third for black colour juice and the fourth for white colour juice. Then what does the mother do? Being an intelligent mother, she pours the same juice in red, green, black and white colour glasses to satisfy her sons. Our bodies are like those glasses. We should not go by differences in bodies. We should realise the oneness of the spirit within. The cups and colours may be different but the juice (Atma) is the same in all.

Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba

Thought for the Day

 Each has its own dharma or innate specialty, individuality, or love characteristics. This rule applies equally to blades of grass and the stars. The cosmos is not one continuous flux. It progresses persistently toward achieving a totality in the qualities and circumstances. One can also transform oneself from the present status through self effort and discrimination. The moral forces permeating the cosmos will certainly promote our achievement. But people are too immersed in the all-pervasive delusion to take advantage of these and elevate themselves. They are not aware of the path of peace and harmony in the world. They are not able to hold on to the good and avoid the bad. They can’t establish themselves in the dharmic path. “That” from which the manifested cosmos emanated, with its moving and unmoving entities; “That” which prompts, promotes and fosters their progress; “That” in which they ultimately merge — know “That” as Brahman.

Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba

Thought for the Day

When Jesus was being crucified, he heard an ethereal voice, “All are one, my dear son, be alike to everyone”. When Mother Mary was shedding tears, Jesus told her, “Death is the dress of life.” Death is like changing of a dress. Do you find anybody wearing the same dress every day? Just as you change your dress every day, you change your body from birth to birth. The body has death, but not the life principle - the Spirit is immortal and non-dual! “To realise the non-dualistic nature of the Spirit was true wisdom”, said Jesus! The Romans addressed Jesus as ‘persona’ meaning "one of sacredness". The English word “person” has been derived from this. It means that there is Divinity in everyone. That is why I address you as embodiments of Divinity. I and you are one. There is Divine Spirit in everybody. The very self is called “persona”. There is no life principle without Divinity!

Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba

Thought for the Day

The Divine is the base — and is also the superstructure. The beads are many, but the interconnecting and integrating string of the rosary is one. So also for the entire world of living beings; God, the permanent, omnipresent, Supreme Divine Consciousness (Parabrahman), is the base. “I am God (soham)”, “He is I”, “I am that” - all these axioms indicate that even those that differentiate themselves under names and forms are in fact God Himself. The bubble born of water floats in it and bursts to become one with it. All the visible objective worlds are like the bubbles emanating from the vast ocean of Divinity, Brahman. They are on the water and are sustained by water. How else can they arise and exist? Finally, they merge and disappear in water itself. Water is one; bubbles are plentiful. Water is real; bubbles are appearances. Water is the basis; bubbles are delusive forms of the same imposed on it.

Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba

Make an effort to understand the relationship between the support (adhara) and the supported object (adheya)

The Divine is the base — and is also the superstructure. The beads are many, but the interconnecting and integrating string of the rosary is one. So also for the entire world of living beings; God, the permanent, omnipresent, Supreme Divine Consciousness (Parabrahman), is the base. “I am God (soham)”, “He is I”, “I am that” - all these axioms indicate that even those that differentiate themselves under names and forms are in fact God Himself. The bubble born of water floats in it and bursts to become one with it. All the visible objective worlds are like the bubbles emanating from the vast ocean of Divinity, Brahman. They are on the water and are sustained by water. How else can they arise and exist? Finally, they merge and disappear in water itself. Water is one; bubbles are plentiful. Water is real; bubbles are appearances. Water is the basis; bubbles are delusive forms of the same imposed on it.

Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba

Thought for the Day

Members appear to be confused about the true meaning of this programme of ‘Ceiling on Desires’ decided on at the Tenth All India Conference of Sathya Sai Organisations. There are four components in the term ‘Ceiling on Desires’. They are - curb on excessive talk, curb on excessive desires and expenditure, control of consumption of food, and check on waste of energy. Man needs some essential commodities for his sustenance and he should not aspire for more. We can learn a lesson in this respect from Nature. Only if air is available in sufficient quantity will it be comfortable and good. If it is excessive and there is a gale, you will feel uncomfortable. When you are thirsty, you can consume only a limited quantity of water. You can't consume the entire water of the Ganga! We take only as much as is needed for the sustenance of the body.

Bagavan Sri sri Sri Sthya Sai Baba

Thought for the Day

In a football game, six players on either side go on kicking the ball till it’s sent to the goal. The goal of life consists of two posts: secular and spiritual. You must see that the ball does not go beyond the posts. It should be hit within two posts. You are born as human with the goal that you are not born again. You must live within frames of secular and spiritual pursuits. Then you will attain liberation. Six bad qualities - lust, anger, greed, desire, pride and jealousy - are on one side and the good qualities - truth, right conduct, peace, love, nonviolence, and sacrifice - are on the other side. The game is between these two teams. Another lesson we learn from this game is, football is kicked as long as it's inflated with air (ego). When it’s deflated, you take it in your hands! To lead a fruitful and meaningful life, render service to mankind, which will take you nearer to God.

Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba