Right conduct is the quality which makes a human out of an animal.

Right Conduct (Dharma) is the quality which makes a human out of an animal. This Sahajadharma (natural conduct) of human beings has been overpowered in course of time; those who supported and encouraged it, and derived joy from it have declined in numbers. This is akin to the weed overpowering the crop. So the 'establishment of Dharma' is a matter of weeding of the field! In this iron age (Kaliyuga),Dharma has been reduced to mere words. Dharma is not manipulation of words. "Sathyam Vada, Dharmam Chara" (Speak Truth and Practice Righteousness) - has been the clarion call of the Upanishads, the repositories of Indian culture. However in the present times, "Dharmam vada," (Speak about Right Conduct) has become the order of the day! That is the first step in th e decline of Dharma! Know that that which is not practised cannot possess strength. Understand this truth and practise Dharma in your lives.

Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba

Thought for the Day

1.All the fear, anxiety, cruelty and injustice that is injuring the world today is caused by the wrong type of material education. Even those who promise to cure the disease of the body, treat it as if its different parts are fit subjects for a separate study and treatment. All nature is the body of God and must be looked upon as One. Spiritual education draws attention to the unity behind all the apparent multiplicity. To celebrate an occasion or a festival, you may have dusted and cleaned your houses and their surroundings, painted and whitewashed the walls, drawn auspicious designs on the floor or put floral wreaths over your doors - all this is simply outer decoration. To be truly happy, you must decide to remove the evils of egoism, greed, hatred and jealousy within you. Then you will truly become aware of the light within you, and the Atma (Su preme Soul) will dawn on you in all its glory.

2.Take the five elements, the components of this Prapancha (Universe). Of these, water has movement and coldness as its Dharma; combustion and light are the Dharma of fire. Each of the five elements have their unique Dharma. Humanity for man and animality for animals - these guard them from decline. How can fire be fire, if it has no power of combustion and light? It must manifest the Dharma to be itself. When it loses that, it becomes as lifeless as a piece of charcoal. Similarly man too has some natural characteristics that are his very life-breath; one can be identified as 'human' only when these abilities are present. To preserve and foster such qualities and abilities, certain modes of behaviour and lines of thought are laid down. This is called Dharma. These qualities are not imported from somewhere o utside, nor can it be removed. It is your own genuine nature, your uniqueness.

3.You should cultivate an attitude of inseparable attachment to the Lord, Who is your very Self. If He be a flower, consider yourself a bee that savours its honey; if He is a tree, be a creeper that clings to it; if a cliff, then feel that you are a cascade running over it; if He is the sky, be a tiny star that twinkles in it. Above all, be conscious of the truth that you and He are bound by Supreme Love. If you feel this acutely, with subtle intelligence, then the journey will be quick and the goal can be achieved. There is a difference between subtle and gross intelligence. Sthula buddhi (external knowledge or gross intelligence) keeps you walking, but the subtle intelligence will make you fly to your destination. The gross is too much tied to body consciousness where as the subtle transcends the body and will lighten your burden.

Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba

Every country is a part of the body of the Lord

God created this Universe on His own initiative and ordained various codes for its upkeep and smooth running. There were rules of correct conduct for every individual and groups of people. These form the tenets of Dharma (Righteous Conduct). The word Dharma is derived from the root, Dhr, meaning 'wear'.Dharma means that which is worn or practiced. It is the holy apparel (Pithambara) of the Lord. Dharma guards both honour and dignity; protects and gives beauty and joy, lending charm to life. As clothes maintain the dignity of the person who wears them, Dharma protects the dignity of every country and its people. Every single country in the world, has its own specialDharma or unique duty. Every country (desha) is a part of the body (deha) of the Lord, and is protected by the Dharma that is practised.

Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba

Thought for the Day

Human birth is granted to a living being as the crown of one’s achievement during many lives. Know that this life is very unsteady; death is always stalking and nobody knows when it will snatch one away. Do not delay in choosing the right goal of life and deciding on the best means of achieving it. Turn away from the outer world and its attractions, to the inner realm of consciousness. This inward journey will be rewarded well with the precious treasure of ecstasy. The sea scatters on the shore only shells and foam. But if one dares to dive into the depths they will be rewarded with coral and pearls. This should be your real mission. If you miss this, you live and die as an animal that has no knowledge of its inner springs of joy. If you discover the inner spring of joy, you will be Aatmaa Raama - happy, content, peaceful and loving.

Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba

Thought for the Day

Consider the service the Sun (Surya) does to this world! This is within the daily experience of all. The Sun is the source of all life forms on this planet. Without His rays, the earth will be a desolate waste. He draws up into the sky the waters of seas and lakes, and from the clouds showers rain on the crops. He is the Dharmadevatha (God of righteousness), scattering His rays equally on all. The service He does and the happiness He contributes is something no one else can. Despite doing this for millions of years, without any pride, He moves about unattached to the consequences of His energising mission of service. The Sun is thus teaching us that when one is oneself, there will be no exhaustion or elation, disgust or pride. That is, the task of Surya is not something imposed from outside and taken up under compulsion. That is why it is performed systematically, and smoothly.

Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba

Your nature is Joy

1.The more riches you accumulate the more bound you become and get into more worry, anxiety and fear. There can be no peace of mind for a person burdened by riches. People ignorantly seek this restlessness (ashaanthi) as they do not know where to acquire true peace (Shanthi). An educated person must have the virtue of Shanthi as the first qualification. This implies, not being affected by praise or blame, failure or success. It is the ego that makes one feel glad or sad. Therefore control the ego by extending love to every living being. Ego is lovelessness. A person afflicted with ego cannot rejoice when others are happy, and feel pained when others are miserable. Only a selfless and egoless person can share the happiness of others and take positive steps to alleviate others’ misery. God will ever be on the side of selfless persons and there is nothing that they cannot achieve.

2.Think about this: when you are well, no one inquires about your health. But if you are struck with illness or sorrow, you are bombarded with anxious queries. Why this anxiety? Because man’s fundamental nature is to be happy and healthy. Your nature is joy. So when you are happy and healthy, no one is surprised or worried. Grief and sorrow are unnatural, and are the result of a delusion that has overwhelmed one’s nature. If you do a task as an assumed duty, you will find it difficult to put up with the troubles and travails that may come along with it. The task will also induce conceit, or the feeling 'I am the doer’, resulting in exhaustion or elation, disgust or pride. On the other hand when karma (action) is performed as your nature you can have fortitude.

Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba

Thought for the Day

1.The whole world is intimately associated with the Sun God. He is the visible manifestation of the Lord. In India, Sun God (Surya) is considered highly sacred and granted the unique status of a great Guru. Sun is also the source of time. The Sun limits and regulates the number of years each one lives. He performs His duty without thought of reward, and is humble and steady. Imagine the patience with which the Sun puts up with all that extreme heat, and gives sufficient warmth to the human body, every single day. Human beings are so full of activity and intelligence on account of the solar energy that is imbibed. If the Sun is idle even for a moment, the whole world will go cold and dark. The actions of the great is the ideal that the rest have to keep in view. This also shows that all in the world are bound by the obligation of karma (activity) .

Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba

Thought for the Day

1.The impressions of the senses, mind, and intelligence have nothing to do with the Atma (Divine Self), which you really are. The Atma is unaffected by any subject or object or pleasures. To know the Atma as such an entity, unaffected and unattached, is the secret of Jnana (Wisdom). This awareness will guide you in both the outward (Pravritti marga) and inward (Nivritti marga) paths. This knowledge will not block action but will fill it with purpose and meaning. It will build up faith, inspire a moral life and take man to the realm of deliverance along the road of Nishkama Karma, action that is not prompted by desires. For the achievement of liberation, Jnana is the direct road. Therefore, it is incomparably sacred. And naturally, it follows that ignorance is undoubtedly the most despicabl e. "See the Universal in the particular; see the particular in the Universal; that is the essence of Jnana," declared Krishna in the Geeta.

2.Although the food and habits may be different among nations, the spirit of harmony and unity displayed in sports is a gratifying example to all. It is a distinctive quality of sports that differences are forgotten and persons engage themselves in games in a divine spirit of friendliness and camaraderie. Sports help the players not only to improve their health but also to experience joy. However, one should not be content with realising these benefits alone. Mankind has another body besides the physical. It is the subtle body, otherwise known as the mind. It is equally essential to promote purity of the mind and develop large heartedness. True humanness blossoms only when the body, the mind and the spirit are developed harmoniously. The enthusiasm and effort which you display in sports should also be manifested in the spheres of morality and spirituality.

Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba

Students should imbibe culture along with academic knowledge

1.When studying in the primary classes many children conduct themselves with humility, discipline and goodness. However when they reach the Secondary School, they lose some of these qualities. When they go to college, almost everything is gone! Why? It is the teachers who account for their discipline and good behaviour in the Primary School. In the higher classes and in colleges, is anything done through precept and practice to promote character and spirituality among the students? Today, education is sought for getting a job; this is not proper. Education is for developing right understanding. Students should imbibe culture along with academic knowledge. Spirituality and morality should be promoted among the students. Of all the professions in the world, that of the teacher is the most estimable. The teacher has to impart to the students what is good and ennobling. This should be developed in all educational institutions.

Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba

Every one has to do action

Everyone has to do action (Karma); if not the world itself will come to a nought. Everyone in the world is bound by the obligation of Karma. Wisdom (Jnana) is the final goal and gain of all Karma; wisdom is the treasure won by one's efforts to purify the mind and to earn the grace of God. What is this wisdom? Through wisdom, you experience that God is present in everyone and everywhere. All are in you, you are in all. You must get this conviction fixed in your consciousness, by means of analysis, discrimination and intellectual exploration. Isolate and dismiss from your consciousness the impressions of the senses, the mind, the intelligence, etc. You must carry out every single act of yours with this wisdom (Jnana) as its background and conviction.

Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba

Thought for the Day

1.Pranayama is the practice (sadhana) by which you hold your breath (prana). Its significance may be understood when we recognise that there are five different vital airs namely, prana, apana, vyana, udana and samana. The process by which these vital airs are controlled is called Pranayama and this gives inner vision. In Pranayama the three different kinds of stages are Rechaka (exhaling), Puraka (inhaling) and Kumbhaka (holding breath). Through Rechaka and Puraka one is able to get control over the various vital airs and take them in. Holding the airs (breath) during the process is kumbhaka. Along with this, Prathyahara, should be observed to attain bliss. The organs and the mind always wish to look at an d concern themselves with the external objects. The mind develops sensuous desires by looking at them. As a result of these desires, the mind becomes impure. Prathyahara consists in turning the mind inwards and away from the external objects.

2.Does the airplane stay on above, denouncing the earth below? Those who have earned the right to travel in it cannot fly towards it! Therefore, to take them in, it has to come down at the places where they gather by previous arrangement, and then soar into the sky with them. So too, the spiritually evolved (Jnanis) who have no desire or urge to do Karma, come down and help those who would not make progress otherwise. The right way to perform action is to identify every aspect of the universe with the Universal Being and dedicate all acts unto Him. Always remember that one who is bound by the Deha-atma buddhi (the false idea that he is just this body and nothing more) can never win the game of life; one must acquire the Brahma-Atma-Buddhi (the awareness that he is Divine) to be sure of victory.

3.What greater misfortune can there be than to cavil at others' faults and to be blind to one's own; to jeer at others' looks, not noticing one's own ugliness? To have such qualities from birth - can there be a greater sin than this? Is this culture? Embodiments of love! The observance of morality in daily life, the divinisation of all actions and thoughts, and adherence to ideals - all these together constitute culture. Students today do not make the requisite efforts to understand the sacredness and value of this culture. Samskrit, Samskriti, Samskara are all terms which have been derived from the roots, Sam and Krit. Bharatiya Samskriti (Indian culture) is a composite of purity, divinity, sublimity and beauty; not of narrow-minded ideas and ideals. "Lokaa samasthaas-sukhino bhavanthu!" (May all beings everywhere be happy) is the benedictory motto of our sacred culture.

Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba

The relationship between the worker and the employer should be like that between the heart and the body.

1.The relationship between the worker and the employer should be like that between the heart and the body. Both are bound intimately with each other; they depend on each other for their very existence. Love and affection have to govern the relationship between the two, not hatred or envy. Work in the spirit of love; it will lead you to worship. That is to say, work without any regard to the proportion of benefit you derive from it. Work, since it is your duty; work since you love to work, since that is the way you can offer God the gratitude for the skills endowed upon you. This kind of work leads you to wisdom, which is the recognition of the Divine in every being. May the New Year grant you mental peace and may your life's ideal of self-realisation be fulfilled. May all comforts and contentment be added unto you. This is My blessing.

2.You may wonder why liberated ones (Jnanis) should still do Karma (action). Well, people usually follow the ideal set by those in higher levels. Their acts form the basis of Right Conduct (Dharma). If Jnanis are inactive, how are ordinary mortals to save themselves? They will have no guide and will lose themselves in the easy paths of sensory pleasures. The duty of the wise is to foster the right and practice it before others, so that they too may be prompted to follow, drawn by the hope of becoming as contented and as joyful as the jnanis. The wise have to do and get done, see and show, so that the rest might be persuaded to follow the example set by them. The sun and the moon carry on their routine tasks; wind and fire have to perform their duties without demur. Hence, each one should perform one’s task w ithout fail and with care.

3.Many children are wayward and vile today, since they have no other examples to follow. Unfortunately, parents, teachers and leaders are inflaming the passions of young minds and encouraging them onto inappropriate actions. Along with Bala Vikas, elders too must experience Vikas (flowering or development), and lead exemplary lives of simplicity, sincerity, and steady spiritual discipline. Children do not say one thing and do the opposite. They are very straight forward and innocent. Everyone should imbibe this nature from them, for elders have strayed far from that ideal. Instead of saying a hundred things, it is better to do one thing properly. Sanctify your life by doing selfless work. For the person who talks a lot, there is no time for work. Instead of wasting time in your words, use your time in service to mankind which is service to God, all the while repeating the name of the Lord.

Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba

All the diverse communites across nations should be united

All the diverse communities across nations should be united. Mankind should become one family. The world will then become a paradise. If differences are allowed to grow, nations will disintegrate. Those promoting differences between people are destroying the love and compassion in human hearts. They are breaking up mankind into fragments. There is no greater sin than this. What the world needs today is the redeeming and unifying force of love---love which continually expands and embraces more and more people. By giving up narrow ideas regarding one's religion, nation or caste, by developing a broad outlook and cultivating the company of the good, you can elevate your life and make it meaningful and satisfying. Imbibe good thoughts and develop a large-hearted attitude towards all, taking to heart and practicing the wise words of elders. Do not waste both life and money. I wish you all happiness.

Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba