Thought for the Day

1.Wherever you may be, in whatever country, do not give scope for religious differences. Do not give up your religion; adhere to your faith and tradition. When differences between religions are given up, love will develop in you. When love grows, you can have a direct vision of God. Without love, mere verbal prayers are of no avail. Realise that the Love that is present in everyone is the same. It is that common bond of Love of God that binds everyone.

2.There is a close and mutual relationship between the body, and the attitudes and feelings of the mind. That is why inner feelings become evident in our physical gestures. The posture and the appearance of the body help us to discover others feelings. For example, with the sleeves of the shirt rolled up, and the palms rounded into fists, is it possible to exhibit love or devotion? Or while seated cross-legged on the ground with eyes half-closed, and hands held up over the head with palms joined together, is it possible to show one’s anger or hatred or cruelty? That is why the ancient rishis (sages) advised spiritual aspirants to adopt an appropriate bodily pose during prayer and meditation. They saw that through gentle body postures it is possible to control the waywardness of the mind.

3.Everyone should firmly believe that they are the Atma, the Embodiment of Divine Self. They must be aware that the Atma cannot be cut in twain by the sword, that fire cannot burn It, that water cannot wet It, and that the wind cannot dry It. The Atma has no bounds. Its centre is in the body, but its circumference is unbounded. Death means the Atma has shifted from one body to another. This is the belief that you must firmly have in mind. The Atma is not subject to material or worldly limitations or laws. By its very nature, it is free. It is unbounded. It is purity. It is holiness. It is fullness.

4.Once you have learnt to ride a motorcycle, you can ride on any road and under all conditions. But when you are just learning to ride, for your own safety as well as for the safety of those around you, you have to select an open ground and must follow certain principles of balance; this is essential. So too, those who engage in the practice of meditation and sadhana (spiritual exercises) have to follow a certain course of training. No change should be made in this routine. Until the goal of meditation or your spiritual practice is achieved, the well-established discipline of sitting postures (asanas) or the practices you follow must be adhered to. After attainment of the goal, that is, after the mind (manas) and the intellect (buddhi) have been conquered and brought under control you can be immersed in meditation wherever you find yourself - in a chair, on a rock, or in a car!

Bagavan Sri Sri sri Sathya Sai Baba

Thought for the Day

1.The very intention of repeating the Divine name and undertaking meditation is to purify the mind and the intellect. In order to achieve this, pure and serene (sathwic) meditation is best. Over time, when the mind and the intellect become pure, they will shine with the splendour of the realization of the Atma(Divine Self). One in whom this understanding shines fully is called a rishi(sage). It is said, Brahmavid Brahmaiva Bhavathi - The knower of Atma becomes the Atma itself. The goal of life, that which makes life worthwhile, is the understanding of the Atma and attaining oneness with it.

2.Creation involves the putting together of substances. What is put together must come apart in course of time and get liberated. The individual is created and so one day he has to perish. Now, some are born happy; they enjoy healthy, happy lives, while some others are born miserable. A few others are born with physical or mental deformities. Who hurt them or injured them? God is not the cause for these differences. When a particular task is done again and again, it becomes a habit, a skill; is it not? Therefore, the skill or habit that a new-born exhibits must be due to constant repetition indulged long ago. The suffering, misery, handicap or health and happiness are the consequence of the acts indulged in by the individual in previous lives. Hence, eschew violence. All must live together in peace and harmony, without causing or suffering injury.

Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba

Thought for the Day

1.If you crave for the fruit of your acts at every step, you are overpowered by passion. If the fruit is not available, then, gradually, laxity and disgust overpower the spiritual aspirant and the repetition of the Name and meditation slowly dry up. This is the restless, passionate, rajasic path. For some, the Lord comes to memory only in times of danger or acute suffering or when one is the victim of loss or pain. At such times, such a person prays and vows to arrange ritualistic worship (puja), offer some particular food, or build a temple to the Lord, etc. One calculates the quantity of food placed before the Lord, the tribute offered at His feet, the number of prostrations performed, and the number of times he/she went around the shrine and then asks for proportionate rewards! For those who adopt this attitude in meditation, and follow the dull, tamasic path, the mind and intellect can never be pure.

2.Today, people mistakenly think that spirituality has no relation to worldly life and vice versa. True divinity is a combination of spirituality and social obligations. National unity and social harmony are founded upon spirituality. It is the Divine that links spirituality and social existence. The Creator and the Prakriti(Creation) are inextricably associated with each other. Hence, God should not be regarded as separate from Creation. You must see God in the cosmos. For instance, take a tumbler made of silver. The one who notices the silver in the tumbler, thinks only of the material base and not the form of the container. On the other hand, the one who sees it as a tumbler, may not note that it is made of silver metal. Only the person who can recognise both silver and tumbler can discern that it is a silver tumbler. Likewise , without God, there is no creation. However, most people see only the creation; very few recognise that the creation is a projection of the Creator. It is essential that every human being should realize that without God, there can be no cosmos.

3.As each individual is a unique entity, so too each nation has a distinctive individuality. Each person is different from the other in certain matters and is endowed with some special characteristics which are his/her own. So too, each nation has certain special features, not found in others. Every individual has to play a role as part of the system. Each one's own previous karmaor deeds has determined a special line or path for him/her. The history of nations too is the same. Each has to play a role already laid down by its destiny. Each nation has to deliver a special message of its own to the world community.

Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba