Thought for the Day

1.Control the senses which run helter-skelter; then, the origins of your disease will be destroyed. Let the mind keep a watch over its gymnastics; dam up the mad flood of thoughts, plans and schemes; then there will be no room for worries and anxieties in the mind. To diminish the wandering of your thoughts, repeat the name of the Lord; that will subdue your sorrows and troubles. The dawn of spiritual wisdom (Jnana) is not possible without the effacement of the mind. A person attains wholeness only when he or she succeeds in this.

2.You should all strive for unity. First and foremost, young people should come forward to help each other. You must consider all as your brothers and sisters. All are children of God. Therefore, you must live in unity without giving room for any differences. The end of education is character. If your character is good, then you can achieve anything in life. You may think you have won gold medals, acquired high degrees and achieved name and fame. But if you lack character, these degrees are merely pieces of paper. Therefore, it is most essential to safeguard your character which alone will make you truly learned.

3.As a spiritual aspirant (sadhaka), you must first learn the secret of ‘inward vision’, and take your attention away from the exterior world. Divine life is nothing but this method of ‘inward living’. Just as the baby after learning to watch and understandtries to toddle hither and thither at home, so also the spiritual aspirant slowly learns to navigate and understand the inner world. A healthy baby in the cradle, watching the lamp on the wall, waves its arms and legs in glee, and lisps in joy. Likewise the spiritual aspirant, healt hy in body, mind and soul, lying in the cradle of life, watches the interior world and claps his/her hands ceaselessly in great delight on experiencing that inner joy.

4.Unless a belief is held unshaken throughout night and day, it cannot be used to achieve victory. When a person asserts that he/she is low in knowledge or talent, and knows but little, he/she becomes so; his knowledge eventually decreases. We become what we believe we are. We are the children of Almighty God, endowed with supreme power, glory and wisdom. We are children of immortality. We must understand this fundamental truth and hold fast to it always. When we dwell on this thought, how can we ever be low and ignorant? Bharathiya (Indian) culture teaches us to believe that the real nature of man is divine and that one should ever be conscious of this truth.

5.Every thought, word, and deed has to come from an enlightened consciousness. Do not let your mind wander; let it dwell constantly in the inner world. This is the inward quest, and meditation (dhyana) is the most important instrument needed for this. The spiritual aspirant must enter the inner quest through the gate of introspection. That gate will accord welcome into the highest and holiest awareness possible in life to every aspirant who is endowed with humility and devotion.

6.As early as possible teach your children this life-preserving, glorious and expansive truth: the sanctifying vision we must imbibe is that the Atma is full and free. It is a wonderful discovery, a thrilling thought! The Atma by its very nature is full; fullness need not be attained or accomplished and added to. If fullness is added to, it can also be subtracted from by the passage of time; what is built up must necessarily disintegrate. If we are impure by nature, even though we may succeed in achieving purity for a short while, later we will have to face our own impurity again, for the purity that comes in the middle will be easily swept away by circumstances. Therefore, all Bharathiya (ancient Indian) spiritual thinkers declared that purity is our very nature and that fullness is our genuine reality, and that we are never really ‘wanting’.

Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba

Thought for the Day

1.Many people go on pilgrimage in search of God. They foolishly think that they can find Him at such places. God is not present somewhere else. In fact, you are yourself God; He is present in all. God is only one and He is present wherever you look for Him. He is in you, with you, above you, below you and around you. God is beyond birth and death and dwells in every being in the form of the Divine Self. He is present in all human beings, be it a child or an old man. The same God is present in insects, birds and beasts. He is also present in everyone you meet; remember that!

2.Do not develop opposition or differences amongst yourselves. Controversies give rise to many troubles. Even if somebody makes you angry, do not fight with him or her. Understand that by fighting with others, you actually harm yourself. Control your thoughts. Along with education, acquire educare; it will give you everything you need - health, happiness, peace and prosperity. Everything will become good, if you make your heart pure. From today onwards, yearn for and take to the right path. You must strive for unity in all matters.

3.The wavelike movement of coming forth and receding, of merging and emerging has been happening since time immemorial; it will happen till Time ends; it is eternal in its feature—this is the belief of Bharathiyas (Indians). A human being is not just this gross body; in it, there is a subtle component called mind; inside this as its prompter and spring, there is an even more subtle principle called the Jivatma (individual soul). This Jivatma has neither beginning nor end; it has no birth, it knows no death. This is the basis of Bharathiya faith.

Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba

Thought for the day

1.Diversities in attitudes and styles of life are natural and ought to be welcomed. There is no need for an ironclad hard faith. Rivalry among those following different paths cannot bring peace and prosperity to any country. Without freedom of faith, the world cannot progress. Bharath (India) taught that a small section of society can never command the inexhaustible resources of the world, and that for the effective functioning of the community it is necessary to divide different types of tasks to particular groups of people, and let each section of the community contribute its share to the common good. The key that the ancient sages visualized is the ONE that underlies the many. This is the most precious revelation: “Ekam sath, vipraah bahudha vadanthi” (The One alone exists; wise men describe that in manifold ways).

2.Every minute, from inside and outside, promptings and temptations arise and accumulate in peoples' minds. One cannot attend to all of them at the same time, so one fixes attention on only the most important one. This is called concentration (avadhana). Concentration is needed to grasp any subject well. Directing one’s attention to a subject and fixing it there is called one-pointedness (ekagratha). This is also a condition of the mind. Concentration and one-pointedness help to focus our effort on any selected task. In fact, concentration is essential for all; it is the foundation of all successful endeavours.

3.When we shelter factionalism and fanaticism in our hearts in relation to our own specific faith or the faith of others, we are bringing disgrace on ourselves. You should not insist that everyone has to be bound by one attitude, or that all must abide by one interpretation or opinion to the exclusion of other possible explanations or points of view, or that a person’s way of life with all its details has to be approved by some individual or group. Bharathiya (Indian) culture lays down that it is a heinous sin to exercise force upon anyone, especially in matters of the Spirit.

4.Whatever the task one is engaged in, doing it with concentration will develop both self-confidence and self-respect, for they are the result of the attitude of one’s mind. The mind may lean either to good or bad influences and concentrated attention must be employed to keep the mind attached only to good promptings. Success or failure in good work depends upon one-pointedness and this is what will increase your abilities and competence, but it cannot be won without conquering the worldly cravings that distract the mind. This one-pointedness, this conquest of the mind, is acquired through the exercise of meditation.
Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba