Thought for the Day

1.At the gates of liberation (moksha) and self-realisation (sakshathkara), three guards are posted to ask you for your credentials. They are: peace or mental equilibrium, Joy or contentment, and enquiry or discrimination (santhi, santhosha, and vichara). Even if one of the guards is made friends with, the others too will facilitate your entry. First in the series is peace. If you make peace yours, contentment (thrupthi) will automatically become yours! Contentment is the true source of joy and the most valuable of all possessions, in the absence of which desire and greed attain dangerous proportions, overwhelming the power of discrimination itself. Desire easily becomes greed which then degenerates into miserliness and lust. These will makes you flit from object to object in mad pursuit of the evanescent sensual joy. Hence advise your min d to flow in the direction of the Lord, instead of dragging you along the floods of objects and sensual desires. Giving up all other desires and being ever content, dwell on the Lord’s name and form alone.

2.Joy and grief are as day and night; they have to be put up with and gone through. They will neither appear nor disappear at your will! Both are related to the physical or the material - the body, and they do not affect the soul. You are liberated the moment you transcend joy and grief. What is there to grieve in life? Did you grieve when your body underwent changes? The child disappears in the boy, the boy in the youth, the youth is lost in the middle-aged man who in turn is lost in the old man. You never weep over these changes that affect the body, why then, when the body is lost in death. Whatever changes your body may suffer, the Atma remains immortal. Being established unshakably in this knowledge is the sign of the wise, the Jnani.

3.Remember that contentment will not make one an idler. It is an attribute of true pure (sathwic) character. It will make the mind turn always towards the Lord. It will save you from the tribulations that one goes through to satisfy unimportant wants and to cater to selfish needs. It will direct human talents towards efforts that elevate. The contented person will also be truthful and will therefore be in constant communion with the Atma. That is to say, such a person can be immersed in meditation for long periods without needing rest or feeling fatigued. Contentment is the royal road to meditation.

4.See the Lord in every being; be aware of Him every moment of existence and be immersed in the Ananda (bliss) of this awareness. Merged in the relationship born out of profound devotion to Him, surrender your wish and will to act; the attitude, the activity and the fruit of the action as well - offer to the Lord everything from beginning to the end. That is, perform all actions in a spirit of worshipful non-attachment. This is what the Lord seeks from each and every devotee. Of course, such complete surrender is not easy. But if you make the slightest effort towards it, the Lord Himself will confer the courage to pursue it to the end. He will walk with and help you as a friend and guide; He will guard you from evil and temptations; He will be your staff and support.

5.Just as fish can live only when it is immersed in water, so too man is an animal that can live well only when immersed in bliss (ananda). One must have ananda not only at home and society but more importantly, in the heart as well. In fact the ananda in the heart spreads joy all around. The heart is the spring of bliss which has to be charged by constant meditation, recitation and the intermittent dwelling on the glory, the grace and the manifestations of the Lord (smarana, chethana and manana). Without giving way to doubt or despair, hold fast to the goal and never turn back. The one devoted to God knows no failure. The name of the Lord, if taken sincerely will help you overcome all obstacles. When the Saviour is by your side, why doubt whether you will be saved?

Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba

No one can escape delusion

1.Give up Para chintana (thinking about others) and cultivate Paramatma chintana (thinking about God). This is the true spiritual practice (Sadhana). Do not be carried away by worldly pleasures. Take to the sacred path and sanctify your time by chanting the Divine Name. There is no need to allocate a specific time or place for Namasmarana (repetition of the Lord’s name). You can do it wherever you are and whatever you are doing. One needs to pay tax for water, electricity, etc., but there is no tax for Namasmarana. Nobody can stop you from doing it. It is very simple, yet most effective. But people do not realise the value of Namasmarana as it is so easy to practise. We think that God can be attained only through severe austerities. This is a misconception. Without troubling yourself or causing trouble to others, you can chant the divine name. Follow this simple path, experience bliss and sanctify your life.

2.Meditation must be followed rigorously. In fact Dhyana (Meditation) also means discipline and, regularity and steadiness are the essential tools for it. Lord Krishna assured, “When you start fixing your thoughts on Me, all thoughts that agitate you will be stilled through My grace.” Meditation is a first class cure for the illness of worldly existence (bhava-roga). But along with it, also take the medicine of contentment. Just as a traveller who has trudged along for miles in the scorching sun feels refreshed when taking bath in the waters of a cool and shady lake, so too the unfortunate individual struggling in the scorching heat of desires, feels happy and relieved when bathing in the lake of contentment. Meditate regularly and practice contentment in your mind; anyone who follows this rigorously will achieve quick results..

3.To understand the essence of the Bhagawad Geetha you must take up its study in an attitude of submission and expectancy. Every chapter in the Geetha lays down the means and methods of reaching the goal of peace and harmony, with emphasis on spiritual attitude and practices in life. The Geetha is a boat which takes man from darkness to light and from the self-imposed state of bondage to the freedom that is one’s nature. The Geetha teaches that the aspirant must aspire and not despair; one must persevere and not clamour for quick success. Truly speaking, every being has come into this field of action (Karmakshetra) only to engage oneself in activity, and not to earn the fruit of such activity. This is the fundamental lesson taught by the Geetha.

4.No one can escape delusion; no matter how scholarly one may be. As a result of this delusion man is subjected to grief, and this grief acts as a brake upon activity. Arjuna the great hero, capable of immense renunciation and wisdom, was deluded by the awful needs of war. The grief therefrom handicapped his activity. He confused the body and the self; he imposed on the Atma, (ever untouched by the characteristics of the moving and changing world) the unreal and ephemeral nature of the world and believed this delusion to be true. This is the tragedy not of Arjuna alone, but of all humanity! That is why the Bhagavad Geetha is of universal and eternal value. To study it, is to learn the art of swimming across the sea of delusion. The fact that Geetha has provided consolation and liberation to millions is itself evidence of its Divine origin..

Bagvan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba

There are many snakes of wicked qualities in the anthill of your heart

1.Today the country is facing a lot of problems because people are not doing enough Namasmarana (repetition of the Lord’s name). Let each and every street reverberate with the singing of the Divine's glory; let each and every cell of the body be filled with the divine name. Nothing else can give you the bliss, courage and strength that Namasmarana can. People may say, “He is a big officer. How is it that he is also doing Namasmarana?” Some people may even make fun of you, but do not bother. No matter whoever it is, young or old, rich or poor, everybody has to do Namasmarana. You may not have any musical instruments for this; it does not matter. From the depth of your heart and with total dedication, sing the glory of God wherever you are. Only then can you lead the life of a true human being.

2.There are many snakes of wicked qualities in the anthill of your heart. When you loudly sing the name of the Lord (Namasmarana), all these snakes will come out. Namasmarana should be the very breath of your lives. You must repeat God’s name in order to get rid of evil qualities. Today there are many who do not attach any importance to the chanting of the divine name. This is a great mistake! In this age of Kali (the fourth quarter of time where righteousness is most degraded) only chanting of the divine name can redeem your life; there is no other refuge. Singing the glory of the Lord is highly sacred. Clear your mind of evil thoughts and sing the glory of God wholeheartedly, without any inhibition. Only then will you become the recipient of divine grace and energy; only then can you experience divine bliss.

3.You must reform your mental traits and habits. Cultivate the habit of never causing pain to others. Try to understand others, sympathise with and help them. Train yourself to take insult and criticism as decorations awarded to you. Be friendly with everyone, whatever be their nature or conduct. A joyous disposition is necessary for spiritual progress, but many things and situations deprive you of the atmosphere of joy. So you must pray sincerely in order to be free from such obstacles. The recital or repetition of prayers (mantras) will be of great help.

Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba