Thought for the Day

1.Bhakthi Yoga teaches people the path of Love – to love all as you love yourselves, and prosper by love. Then no harm can come to you. It will only spread joy and happiness to all. God is present in all beings as Love. They all endeavour to merge their love with the Ocean of Love that God is. Wherever Love is evident, take it that it is God’s own Love. God is the greatest Lover of mankind. Therefore, when anyone decides to serve humanity whom He loves, God showers Grace in plenty. When the human heart melts at the suffering of others and expands as a result of that sympathy, believe that God is present there. That is the sign of the validity of the path of devotion (Bhakthi Yoga).

2.All that you see is the reflection of what is inside you. If you call a person bad, it is the bad in you being reflected in him. It has got nothing to do with him. Good and bad are but reflections of your inner being. Never consider them as separate from you. Good thoughts are the source of good vibrations. If your inner being is full of love, the same principle of love will find manifestation in your speech and actions. When you have sacred thoughts, you will become a divine person.

3.For the bird flying over the deep, blue waters in mid-ocean the only resting place is the mast of a ship sailing in those waters. In the same way, the Lord is the only refuge for the man who is tossed about in the stormy seas of this world. However far the bird may fly, it knows where it can find rest and that knowledge gives it confidence. The Name of the Lord is like that mast; remember it always, associate it with the Form and have that Form fixed in the mind's eye. It is a lamp shedding light in the recesses of your heart. Have the Name on the tongue and it will drive away the inner darkness as well as the outer.

Bagavan Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba

Thought for the Day

1.The sea of life (samsara), turbulent with the waves of joy and misery, can be crossed only by those who have an unflinching desire for the essence of bliss. The capacity to overcome the qualities (gunas) of Nature (prakriti) is not inherent in everyone; it comes to one with the grace of the Lord. And that grace is to be won by repetition of the divine name and meditation. This must first be clearly understood: it is impossible for everyone to control the tendencies of Nature; this power is possessed only by those who have Nature in their grip and whose commands Nature obeys.

2.Just as soap is necessary to make this external body clean, repetition of the divine name, meditation, and remembrance of God (smarana) are needed to cleanse the interior mind. Just as food and drink are needed to keep the body strong, contemplation of the Lord and meditation on the Atma (Soul) are needed to strengthen the mind. Without this food and drink, the mind will just stumble this way and that. When the waves of desire agitate the waters of the mind, how can one see the base, the Atma? So, clean the mind with contemplation of the Lord. Feed it with meditation on the Atma. Only meditation and spiritual practice (sadhana) can clean the depths of the mind and give it strength. Without purity and strength, the Atma recedes into the distance and peace diminishes.

Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba

Thought for the Day

1.Some people object that Karma Yoga (the spiritual discipline of action) involves too much physical strain. They say, “I sought only to do good to them, but they ignored my desire and tried to injure me”. Such disappointment makes one lose interest in activity. One wants to do good hoping to derive joy and share it. When such joy does not arise, despair sets in. But the lesson that Karma Yoga teaches is - do the Karma, as Karma, for the sake of the Karma. Why does the Karma Yogi fill his hands with work? Because that is his real nature. He feels happy while working; that is all. He does not bargain for results. He is not urged by any calculation. He gives, but never receives. He knows no grief, no disappointment; for he has not hoped for any benefit.

2.Yoga means ‘union’. In India, where yoga has been flowing in the veins of the people since time immemorial, we must strive for the harmonious coexistence of the many faiths and beliefs, which is the ideal type of Universal Religion. Those who can heroically put their faith into daily living can accomplish this ‘togetherness’ in their relationships and between their outer behaviour and inner nature. The Sadhaka (aspirant for spiritual progress), intent on the path of Prema (Love), must strive for union between himself and the embodiment of Prema, namely, God. Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba