|
|
ARCHIVE 2006
June
Thought for the day as written at Prasanthi Nilayam – June 1st, 2006
A 'Manishi' (ordinary man) gets transformed into a 'Maharishi' by engaging in
selfless service. Truly speaking, the merit that can be obtained from service
cannot be acquired even by the practice of rigourous austerities. Service brings
human beings closer to each other and promotes affection and friendship. Without
this feeling of friendship and love towards one's fellowmen, one cannot attain
intimacy with the Lord. Install in your heart the feeling that the service you
render to your fellowmen is service to God.
-SAI BABA
Thought for the day as written at Prasanthi Nilayam – June 2nd, 2006
The river strives, yearns and struggles to merge with the sea from which it has
come. It has that consummation ever in its consciousness. It attempts to make
itself pure and pellucid so that it may be welcomed by its source. It overcomes
every obstacle of terrain in order to journey successfully towards its goal. Man
too must utilize all the physical, mental, intellectual and moral endowments
that God has granted him so that he may journey to the goal of Self-Realization.
-SAI BABA
Thought for the day as written at Prasanthi Nilayam – June 3rd, 2006
Love is inherent in man, but like a seed that has to be nourished by water, love
in man has to be fostered by dedicated service. Love is a sacred quality. Love
is like nectar. A man who has tasted the sweetness of Divine Love will not
desire anything else in the world. Life must be a constant manifestation of
love. Nowadays, love is expressed in a constricted, selfish manner. It needs to
be expressed in the form of service to society. Thereby love becomes a
reciprocal, ever-widening experience.
-SAI BABA
Thought for the day as written at Prasanthi Nilayam – June 4th, 2006
Birth as a human being is a rare and unique opportunity. For, man is endowed
with a discriminating intelligence, the power to reason out the best among
alternative courses of action. The tongue that does not chant the name of God,
the hand that knows no charity, the years of life that know no peace of mind,
talents that do not find fulfillment, a life that has not garnered wisdom, a
temple where there is no atmosphere of reverence, speech that does not
communicate knowledge - all these are of no worth.
-SAI BABA
Thought for the day as written at Prasanthi Nilayam – June 5th, 2006
Envy and greed emanate from the ego and have to be carefully watched and
controlled. Like the tadpole's tail, the ego will fall away when one grows in
wisdom. It must fall away; if it is cut, the poor tadpole will die. So, don't
worry about the ego; develop wisdom, contemplate on the ephemeral nature of the
objective world. Then the tail of the ego will no longer be evident.
-SAI BABA
Thought for the day as written at Prasanthi Nilayam – June 6th, 2006
To realise God, it is not necessary to have wealth, gold, luxuries and comforts;
nor is scholarship a requisite. All that is needed is pure devotion. Without
purity of thought, word and deed, it is impossible to experience the Divine. God
cannot be realized through ostentation and self-conceit. The basic requisite is
the shedding of selfishness and possessiveness so that one can engage oneself in
actions in a disinterested spirit. Any person is entitled to embark on this
quest irrespective of age, caste or gender.
-SAI BABA
Thought for the day as written at Prasanthi Nilayam – June 7th, 2006
Seek and remain in good company; keep association with the holy. Being in the
midst of such spiritual heroes, you can fight against evil with greater chance
of success. Being in the company of the holy is like the bit and bridle for the
wanton steed, the dam and canal for the raging flood. The value of holy places
consists in just this: kindred spirits congregate there and contribute to the
deepening of spiritual yearning. You can take sweet and sustaining counsel in
such places and strengthen your faith and devotion.
-SAI BABA
Thought for the day as written at Prasanthi Nilayam – June 8th, 2006
Without the sanction of the Lord, man cannot achieve anything in the world. The
Divine is the basis for everything. Man, however, is filled with conceit that he
is the one who is doing everything. This pride is the cause of his ruin. It is
the cause of his frustration and disappointment. Man today is basing his life on
nature and is hence forgetting God. This is a grievous mistake. You must place
your faith in God, the Creator of the universe, and then enjoy what nature
provides. Faith in God is the primary requisite for man.
-SAI BABA
Thought for the day as written at Prasanthi Nilayam – June 9th, 2006
The Upanishads declare that immortality can be experienced only through Thyaga
(renunciation or sacrifice). This renunciation does not mean giving up hearth
and home, kith and kin. It means giving up the transient and impermanent things
of the world. This calls for discrimination between what is permanent and what
is perishable, what is good and what is bad. Only then can man discover the
Divine principle within him.
-SAI BABA
Thought for the day as written at Prasanthi Nilayam – June 10th, 2006
Man today has forgotten his true nature and perceives the world entirely through
the senses and the mind. The world is the effect of which the Brahman (God) is
the primal cause. Truly speaking, the effect is not different from the cause.
The millions of living beings are like the branches, twigs and leaves, and the
Brahman is the seed from which the tree has come in to being. He who is aware of
this has understood the Vedas.
-SAI BABA
Thought for the day as written at Prasanthi Nilayam – June 11th, 2006
Man today is knocking on doors other than that of God. Man now is praying to God
only for worldly possessions. Man should seek the gift of spiritual knowledge
that can bring fulfillment to life. However, man today has acquired proficiency
in various skills and has mastered many fields of knowledge, but he has not
acquired the peace that is his due. Science can offer only temporary worldly
comforts; spirituality alone can give you enduring bliss.
-SAI BABA
Thought for the day as written at Prasanthi Nilayam – June 12th, 2006
You are all the indestructible Atma, nothing need discourage you. In your dream,
you suffer so much due to fire, floods, insult, loss of money, etc. But once you
wake up, you are not affected at all. When these events happen during the waking
state, you feel afflicted. But let me tell you that from the state of
Realization, even the waking state is equally without validity. It is not the
real 'you' that suffers all that. Give up the delusion that you are this
physical entity and you become really free.
-SAI BABA
Thought for the day as written at Prasanthi Nilayam – June 13th 2006
Man implies three things - doing, knowing and being. When the body acts alone
without regard to the mind and the Atma, that person is considered to be in the
animal state. When the mind acts in association with the body without regard to
the Atma, that condition is described as demonic. When man acts in consonance
with the Atma, he achieves oneness with the Divine. Hence, man has in him these
three potentialities, he can manifest himself as an animal, a demon or God.
-SAI BABA
Thought for the day as written at Prasanthi Nilayam – June 14th, 2006
The inextricable connection between the phenomenal world outside and the world
of consciousness inside eludes the understanding of ordinary people. Immersed in
the desires of enjoying worldly pleasures, they do not attempt to discover the
boundless joy that can be derived from the inner spirit. This is because all the
sense organs are open only to the experiences from the outside. Only a few
develop the inner vision and enjoy the spiritual bliss within.
-SAI BABA
Thought for the day as written at Prasanthi Nilayam – June 15th, 2006
Seek the Light always; be full of confidence and zest. Do not yield to despair,
for it can never yield results. It only worsens the problem, for it darkens the
intellect and plunges you into doubt. You must take up the path of Sadhana
(spiritual exercise) very enthusiastically. Half-hearted, halting steps will not
yield fruit. It is like cleaning a slushy area by a stream of water. If the
current of the stream is slow, the slush cannot be cleared. The stream must flow
full and fast, driving everything before it, so that the slush is removed
without leaving a trace.
-SAI BABA
Thought for the day as written at Prasanthi Nilayam – June 16th, 2006
Service to God has been described as Bhakthi (devotion). The heart of the
devotee overflows with love for the Lord through constant remembrance and
recitation of His name. Out of this stream of love, devotion emerges. One who is
nourished by the nectar of Bhakthi will not desire anything. To be unaffected by
joy or sorrow, gain or loss, praise or blame, to remain steadfast and unwavering
in faith is the hallmark of true devotion. Affection, attachment, desire are
natural to man. However, when these qualities are directed towards God and when
one is continuously engaged in good deeds, these qualities acquire purity and
sacredness. Then one becomes not just a great soul but God Himself.
-SAI BABA
Thought for the day as written at Prasanthi Nilayam – June 17th, 2006
The body and the mind are closely inter-related and both derive sustenance from
food. Therefore, food has considerable impact on the character and destiny of
the individual. As the food, so the mind; as the mind, so the thought; as the
thought, so the act. All that is perceived by the senses constitutes 'food'. For
the Sadhaka (spiritual aspirant), the intake must always be Sathwic, i.e., pure
and moderate. The sounds, the sights, the impressions, the ideas, the lessons,
the contacts - all must promote reverence, humility, balance, equanimity and
simplicity. It is only the Sathwic 'food' that will keep the mind on an even
keel, fully concentrated on the Atma on which one must contemplate in order to
attain peace.
-SAI BABA
Thought for the day as written at Prasanthi Nilayam – June 18th, 2006
In the quest for mental peace, you should not be concerned only about your own
needs. Apart from such a quest being an index of intense selfishness, it is also
a futile one. Is it possible for a single individual alone to achieve peace? If
there is chaos and unrest all around you, how can you alone have peace? Your
peace is dependent on peace in the family, in society and in the world. You have
to cultivate the feeling that your individual peace is intimately related to the
peace of the world. The ancients perceived this profound truth and hence
prescribed the universal prayer - "Loka Samastha Sukhino Bhavanthu" (May all the
beings in all the worlds be happy).
-SAI BABA
Thought for the day as written at Prasanthi Nilayam – June 19th, 2006
It is attachment to property or position born out of a sense of possessiveness
that is the cause of man's sorrow and unhappiness. Man must strive to get rid of
this feeling of "I" and "mine" in order to experience enduring happiness. When
everything appears to be going well, man forgets everything including himself.
His ego gets inflated as a result of his achievements and acquisitions. He
should realize that he is only a temporary beneficiary of what he possesses and
has no permanent title to them. He should regard power or position as a moral
responsibility carrying the obligation to discharge the duties relating to it.
It is only when all actions are done in this spirit of moral imperative that man
can experience genuine happiness and satisfaction.
-SAI BABA
Thought for the day as written at Prasanthi Nilayam – June 20th, 2006
Vedanta (Vedic philosophy) declares: "Brahman is Sathya (Truth); the Cosmos is
Mithya (illusory)". Your primary concern must be to understand whether you are
real or unreal or what in you is real and what is unreal. It is only when you
have recognised the truth of your own being that you can recognise the world as
illusory and your own self as the only reality. The realized person asserts: "I
am Brahman". Wherefrom has this statement emanated? What does it mean? It is a
spontaneous expression and not the result of a thought or feeling. The "I" is
boundless Infinite. When the finite individual merges in the Infinite "I", the
"I" alone remains.
-SAI BABA
Thought for the day as written at Prasanthi Nilayam – June 21st, 2006
Good Sankalpas (thought impulses) can elicit the best out of man and help him to
use all his mental strength for his uplift. Ships at sea are guided by the
compass along the desired direction; without it, they risk being wrecked on
rocks or icebergs. Man has to sail safe across the ocean of Samsara (worldly
existence). So he needs a one-pointed, unruffled mind to guide him and guard
him. Man has to recognise bad Sankalpas as soon as they arise and render them
ineffective by the systematic cultivation of beneficial Sankalpas. These latter
alone can save a person from disaster and confer Prasanthi (supreme calm).
-SAI BABA
Thought for the day as written at Prasanthi Nilayam – June 22nd, 2006
We become what we contemplate. By constant thought an ideal gets imprinted on
our heart. When we fix our thoughts all the time on the evil that others do, our
mind gets polluted by the evil. When, on the contrary, we fix our mind on the
virtues or well-being of others, our mind is cleansed of wrong and entertains
only good thoughts. No evil thought can penetrate the mind of a person wholly
given to love and compassion. The thoughts we indulge in shape our nature; along
with others, they affect us too.
-SAI BABA
Thought for the day as written at Prasanthi Nilayam – June 23rd, 2006
You must realize that Bhajan (devotional singing), Namasmarana (chanting God's
name) and Puja (ritualistic worship) are not for pleasing or propitiating God,
but for our own spiritual progress. Frequently people flatter the rich and the
powerful - especially when they are in their employment or are beholden to them
for some precious help - in order to induce them to shower gifts on them. But
God does not shower grace on people because they sing His praises. Nor does He
come down upon them because they do not deify Him. Contemplating on the Divine
attributes enables us to dwell on elevating ideals and brings us nearer to the
Divinity that is our nature.
-SAI BABA
Thought for the day as written at Prasanthi Nilayam – June 24th, 2006
As a preliminary to Seva (selfless service) you have to attain purity of heart.
You must examine your motives and skills, your intentions and qualifications,
and discover for yourself what you hope to achieve through Seva. You should
ferret out any trace of egoism, and also the desire for fame. You have to get
rid of all sense of mine and thine and burn to ashes the pride that comes from
the feeling that you are offering service to someone poorer and less fortunate.
Give up pride of status, wealth, scholarship and position, and practise
humility, obedience, discipline and compassion.
-SAI BABA
Thought for the day as written at Prasanthi Nilayam – June 25th, 2006
Education must lead to illumination; the darkness of ignorance and the dusk of
doubt will flee before that splendour. Then it is easy to cultivate good
thoughts and feelings in the heart thus illumined. Education does not end with
the accumulation of information; it must result in transformation of the habits,
character and aspirations of the individual. Knowledge has to be tested in daily
life. Now, man has no inkling of the most precious heritage that he has within
him. He is interested in everyone except his own self. If only he becomes aware
of his self, he can have vast strength, abiding peace and great joy added unto
himself.
-SAI BABA
Thought for the day as written at Prasanthi Nilayam – June 26th, 2006
There is no being without a trace of love. Love leads to Ananda (Supreme bliss),
pure and lasting. Many seek this Ananda through their relationships with other
individuals, others try to attain it by amassing fame, power and riches and a
few others attempt to gain it by renunciation of material possessions and desire
for worldly pleasures. Detachment alone can confer Ananda. The Upanishads
proclaim that Thyaga (sacrifice) alone can grant Amrithathwa (Bliss of
Immortality). One must give up all attachment and affection and, in the heart
thus liberated, install God in all His glory. This is the only means to earn
everlasting, undiminished Ananda.
-SAI BABA
Thought for the day as written at Prasanthi Nilayam – June 27th, 2006
Do not blame God for your misfortunes. When everything goes right, you say that
God has come close to you; when something goes wrong, you say that He has
deserted you and gone far away! God does not move far or near. The distance
between Him and you is as much as the distance between you and Him. He is
everywhere. He is always in your heart. Recognise Him there; realize Him as
nearest and dearest to you. He is your own self, neither terrible nor tender,
but simply 'is'.
-SAI BABA
Thought for the day as written at Prasanthi Nilayam – June 28th, 2006
Food is an important factor which determines the alertness and sloth, the worry
and calm, the brightness and dullness of man. When the mind is fed on Rajasic
food that induces passion and emotion, activity and adventure, it gallops into
the world with the plunge of desire! It brings man deeper into the morass of
suffering. When it is fed on Tamasic food, which dulls and induces sloth, the
mind becomes callous, inert and useless for uplifting man. Every activity of man
is dependent on the energy he derives from the intake of food. The success of
the Sadhana (spiritual exercises) that one undertakes depends upon the quantity
and quality of the food taken by the Sadhaka (spiritual aspirant).
-SAI BABA
Thought for the day as written at Prasanthi Nilayam – June 29th, 2006
Without unwavering faith in an all-knowing God, life becomes dry and drab,
darkened by the ever-present shadow of despair and doom. Love for God and fear
of sin are the two primary needs for a happy life. Without these two, man
becomes a monster. Man must be ever ready to sacrifice his selfish needs for the
sake of the larger community. There is nothing as glorious as renunciation. Be
honest, be detached, and with God installed in your heart march forward to offer
your talents and skills in discharging your duties. Do not strive for your
happiness alone, but strive for the happiness of all.
-SAI BABA
Thought for the day as written at Prasanthi Nilayam – June 30th, 2006
God will respond to your prayers for succour only when you respond
sympathetically to the needs of others. Life should not be wasted in selfish
activities, blind to others' distress and deaf to others' groans. Treat joy and
grief equally - this according to Lord Krishna is Samathwam (equanimity).
Practise this equanimity - this is the way to win His Grace. You may not be
rewarded materially for your compassionate acts but there is no greater reward
than the joy that you derive by alleviating other's sorrow.
-SAI BABA
