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Thought for the day as written at Prasanthi
Nilayam |
Thought for the day as written at Prasanthi Nilayam -
December 1st, 2007
You have to make your love pure. To do so, you must develop
Kshama (forbearance), which implies remaining serene,
patient and observing self-restraint under all
circumstances, doing good to all, even to those who may want
to harm you. There is nothing greater than Kshama. Kshama is
equivalent to truth itself. It is the heart of Dharma
(righteousness). It is non-violence in practice. Kshama is
contentment, compassion; truly, it is everything in all the
worlds. Only when you have developed Kshama will you be able
to attain the Lord.
-SAI BABA
Thought for the day as written at Prasanthi Nilayam -
December 2nd, 2007
When a severe pain torments you, the doctor gives you a
morphine injection and then you do not suffer any more. In
the same way, the grace of God acts to take away the element
of suffering from the Karma (consequences of past actions)
which you have to undergo. It is incorrect to say that one's
fate is entirely determined. Nothing can stand in the way of
the grace of the Almighty.
-SAI BABA
Thought for the day as written at Prasanthi Nilayam -
December 3rd, 2007
Man is burdened with the delusion that the temporary is
eternal. Long identification has trained him so; so he has
to be re-educated into the right vision. The absolute
reality that persists unchanged is this ' I '. All else is
unreal, appearing as real. The ' I ' in you is Paramatma
(God) Himself. The waves play with the wind for a moment
over the deep waters of the sea. It gives you the impression
that it is separate from the ocean below, but it is just an
appearance - a creation of the two ideas of Name and Form.
Get rid of the two ideas and the wave disappears into the
sea; its reality flashes upon you and you realise that God
is present in man as Love.
-SAI BABA
Thought for the day as written at Prasanthi Nilayam -
December 4th, 2007
Truth is one. It is beyond mind and speech. It transcends
the limitations of time and space. Innumerable seekers have
pursued different paths to recognize this Truth. There are
notable differences among the seekers of Truth. These
differences do not affect the nature of Reality. On the
contrary, it is the existence of these differences that has
spurred the continuous search for a unifying principle.
-SAI BABA
Thought for the day as written at Prasanthi Nilayam -
December 5th, 2007
Once the organs of the body like eyes, ears, limbs became
jealous of the tongue, saying that they make all efforts for
securing food, but the tongue enjoys this. They stopped
working and never sent any food. Tongue is the one that
tastes the food and passes only palatable items of food
inside, which is converted by the internal organs into
energy giving blood. The tongue does not retain it. But for
this vital part played by the tongue, the other organs would
not be able to function at all. When the other organs became
jealous of the tongue and stopped sending food with a view
to harm it, they spelt their own ruin by such action, as
they could not function when there was no food and
consequently no supply of energy for these organs to
function. Similarly, jealousy on the part of a person
ultimately results in his own ruin.
-SAI BABA
Thought for the day as written at Prasanthi Nilayam -
December 6th, 2007
Bhakti (Devotion to God) is like a king who has two
attendants called wisdom and detachment. Bhakti must be
built upon the foundation of wisdom; it must blossom in to
detachment from the world. Prema (Love) gives rise to Daya
(compassion), Vairagya (detachment) and induces Dama
(self-control) and finally leads us along the path of Dharma
(righteousness).
-SAI BABA
Thought for the day as written at Prasanthi Nilayam -
December 7th, 2007
When Bhaktas (devotees) pray to Bhagawan (God) sincerely
making all their actions as offering to God, they will
certainly receive appropriate grace from the Divine. There
are nine types of devotion. Shravanam (listening to the
glory of the Lord), Keerthanam (singing), Vishnusmaranam
(remembering), Padasevanam (adoration), Vandanam (saluting),
Archanam (worshipping), Dasyam (obedient service), Sneham
(friendship) and Atmanivedanam (self-surrender). In
whichever way you offer worship, God responds in the same
way. When you surrender all your actions, you will surely
receive His Grace.
-SAI BABA
Thought for the day as written at Prasanthi Nilayam -
December 8th, 2007
There is none to question Me if I do not act; there is
nothing I would lose if I do not engage in activity. Nor
have I any great urge to be active. Yet, you see Me very
active. The reason is that I must be doing something all the
time for your sake, as an example and inspiration. Those who
lead must set an example for others to follow; and those who
command must themselves carry out what they expect others to
do. I am engaged in activity so that you learn to transmute
every minute into a golden chance to enable you to move
towards Godhead.
-SAI BABA
Thought for the day as written at Prasanthi Nilayam -
December 0th, 2007
Grasp as the bow the great weapon furnished by the
Upanishads, and fix in it an arrow sharpened by meditation.
Draw it with the mind concentrated on Brahman (Godhead), and
hit the target, the immortal Brahman without losing aim.
Pranava (the sound of 'Om') is the bow, Atma (soul) is the
arrow, Brahman is the target. So, the Sadhaka (spiritual
aspirant) must, like the expert archer, be unaffected by
things that agitate the mind. He should pay one-pointed
attention to the target. Then, he becomes the thing
meditated upon.
-SAI BABA
Thought for the day as written at Prasanthi Nilayam -
December 10th, 2007
The person who is a slave to the mind will not find peace or
happiness in life. The body is a mansion which has been
projected by the mind for its own joy. Some waste their
lives by expending their energy in looking after the body.
Some others increase their attachment through thoughtless
repetition of spiritual exercises, reducing them to mere
ritual. The wise man is he who controls the mind and
purifies the heart by filling it with good thoughts.
-SAI BABA
Thought for the day as written at Prasanthi Nilayam -
December 11th, 2007
The importance of the mind in the process of transformation
should be properly understood, because it is the mind that
is the cause of both bondage and liberation. Your own
actions are the cause of your happiness or sorrow. Do not
blame others for your condition. Every thought, every word
and every action has its reflection, resound and reaction.
It is a sign of weakness to blame others for your troubles.
You have to bear the consequences of your own actions. If
they are unbearable, pray to God for relief. God alone can
give relief in such cases.
-SAI BABA
Thought for the day as written at Prasanthi Nilayam -
December 12th, 2007
Ahimsa (non-violence) means not causing harm to anyone, but
it is not merely refraining from inflicting injuries on
others with one’s limbs or weapons. Non-violence also has to
be practiced with purity of mind, tongue and body. There
should be no ill-feelings, for that too is a form of
violence. To cause bodily harm to another is violence, but
so is speaking harshly. Your speech should be sweet,
pleasing and wholesome. All your actions should be helpful
to others.
-SAI BABA
Thought for the day as written at Prasanthi Nilayam -
December 13th, 2007
Meditate on the Truth and you will find that you are but a
sparkling bubble upon the waters; born on water, living for
a brief moment on water and merging back in to it. You owe
your birth to God; you subsist on God and you merge in God.
Every living thing, and for that matter, even non-living
things have to reach that consummation. So do it now; take
the first step. Purify your heart, sharpen your intellect or
at least start chanting the name of God. The rest will
follow in due course of time.
-SAI BABA
Thought for the day as written at Prasanthi Nilayam -
December 14th, 2007
When you have attained true wisdom, you will find that good
fortune should not be gloated over, nor bad fortune grieved
over. The wise one treats both the good and the bad with
equal unconcern. They are the gentle breeze and storms that
cannot affect the depths of the Ocean of Bliss in the heart
of man.
-SAI BABA
Thought for the day as written at Prasanthi Nilayam -
December 15th, 2007
Worldly life is full of sorrow and suffering. Lord Krishna
said in the Bhagavad Gita - "Anityam asukham loke imam
prapya bhajasvamaam" meaning the world is ephemeral and full
of misery; contemplate on Me constantly. Having taken human
birth, you must find fulfilment in life. You must pursue a
noble path. Do not get inflated by praise; be above praise
and blame. Foster peace. Where is peace? It is not available
in the market ready for sale! Peace is to be found within
you. In the world outside, you find only 'pieces'.
-SAI BABA
Thought for the day as written at Prasanthi Nilayam -
December 16th, 2007
A bamboo is valued in terms of its thickness and height. The
sugarcane gets its value from its juice. The worth of a
human being is based on his Buddhi (intellect). The more the
intellect develops, the better one becomes. As the intellect
declines, the human descends to the level of animal. Man's
worth has declined today because he does not recognise the
importance of the intellect and of conduct based on proper
discrimination. The form is human, but the thinking is at
the animal level. Man has earned the appellation of
"two-legged animal." Having acquired the human form, man
should conduct himself with intelligence. This is achieved
through Thyaga (renunciation) and Yoga (spiritual
discipline).
-SAI BABA
Thought for the day as written at Prasanthi Nilayam -
December 17th, 2007
What is the meaning of ‘Ceiling on Desires’? People become
deluded by unlimited desires, and live in a dream world. It
is most important to keep desires under control, to put a
ceiling on them. People are spending too much money. Instead
of spending inordinately for their own pleasure, one should
be spending for the relief of the poor and the needy. This
is the meaning of the ‘Ceiling on Desires’ programme. Do not
make the mistake of thinking that giving away money is all
that is needed, giving away to others while allowing your
own desires to continue to multiply. Curtail your desires,
for materialistic desires lead to a restless and disastrous
life. Desires are a prison. One can be freed only by
limiting one’s wants.
-SAI BABA
Thought for the day as written at Prasanthi Nilayam -
December 18th, 2007
Active participation in society, in a spirit of dedication
and surrender, conceiving all acts as worship and all men as
the embodiments of the Supreme, is one of the best forms of
Sadhana (spiritual practises). For, there is no place where
He is not; no object which is not Divine. The Vedas declare
that that the Supreme willed and became all this. Worship,
undertaking pilgrimages, etc. are only means to an end. The
goal is the realisation of the ultimate truth that "God and
I are One." That alone can fill the heart with permanent
bliss.
-SAI BABA
Thought for the day as written at Prasanthi Nilayam -
December 19th, 2007
The word 'Vairagya' literally means that which is opposed to
Raga (attachment). Vairagya does not mean that you should
give up everything and retire in to a forest. Vairagya
really means you should stay where you are, in whatever
station of life you are in, and understand the subtle nature
of things, while giving up worldly desires. It means that by
using discrimination you should know what to accept and what
to reject. You should strive to recognise the divinity in
every object you see and enjoy it. Vairagya is not merely
giving up things. It consists in enjoying, without
attachment, things which were previously enjoyed with
attachment. That is real Vairagya. That is the mark of a
true human being.
-SAI BABA
Thought for the day as written at Prasanthi Nilayam -
December 20th, 2007
It is not possible to consider Creation and the Creator,
Nature and God as different or separate from each other.
Just as the bubble is born in water, stays on water and
disappears in water, so too the Cosmos is born in the
Absolute, exists as a part of the Absolute and merges back
in the Absolute. Recognise the truth that just as the bubble
cannot be conceived without water, the Cosmos cannot be
conceived without God.
-SAI BABA
Thought for the day as written at Prasanthi Nilayam -
December 21st, 2007
Many people imagine that to divinise man and make him a
godly being is a super-human exercise. This is not so.
Divine Love is well within the reach of man. It is his
natural state. He is entitled to possess it. Divine Love
should not be considered as something transcendental or
alien to man. But, men tend to degrade this love by giving
it different forms and names.
-SAI BABA
Thought for the day as written at Prasanthi Nilayam -
December 22nd, 2007
God is everything, so one cannot claim anything as one’s
own. But people claim everything, saying, ‘it is mine’.
Indeed, nothing belongs to anyone. People are immersed in
the false and foolish concept of ownership; possessiveness
is rampant in every thought and action, and that leads to
the inflation of the ego. Egoism has to be utterly
eradicated. Possessiveness should be banished. Be aware that
all things belong to God. You came with empty hands, and you
go back with empty hands.
-SAI BABA
Thought for the day as written at Prasanthi Nilayam -
December 23rd, 2007
God is present in every human being as a seed. For a seed to
become a plant, earth and water are essential, likewise for
the Divine seed in man to grow and blossom into a flower of
Sath-Chith-Ananda (Being-Awareness-Bliss), it needs Bhakti
(devotion) and Shraddha (faith and earnestness). It is not
enough if one merely turns the mind towards God, one must
endeavour to experience the presence of the Divine in every
particle and at every moment. One must fill the mind with
pure and sacred thoughts.
-SAI BABA
Thought for the day as written at Prasanthi Nilayam -
December 24th, 2007
The world is made up of objects. It is inert. In the waking
sense, the senses cognise all these objects. But the senses
are also inert. The eyes that see, the ears that hear, the
tongue that speaks and the nose that smells - all of them
are jada (inert). In fact, the entire body is inert. But all
these inert objects are able to function because of the
presence of Chaitanya (consciousness) in the mind. Thus we
have to realise that the entire phenomenal universe is jada.
-SAI BABA
Thought for the day as written at Prasanthi Nilayam -
December 25th, 2007
Jesus sanctified his body by sacrificing it for saving
others. He was conscious of that supreme purpose and duty.
With faith in the oneness of humanity, he stood against his
opponents and critics and withstood their onslaughts. Every
saint and prophet who strove to uplift the downtrodden and
open the eyes of those blind to the splendour of God, was
ready and willing for the ultimate sacrifice. One has to
welcome trouble as it provides a chance for sacrificing
everything for upholding truth and righteousness. Regard
yourselves as embodiments of Love and dedicate your lives,
like Jesus did, to the service of your fellowmen.
-SAI BABA
Thought for the day as written at Prasanthi Nilayam -
December 26th, 2007
The whole world is like a mansion and various countries are
like different rooms in it. So, do not divide humanity on
the basis of nationality. It is because of such divisions
that humanness is on the decline. Sai devotees should not
entertain any such differences. All should stand united.
Names, forms and colours of people may be different, but the
entire humanity is one family. God is one, all human beings
belong to the Divine family.
-SAI BABA
Thought for the day as written at Prasanthi Nilayam -
December 27th, 2007
In rendering service, one should have no thought of one’s
self. One should only consider how well one can render the
service as an offering to the Divine. One should note the
difference between Karma (action) and Karma Yoga (action as
spiritual discipline). Ordinary activity is motivated by
self interest or the desire to achieve some objective. In
Karma Yoga, the action is desireless. Ordinary Karma is the
cause of birth, death and rebirth, whereas Karma Yoga leads
to freedom from birth. You should regard all service as a
form of Karma Yoga – rendering service without any
expectation of reward, and without even the feeling that one
is ‘serving’ others. Any service done to anyone is actually
service to the Divine.
-SAI BABA
Thought for the day as written at Prasanthi Nilayam -
December 28th, 2007
It does not suffice if in the name of spiritual practice,
you confine yourself merely to Japa (chanting), Tapa
(penance) and Dhyana (meditation). It is in fact Chittha
Shuddhi (purity of the mind) that leads to Jnana Siddhi
(acquisition of wisdom). Cultivation of purity of the mind
is therefore the true spiritual practice that you should
undertake. With purity of the mind and attainment of wisdom,
man achieves equipoise.
-SAI BABA
Thought for the day as written at Prasanthi Nilayam -
December 29th, 2007
Man did not come to this world to eat, sleep and indulge in
sensory pursuits. He has come to manifest the Divine in Him.
That is why he is called 'Vyakthi', one who manifests (Vyaktha)
the latent Shakti (Power) in him. For this purpose, he has
come endowed with body, mind and the intelligence needed to
control it and divert it to useful channels of activity. You
must achieve this by steady pursuit of Dharma (morality) and
Karma (good deeds).
-SAI BABA
Thought for the day as written at Prasanthi Nilayam -
December 30th, 2007
Illness, both physical and mental, is a reaction on the body
caused by poisons in the mind. An uncontaminated mind alone
can ensure continuous good health. Vices breed disease. Bad
thought, bad habits and bad company are fertile grounds in
which disease thrives. A sense of elation and exultation
keeps the body free from ill-health. The evil habits in
which people indulge, are the chief causes of disease,
physical as well as mental. Greed affects the mind;
disappointments make people depressed. You can justify your
existence as a human being only by the cultivation of
virtues. Then you can become a worthy candidate for
Godliness. It is progress in virtue that announces the
progress of man towards divinity. Virtues also confer
freshness, skill and long years of youthfulness.
-SAI BABA
Thought for the day as written at Prasanthi Nilayam -
December 31st, 2007
What is Mano-Nigraham (control of the mind)? Nigraham
(control) really means being indifferent to the vagaries of
the mind. It is difficult to control the mind, just as it is
difficult to confine air in one's grasp. How can anyone
control the mind which is all-pervading in the vastness of
its range and comprehension? When it is realised that the
mind is made up of thoughts and doubts, the elimination of
the thoughts is the means of restraining the mind. Thoughts
are associated with desires. As long as desires remain, one
cannot have Vairagya (detachment). It is necessary to limit
desires. When there is no restraint, excessive desire
becomes an evil. It leads to misery. When we strive to
control desire, in due course, it develops into Vairagya
(non-attachment or renunciation).
-SAI BABA
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