Thought for the day as written at Prasanthi Nilayam - April 1st, 2008
If you allow the wind of doubt or the sun of despair to affect the pot of Ananda (bliss) that you have filled in your heart, it will evaporate quickly. But if you keep the pot in the cool waters of good company and good deeds, it can be preserved undiminished for ever. Ananda also grows when you dwell on it in silence and recapitulate the circumstances which yielded it. That is why Manana (rumination) is held so important a part of spiritual effort.
-SAI BABA



Thought for the day as written at Prasanthi Nilayam - April 2nd, 2008
If only the agony and toil now being experienced by man to accumulate the symbols of wealth and power are directed towards God, man can be infinitely more happy. The veil of Maya (illusion), however, hides from him the face of God which is shining from every being and thing around him. Maya is of the nature of Tamas (darkness and ignorance). In deep, dreamless sleep, the Self alone exists, but it is supervened by Maya or Ajnana (ignorance). You are not aware then that you are Brahman (God); that is the difference between the state of Jnana (spiritual realization) and the Sushupti (deep sleep) stage. The Jnani knows that he is One with Brahman, but the person in deep, dreamless sleep is not aware of it.
-SAI BABA



Thought for the day as written at Prasanthi Nilayam - April 3rd, 2008
The body is but a boat for crossing the sea of Samsara (worldly existence), that you have earned through the merit of many lives. When you have crossed the sea, you realise that the Lord is the indweller of the body. That is the purpose of the body. So, when the body is strong and skilled, the intellect is sharp and the mind is alert, all efforts must be made to seek the Dehi (indweller) in the Deha (body).
-SAI BABA



Thought for the day as written at Prasanthi Nilayam - April 4th, 2008
By imbibing the teachings of the Bhagavatham (epic containing the stories of the Lord), your Tamo guna (quality of inertia) will be raised into Rajo guna (quality of incessant activity) and purified into Sathwa guna (quality of poise and serenity). It is like the fruit growing by the combined influence of the earth and sun, first into full sourness, then to partial sweetness and finally complete sweetness, in three gradual stages. Man too by the twin forces of the divine grace from without and the yearning from within, grows into complete sweetness of Ananda and Prema (love).
-SAI BABA



Thought for the day as written at Prasanthi Nilayam - April 5th, 2008
Dharma (righteousness) purifies the mind and leads you to God. It creates a taste for the Name and Form of God. When you love the Name and Form of God, you will naturally respect and obey the command of God. Have the Name on the tongue and Form in the eye; and the demon of unending desire will fly away from your mind, leaving joy and contentment within. This kind of constant contemplation on the indwelling God will promote love for all beings. You will then see good in others and you will strive to do good to others.
-SAI BABA



Thought for the day as written at Prasanthi Nilayam - April 6th, 2008
You must strive to diagnose your own character and discover the faults that are infesting it; do not try to analyse the character of others and seek to spot their defects. This self-examination is very necessary to bring to light the defects that might undermine one's spiritual career. Man differs from man in this struggle against the inner foes. Each gets the result that his Sadhana (spiritual exercise) deserves, that his acts in this and previous births deserve. In the spiritual path, each one has to move forward from where he already is, in his own pace, in the light of the lamp which each one holds in his own hand.
-SAI BABA



Thought for the day as written at Prasanthi Nilayam - April 7th, 2008
Manava (man) is the very embodiment of divinity. ‘Ma’—not, ‘Nava’—new, i.e., man is not new. He is Purathana (ancient) and Sanathana (eternal). Man has been in existence for countless number of years. Every second of life is new. Thus, there is no particular sanctity about the beginning or ending of a year. The time or date is not the cause of your happiness or misery. Your own Karma (actions) in the past is the cause of both your happiness and misery. As is the seed, so are the plant and fruit; they cannot be different. Do not waste your mental energy in speculations of this or that happening.
-SAI BABA



Thought for the day as written at Prasanthi Nilayam - April 8th, 2008
Namasmarana (chanting God's Name) is the process by which an attitude of dedication can be cultivated and confirmed. When confronted by calamity, you must attach yourself to this Sadhana (spiritual practice) even more firmly, instead of losing faith in it and getting slack. The drug should not be given up when it is most needed. The pity is that, when the first disappointment confronts you, you lose courage and confidence, and give up the name of God.
-SAI BABA



Thought for the day as written at Prasanthi Nilayam - April 9th, 2008
Have faith in yourself, your own capacity to adhere to a strict time-table of Sadhana (spiritual exercises) and your ability to reach the goal of realisation. Obstacles that come in the way are often treated with a certain amount of resentment by the pilgrims on the spiritual path; but these tests are to be treated as ensuring safety. You drive a nail into the wall to hang a picture thereon; but before hanging the picture, you try to see whether the nail has been well driven by shaking it; when you are certain it does not shake even when all your strength is used, you become bold enough to hang the picture on it. You must welcome tests because it gives you confidence and hastens your promotion.
-SAI BABA



Thought for the day as written at Prasanthi Nilayam - April 10th, 2008
The tree of life has to be watered at the roots, but now, people water the branches, the leaves and the blossoms, neglecting the roots. The roots are the virtues; they have to be fostered so that the flowers of actions, words and thoughts may bloom in fragrance and yield the fruit of Seva (service), full of the sweet juice of Ananda (bliss).
-SAI BABA



Thought for the day as written at Prasanthi Nilayam - April 11th, 2008
Bliss has to be sought not through accumulation of material wealth, but through sacrifice and promotion of the welfare of one's fellow beings. Thyaga (sacrifice) is recommended by the Vedas as the only path to immortality. Give in plenty, give gladly, and with gratitude to God. Selfishness is the canker that destroys charity. Though one is aware that a certain act is wrong, selfishness does not allow him to desist. But, this weakness can be overcome by steady determination. Share with others the knowledge and skills you have earned, the ideas and ideals you have benefited from and the joy you have won by discipline and dedication. Sharing will not diminish them or devalue them. On the other hand, they will shine with added splendour.
-SAI BABA



Thought for the day as written at Prasanthi Nilayam - April 12th, 2008
The main thing is the control and the sublimation of the senses. The conquest of the senses and of the passions and emotions is a slow and difficult process, which will be crowned by success only by systematic endeavour. How can man serve others or the Lord who is resident in all when the senses drag him away from that service or when passions peep in to tarnish the love that inspires the service? The Lokesha (Lord of the world) is engaged in spreading Ananda (bliss) in the Loka (world); man should be engaged in spreading Ananda around him. That is the way to co-operate and share in the task of the Lord.
-SAI BABA



Thought for the day as written at Prasanthi Nilayam - April 13th, 2008
Tamil New Years Day.
Today is a sacred day which has to be spent in sacred thoughts and deeds and not in cheap debilitating sensual pleasures and pastimes. Of course, people in their ignorance resort to these hollow hilarities, urged by their innate and inescapable urge for Ananda (supreme bliss). The Ananda within seeks Ananda pure and undefiled. It can be secured only through the satisfaction of higher and more sublime desires like realizing the Ultimate. Each festival has been designed by the sages as a step in the progress of man towards this goal. Nevertheless, we are casting many a New Year Day behind us, unmindful of its significance. Year after year is wasted in misdirected effort at attaining Ananda, and in the consequent misery and despair.
-SAI BABA



Thought for the day as written at Prasanthi Nilayam - April 14th, 2008
Sri Rama Navami & Vishu
Love is the only path that can take you to God. When you develop love, God will give Himself up to you and will protect you always. There is an intimate and inseparable relationship between the love of a devotee and the grace of God. Only love can win divine grace. You have to practise righteousness and tread the path of sacrifice to experience everlasting happiness. The name and principle of Rama will give you tremendous strength and power. The divine principle underlying the Avatars of Rama and Krishna can neither be explained in words nor understood with the help of worldly education. Only through love can one understand them. Fill your heart with love and chant the name of Rama.
-SAI BABA



Thought for the day as written at Prasanthi Nilayam - April 15th, 2008
The shadow that you cast is reduced bit by bit with every step that you take towards the Sun until the Sun shines right on the top of your head and the shadow crawls under your feet and disappears. So too, Maya (illusion) becomes lesser and lesser effective as you march towards Jnana (wisdom). When you are well established in your understanding, Maya falls at your feet and is powerless to deceive you any further; it disappears, as far as you are concerned. Though you cannot know while in this dual world, how Maya originated, you can know how it can be terminated and can succeed in exterminating its effects. Maya has no beginning but it has an end, for him who wins the light by which the darkness can be negated.
-SAI BABA



Thought for the day as written at Prasanthi Nilayam - April 16th, 2008
True devotion consists in offering all your thoughts and actions to God and yearning for His grace. Devotion confined to a brief spell in the Pooja room (shrine room) or temple is not true devotion. During that time, devotion seems to swell within you and you feel at peace but, once outside, the peace is lost and anger takes its place. This cannot be called devotion. Bhakti (Devotion) has been described as a state of non-separation from God. Regardless of time, space or circumstance, one should feel closeness to God – that is Bhakti. True devotion transcends the limitations imposed by one’s daily routines and the obligations of life.
-SAI BABA



Thought for the day as written at Prasanthi Nilayam - April 17th, 2008
Spiritual progress is not merely an intellectual exercise. It is right living, good conduct and moral behaviour. It is the natural outcome of belief in a good, just and compassionate God who is watching and witnessing every act. So faith in an Omnipresent, Omniscient, Omnipotent God is the first requisite for a good life.
-SAI BABA



Thought for the day as written at Prasanthi Nilayam - April 18th, 2008
Dharma is universal. There is a test that may be applied to any action to determine if it is according to Dharma. Let not your deeds harm or injure another. This flows from the recognition that the divine spark is the same in every form, and if you injure another you are injuring the same divinity that is in yourself. Dharma enables you to come to the recognition that anything that is bad for another form is also bad for you. The test of Dharmic action is stated very clearly in saying: "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you".
-SAI BABA



Thought for the day as written at Prasanthi Nilayam - April 19th, 2008
Engage yourselves in selfless service. The reward for it will come of its own accord. Do not have any doubts on this score. Whatever you undertake, do it with all your heart and to your full satisfaction. That satisfaction is all the reward and recompense that you will need. It will confer great strength on you. This is the virtue that you have to cultivate. Acquire this true wealth. Without goodness, all other riches are of no avail.
-SAI BABA



Thought for the day as written at Prasanthi Nilayam - April 20th, 2008
The refinement of life calls for continuous spiritual practice. Without such practice, life gets degraded. For instance, a diamond gets enhanced in value when it goes through the process of cutting and faceting. Likewise, gold, taken out as ore from the earth, becomes pure and valuable after refinement. In the same manner, Sadhana (spiritual practice) is necessary to elevate life from the trivial to the sublime.
-SAI BABA



Thought for the day as written at Prasanthi Nilayam - April 21st, 2008
Man is not aware of the grand goal of his pilgrimage. He is straying into wrong roads which lead him only to disaster. He places his faith in objects outside himself and strives to derive joy from and through them. He does not know that all the joys spring forth from inside him; he only invests the outer objects with his own joy drawn from inside him. He envelopes the outer objects with his inner joy and then, experiences it as though it is from that outer object.
-SAI BABA



Thought for the day as written at Prasanthi Nilayam - April 22nd, 2008
How to keep in constant contact with the Higher Self within us? The best means is the simple exercise of Naamasmarana, the repetition of any one of the glorious Names of the Lord. People indulge in all types of purposeless gossip and scandal; they find time and interest in these degrading pursuits; but, they have no inclination to awaken the Divine in them by constant dwelling on the splendour of Creation and the Creator. See only such scenes as will foster this discipline; speak only of elevating subjects; listen only to ennobling topics; think and feel only pure thoughts and emotions. That is the way to develop the Divinity inherent in each one.
-SAI BABA



Thought for the day as written at Prasanthi Nilayam - April 23rd, 2008
When a plane flies across the sky, it leaves no mark on it, no streak that lasts, no furrow or pothole that interferes with further traffic. So too, witness all the feelings and emotions as they cross your mind, but, do not allow them to make an impression on you. This can be done by inquiry, by quiet reasoning within oneself, more than by listening to lectures or study of books.
-SAI BABA



Thought for the day as written at Prasanthi Nilayam - April 24th, 2008
What is Jnana or wisdom? It is to know your own true self, that is, self knowledge. Self knowledge is Self realization. Jnana calls for the control of thoughts by appropriate efforts. Constant contemplation on the Self is the means of experiencing the direct vision of God, and Bhakthi (devotion) is the means to achieve it. Whether one takes to the Jnana-Marga (the path of wisdom) or the Bhakti Marga (the path of Devotion), the goal is the same, illumination.
-SAI BABA



Thought for the day as written at Prasanthi Nilayam - April 25th, 2008
If a lamp is kept burning in a room, it may go out when winds blow in from the open windows. The Indhriyas (sense organs) are the windows and when they are open, the lamp of the Divine Name will not burn steadily. So keep the outgoing senses closed to the influences that distract, and concentrate on the Name of the Lord and its beauty and sweetness. By simply shouting Shivoham (I am Shiva), you cannot become Lord Shiva; develop the qualifies of Divinity like Universal Love, absence of attachment, etc. Then, you will be entitled to assert "Shivoham", for you will have no Aham (ego) then!
-SAI BABA



Thought for the day as written at Prasanthi Nilayam - April 26th, 2008
Spread out on a flat surface there may be gold, silver, copper, iron filings, diamond, rubies, silks, and other things of value. The magnet pays no attention to all these, it selects only the iron filings. It is the same with devotees; God does not select them on the basis of wealth. He looks for the purity of heart.
-SAI BABA



Thought for the day as written at Prasanthi Nilayam - April 27th, 2008
Godhead expressed itself initially as the five elements, the sky, the wind, the fire, the water and the earth. All creation is but a combination of two or more of these in varying proportions. The characteristic natures of these five elements are: sound, touch, form, taste and smell; cognised by the ear, the skin, the eye, the tongue and the nose. Now, since these are saturated with the divine, one has to use them reverentially and with humility and gratitude. Use them intelligently, to promote the welfare of others and yourself; use them with moderation and in the loving service of the community.
-SAI BABA



Thought for the day as written at Prasanthi Nilayam - April 28th, 2008
When a tree first shoots forth from the seed, it comes up as a stem with two incipient leaves. But, later, when it grows, many branches spring forth from the trunk. Each branch may be thick enough to be called a trunk; but, one should not forget that it is through that trunk that the roots feed life-giving sap to the branches. Similarly, it is the one God who feeds the spiritual hunger of all nations and all faiths through the sustenance of truth, virtue, humility and sacrifice.
-SAI BABA



Thought for the day as written at Prasanthi Nilayam - April 29th, 2008
If you desire that others should honor you, you should honor them too. If others must serve you, you must serve them first. As a matter of fact, no joy can equal the joy of serving others. Be like a clock; it has no dislikes. It shows the correct time to everyone, irrespective of the person who sees the time.
-SAI BABA



Thought for the day as written at Prasanthi Nilayam - April 30th, 2008
Vice breeds disease. Evil thoughts and habits, bad company and unsuitable food are the main causes of ill-health. Arogya (good health) and Ananda (happiness) go hand in hand. When the mind is happy, the body too is free of disease. Evil habits, which men indulge in, are the chief causes of diseases, physical as well as mental. Greed affects the mind; disappointment makes man depressed. Man can justify his existence only by the cultivation of virtues. Only then does he become a worthy candidate for Godhood.
-SAI BABA