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Thought for the Day
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As written at
Prasanthi Nilayam
Source: Radio Sai
Global Harmony
Thought for the Day Archive
August 2004
August 1, 2004
Worldly life is full of sorrow and suffering.
Lord Krishna said in the 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 fulfillment 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'.
August 2, 2004 - Guru Poornima
Reduce your attachment to the body. As your
attachment to the body increases, your suffering also increases
along with it. Consider your body as the temple of God. It is God's
gift to you. Use the body for performing sacred deeds and attaining
bliss; you will experience divinity. Continue your spiritual
practices. Always be suffused with the feeling that God is in you,
above you, below you, around you. Strengthen this feeling in you and
shape your life accordingly. Lead your life with love.
August 3, 2004
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 atleast start chanting
the name of God. The rest will follow in due course of time.
August 4, 2004
The Divine is like intoxicating wine. It is
produced by the nectar of the Lord's name. Taste it but once and you
will forget everything else; you are transformed. Man is, they say,
a monkey that has lost its tail; well, he must lose many more
attributes of the monkey before he is entitled to call himself man.
He must dedicate his thoughts, words and deeds to God and surrender
himself to His will. Only then is this 'animal' entitled to become a
man in whom the Divine is enshrined.
August 5, 2004
Proceeding along the road, you can watch your
shadow falling on mud or dirt, hollow or mound, thorn or sand, wet
or dry patches of land. You are unaffected by the fate of your
shadow, is it not? Nor is the shadow made dirty thereby. It does not
worry in the least where it falls or what it wades through. We know
that the shadow and its experiences are not eternal or true.
Similarly, you must get convinced that 'you' are but the shadow of
the Absolute and you are essentially not this 'you' but the Absolute
itself. That is the remedy for all sorrows and pains.
August 6, 2004
Nothing can illumine an object that does not
reflect light; but a flame illumines itself and sheds light all
around. God is self-luminous; He illumines all. He is beyond Nature
which is but a manifestation of His glory. He can be seen only
through the eye of wisdom that can be won only by His grace. Engage
yourself in Sadhana (spiritual practice) which will secure the grace
of God. That will grant you the eye of wisdom.
August 7, 2004
Be like a bee drinking the nectar of every
flower; not like the mosquito that drinks blood and spreads diseases
in return. Consider all as children of the Lord, as your brothers
and sisters. Cultivate love and always seek the welfare of humanity.
Love and you will be loved in return. Hate will never be your lot if
you promote love and look upon all with love. If you want to attain
Me, cultivate love and give up hatred, envy, anger, cynicism and
falsehood. I do not ask that you should be a scholar or a recluse or
an ascetic skilled in Japa (recitation of God's name) and Dhyana
(meditation). Is your heart full of love, that is all I examine.
August 8, 2004
Like underground water, the Divine is inherent
in everyone. He is the Atma (soul). He is in you as much as in
everyone else. His spark illumines the cave of the heart of
everyone. Just like the sun that shines equally on all, His grace
spreads equally on all. It is you who erect obstacles that prevent
the rays of His grace from warming your heart. Do not blame the Lord
for your ignorance and foolishness. Underground water wells up in a
gushing spring when a bore is sunk down to that depth. Similarly,
when by constant chanting of His name, you touch the spring of
divinity, it will gush out in cool plenty and bring unending joy.
August 9, 2004
Utilise the world as a means to an end; do not
desire to stay in it. It is a bridge wide and strongly built leading
back to the source. But, can any pilgrim build a house on it for
himself? The cosmos is changing constantly. The minutes that have
passed cannot be retrieved, even if tempted with a billion rupees.
The past is not ours anymore; the present slips from our grasp; and
the future is uncertain. In spite of this, bonds of attachment keep
growing. This is the greatest illusion.
August 10, 2004
If you have Shanti (peace) within, the world
will appear like a quiet, peaceful place. If you have Ashanti
(agitation) within, the world will be full of Ashanti. Shanti is to
be won by Sadhana (spiritual practice), not by study of books. One
judge reads huge volumes and delivers one judgement for a case while
another judge reads the same books and delivers quite an opposite
judgement for the same case. Books are just guides for a small part
of the journey. Thereafter, you have to find the way yourself.
August 11, 2004
It is to clear the path of spiritual progress
of man that the Avatar (Divine incarnation) has come. The Ashanti
(unrest) in which man is immersed has to be removed. That is what is
meant by "Parithraanaaya sadhoonam" or protection of the virtuous as
declared in Bhagavad Gita; saving good individuals from the
tentacles of Ashanti or grief caused by ignorance of the
unimportance of worldly things. All individuals must get Shanti
(peace) and Santhosha (happiness), that is the mission on which the
Lord comes again and again on Earth. He takes on a human form so
that you may meet Him and talk to Him, understand and appreciate,
listen and follow, experience and benefit.
August 12, 2004
Intelligence being the special mark of humans,
every effort must be made to amplify and sharpen it. Along with
intelligence, character too has to be cultivated in equal measure,
for then alone can that intelligence be used to serve society. The
readiness to renounce one's pleasure in order to relieve the burden
of another is a prime virtue. When asked as to which is the most
valuable object, everyone says gold or diamonds. But who cuts the
diamond to expose its lustre? Who finds the ores of gold deep within
the Earth? It is man who is really most valuable and his strength
lies in his capacity to purify his thoughts, words and deeds.
August 13, 2004
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.
August 14, 2004 The grace of
God cannot be won through the gymnastics of reason, the contortions
of yoga or the denials of asceticism. Love alone can win it- Love
that needs no requital, Love that is unwavering, Love that knows no
bargaining. Love that is offered gladly as tribute to the
All-loving. Love alone can overcome obstacles, however many and
difficult.
August 15, 2004
Wherever you may be, in whatever country, do
not give room for religious differences. Do not give up your
religion, adhere to your faith and tradition. When differences
between religions are given up, love will develop in you. When love
grows, you can have a direct vision of God. Without love, mere
verbal prayers are of no avail. Realise that the Love that is
present in everyone is the same. It is that common bond of love of
God that binds everyone.
August 16, 2004
Believing that the world as cognised during
the waking state is real and that the highest goal is the attainment
of happiness in that world, man accumulates the instruments and
symbols of that happiness; he fashions after his own taste and
inclination, the laws, ideals, institutions and principles that
would bolster that happiness. But can the goal of Life be just this
- to struggle amidst the waves of joy and grief that rise and fall
in this visible objective world, to be carried along the current of
desire, gathering food, shelter, comfort and pleasure, and finally,
to flounder into the jaws of death? If man too leads life in this
manner, verily he is no better than a mere animal.
August 17, 2004
No one can liberate you, for no one has bound
you. You hold on to the nettle of worldly pleasures and you weep in
pain. The kite is pursued by crows so long as it carries the fish in
its beak; it twists and turns in the sky trying to dodge the crows
that seek to snatch the fish; tired at last, it drops the fish. That
moment it is free. So, give up attachment to the senses, then grief
and worry can harass you no more.
August 18, 2004 When one's
inner reactions and agitations are sublimated, all that one
experiences through the senses, the mind and the intellect take on a
divine lustre and reveal their divine core. When man's heart is full
of love, he can be in the world and yet be unaffected by it. All
activity will then be for the Almighty, for His Grace, and through
His will.
August 19, 2004
When in difficulty, pray for guidance before
making a decision. Men can give you advice only as far as their
intelligence can reach, but the Lord who illumines the intellect
will reveal to you the way out of the difficulty. Have patience and
wait prayerfully. Prayer can bring about the impossible. Sing the
glory of the Lord and repeat His name. That will bring success.
August 20, 2004
Dreams are unreal; they are illusory. Yet, for
as long as we are dreaming, the experience appears to be real and
valid. Often in these dreams, we experience such extreme fear, pain
or excitement we awaken and the dream dissolves away. Thus, the
dream itself led to the awakening. So too, in this waking dream -
the illusory world, where every experience is deemed true and valid,
the teachings of the Vedas awaken man into Higher Awareness.
August 21, 2004 Man has to
give up the pursuit of sensory objects if he seeks lasting peace and
joy. Material wealth brings with it not only joy but also grief.
Accumulation of riches, multiplication of wants - these lead only to
alternation between joy and grief. Attachment is the root of both
joy and grief; detachment is the saviour. Feel that your family,
your house and your possessions are all the Lord's property and you
are only the trustee.
August 22, 2004
A fine diamond, even if it is in a heap of
garbage, will not lose its brilliance or its value. Likewise, the
glory and greatness of good men will suffer no diminution in
whatever circumstances or situation they may be placed. Such divine
effulgence is shining in every human being. Love is an expression of
this effulgence. To manifest this love, men must bear every kind of
suffering. The human being is like the sugarcane, filled with the
juice of love. It is only when he is subjected to hardships that the
divine, sweet juice of love can flow from him.
August 23, 2004
Purify your emotions; make your mind strong to
resist the force of ignorance and the wiles of the senses - then you
are assured of peace and joy. You maintain health by physical
exercise, similarly mental health must be maintained by means of
certain spiritual exercises or sadhana. For example, by means of
pure food, the mind can be rendered pure and sharp; it can then cut
through obstacles and temptations and rend asunder the veil of
misconception. You must also try to be constantly in a good
environment and in good company.
August 24, 2004
Practice the attitude of offering every act at
the feet of God as a flower is offered in worship. Make every breath
an offering to Him. Do not be upset by calamities; take them as acts
of Grace. Understand that nothing happens without His Will;
everything that happens has a deeper significance attached to it.
When you know that the Lord is the Ultimate Cause, the source of
all, you will deal with everyone in a humble and respectful manner.
This is the easiest path to Divinity.
August 25, 2004
Service is the most difficult of the nine
steps to God. It is basically the action arising out of the yearning
to win the grace of God. It is the most important step to erase the
ego. Through service alone can man attain mastery of the senses, the
passions and the predilections, and through that reach Divinity.
Love expresses itself as service, and God is Love.
August 26, 2004
Egoism is a thorny bush, which when planted
and fostered in one's heart, makes one pay the penalty. Egoism makes
enemies of even dearest friends; it ruins many good causes and
projects, for it does not allow two competent men to work together.
Grief follows it like a shadow. Joy, peace, courage, co-operation
and love flourish in the absence of the ego. When man is aware that
the same Divine consciousness that motivates him is equally
motivating all others, then love ousts the ego to the background and
takes charge of man's actions, words and thoughts.
August 27, 2004
There is no discipline equal to service to
smother the ego and to fill the heart with genuine joy. To condemn
service as demeaning and inferior is to forego these benefits. If a
wave of service sweeps over the land, catching everyone in its
enthusiasm, it will be able to wipe off the mounds of hatred, malice
and greed that infest the world. Attune your hearts so that it will
vibrate in sympathy with the woes and joys of your fellowmen and
fill the world with your love.
August 28, 2004 Onam is the
festival of Lord Vamana's advent as well as Emperor Bali's
transformation. Lord Vishnu approached Bali in the guise of a
Brahmin boy named Vamana and asked for a gift of just three paces of
land. His preceptor Sukracharya however, dissuaded him. Bali replied
that there was no greater sin than going back on one's words and he
upheld the promise made to Vamana. Bali was prepared to undergo any
misery while upholding truth and thus attained to eternal life
through truth and love. This is the lesson that we must learn from
Bali's life. Body is like a water bubble, mind is like a mad monkey.
Don't follow the body, don't follow the mind; follow your
conscience, for conscience is deathless.
August 29, 2004 There is no
living being without the spark of love; even a mad man loves
something or somebody intensely. But, you must recognise this love
as but a reflection of the Premaswarupa (embodiment of Love) that is
your reality, of the God who is residing in your heart. Without that
spring of Love that gushes forth from your heart, you will not be
prompted to love at all. Recognise that spring, rely on it more and
more, envelop the whole world with it, discarding all traces of
selfishness. Do not seek anything in return for it from those to
whom you extend it.
August 30, 2004
Move towards the light and the shadow falls
behind; move away from the light and you have to follow your own
shadow. Go every moment one step nearer to the Lord and then Maya
(illusion), the shadow, will fall behind and will not delude you at
all. Be steady and resolved. Do not commit a mistake or take a false
step and repent later. To make the right decision first is better
than having to regret for a mistake committed.
August 31, 2004
All religions teach one basic discipline, the
removal of egoism and giving up petty desires. Every religion
teaches man to fill his being with the glory of God and evict the
pettiness of conceit. It trains him in methods of detachment and
discrimination, so that he may aim high and attain liberation.
Believe that all hearts are motivated by the One and only God; all
Faiths glorify the One and only God; all names in all languages and
all Forms that man can conceive of, denote the One and the only God
who is best worshipped through pure Love. Cultivate that Ekabhava
(the attitude of oneness) towards men of all creeds in all lands.
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