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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
March 2005
March 1, 2005
The mind can be used as a bridge to lead one
from the manifest to the unmanifest, from the individual to the
universal. Cleanse the mind and mould it into an instrument for
loving thoughts and expansive ideas. Cleanse the tongue and use it
for fostering fearlessness and friendship. Cleanse the hands; let
them desist from injury and violence. Let them help, heal and guide.
This is the highest sadhana (spiritual discipline).
March 2, 2005
You are all Sat-Chit-Ananda swarupa
(embodiments of Existence-Consciousness-Bliss); only, you are
unaware of it and imagine yourself to be an individual subject to
limitations. This is the myth that must be exploded in order that
divine life may begin. It is the Divine that inspires, that
activates and is the fulfillment of the life of every being. From
the tiny atom to the vast Universe every single entity is moving
towards that consummation where it merges in the sea of Bliss.
March 3, 2005
Wisdom flashes like lightning amidst the
clouds of the inner sky; one has to foster the flash, and preserve
the light. That is the true sign of the learned person. Do not
believe that mastery of many tomes makes you wise. Wisdom can grow
only where humility prevails. It thrives when man is afraid of vice
and sin, and is attached to the Divine present in himself and in all
beings in the universe.
March 4, 2005
Have faith that truth will save you in the
long run; resolve to stick to the truth regardless of what befalls
you. For, if you are true, the sense of guilt will not gnaw at your
insides and cause pain. It is cowardice that makes you hide the
truth; it is hatred that sharpens the edge of falsehood. Be
courageous; and there will be no need to utter falsehood. Be full of
love and there will be no need for subterfuge. Holding on to the
truth is the safest and easiest way to live.
March 5, 2005
The sugarcane should welcome the cutting, the
hacking, the crushing, the boiling and the straining to which it is
subjected; since without these ordeals, the cane will dry up and
make no tongue sweet. So too, man must welcome suffering, for that
fortitude alone brings sweetness to the spirit within. If you wish
to enjoy enduring happiness, you have to fill your mind with pure
thoughts and develop noble feelings in your heart. Through good
thoughts and kind actions, the heart becomes pure and sacred.
March 6, 2005
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.
March 7, 2005
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.
March 8, 2005
The remembrance of God and repetition of His
name is the only means of liberation that is easily accessible to
all. People tend to treat the name of the Lord casually, not
realizing its potency. All the power of the Cosmos is contained in
it. You must understand the significance of the name properly and
use it in the right way. Bhajan (devotional singing) is an effective
activity by which Kama (desire) and Krodha (anger) can be kept at
bay.
March 9, 2005
The most important goal for man is to put into
practice the doctrine of divine love. The principle of love is the
greatest unifying force; it unites all spiritual practices, all
creeds, all the goals of life and all the scriptures. The foremost
path for the spiritual aspirant is the path of complete surrender to
the Lord for earning His love and grace. The devotee offers
everything he has and approaches the Lord in the same manner in
which a bride in this country renounces all that was her's before
her marriage, when joining the household of her husband. God's love
cannot be gained without such renunciation by the devotee.
March 10, 2005
God has four attributes and it is only when
you cultivate them that you can truly understand Him. They are:
Love, Beauty, Sweetness and Splendour. Love is enough to add unto
you the other three. When you are full of Love for the Divine in all
creation, that state is true Beauty; when you are immersed in the
sea of Universal Love, you reach the acme of Sweetness; when your
mind loses its identity and merges with the Universal Mind, then
there is Splendour indescribable.
March 11, 2005
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 knows no bargaining, love that is given gladly as a
tribute to the all loving, love that is unwavering. Love alone can
overcome obstacles, however numerous or formidable. There is no
strength more effective than purity, no bliss more satisfying than
love, no joy more restoring than Bhakti (devotion), no triumph more
praiseworthy than surrender.
March 12, 2005
Man's life is like a garland, with birth at
one end and death at the other. Between the two ends are strung
together flowers of all kinds - troubles, worries, joys, sorrows and
dreams. Few are aware of the string that runs through all the
flowers. Without the string there can be no garland. Only the person
who recognises the string can be called a true man. This string is
called Brahma-Sutra (The Divine String). The Divine Atmic principle
is the string which is found in all human beings and which is the
source of all potencies in them.
March 13, 2005
Reduce the luggage you carry when you are on
the journey of life. Remember, all that is not 'you' is luggage! You
are not the body. So, the body is an item of luggage. The mind, the
senses, the intelligence, the desires, the plans, the prejudices,
the discontent, the distress, all these are items of luggage.
Jettison them soon to make your travel lighter, safer and more
comfortable.
March 14, 2005
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 reliance 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.
March 15, 2005
The mind is the cause of bondage or
liberation. The mind is like a lock and the heart is like the key.
When the key is turned towards God, there is detachment. When it is
turned towards the world, there is attachment. Therefore, the mind
has to be directed towards what is holy and pure. Then, you will
lead a free, joyous, blissful life. The man who has developed such
an attitude will be in a permanent state of bliss. Indeed, he will
be the embodiment of bliss.
March 16, 2005
We become what we contemplate. When we fix our
thoughts all the time on the evil that others do, our mind gets
polluted by evil. When, on the contrary, we fix our mind on the
virtues and 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. Thus, our
thoughts shape our nature.
March 17, 2005
March on with your eyes on the goal. Do not
brood over the mistakes committed and failures suffered in the past.
Do not follow the whims and fancies of the mind any longer. They
will fill the ear with praise or blame and drag you away from the
spiritual path. Follow the call of the Divine arising from the
hearts of all living beings. Serve them in an attitude of worship,
without expecting anything in return. Do not accept even gratitude,
having dedicated all your acts to the indwelling God. This will
purify you so that you will be able to listen to the sound of
'Soham' that you repeat with your every breath.
March 18, 2005
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.
March 19, 2005
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.
March 20, 2005
Nature is a preacher; life is a teacher.
Knowledge is not to be derived from books alone. Nature is to be
accepted as a better instructor. By its forbearance, unselfish
bounty, patience and serenity, Nature is continually proclaiming its
inherent and true role of the preacher of spiritual truths.
Consider, for instance, a tree. It offers shade and distributes
fruits to whoever approaches it. It bears no feelings of hatred or
vengeance towards those who cause injury to it. It seeks no reward
from those who benefit from it. Everyone should learn this lesson in
selfless service from the tree.
March 21, 2005
When the surface of the pond is agitated, the
reflection of the moon in it appears wavy. But on a calm surface,
the moon's reflection is clear and steady. Likewise if man's mind is
confused and agitated, his love also gets distorted. When the mind
is pure, unselfish and unwavering, the Divine manifests in all His
purity and fullness. It is because of the contamination of his mind
through obsession with multifarious external objects, man today is
unable to experience the Divine that is present in him.
March 22, 2005
The Lord has endowed man with the body and so,
every limb and organ is worthy of reverent attention. The body must
be sanctified by the contemplation of His Glory. The ear must exult
when it gets the opportunity to hear the wonderful story of His
Life. The tongue must exult when it can praise Him. Or else, the
tongue of man is as ineffective as that of frogs which croak day and
night, sitting on the marshy bank. The human body has been given to
you for a grand purpose - realising the Lord within. Learn how to
use the faculties of the body, the senses, the intellect and the
mind for achieving the goal and march on.
March 23, 2005
The desires that cling to the mind are the
blemishes that tarnish man's inner consciousness. Control the
senses, do not yield to their insistent demands for satisfaction.
When a corpse is placed on a pyre, and when the pyre is lit, both
the corpse and the pyre are reduced to ashes. So too, when the
senses are negated, the mind too disappears. When the mind
disappears, delusion dies and liberation is achieved.
March 24, 2005
If you are not moved at the sight of distress,
disease or injustice, how can you muster the determination and
dedication necessary to serve the unseen, inscrutable mysterious
God? When you do not love man, your heart will not love God.
Despising your fellowman, you cannot, at the same time, worship God;
even if you do worship Him, God will not accept that hypocrisy. God
is the resident in every heart; so if you serve anyone, that service
reaches the God within him: it draws upon you the shower of His
Grace.
March 25, 2005
You ignore the divinity you have as the core
of your being; at the same time, you seek it in others. This is the
tragedy. You insult yourself by feeling helpless, weak and inferior;
cowardice and self-condemnation, these do not become a spark of the
Divine flame. Once the ego is suppressed, that very moment two
consequences follow: Freedom from grief and Freedom from joy. To
achieve this great consummation, you must take one step after
another. Good deeds like puja (worship), dhyana (meditation) and the
observance of vows etc. are steps on the way; good thoughts like
prayer for greater discrimination, more chance to help others - also
help. Slowly, steadily, cleanse the mind; sharpen the intellect;
purify the senses and win His Grace.
March 26, 2005
You must realise that the same Divine current
flows and functions in every living being. When you desire to enter
the mansion of God, you are confronted by two closed doors - the
desire to praise yourself and the desire to defame others. The doors
are bolted by envy; and there is also the huge lock of egoism
preventing entry; so if you are earnest, you have to resort to the
key of Prema (Love) and open the locks of egoism, remove the bolt of
envy and only then will the doors be thrown open to you.
March 27, 2005
The Bhagavad Gita advises 'Karmasanyaasa',
that is to say, performance of action without attachment to the
fruits thereof. There are karmas (actions) which have to be
performed as one's duties, according to one's status in the society.
And if these are done in the proper spirit, they will not bind one
at all. Undertake all deeds as actors would in a play, keeping your
identity separate without getting attached to your role. Remember
that the whole thing is just a play and the Lord has assigned to you
a part; act out your part well; there your duty ends.
March 28, 2005
Life is a pilgrimage to God. The road lies
before you; but unless you take the first step forward and move
further on, how can you reach your destination? Start with courage,
faith, joy and steadiness. You are bound to succeed. The mind and
the intellect are the two bullocks tied to the cart of the inner
man. The bullocks are not used to the road of Sathya (Truth), Dharma
(Righteousness), Shanti (Peace) and Prema (Love) and so they drag
the cart along the road familiar to them, namely, falsehood,
injustice, worry and hatred. You have to train them to take the
better road so that they may not bring disaster upon themselves, the
cart or the passengers travelling in it.
March 29, 2005
Man always seeks happiness by trying to
satisfy his desires. If a desire is fulfilled, he feels joyous and
when it is not, he feels disheartened. But the trouble is, desire is
a bonfire that burns with greater fury asking for more fuel
everytime. One desire leads to ten more; and man exhausts himself in
trying to fulfill his desires. He has to be turned back from this
path of never-ending desire, to the path of inner contentment and
joy.
March 30, 2005
Carry on your legitimate duties, discharge
your obligation, but do not allow attachment to grow. The wise man
performs the duties given to him with discrimination, diligence and
detachment. Play the role, but keep your identity unaffected. Remain
detached, unaffected by the aimlessly rushing world. But, it is your
duty which you cannot escape, to fully engage yourself in your work,
unconcerned with loss or gain, failure or success, slander or
praise. God is but a witness to man's activities; He is above hate
and anger. Man gets punished or rewarded by his own actions and not
by God.
March 31, 2005
Man in his ignorance finds contentment in
separating himself from the rest, for the search of his own
happiness, forgetting that he cannot be happy unless all are happy.
He pollutes himself through the cultivation of pride. He uses time
for degrading himself to the bestial level. The thirst of sensual
greed can be prevented by keeping good company and putting into
practice the axioms of good conduct that one can imbibe from it.
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