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Sai Ram
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Date: Friday, January 16, 2015 THOUGHT FOR
THE DAY AS WRITTEN AT PRASANTHI
NILAYAM TODAY |
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Your life may be compared to a stalk
of sugar cane. Like the cane, which
is hard and has many knots, life is
full of difficulties. But these
difficulties must be overcome to
enjoy the bliss of the Divine, just
as the sugarcane has to be crushed
and its juice converted into
cane-sugar (jaggery) to enjoy the
permanent sweetness. Enduring bliss
can be got only by overcoming trials
and tribulations. Gold cannot be
made into an attractive jewel
without it being subjected to the
process of melting in a crucible and
being beaten into the required
shape. When I address devotees as,
‘golden one (Bangaru)’ or Divine
Embodiments of Love, I really mean
it! You must go through the
vicissitudes of life with
forbearance and become attractive
jewels. You should not allow
yourselves to be overwhelmed by
difficulties. Develop
self-confidence and have firm faith
in God. (Divine Discourse, Jan 15,
1992)
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Date: Thursday, January 15, 2015 THOUGHT FOR
THE DAY AS WRITTEN AT PRASANTHI
NILAYAM TODAY |
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Today the Sun-God begins his
northward journey, the auspicious
Uttarayana. Let this Sankranthi
bring about a change in your
attitude, so you sanctify your life.
Ability to Change (Kraanthi) and
Peace (Shanthi) both reside within
your heart. Do not search for them
in the outside world. Discover them
within. Today is another pointer to
the path to realise God. The Sun is
the supreme example of selfless and
tireless service. Life on earth is
possible only because of the Sun.
The Sun teaches everyone the lesson
of humble devotion to duty, without
any conceit. Sun God is a shining
example and reminder for everyone
that they should do their duty with
devotion and dedication. Selflessly
doing one's duty is the greatest
Yoga, says Lord Krishna in the Gita.
Serve your parents and society, and
lead a godly life! Hence let your
actions and thoughts be good. You
will certainly experience the Bliss
Divine.(Divine Discourse, Jan 15,
1992)
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Date: Wednesday, January 14, 2015 THOUGHT FOR
THE DAY AS WRITTEN AT PRASANTHI
NILAYAM TODAY |
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When Pandavas were in the forest,
Krishna visited them. The brothers
told Krishna that they took turns
during nights to keep a vigil and
control the activities of evil
spirits and demons. Yuddhistra tried
to dissuade Krishna from
participating in sentry duty, but
Krishna insisted. During the Lord’s
turn, no evil spirit appeared. Then
came Arjuna, and Krishna watched him
from a distance. To Arjuna’s
surprise, no evil spirit appeared
while Krishna was there. Krishna
later explained to Arjuna that evil
spirits were only a reflection of
one’s hatred and fear, and when one
is free from these, no evil spirit
would appear or do any harm. Krishna
revealed that the Divine existed
even in the so-called evil spirits
and that if a person gets rid of the
evil qualities within him, the evil
spirits cannot do any harm. Your
anger assumes the form of a demon.
If you develop love, everything you
confront will have the form of love.
(Divine Discourse, Jan 14, 1998)
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Date: Tuesday,
January 13, 2015THOUGHT FOR
THE DAY AS WRITTEN AT PRASANTHI
NILAYAM TODAY
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Everyone appreciated the wonderful
way in which Parikshith sought the
lap of the Lord and praised the
steady faith he already attained.
Yudhishtira was puzzled at the
child’s act and requested Vyasa, the
great sage, to explain. Vyasa said,
“Yudhishtira! When this child was in
the womb, the deadly arrow that
Aswathama aimed at it to destroy it
was about to hit its target. Lord
Krishna entered the foetal home and
saved it from destruction. This
child has been eager to know who had
saved him from within the womb. He
started examining everyone to find
out whether anyone had the same
effulgence that he saw while a
foetus in the womb. Today, when he
saw that divine form with all its
splendour, he went straight towards
Him and prayed to be seated on His
lap. The Lord too, immediately
yielded to his prayer.” Yudhishtira
then shed tears of joy and
thankfulness to the limitless grace
of the Lord. (Bhagavatha Vahini, Ch
3)
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Date: Monday, January 12, 2015 THOUGHT FOR
THE DAY AS WRITTEN AT PRASANTHI
NILAYAM TODAY |
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Avoid spending precious time in
useless pursuits and be ever
vigilant. Engage the senses of
perception and action, and the body
in congenial but noble tasks to keep
them busy. There should be no chance
for sloth (tamas) to creep in. And,
every act must promote the good of
others. While confining oneself to
activities that reflect one’s
natural duties (swa-dharma), it is
possible to sublimate them into
spiritual practices for the body and
the senses. You must also withdraw
from sensory objects. This implies
having a state of mind that is
beyond all dualities that agitate
and affect, such as joy and grief,
liking and disliking, good and bad,
praise and blame. Such common
experiences one encounters can be
overcome or negated by means of
spiritual exercises or intellectual
inquiry. Endeavour to escape from
the opposites and dualities, and
attain balance and stability. (Sutra
Vahini, Ch 1)
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Date: Sunday, January 11, 2015 THOUGHT FOR
THE DAY AS WRITTEN AT PRASANTHI
NILAYAM TODAY |
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It must be recognised that sports
and music have been designed to
confer health and happiness on man.
Physical fitness and mental health
are equally important. Together with
the gross physical body everyone has
a subtle body (sukshma sarira). Take
good care of your subtle body by
performing spiritual exercises which
will help you to realize the Divine.
True education consists in the
acquisition of good qualities,
cultivation of good thoughts,
truthfulness, devotion, discipline
and dedication to duty. Sports and
games enable you to acquire these
qualities, and they impart a healthy
body, mind and joy. Three unique
benefits can be derived from sports
and games: team spirit, mutual
understanding and joy. Even if
people speak different languages and
differ in their habits and cultures,
through the field of sports you can
easily build a common bond, and
share a spirit of camaraderie. Hence
sports and games should be
encouraged. (Divine Discourse,
14-Jan-1991)
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Date: Saturday, January 10, 2015
THOUGHT FOR
THE DAY AS WRITTEN AT PRASANTHI
NILAYAM TODAY |
People have three chief instruments
for uplifting themselves:
intelligence, mind, and senses. When
the mind gets enslaved by the
senses, you get entangled and bound.
The same mind, when regulated by the
intellect, can make one aware of
one’s reality (Atma). The mental
power gained from spiritual practice
must be directed to turn the mind
away from wrong paths. Direct your
senses using the principle of
intelligence (buddhi), and release
them from the hold that the mind has
on them. The mind (manas) is a
bundle of thoughts, a complex of
wants and wishes. As soon as a
thought, desire or wish raises its
head from the mind, the intellect (buddhi)
must probe its value and validity —
is it good or bad, will it help or
hinder, where will it lead or end.
If the mind does not submit to this
probe, it will land itself in deep
trouble. If the mind obeys your
intelligence, your spiritual
progress will be accelerated. (Sutra
Vahini, Ch 1)
-Sri Sathya Sai Baba
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Date: Friday, January 09, 2015
THOUGHT FOR
THE DAY AS WRITTEN AT PRASANTHI
NILAYAM TODAY |
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The little infant (Parikshit) was
placed on a gold plate for his
naming ceremony. The child
immediately started moving, as if
searching for someone desperately
and soon made a beeline towards Lord
Krishna. He grasped Krishna’s feet
and pleaded, by his looks, to be
taken by Him and fondled! The Lord
responded to the yearning, laughed,
graciously bent and lifted the child
onto His lap. The prince stared at
the Lord’s face without even a
blink; he didn’t turn his head this
way or that, or pull at anything
with his hands or make any sound.
Everyone, including Lord Krishna
were amazed at this behavior, it was
so unlike any child. Then, the Lord
tried to distract the attention of
the child from Himself by placing
before him a variety of toys, and
Himself hiding from view, expecting
the child to forget Him. But the
child’s attention was not drawn
towards any play or objects. He
sought the Lord Himself and no
other. Such should be one's focus. (Bhagavatha
Vahini, Ch 3)
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Date: Thursday, January 08, 2015
THOUGHT FOR
THE DAY AS WRITTEN AT PRASANTHI
NILAYAM TODAY |
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Your mind can cause bondage; it can
also confer liberation. It is an
amalgam of the passionate (rajasic)
and ignorant (thamasic) attitudes.
It is easily polluted. It relishes
in hiding the real nature of things
and casting on them the forms and
values that it desires. Hence the
activities of the mind must be
regulated. The mind has two
characteristics. First, it runs
helplessly after the senses.
Whichever sense the mind follows, it
is inviting disaster. When a pot of
water becomes empty, we need not
infer that it has leaked away
through ten holes; one hole is
enough to empty it. So too, even if
one sense is not under control, you
will be thrown into bondage. Hence
master all senses. Second, the
potency of the mind can be promoted
by good practices like meditation,
repetition of the name, devotional
singing, and worship. With the
strength and skill thus reinforced,
the mind can be tuned to help
spiritual progress. (Sutra Vahini,
Ch 1)
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Date: Wednesday, January 07, 2015
THOUGHT FOR
THE DAY AS WRITTEN AT PRASANTHI
NILAYAM TODAY |
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Embodiments of Divine Love! The Lord
pervades everything in the cosmos
with His myriad feet, hands, eyes,
faces and ears. But not recognizing
this fact, people imagine themselves
to be the doer and indulge in all
kinds of speculation and
self-praise. The Lord sees
everything. No one can conceal
anything from Him. He dwells within
and outside every living being.
Hence nothing can be hidden from
Him. God is present in all beings in
one and the same form. Although
living beings vary in appearance
from each other, God’s presence is
consistent. The Sun shines over the
water in the lake, in a well, in a
vessel, in a river or over the ocean
- it is reflected in many ways but
the Sun is one. So too, God is one
and the same in all beings. There is
no one in the world nearer to you
than the Divine. (Divine Discourse,
Jan 14, 1991)
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Date: Tuesday, January 06, 2015
THOUGHT FOR
THE DAY AS WRITTEN AT PRASANTHI
NILAYAM TODAY |
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In ancient times, sages who
performed severe penance to realise
the Ultimate Reality, experienced
Him and declared that the Supreme
Lord is beyond Tamas. This means, to
experience the Lord we must get rid
of our Tamo-guna (the darkness of
ignorance). The Lord is beyond the
veil of Tamas. When the veil is
removed, the Lord can be seen. If
one is filled with Tamo-guna from
head to foot, how can they
experience God? You have a mountain
of desires in your heart; you offer
a petty coconut to the Lord! Is this
love? Is this devotion? No! It is
not the way to pray to the Lord. To
seek a favour is not prayer at all.
On the contrary, the person filled
with selfless love will accomplish
anything in life, and is ever ready
to make any sacrifice. You are God.
Get rid of your body consciousness,
and you will realise your Divinity.
Develop the qualities of love and
sacrifice. (Divine Discourse, 1 Jun
1970)
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Date: Monday, January 05, 2015
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY AS WRITTEN AT
PRASANTHI NILAYAM TODAY |
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For every being, life is a series of
acceptances and rejections, of joy
and grief, benefits and losses. Take
everything that happens to you as
gifts of grace. Of course, you must
act with all the skill and devotion
you are capable of. And you must do
your duties with as much sincerity
as you worship God. Then, leave the
result to the all-powerful,
all-knowing, all-merciful Lord. Why
do you hold yourself responsible for
the results? He prompted it, He got
it done through you; He will give
whatever result He feels He must!
Can you store gold in a gold box?
No! You store it in a steel or iron
safe almirah, isn’t it? So too,
understand that the gift of joy
comes packed in the rind of grief.
Do not pray to God to give you only
joy; that will be foolish. Pray for
the fortitude to realise that grief
and joy are but two sides of the
same coin. (Divine Discourse, Mar
27, 1971)
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Date: Sunday, January 04, 2015
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY AS WRITTEN AT
PRASANTHI NILAYAM TODAY |
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People resort to vows and rites,
hoping to ward off the evil that
stars may bring about! But no effort
is made to win the grace of God. Let
the pomp and the paraphernalia of
worship not be merely superficial,
if they are, they will not confer
lasting benefits; at best, they
prevent you from using that much of
time and money in harmful ways! It
is the 'why' of these rites that
matters, not so much the 'how’. The
‘why’ has to be the realisation of
the reality of the individual, which
is also the reality of the
Universal! So be devoted to the
Universal; be eager to become
‘That’. When you pray to God for a
job, or a son, or a prize, you are
devoted, not to God, but to the job,
to the son or to the prize. Pray to
God for God; love, because it is
your nature to love. Expand your
Self, take in all! Grow in Love. (Bhagavatha
Vahini, Ch 1, “The Bhagavatha”)
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Date: Saturday, January 03, 2015
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY AS WRITTEN AT
PRASANTHI NILAYAM TODAY |
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God permeates the entire universe.
God is present in every human being,
nay in every living being. The
entire creation is the manifestation
of Divinity. It is not enough to
simply have a human body. As God is
present everywhere, in every being,
practising human values are
considered to be so sacred and
important. Hence, you must cultivate
the human values of truth (Sathya),
righteousness (Dharma), peace (Santhi),
love (Prema) and non-violence
(ahimsa). Never tell a lie under any
circumstances. If you adhere to
truth, righteousness will follow.
Where truth and righteousness go
together, there peace will be. Where
there is peace, there will be love
too. There can be no place for
violence when there is love. First
and foremost, one has to develop
love. ‘Love is God, God is Love.
Truth is God, God is Truth.’ Truth
and Love are verily the embodiments
of Divinity. (Divine Discourse, 25
December 2009)
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Date: Friday, January 02, 2015
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY AS WRITTEN AT
PRASANTHI NILAYAM TODAY |
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Destroy all shoots and sprouts of
desire; then your manasa sarovaram
(Lake of your inner consciousness)
will be sublimated into Ksheera
sagaram (the Pure Ocean of Milk,
where the Lord reclines on the
serpent-couch). Your real Self will,
like the celestial hamsa (swan),
revel in the placid waters of that
cool lake thus transformed, and
discover endless delight. The story
of God’s miracles (leelas) is all
pure nectar; everyone can drink
their fill from any part of that
ocean of nectar. The same sweetness
exists in every particle. The love
of god and the love for god are both
eternally sweet and pure, whatever
be your choice of worship to accept
or attain it. Sugar is sweet when
you eat it during the day or in the
night! To the person who eats, the
time difference – night or day
matters, but not for the sugar.
Sugar is sweet and consistent in
taste, always! So is Divine Love,
holy and inspiring ever! (Bhagavatha
Vahini, Ch 1, “The Bhagavatha”)
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Date: Thursday, January 01, 2015
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY AS WRITTEN AT
PRASANTHI NILAYAM TODAY |
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New Year must usher in a new step in
spiritual discipline. The old must
be rung out; the new must be brought
in! How do you celebrate the New
Year Day? Some clean their homes by
removing the cobwebs, or decorate it
by hanging up festoons and placing
leaf or floral garlands. Some wear
new dresses and others feast on new
types of dishes. For one day,
everyone feels fresh and renovated.
In this festival of renewal, most
people celebrate outwardly and
continue with their old prejudices
and tendencies, outworn habits and
moth-eaten principles. Should they
not attempt to brush the cobwebs
from their minds? Should they not
get rid of opinions and motives
which tarnish and demean?
Namasmarana, remembrance of the Name
of God, is the spiritual discipline
prescribed by scriptures for the
present age, Kali Yuga. This
involves giving up all habits that
interfere with the constant
remembrance of God. So, on the New
Year Day, you must resolve to accept
it and practise it to the utmost.
(Divine Discourse, Mar 27, 1971)
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