Thought for the day as written at Prasanthi Nilayam – Oct. 1^st, 2006

The sanctification of the five senses is the way to Truth. If the senses are polluted, of what avail are spiritual exercises? When the water in a tank is polluted, all taps will give only polluted water. Your heart is the tank. When the heart is polluted, the senses are bound to be sullied. When the heart is filled with good thoughts and feelings, all that comes out of the senses - your speech, your vision, your actions - all will be pure. The secret of spiritual wisdom is not to be got from scholars or by study. Spiritual understanding can only come from mastery of the senses.

-SAI BABA

 

 

 

 

Thought for the day as written at Prasanthi Nilayam – Oct. 2nd, 2006

(Vijayadashami)

The ultimate purpose of all spiritual exercises is to realize the love of the Divine. To foster love is the purpose of all spiritual endeavor. Under no circumstances should love be given up or ignored. Where there is love, there can be no hatred, grief or want. See that your love for God does not fluctuate according to whether your wishes are fulfilled or not. Love of God alone can confer enduring bliss. There is nothing greater than love in this world. Everything has a price. The price to be paid for everlasting happiness is Divine love.

-SAI BABA

 

 

 

 

Thought for the day as written at Prasanthi Nilayam – Oct. 3rd, 2006

Every man and every living being aspires to attain peace and happiness. People pursue various paths to experience the everlasting bliss. Everyone aspires to know the objective of life. But they are not able to succeed in their endeavour. One in a million will persist with strong determination and will not give up till he realises the goal. Ordinary mortals will not make any efforts in this direction as they think it is something beyond their reach. They spend their lives in the pursuit of physical and ephemeral pleasures. They are under the delusion that food, raiment and shelter are the three main objectives of human life. They fail to realise that there is a higher purpose in life than this.

-SAI BABA

 

 

 

 

Thought for the day as written at Prasanthi Nilayam – Oct. 4th, 2006

Man should bring under his control the source of pleasure and pain. More than pleasure, it is pain that awakens the wisdom in man. If you study the lives of great men, you will find that it is out of trouble and pain that they derived wisdom. Without sorrow, there can be no wisdom. It is pain that teaches many lessons to man. Not realizing this profound truth, man pursues pleasure endlessly. No doubt, man needs to be happy. But how is happiness to be achieved? It is only when sorrow is overcome that man realizes happiness. Hence everyone should welcome sorrow in the same spirit in which he greets happiness. Pain and pleasure are intermingled. No one can separate them. Pleasure is never found separately by itself. When one is relieved of pain, one experiences pleasure.

-SAI BABA

 

 

 

 

Thought for the day as written at Prasanthi Nilayam – Oct. 5th, 2006

For transforming one's life, the first requisite is proper vision. This means that one should avoid seeing what is undesirable. Having been bestowed with the great gift of vision, one should strive to see only that which is sacred and pure. What man sees is like seeds sown in the heart. The heart determines the nature of one’s thoughts. The thoughts influence one's life. Evil scenes give rise to evil thoughts. Good scenes evoke good thoughts. When sacred scenes are implanted in the heart, there will be no room for bad feelings or thoughts to grow in it.

-SAI BABA

 

 

 

 

Thought for the day as written at Prasanthi Nilayam – Oct. 6th, 2006

Considering the material world as the only reality, man loses himself in the pursuit of material objects. But, if the truth about these material objects is fully explored, it will be found that they have no reality at all. They are temporary and ephemeral. They do not have the stamp of permanent reality. They do not confer enduring bliss. Every human being seeks to enjoy bliss. To realize everlasting bliss, man has to make the requisite effort. He should find out - "Who am I?" When he has found the answer to this question, there will be no need for him to understand what is Sath-Chith-Ananda (Being-Awareness-Bliss). He will realize that he is the very embodiment of Sath-Chith-Ananda.

-SAI BABA

 

 

 

 

Thought for the day as written at Prasanthi Nilayam – Oct. 7th, 2006

Human body is meant to serve others, not to indulge in selfish deeds. Due to selfishness, one indulges in many sinful activities. Eschew selfishness, take to selfless service. Give up attachment to the body. Become attached to the Self. Understand that the same Atma (Self) exists in everybody. Though you find myriad bulbs glowing, the current that is passing through them is the same. Bodies are like bulbs, the principle of the Atma is the current that is present in them. With such a feeling of oneness, make efforts to alleviate the suffering of your fellowmen.

-SAI BABA

 

 

 

 

Thought for the day as written at Prasanthi Nilayam – Oct. 8th, 2006

The body is made up of five elements and is bound to perish one day or the other. But in such a transient body there exists the eternal divinity in the form of the Atma (Self). The all-pervasive divinity is known as consciousness, the limited form of which exists in the body as conscience. Consciousness and conscience are the same in terms of quality, only the quantity differs. You may collect water from the ocean in a cup, pot and a big tank. The water in these three differs only in quantity, the salinity is the same in all of them. The body may be compared to a pot. The all-pervasive consciousness exists in it as conscience.

-SAI BABA

 

 

 

 

Thought for the day as written at Prasanthi Nilayam – Oct. 9th, 2006

Whatever other things they may possess, men suffer from lack of peace and bliss. These two can be got only from God. It is for these two that men should pray to God and not for anything else, because God alone can grant these two. When these are secured, all other things will come of their own accord by the grace of God. People should yearn for God. All other desires are worthless. The infinite Divine can be realized only through love, which is all-powerful. The devotee's love for the Lord is like the love of a child for its mother. If he is filled with love for God, that love will attract God towards him. This bond of love is inextricable.

-SAI BABA

 

 

 

 

Thought for the day as written at Prasanthi Nilayam – Oct. 10th, 2006

Yad bhavam thad bhavathi (One becomes what one thinks). Hence, people should see that their thoughts are pure and good. Human life is the expression of one's thoughts. Thoughts arising in the mind fill the atmosphere with waves of energy. Thought waves are very powerful. Hence, our thoughts should be sublime and sacred. No evil ideas should affect our thoughts. Evil thoughts inevitably lead to evil actions. When cruel thoughts enter the mind, men behave like cruel animals. When, instead, there are good and loving thoughts in a man, they divinise him and enable him to perform good and sacred acts. Hence, every man's heart should be filled with love, compassion and kindness.

-SAI BABA

 

 

 

 

Thought for the day as written at Prasanthi Nilayam – Oct. 11th, 2006

The Lord declared in the Bhagavath Gita, "Whenever there is decline of Dharma, and Adharma raises its hood, I incarnate Myself". Sathya (Truth) and Dharma (Righteousness) are eternal. They remain unchanged through all the three periods of time – past, present and future. It may be asked: What is the need to propagate ideals that are eternal? When righteousness is not practiced, it appears as if it has decayed. But Dharma cannot decay or disappear, it is imperishable. It is the practice of righteousness that declines, not righteousness itself. It is like the sun being covered by a cloud. The sun is not apparently visible. But it is always there and shines brightly again when the cloud moves away.

-SAI BABA

 

 

 

 

Thought for the day as written at Prasanthi Nilayam – Oct. 12th, 2006

Only sacred thoughts give rise to sacred speech. Lord Buddha declared that the tongue should not be used recklessly to utter whatever one thinks. The tongue has been given to speak the truth, to expatiate on what is sacred and pure. The tongue has not been given to man to pamper the palate with delicious sweets. It is not given for talking as one likes. It is not to be used for causing displeasure to others. Nor is it to be used for indulging in falsehood. The tongue has been given to man to speak the truth, to speak sweetly, to praise the Divine and enjoy the bliss derived from such sacred speech.

-SAI BABA

 

 

 

 

Thought for the day as written at Prasanthi Nilayam – Oct. 13th, 2006

You cannot find in the entire cosmos any place or object in which God is not present. The Divine is omnipresent. Only those who recognize this truth can redeem their lives; they alone can achieve the goal of human existence. Be always and everywhere conscious of His Presence. Be vigilant even while engaged in small tasks. Maintain silence in the recesses of your heart as well as outside.

-SAI BABA

 

 

 

 

Thought for the day as written at Prasanthi Nilayam – Oct. 14th, 2006

People aspire for Mukti (liberation). They have no idea what constitutes liberation. Man seeks liberation from the ills of the body, the senses, the mind, the intellect, and the Antahkarana (inner motivator). But liberation in the ultimate sense consists in liberation from the cycle of birth and death. This means that one should redeem one’s present life so that one is free from rebirth. There is no need for rigorous spiritual exercises to secure freedom from rebirth. Pure love of God is enough.

-SAI BABA

 

 

 

 

Thought for the day as written at Prasanthi Nilayam – Oct. 15th, 2006

God is ready to grant you happiness. Are you prepared to receive what He wishes to offer? Banish all worries. They are temporary like passing clouds. Happiness is union with God. God is eternal bliss. Get rid of your evil tendencies and fill your hearts with love of God. You will then become one with God. Do not allow anyone to come between you and your duty to God. Your allegiance to the Lord should transcend all other obligations. God takes care of such devotees. Surrender yourselves to God and dedicate yourselves to the service of mankind.

-SAI BABA

 

 

 

 

Thought for the day as written at Prasanthi Nilayam – Oct. 16th, 2006

Sath-Chith-Ananda (being-awareness-bliss) is the very nature of man. But man has forgotten his true nature and is wasting his time in the vain pursuit of fleeting pleasures. He is not able to realise the value of his innate nature. Once he realises its value and experiences it, he can reach an exalted state. In fact, he becomes verily God. Man can accomplish any mighty task when he realises his innate divinity. But man is not making any effort in this direction. He has become a slave to his senses, and is wasting his time on trivial matters. The primary duty of man therefore is to understand his true nature and put it into practice.

-SAI BABA

 

 

 

 

Thought for the day as written at Prasanthi Nilayam – Oct. 17th, 2006

The service activities that you perform and the Bhajans that you sing will not suffice by themselves. You should first give up the feeling that you are serving others. That is very important. You are serving your own self when you serve others. You should consider all as yours. In fact, all beings are but the very forms of God. Hence, service rendered to humanity is service rendered to God. All service activities are meant to foster this feeling in you. You should plunge into the field of service with selfless love. The best way to love God is to love all and serve all. Your acts of service should be suffused with the spirit of love. Without the positive aspect of love, all the service you render becomes negative in nature.

-SAI BABA

 

 

 

 

Thought for the day as written at Prasanthi Nilayam – Oct. 18th, 2006

In this world, there are two types of intellectuals. The first type are those who are totally materialistic in their outlook. They have in their mind only the physical and worldly goals and gains. They are fascinated by the external appearance of a gigantic tree with its numerous branches and twigs, but they are not interested in finding its "roots". Vedanthins (Vedic philosophers) are the second type of intellectuals, who are not fascinated by the external appearance of the tree but evince great delight in finding the "roots". People who are worldly in outlook waste their time in watering the "branches", whereas Vedanthins water the "roots" and thereby enjoy the "fruits".

-SAI BABA

 

 

 

 

Thought for the day as written at Prasanthi Nilayam – Oct. 19th, 2006

When obstacles come, meet them with courage. They harden you and make you tough. Suffering and misery are inevitable acts of the Cosmic drama. God does not decree these calamities, but man invites them by way of retribution for his evil deeds. This is the corrective punishment by nature, which induces man to give up the wrong path. All this is part of the grand design in which the negatives serve to glorify the positives. Thus, death glorifies immortality; ignorance glorifies wisdom; misery glorifies bliss; night glorifies dawn.

-SAI BABA

 

 

 

 

Thought for the day as written at Prasanthi Nilayam – Oct. 20th, 2006

Regard yourselves as children of God. There is really no difference between the Avatars (Divine Incarnations) and yourselves except with regard to the number of aspects of the Divine present in each one. These aspects can be enhanced by right conduct and by developing Divine love. That is not true love which wanes from moment to moment and waxes from time to time. True love is unchanging and shines brightly in the heart for all time. It is unaffected by joy and sorrow, praise and blame. Such love is true devotion. Love that grows or declines according to varying circumstances is not true love at all.

-SAI BABA

 

 

 

 

Thought for the day as written at Prasanthi Nilayam – Oct. 21st, 2006

When a lamp is lit from another, there are two where there was but one. The first one did not stop emitting light when the second one was lit. You can light a million lamps from one; yet it will not suffer a jot! Love too is like this. Share it with a million, it will still be as intense as before. Light spreads; it mingles with the light from other sources, it has no boundaries, no prejudices, no favourites. Deepavali is intended to teach you this lesson of light and love - give up constrictions of mine and thine, caste and creed, in one limitless flow of love. Expansion is the essence of Love. Love is God. Live in Love. That is the culmination of all Sadhana (spiritual exercises).

-SAI BABA

 

 

 

 

Thought for the day as written at Prasanthi Nilayam – Oct. 22nd, 2006

Do not lead a pompous life. Adambara (pomposity) is the root cause of Ashanti (restlessness). Give up Adambara and strive to attain Ananda (bliss). True bliss cannot be acquired from outside; it lies in your heart. In fact, bliss pervades the entire world. Your mental perversions are responsible for seeing evil in it. Hence, purify your mind. Only then can you become a true human being. Perform meritorious deeds. Speak good words. Lead a sacred life. In this manner, you can find fulfillment in life.

-SAI BABA

 

 

 

 

Thought for the day as written at Prasanthi Nilayam – Oct. 23rd, 2006

We see various objects in this world and are deluded that they are permanent. It is a grave mistake. Whatever is seen by the eyes is impermanent. Even our body is seen by the eyes; hence, it is also not permanent. It is a sign of ignorance to identify oneself with the body. For ages, man has been under the delusion that physical and ephemeral objects will give him happiness. True happiness results when man recognises the underlying eternal principle of Atma in this ephemeral world.

-SAI BABA

 

 

 

 

Thought for the day as written at Prasanthi Nilayam – Oct. 24th, 2006

Intelligence being the special mark of humans, every effort must be made to 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.

-SAI BABA

 

 

 

 

Thought for the day as written at Prasanthi Nilayam – Oct. 25th, 2006

What is the purpose of human birth? It is not merely to eat, drink and make merry. Paropakarartham Idam Shariram (human body is meant to serve others). Man should dedicate himself to the service of society. God has endowed man with all powers. But, he is bound by the senses, which lead him to both good and evil ways. Hence, it is the foremost duty of man to make proper use of the senses. One who lacks sense control is worse than an animal. Firstly, one should get rid of one's animal qualities. Only then, can one rise to the level of the Divine.

-SAI BABA

 

 

 

 

Thought for the day as written at Prasanthi Nilayam – Oct. 26th, 2006

Family is the most important functional unit in the world. If the family is running on sound lines, the world will also run smoothly. If the unity among the family members suffers even to a small extent, the world will face the repercussions. Every family should strive for achieving unity and harmonious relationship among its members. There is nothing that cannot be achieved with unity. Take for example, the five fingers in the hand. When the five fingers work together, they can accomplish any task. Share your love with everybody. Love alone confers purity and sacredness to life.

-SAI BABA

 

 

 

 

Thought for the day as written at Prasanthi Nilayam – Oct. 27th, 2006

You are born again and again, seeing, doing and experiencing what you have already seen, done, and experienced. You should realise that you are born not to be born again. You should see and experience that by which your life will find fulfillment. Once you have experienced the Atma, you do not need to experience anything else. That is the oneness of Atmic principle. In order to experience this eternal principle, you should give up body attachment and understand the truth that the Atma in you is the same as the one in others.

-SAI BABA

 

 

 

 

Thought for the day as written at Prasanthi Nilayam – Oct. 28th, 2006

Whatever activity you undertake, dedicate it to God. All the powers in your body are the gifts of God. In fact, divinity pervades every inch, every cell and every atom of your body. If you waste such a divine power, it amounts to sacrilege. Dedicate your body, mind and intellect, in fact, everything of yours, to God. Wherever you are, in whatever circumstances you are placed in, do not ever forget God. Sarvada Sarvakaleshu Sarvatra Hari Chintanam (Everywhere, at all times, under all circumstances contemplate on God).

-SAI BABA

 

 

 

 

Thought for the day as written at Prasanthi Nilayam – Oct. 29th, 2006

Everyone should recognise the unity of the Atmic principle that exists in all beings. Satsang (good company) is very essential to understand this unity. Satsang does not mean association with good people, devotees or spiritual aspirants. People join such congregations and thus think that they are in Satsang. But it is not Satsang in the true sense of the term because people whom you think to be good may turn wicked later. They are bound to change. How can such temporary association confer everlasting happiness? 'Sath' is that which is changeless in all the three periods of time - past, present and future. It refers to the Atmic principle. To live always in the company of God is true Satsang.

-SAI BABA

 

 

 

 

Thought for the day as written at Prasanthi Nilayam – Oct. 30th, 2006

Endowed with the sacred power of speech, man is unable to make proper use of it. No other form of life has the mighty intellect and capacity for inner peace but humankind. In this world every object has five aspects, namely, Sath, Chith, Ananda, Roopa, and Naama (being, awareness, bliss, form, and name). Being, awareness and bliss are the three core attributes of man. They are true and eternal. Name and form are transitory. The delusion of permanence of name and form leads man to fritter away the precious gift of life.

-SAI BABA

 

 

 

 

Thought for the day as written at Prasanthi Nilayam – Oct. 31st, 2006

Today man does not enquire as to what is his Gamyamu (goal of life). Instead of trying to know the goal of life, he is worrying about his Janmamu (worldly life). Even animals and insects are concerned about their worldly existence. You should strive to attain Atmic bliss right from a young age. That should be your only endeavour. Your thoughts, words and deeds should be aimed at this. Worldly experiences, however long one may enjoy them, cannot confer eternal bliss. You can experience eternal bliss only in the company of God. All the worldly activities and experiences are bound to change. The Atma alone is changeless.

-SAI BABA