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Date: Tuesday, August 31, 2010
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
There is a technique by which the Immortal Spirit can be discovered. Though
it may appear difficult, each step forward makes the next one easier, and a
mind that is made ready by discipline is able to discover the Divine basis
of man and creation in a flash. There is no short-cut to this consummation.
One has to give up all the tendencies that one has accumulated so far and
become light for the journey. Lust, greed, anger, malice, conceit, envy,
hate – all these tendencies have to be shed. It is not enough to listen to
spiritual discourses and count the number you have listened to. The only
thing that counts is practising at least one of those teachings.
Date: Monday, August 30, 2010
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
A true scholar should not entertain egoism in his thoughts at any time.
However, the misfortune is that scholars as a class are today afflicted with
unbounded egoism. As a consequence, they follow wrong ideals and take to
wrong paths. They confer the benefits of education only on themselves and on
their kith and kin. As a result, they forgo their position among Sajjans
(noble men) and the respect it can bring. One must grant generously to
others the knowledge, skill and insight that one has acquired. If this is
not done, human progress itself is endangered. In order to promote the best
interest of mankind, one has to cultivate the holy urge of Paropakaaram
(service to others) and the attitude of sharing.
BABA
Date: Sunday, August 29, 2010 THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
Consider what happens when a person sees a dry stump of a tree at night:
he/she is afraid that it is a ghost or a bizarre human being. It is
neither, though it is perceived as either. The reason for this
misperception is darkness. Darkness superimposes on something another
thing that is not there. In the same manner, the darkness that is spread
through Maya (false perception) veils and renders unnoticeable the
Primal Cause, Brahman (Divine Self), and imposes the cosmos on It, as a
perceptible reality. This deceptive vision is corrected by the Jnana
(awakened consciousness) and transmuted into the vision of Prema
(universal love).
Date: Saturday, August 28, 2010
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
Education is rendered noble when the spirit of service is inculcated. The
service rendered must be free of the slightest trace of narrow selfishness.
That is not enough. The thought of service should not be marred by the
desire for something in return. You have to perform the service as you would
perform an important Yajna (sacrificial ritual). As trees do not eat their
fruits but offer them to be eaten by others in an attitude of detachment; as
rivers, without drinking the waters they carry, quench the thirst and cool
the heat from which others suffer; as cows offer their milk, produced
primarily for their calves, in a spirit of generosity born of Thyaga
(renunciation), to be shared by others, so too you should offer yourself to
others prompted by the motive of service and without consideration of
selfish interests. Only then can you justify your status as Sajjana (noble
men).
Date: Friday, August 27, 2010
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
It is due to the gift of His Divine Grace that we survive in this world.
Every drop of blood coursing through our veins is but a drop from the
shower of His Grace. Every muscle is but a lump of His Love. Every bone
and cartilage is but a piece of His mercy. It is clear that without Him
we are but bags of skin. But, unable to understand this secret, we strut
about, boasting “I achieved this,” and “I accomplished this.”
BABA
Date: Thursday, August 26, 2010
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
A bird in flight in the sky needs two wings; a person on the earth below
needs two legs to move; an aspirant eager to attain the mansion of Moksha
(liberation), the abode of freedom, needs renunciation and wisdom -
renunciation of worldly desires and wisdom to become aware of the Atma. When
a bird has only one wing, it cannot rise up into the sky, can it? In the
same manner, if one has only renunciation or only wisdom, one cannot attain
the supreme Self, Brahman. The sense of “mine” is the bond of deluding
attachment. How long can one cling to what one fondles as mine? Some day,
one has to give up everything and leave, alone and empty handed. This is the
inescapable destiny.
BABA
Date: Wednesday, August 25, 2010 THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
We have to learn good things from others. We sow seeds in the ground. We
provide it with manure and water. The seed sprouts, becomes a sapling and
grows into a huge tree. It does not become soil when placed therein, nor
manure when it feeds thereon, nor water when it partakes thereof. It only
imbibes from each of them whatever it can benefit from them. It grows into
what is essentially IT, namely, a huge tree! May you too grow likewise. You
have to learn much from others. Learn about the Supreme and the means of
attaining it from even the lowest. Learn from others how to practise
progressive Sadhana (spiritual exercise) and saturate yourselves with it.
But do not be transformed into others.
BABA
Date: Tuesday, August 24, 2010
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
Since the Vedas and Shastras (scriptures) were won by
penance and travail by sages and seers who were
interested in the welfare of humanity and the liberation
of man, they are the greatest repositories of Hitha
(beneficence). They advise that man must regulate his
'outer-look' and develop the 'inner-look'; the inner
reality is the foundation on which the outer reality is
built. It is like the steering wheel inside the car
which directs the outer wheels. Know that the basic
reality is God. Become aware of it and stay in that
awareness always. Whatever be the stress and the storm,
do not waver from that faith.
BABA
Date: Monday, August 23, 2010
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
Desire and bondage to the objects desired and the plans
to secure them are attributes of the Jeevis
(individualized selves), not of the Self or Atma
resident in the body. The sense of “me” and “mine” and
the emotions of lust and anger originate in the
body-mind complex. Only when this complex is conquered
and outgrown can true virtue emanate and manifest. The
sense of “doer” and “enjoyer”, of being an agent might
appear to affect the Atma, but they are not part of the
genuine nature of the Atma. Things get mirrored and
produce images, but the mirror is not tarnished or even
affected thereby. It remains as clear as it was. Every
Jeevi has these as genuine, basic attributes: purity,
serenity, and joy. Every individual is ebullient with
these qualities.
BABA
Date: Sunday, August 22, 2010
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
Imitation can never become culture. You may wear royal robes
and act the role; but can you, as a result of this
imitation, become a king? A donkey clothed in tiger skin
does not become a tiger. Imitation is a sign of cowardice.
It cannot further one’s progress. In fact the tendency to
imitate leads you down, step by step, into frightful shape.
You must endeavour to uplift yourselves. You must be proud
that you are devotees of the Lord. You must be proud of your
ancestors. You should not imitate others and copy their
attitudes. However, you may imbibe the good in them.
BABA
Date: Saturday, August
21, 2010
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
Your forefathers achieved prosperity, peace and joy and
succeeded in attaining their goals through faith alone.
If you lose faith, you are certain to fall. For, faith
is the very breath of life. When there is no breath, one
becomes a Shavam (corpse). With the breath of faith, you
become Shivam (Divine), the same as the Lord Himself.
Faith can endow you with all forms of power and render
you Poorna (full and complete). For, Atma, by its very
nature, is self-sufficient and full. No other Sadhana
(spiritual exercise) is needed to realise that state.
Paripoornatha (purity and self-sufficiency) is also your
true nature. Impurity and insufficiency are alien to
mankind. You should not ignore or forget this fact. Real
education must arouse this faith and infuse the
awareness of this fullness in every activity. This is
the essential aim, the core of the right type of
education.
BABA
Date: Friday, August 20, 2010
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
The stage of equanimity is essential for spiritual progress.
It can be gained only when the Buddhi (intellect) is
cleansed of the blot of deluding attachments and
involvements. Without that serenity, the intellect cannot
proceed on the trail of Brahman (God). Why? The term
‘virtue’ is only another name for the ‘intelligence’ that
follows the promptings of the Atma, the Self that is your
Reality. Only one who has such virtue can win awareness of
Atma. And, once awareness is gained, you will no longer be
caught in delusion or desire.
BABA
Date: Thursday, August 19, 2010
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
Not even the tiniest event can happen unless willed by the Lord.
Be fully convinced of this. He is the Suthradhari, the holder of
the strings that move the puppets and make them act their roles;
but He seats Himself among the spectators and pretends He is
unaware of the plot or story or cast. The characters cannot
deviate a dot from His directions. His Will guides and
determines every single movement and gesture. The varying
emotions affect the hearts of those who witness the play; but
they do not cause a ruffle in the heart of the Suthradhari. He
decides what this person should say or that person should do and
He prompts in them the appropriate words and deeds.
BABA
Date: Wednesday, August 18, 2010
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
If you condemn yourself, day and night as petty and weak, you
can never accomplish anything. If you think that you are
luckless and low, thereby you become luckless and low. Instead,
when you cultivate the awareness that you are a spark of God;
that you have as your reality Divinity Itself, then you can
really become Divine, and you can have command over all powers.
“Yad Bhaavam, Thad Bhavathi” (As you feel, so you become). It is
how you feel that matters the most. That is the basis for all
that you are. Have faith in the Atma, the Divine Self that you
really are! This is a must for every one of you!
BABA
Date: Tuesday, August 17,
2010
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY People may have performed a variety of Vedic rites and sacrifices; they might even be expounding the contents of a variety of sacred scriptures that they have mastered; they might be endowed with prosperity, owning vast wealth and heaps of grain; they might teach the Vedas and their complementary disciplines with due exposition of meanings. But without moral character, they have no place where Brahman (Divinity) is taught or learned. This is the important lesson conveyed by aphorisms. BABA
Date: Monday, August 16, 2010
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
We see the outer circumstances, the processes which result in
the final event and in our ignorance we judge that this set of
causes produced these effects. But circumstances, events,
emotions and feelings are all simply ‘instruments’ in His Divine
Hands, serving His Will and His Purpose. The world is the stage
on which each one acts the role He has allotted. Every one
struts about for the time given by Him and obeys His
instructions without fail or falter. We may proudly think that
we have done this or that by ourselves, but the truth is that
everything happens as He wills.
-BABA
Date: Sunday, August 15, 2010
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
When it is desired to promote the prosperity of the nation,
every one of you must gather into yourself all the spiritual
resources that you can. This implies that all the spiritual
inclinations, beliefs and urges which are now feeble and
dissipated must be united and reinforced. As part of religions,
many creeds and cults may exist just as many branches are
present in a tree. You should not condemn them as wrong and no
branch should fight against another or compete with another.
Realize the truth in the maxim, “Ekam Sath; Vipraah Bahudhaa
Vadanthi” (Only One exists; the wise describe it in many ways).
-BABA
Date: Saturday, August 14, 2010
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
Codes of behaviour, spiritual practices and manifestations of
Love - all have enormous virtues which promote the progress of
man. The basic truth of Creation is unity in multiplicity. The
‘Bharathiya’ mode of worship is based on the awareness that the
One manifests through many discrete forms and many discrete
attributes when confronted by many discrete situations and
conditions. So Bharathiyas have the intellectual tolerance among
all peoples of the world to proclaim to all the quarters that
God exists and can be found in every religion. This is their
unique good fortune.
-BABA
Date: Friday, August 13, 2010
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
Virtues are the most effective means for purifying the inner
consciousness at all levels, for they prompt the person to
discover what to do and how to do it. Only those who have earned
good destiny can claim excellence in discrimination. Adherence
to this determination is the raft that can take one across Bhava
Sagara (the ocean of flux and fear). A person of virtues has a
place in the region of the liberated. That person can merge in
Brahman (Divinity), the embodiment of Supreme Bliss.
-BABA
Date: Thursday, August 12, 2010
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
The one who devotes his/her life to earn the knowledge of the
Atma that is their true Self, must possess holy virtues, and
they must mould their conduct and contacts sacrosanct. For no
knowledge can be higher than virtuous character. Character is
power, really speaking. For persons who have dedicated their
years to the acquisition of higher learning, sterling character
is an indispensable qualification. Every religion emphasizes the
same need, not as a special creedal condition but as the basis
of spiritual life and conduct itself. Those who lead lives on
these lines can never come to harm. They will be endowed with
sacred merit.
-BABA
Date: Wednesday, August 11, 2010
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
We may each have different ideas on the nature and characteristics,
the form and attributes of God. One person may believe that God has
the qualities and form of humans. Another may believe in a God
devoid of human form and signs but yet manifesting in embodiments.
Another may believe in God as altogether formless. Every one of
these can find in the Vedas declarations supporting their stands.
For all have faith in God, that is to say, in a mysterious Sakthi
(power) which is the source, support and sustenance of all, a Power
which subsumes all.
-BABA
Date: Tuesday, August 10, 2010
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
One of the basic rules of living is not to be ashamed of your
forefathers. As you read more and more of the history of the past, and
you visualise more and more the human condition in those ages, your
pride is bound to increase. Let faith in the supreme achievements of
your forefathers flow in and energise the blood in your veins. Let the
strength of that faith render your body, mind and spirit equally strong.
The fruit of Vidya (true learning) is the recognition that every
community of people and every religion has, along with a basic unity,
something special of its own to offer.
-BABA
Date: Monday, August 09, 2010
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
One of the most important virtues to be cultivated is unshakable,
unwavering faith — faith in the Shastras (sacred scriptures) and the
moral codes they contain, as well as in the Atma and your Guru
(preceptor). Scriptures are designed to ensure the peace and prosperity
of the world and the spiritual perfection of mankind. They have before
them this great aim; they show the way to its realisation. So, you must
place faith in such holy scriptures, Gurus (preceptors), and elders.
Gurus are indeed worth worshipping, for they show us the Shreyomarga
(path of the ultimate fulfillment). The one who has unwavering faith
will achieve this wisdom.
-BABA
Date: Sunday, August 08, 2010
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
Your intellect must rest upon and draw inspiration from the Atma (Divine
Self) at all times and under all circumstances. As an aspirant for
spiritual progress, you must be attached only to the unchanging
Universal Consciousness. All your actions should have the joy of God as
your goal. You must place implicit faith in the scriptural dictum: "All
living beings are facets and fractions of God." To confirm this faith
and strengthen it, you must look upon all beings as equal. You must
acquire this virtue of equanimity as this is Sadhana Sampath (the
treasure of all spiritual struggles).
-BABA
Date: Saturday, August 07, 2010
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
Returning injury for injury, harm for harm, or insult for insult only
adds to the Karmic burden, which has to be endured and eliminated in
future lives. This burden is termed “Aagaami” (impending). You can't
escape the task of undergoing the consequences of your thought, word,
and deed in due course. Paying evil for evil can never lighten the
weight of Karma; it will only become heavier. It might confer immediate
relief and contentment, but it can only make you suffer later.
Forbearance, therefore, instructs you to do good even to those who
injure you.
-BABA
Date: Friday, August 06, 2010
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
The lotus leaf is born under water; it floats on water; but it does not
get wet. You too, must be in the world likewise—in it, by it, for it,
but not of it. This is the special feature of the Vidya (higher
education), to prepare you for this role. That is to say, with the heart
immersed in the Divine and the hands busy in work, you must live thus on
earth. Love should not degenerate into an article of commerce. Love
fulfils itself in Love.
-BABA
Date: Thursday, August 05, 2010
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
The attitude of forbearance is to refuse to be affected or pained when
inflicted with sorrow, loss, and the ingratitude and wickedness of
others. In fact, you should be happy and calm, for you should know that
these are the results of your own actions now recoiling on you, and you
should view those who caused the misery as friends and well-wishers. You
should not retaliate or wish them ill. You must bear all blows patiently
and gladly. The natural reactions of people, whoever they may be, when
someone injures them is to injure in return; when someone causes harm,
to do harm; and when someone insults them, to insult back by some means
or other. This is the characteristic of the Pravritti (worldly path) —
the path of objective involvement. If you seek Nivritti (the inner path
of sublimation and purification) you must avoid such reaction and
exhibit Thithiksha (forbearance).
-BABA
Date: Wednesday, August 04, 2010 -BABA
Date: Tuesday, August 03, 2010
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
Sacred activities like rituals and sacrifices that are laid down in the
Vedas (scriptures) cannot confer Moksha (liberation). They only help to
cleanse one’s consciousness. It is said that they raise people to heaven.
But in the ultimate analysis, even heaven is bondage; it does not promise
eternal freedom. The freedom that makes one aware of the truth, of one’s own
truth, can be gained only through Shravana (listening to the Guru), Manana
(ruminating over what has been listened to) and Nididhyasana (meditating on
its validity and significance). Only those who have detached their minds
from desire can benefit from Guru’s guidance; others cannot.
-BABA
Date: Monday, August 02, 2010
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
The timeless soul which is beyond delusion and darkness has to be
cognised by every person through his/her own efforts. You have taken
birth as inheritors of this estate of Eternal Bliss. You are the dearly
loved children of the Lord. You are as pure and as sacred as air. Do not
condemn yourselves as sinners. You are lion cubs, not sheep. You are
wavelets of Immortality, not bodies compounded from matter. Material
objects are there to serve you and do your bidding. You should not serve
them and do their bidding.
-BABA
Date: Sunday, August 01, 2010
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
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) 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.
-BABA
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TFTD: Archive 2003 - 2009
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Archive 2009
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