What is Atma?

 Courtesy: http://www.hinduwebsite.com/video.asp?v=i3dlZNGVhHo

 Sai Inspires....

The body is subject to destruction, sooner or later. Everyone is aware of this. Yet everyone is apprehensive of death; no one is eager to face the last moment. All that is born has to die someday - death is inevitable and unavoidable! To unlock the key to this paradoxical experience, ask thus: What is it that meets with death? What is it that leaves and what is it that remains? The answer: it is the body that dies and falls. What does not perish is the Atma. You delude yourselves into thinking that it is the Atma or "you" that dies; that is incorrect. The Atma(Self) has nothing to do with death or birth. It is eternal, true and pure. Realize and remember that you are the eternal, true and pure Atma - you are not the body.

- Geetha Vahini, Chap 

Thought for the day ..

An empty iron box gets value when it contains jewels. So too the body will be honoured when it contains the jewel of Divine consciousness and the gems called virtues. Life has to be lived through for the opportunities it provides to unfold human values. Otherwise one becomes a burden upon earth, a mere consumer of food. Life is a steady march towards the goal; it is not a meaningless term of imprisonment or a casual picnic. Even if you have no steady faith in God or in any particular Name or Form of that Immanent Power, start by controlling the vagaries of the mind, the pulls of the ego, and the attractions of sense-attachments. Be helpful to others; then your conscience itself will appreciate you and keep you happy and content, though others may not thank you. -BABA -Divine Discourse April 6, 1965 Courtesy: sssbpt.com

Sai Inspires..No new construction of temples when there is a cry for food and shelter

Pic courtesy: www.howzzit.com

As the heart is to the body, so is the place of worship (Temple, Mosque, Church, etc.) to the community. Worship of God through various festivals, construction of places of worship, etc. are all good deeds (Sath Karma). They provide training in service and create opportunities for sacrifice and detachment. However be aware that when there is the anguished cry for food and shelter, money should not be spent on construction of new places of worship; this is not to be encouraged. The same Lord is worshiped everywhere, and you need not build a temple for every new Name or Form. Tell people to see in all Forms and under all Names the same God. That is the training they need.

- Divine Discourse, Mar 24, 1965.

Sai Inspires on Ugadi day..

You would have celebrated many Ugadi (New Year day) festivals in your life. Certain traditional practices go with every festival, such as having a sacred bath, wearing new clothes, cleaning the house and decorating it with buntings of green leaves. True greatness lies in purifying our thoughts, not merely the transient human body. The significance of a festival does not lie in wearing new clothes but in cultivating new and noble thoughts. The house should be decorated not merely with the buntings of green leaves, but with the buntings of love. Share your love with everyone you meet. Only then would you be celebrating the festival in its true spirit. In this New Year sanctify your thoughts with sacred and broad feelings. Develop divine love and foster peace in every country. Start the day by praying, “May the whole world be happy!” You will then  lead a blissful and peaceful life, full of enthusiasm.

- Divine Discourse, Mar 18, 1999

Sai inspires..

 How to acquire jnana (wisdom) and clean your heart from egoism? Bhagawan explains:

The world is a structure raised on one strong pillar - ”I". This "I” is dormant during your deep sleep and hence there is no world so far as you are concerned. Similarly before you were born, and after you die, there is no world of which you are conscious. To acquire and stay fixed in this Jnana (wisdom), you must pass through the preparatory schools of Karma (dedicated activity) and Upaasana (contemplation). Dedicated activity helps you cleanse the heart of egoistic impulses. Contemplation helps you to consistently focus attention on the Universal, the Absolute. Then jnaana emerges and stays within you for ever. Once you win that jnaana, you are the equal of the wisest, for there is nothing more to know.

- Divine Discourse, March 3, 1965.

Sai Inspires...

Does the Lord ever prefer some devotees over others, while showering Grace?

Bhagawan explains this today with a simple example.

(Pic courtesy: oshosatsang.org)

The Lord, like a lump of sugar, is sweetness all over. All differences and distinctions are the illusions of people with body consciousness. Consider this example: A mother having four children does not give the other three as much attention and care as she gives to the child in the cradle. Even if the child does not call out for it, she is ever vigilant to give it food. The other three come and ask her for food and things to play with. Observing this, you cannot pronounce her a bad mother or a partial mother. The mother adjusts her activities to the capacity and ability of the child. So too, though the entire world is His, though all are His children, He graces and blesses each one according to one’s capacity and ability. To ascribe any fault to such selfless, sincere, simple, ever-blissful Providence is like attributing darkness to the Sun - it is an act of sheer ignorance!

- Geetha Vahini, Ch 9.

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Service is the best form of worship to God..

Service to your fellow beings is more needed than service to the Lord. In fact, serving a person is equal to serving the Lord Himself. That is the path of true devotion. For what greater means can there be to please God than that of pleasing His children? The scripture Purusha Suktha describes God as having a thousand heads, eyes and feet. That is to say, every living being is God. Though there is a mention of a thousand heads, there is no mention of a thousand hearts, there is only one heart. The same blood circulates through all the heads, eyes, feet and limbs. When you tend to the limb, you tend to the individual. When you serve a human being, you serve God. When your goal is to serve and adore God, every step will yield you a spring of joy, and every moment, every opportunity is a valuable gift from Him.

- Divine Discourse, March 1966.

Swami inspires...

Silence is the speech of the spiritual seeker. – Baba

Be silent yourself; that will induce silence in others. Do not fall into the habit of shouting, talking loudly or for long. Reduce contacts to the minimum. Carry with you an atmosphere of quiet contemplation, wherever you happen to be. There are some who live in a perpetual tornado of noise. Whether they are in an exhibition, a fair, a hotel, a temple or even in Prashanthi Nilayam; their wagging tongues do not stop. Such people will not proceed far on the Godward path. There are others who relish disputes and arguments; they are never content with obvious facts; they must create doubts where none existed before, and shake faith. They dispute whether Rama is superior to Krishna, or whether Krishna is a fuller incarnation of Godhead! These thoughts are not helpful either, for a spiritual aspirant. Winnow the real from the apparent. Look inward for the kernel, the meaning and purpose of life.

- Divine Discourse, Jan 30, 1965.

Baghwan's Thought for the day - Know Yourselves......

Symbol of Atma - Courtesy: kasitemples.com

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

You are pure and indestructible; you are beyond the ups and downs of life; you are the true, the eternal, the unchanging Brahmam (Divine Self). A mere five-minute inquiry will convince you that you are not the body, the senses, the mind or the intelligence, the name or the form; but that you are the Aatma Itself - the same Aatma that appears as all this variety. Once you get a glimpse of this truth, hold on to it; do not allow it to slip. Make it your permanent possession. Look upon all with love, respect and faith in their sincerity. Treat your servants kindly. Do not entertain hatred or contempt in your heart. Repent for the errors that you commit and decide never to repeat them; pray for strength to carry out your resolutions. Do not find fault with others. Purify your heart by being good to all.

-BABA

It is the ego that makes one feel glad or sad

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

The more riches you accumulate the more bound you become and get into more worry, anxiety and fear. There can be no peace of mind for a person burdened by riches. People ignorantly seek this restlessness (ashaanthi) as they do not know where to acquire true peace (Shanthi). An educated person must have the virtue of Shanthi as the first qualification. This implies, not being affected by praise or blame, failure or success. It is the ego that makes one feel glad or sad. Therefore control the ego by extending love to every living being. Ego is lovelessness. A person afflicted with ego cannot rejoice when others are happy, and feel pained when others are miserable. Only a selfless and egoless person can share the happiness of others and take positive steps to alleviate others’ misery. God will ever be on the side of selfless persons and there is nothing that they cannot achieve.

-BABA

Thought for the day...

The whole world is intimately associated with the Sun God. He is the visible manifestation of the Lord. In India, Sun God (Surya) is considered highly sacred and granted the unique status of a great Guru.

Sun is also the source of time. The Sun limits and regulates the number of years each one lives. He performs His duty without thought of reward, and is humble and steady. Imagine the patience with which the

Sun puts up with all that extreme heat, and gives sufficient warmth to the human body, every single day.Human beings are so full of activity and intelligence on account of the solar energy that is imbibed.

If the Sun is idle even for a moment, the whole world will go cold and dark. The actions of the great is the ideal that the rest have to keep in view. This also shows that all in the world are bound by theobligation of karma (activity) .

- Geeta Vahini, Ch 6.

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