Thought for the day..22-12-2011

There are two forms of Love. One binds you to God and the other binds you to the world. The mind is responsible for either of these states. It is like a lock. If you turn the key to the right, the lock opens; If you turn it to the left, it gets locked. The heart is the key to the lock of the mind. If you turn the key towards the world, you have attachment (bondage). You must see that desire and hatred do not get lodged in the mind. Bear no ill-will towards anyone. Avoid the company of those who are evil-minded. Through good company, your bad qualities get diluted, like sewage water that enters the sea. You can thereby raise yourself. Devotion means giving up all other desires and dedicating all actions and thoughts to God.

-Bagawan Sai in  'Divine Discourse', Dec 25, 1985.

Bhagawan Sathya Sai Speaks........

Lord Krishna, in His childhood days, broke the mud pots where butter was stored. The inner meaning is that Lord Krishna broke the material casement and liberated them from their temporary attachments. He then appropriated to Himself what always belonged to Him - the butter of faith. This butter is the result of the churning of the mind, the spiritual discipline of self-purification. The deha-thathwa (the feeling, “I am the body”), must go and transform into dehi-thathwa (the belief, “I am embodied”). Take a small quantity of sea water and keep it separate in a bottle; it will develop a foul smell in a few days. As long as the water remains in the sea, nothing will happen to it. Be in the sea (of Divinity), as a part of it. Do not separate and individualize yourself. Never isolate yourself as the body (deha) , separate from the Indweller (Dehi). So long as you are in the Divine Consciousness, no pain, grief, egoism or pride can tarnish you.

- Sathya Sai Speaks: Vol 5, Jan 29, 1965.

Bhagawan's Thought for the day - Meditation

Meditation must be followed rigorously. In fact Dhyana (Meditation) also means discipline and, regularity and steadiness are the essential tools for it. Lord Krishna assured, “When you start fixing your thoughts on Me, all thoughts that agitate you will be stilled through My grace.” Meditation is a first class cure for the illness of worldly existence (bhava-roga). But along with it, also take the medicine of contentment. Just as a traveller who has trudged along for miles in the scorching sun feels refreshed when taking bath in the waters of a cool and shady lake, so too the unfortunate individual struggling in the scorching heat of desires, feels happy and relieved when bathing in the lake of contentment. Meditate regularly and practice contentment in your mind; anyone who follows this rigorously will achieve quick results.

-Dhyana Vahini, Ch 14: “Remove defects in character”.

The flower of the heart soaked in love....

True devotion is not bound by rituals or set procedures. The Gita talks about various offerings like patram (leaf), pushpam (flower), phalam (fruit), and toyam (water). These words should not be taken literally. The human body is the leaf that must be offered to the Lord. Like the leaf of the tree, the body too would one day die and decay; no one can say when that will happen. Before such a fate befalls, the body in its fullness, freshness, and purity, ought to be offered to the Lord. The flower of your heart is what would please the Lord most and not the ones purchased from the market, which fade in a few hours. The flower of the heart, that is totally pure, soaked in love, and perfect does not wither easily. And which fruit would please God? He is not interested in fruits that grow on a tree; Mind is the fruit that must be offered to th e Lord. Lastly, the water the Lord wants from you is the tears of joy that flow when your heart is full of love for Him. These alone are the offerings that the Lord expects when you worship Him.

- Divine Discourse, 19th May, 2000.

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Let the flame of Love be steady...................

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

Love is the most important factor in life. If you pray to God with intense love and devotion, your prayers will certainly be answered. Such is the power of love. Devoid of love, nothing can be achieved even in this mundane world. Love is God, live in love! The whole world becomes a vacuum without love. That Love alone assumes a form. Realise this truth. There is no power greater than humanness in this world. In God’s creation, everything is reaction, reflection and resound. All that we experience in the outside world is only a reaction, reflection and resound of the inner being. Let the flame of your love be steady, not flickering. There is no greater Sadhana (spiritual practice) than love. That is the spiritual practice you have to adopt at all times. Divinity is omnipresent. Cultivate Divine Love so that you can realize the omnipresent divinity within your own self.

-BABA  http://www.radiosai.org/pages/ThoughtText.asp?mydate=8/10/2011