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

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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.