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Date30:4/2008 Vice breeds disease. Evil thoughts and habits, bad company and
unsuitable food are the main causes of ill-health. Arogya (good health) and
Ananda (happiness) go hand in hand. When the mind is happy, the body too is free
of disease. Evil habits, which men indulge in, are the chief causes of diseases,
physical as well as mental. Greed affects the mind; disappointment makes man
depressed. Man can justify his existence only by the cultivation of virtues.
Only then does he become a worthy candidate for Godhood.
- BABA |
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Date29:4/2008 If you desire that others should honor you, you should honor them
too. If others must serve you, you must serve them first. As a matter of fact,
no joy can equal the joy of serving others. Be like a clock; it has no dislikes.
It shows the correct time to everyone, irrespective of the person who sees the
time.
- BABA |
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Date28:4/2008 When a tree first shoots forth from the seed, it comes up as a
stem with two incipient leaves. But, later, when it grows, many branches spring
forth from the trunk. Each branch may be thick enough to be called a trunk; but,
one should not forget that it is through that trunk that the roots feed
life-giving sap to the branches. Similarly, it is the one God who feeds the
spiritual hunger of all nations and all faiths through the sustenance of truth,
virtue, humility and sacrifice.
- BABA |
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Date27:4/2008 Godhead expressed itself initially as the five elements, the sky,
the wind, the fire, the water and the earth. All creation is but a combination
of two or more of these in varying proportions. The characteristic natures of
these five elements are: sound, touch, form, taste and smell; cognised by the
ear, the skin, the eye, the tongue and the nose. Now, since these are saturated
with the divine, one has to use them reverentially and with humility and
gratitude. Use them intelligently, to promote the welfare of others and
yourself; use them with moderation and in the loving service of the community.
- BABA |
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Date26:4/2008 Spread out on a flat surface there may be gold, silver, copper,
iron filings, diamond, rubies, silks, and other things of value. The magnet pays
no attention to all these, it selects only the iron filings. It is the same with
devotees; God does not select them on the basis of wealth. He looks for the
purity of heart.
- BABA |
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Date25:4/2008 If a lamp is kept burning in a room, it may go out when winds blow
in from the open windows. The Indhriyas (sense organs) are the windows and when
they are open, the lamp of the Divine Name will not burn steadily. So keep the
outgoing senses closed to the influences that distract, and concentrate on the
Name of the Lord and its beauty and sweetness. By simply shouting Shivoham (I am
Shiva), you cannot become Lord Shiva; develop the qualifies of Divinity like
Universal Love, absence of attachment, etc. Then, you will be entitled to assert
"Shivoham", for you will have no Aham (ego) then!
- BABA |
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Date24:4/2008 What is Jnana or wisdom? It is to know your own true self, that
is, self knowledge. Self knowledge is Self realization. Jnana calls for the
control of thoughts by appropriate efforts. Constant contemplation on the Self
is the means of experiencing the direct vision of God, and Bhakthi (devotion) is
the means to achieve it. Whether one takes to the Jnana-Marga (the path of
wisdom) or the Bhakti Marga (the path of Devotion), the goal is the same,
illumination.
- BABA |
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Date23:4/2008 When a plane flies across the sky, it leaves no mark on it, no
streak that lasts, no furrow or pothole that interferes with further traffic. So
too, witness all the feelings and emotions as they cross your mind, but, do not
allow them to make an impression on you. This can be done by inquiry, by quiet
reasoning within oneself, more than by listening to lectures or study of books.
- BABA |
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Date22:4/2008 How to keep in constant contact with the Higher Self within us?
The best means is the simple exercise of Naamasmarana, the repetition of any one
of the glorious Names of the Lord. People indulge in all types of purposeless
gossip and scandal; they find time and interest in these degrading pursuits;
but, they have no inclination to awaken the Divine in them by constant dwelling
on the splendour of Creation and the Creator. See only such scenes as will
foster this discipline; speak only of elevating subjects; listen only to
ennobling topics; think and feel only pure thoughts and emotions. That is the
way to develop the Divinity inherent in each one.
- BABA |
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Date21:4/2008 Man is not aware of the grand goal of his pilgrimage. He is
straying into wrong roads which lead him only to disaster. He places his faith
in objects outside himself and strives to derive joy from and through them. He
does not know that all the joys spring forth from inside him; he only invests
the outer objects with his own joy drawn from inside him. He envelopes the outer
objects with his inner joy and then, experiences it as though it is from that
outer object.
- BABA |
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Date20:4/2008 The refinement of life calls for continuous spiritual practice.
Without such practice, life gets degraded. For instance, a diamond gets enhanced
in value when it goes through the process of cutting and faceting. Likewise,
gold, taken out as ore from the earth, becomes pure and valuable after
refinement. In the same manner, Sadhana (spiritual practice) is necessary to
elevate life from the trivial to the sublime.
- BABA |
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Date19:4/2008 Engage yourselves in selfless service. The reward for it will come
of its own accord. Do not have any doubts on this score. Whatever you undertake,
do it with all your heart and to your full satisfaction. That satisfaction is
all the reward and recompense that you will need. It will confer great strength
on you. This is the virtue that you have to cultivate. Acquire this true wealth.
Without goodness, all other riches are of no avail.
- BABA |
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Date18:4/2008 Dharma is universal. There is a test that may be applied to any
action to determine if it is according to Dharma. Let not your deeds harm or
injure another. This flows from the recognition that the divine spark is the
same in every form, and if you injure another you are injuring the same divinity
that is in yourself. Dharma enables you to come to the recognition that anything
that is bad for another form is also bad for you. The test of Dharmic action is
stated very clearly in saying: "Do unto others as you would have them do unto
you".
- BABA |
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Date17:4/2008 Spiritual progress is not merely an intellectual exercise. It is
right living, good conduct and moral behaviour. It is the natural outcome of
belief in a good, just and compassionate God who is watching and witnessing
every act. So faith in an Omnipresent, Omniscient, Omnipotent God is the first
requisite for a good life.
- BABA |
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Date16:4/2008 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 room) 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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Date15:4/2008 The shadow that you cast is reduced bit by bit with every step
that you take towards the Sun until the Sun shines right on the top of your head
and the shadow crawls under your feet and disappears. So too, Maya (illusion)
becomes lesser and lesser effective as you march towards Jnana (wisdom). When
you are well established in your understanding, Maya falls at your feet and is
powerless to deceive you any further; it disappears, as far as you are
concerned. Though you cannot know while in this dual world, how Maya originated,
you can know how it can be terminated and can succeed in exterminating its
effects. Maya has no beginning but it has an end, for him who wins the light by
which the darkness can be negated.
- BABA |
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Date14:4/2008 Love is the only path that can take you to God. When you develop
love, God will give Himself up to you and will protect you always. There is an
intimate and inseparable relationship between the love of a devotee and the
grace of God. Only love can win divine grace. You have to practise righteousness
and tread the path of sacrifice to experience everlasting happiness. The name
and principle of Rama will give you tremendous strength and power. The divine
principle underlying the Avatars of Rama and Krishna can neither be explained in
words nor understood with the help of worldly education. Only through love can
one understand them. Fill your heart with love and chant the name of Rama.
- BABA |
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Date13:4/2008 Today is a sacred day which has to be spent in sacred thoughts and
deeds and not in cheap debilitating sensual pleasures and pastimes. Of course,
people in their ignorance resort to these hollow hilarities, urged by their
innate and inescapable urge for Ananda (supreme bliss). The Ananda within seeks
Ananda pure and undefiled. It can be secured only through the satisfaction of
higher and more sublime desires like realizing the Ultimate. Each festival has
been designed by the sages as a step in the progress of man towards this goal.
Nevertheless, we are casting many a New Year Day behind us, unmindful of its
significance. Year after year is wasted in misdirected effort at attaining
Ananda, and in the consequent misery and despair.
- BABA |
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Date12:4/2008 The main thing is the control and the sublimation of the senses.
The conquest of the senses and of the passions and emotions is a slow and
difficult process, which will be crowned by success only by systematic
endeavour. How can man serve others or the Lord who is resident in all when the
senses drag him away from that service or when passions peep in to tarnish the
love that inspires the service? The Lokesha (Lord of the world) is engaged in
spreading Ananda (bliss) in the Loka (world); man should be engaged in spreading
Ananda around him. That is the way to co-operate and share in the task of the
Lord.
- BABA |
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Date11:4/2008 Bliss has to be sought not through accumulation of material
wealth, but through sacrifice and promotion of the welfare of one's fellow
beings. Thyaga (sacrifice) is recommended by the Vedas as the only path to
immortality. Give in plenty, give gladly, and with gratitude to God. Selfishness
is the canker that destroys charity. Though one is aware that a certain act is
wrong, selfishness does not allow him to desist. But, this weakness can be
overcome by steady determination. Share with others the knowledge and skills you
have earned, the ideas and ideals you have benefited from and the joy you have
won by discipline and dedication. Sharing will not diminish them or devalue
them. On the other hand, they will shine with added splendour.
- BABA |
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Date10:4/2008 The tree of life has to be watered at the roots, but now, people
water the branches, the leaves and the blossoms, neglecting the roots. The roots
are the virtues; they have to be fostered so that the flowers of actions, words
and thoughts may bloom in fragrance and yield the fruit of Seva (service), full
of the sweet juice of Ananda (bliss).
- BABA |
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Date9:4/2008 Have faith in yourself, your own capacity to adhere to a strict
time-table of Sadhana (spiritual exercises) and your ability to reach the goal
of realisation. Obstacles that come in the way are often treated with a certain
amount of resentment by the pilgrims on the spiritual path; but these tests are
to be treated as ensuring safety. You drive a nail into the wall to hang a
picture thereon; but before hanging the picture, you try to see whether the nail
has been well driven by shaking it; when you are certain it does not shake even
when all your strength is used, you become bold enough to hang the picture on
it. You must welcome tests because it gives you confidence and hastens your
promotion.
- BABA |
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Date8:4/2008 Namasmarana (chanting God's Name) is the process by which an
attitude of dedication can be cultivated and confirmed. When confronted by
calamity, you must attach yourself to this Sadhana (spiritual practice) even
more firmly, instead of losing faith in it and getting slack. The drug should
not be given up when it is most needed. The pity is that, when the first
disappointment confronts you, you lose courage and confidence, and give up the
name of God.
- BABA |
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Date7:4/2008 |