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Date30:6/2008 When the obstacles in the path of truth are laid low, deliverance
is achieved. That is why Moksha (liberation) is something that can be won, here
and now; one need not wait for the dissolution of the physical body for that.
Action must not be felt as a burden, for that feeling is a sure sign indicating
that it is against the grain. No action which helps your progress will weigh
heavily on you. It is only when you go counter to your innermost nature that you
feel it a burden. A time comes when you look back on your achievements and sigh
at the futility of it all. Entrust to the Lord, before it is too late, your
mind, and let Him shape it as He likes.
- BABA |
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Date29:6/2008 Despite aeons of evolution and considerable progress in scientific
knowledge, man is not able to make significant progress towards the Divine
because of absence of strenuous striving in the spiritual sphere. Without
spiritual practice, reading religious books and listening to spiritual
discourses have no value. Study of the Upanishads and Shaasthras (spiritual
sciences) and reciting God's names may be good acts in themselves. But, if there
is no love, which is the basis of all Sadhana (spiritual discipline), they are
of no use. Love reinforces one's physical, mental and spiritual energies.
Devotional acts without love are of no avail.
- BABA |
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Date28:6/2008 The Upanishads declare that immortality can be experienced only
through Thyaga (renunciation or sacrifice). This renunciation does not mean
giving up hearth and home, kith and kin. It means giving up the transient and
impermanent things of the world. This calls for discrimination between what is
permanent and what is perishable, what is good and what is bad. Only then can
man discover the divine principle within him.
- BABA |
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Date27:6/2008 Man does not become fully human until he progresses on the
spiritual path. Body, mind and spirit - these three together constitute the man.
An animal is concerned primarily with looking after its bodily needs. Man is a
superior being, since he has been bestowed with a mind. Cultivation of the
spirit will elevate him to the Divine. The body, mind and spirit are intertwined
and interdependent. Mind and body have to subserve the spirit in achieving
awareness of the Divine Atma.
- BABA |
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Date26:6/2008 The body must be regarded as the basis for spiritual activity. The
body is not meant merely to be pampered and kept in comfort. Our mental
abilities and talents should not be used only for worldly achievements. Only by
seeking Jnana (spiritual wisdom) can man rise above the level of the animal. The
animal is concerned only with the present. Man alone can realize that the
present is the product of the past and that the future will be determined by
what he does in the present. Only if you act rightly in the present can the
future be good. This requires steadfastness and determination to adhere to the
path of righteousness whatever may be the difficulties.
- BABA |
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Date25:6/2008 Man's life is like a garland, with birth at one end and death at
the other. Between the two ends are strung together flowers of all kinds -
troubles, worries, joys, sorrows and dreams. Few are aware of the string that
runs through all the flowers. Without the string there can be no garland. Only
the person who recognises the string can be called a true man. This string is
called Brahma-Sutra (The Divine String). The Divine Atmic principle is the
string which is found in all human beings and which is the source of all
potencies in them.
- BABA |
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Date24:6/2008 Man suffers from numerous ills because he has not understood the
purpose of life. The first thing he has to realize is that God is one, by
whatever name and in whatever form the Divine is worshipped. The One chose to
become the many. The Vedas declare, "God is one; the wise hail Him by many
names". It is the imagination of the observers which accounts for the apparent
multiplicity of the Divine. The sun is only one, but its reflection appears in
many vessels. Likewise, God is present in the hearts of different beings in
varied forms and natures.
- BABA |
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Date23:6/2008 The happiness derived from sensory objects arises and vanishes
with time. For instance, when hunger is appeased, there is happiness for that
moment; but this happiness ebbs away after a while. This is true of all objects
in the world; the joy derived from them is evanescent. Man, however, is after
lasting Ananda (bliss). He is in fact the embodiment of bliss. Bliss constitutes
his very nature and being. Why, then, does he not experience it? This is
because, unaware of his true nature, he is obsessed with the external world and
fails to experience the bliss within him. He mistakenly imagines that the source
of joy lies in the phenomenal world.
- BABA |
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Date22:6/2008 Without the sanction of the Lord, man cannot achieve anything in
the world. The Divine is the basis for everything. Man, however, is filled with
conceit that he is the one who is doing everything. This pride is the cause of
his ruin. It is the cause of his frustration and disappointment. Man today is
basing his life on reliance on Nature and is hence forgetting God. This is a
grievous mistake. You must place your faith in God, the Creator of the universe,
and then enjoy what Nature provides. Faith in God is the primary requisite for
man.
- BABA |
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Date21:6/2008 People engage in Bhajan (devotional singing), Pooja (ritualistic
worship) and Dhyana (meditation). But these are only at the physical plane. But,
unless these are imbued with sincerity, they will not elevate us to the Divine.
The Lord judges you by the sincerity of your thoughts, not by the form of your
worship. The Lord sees your bhakthi (devotion) and not shakthi (power). He cares
for your gunas (qualities) and not your kula (caste or lineage). He looks at
your chiththam (heart) and not at your viththam (wealth). You must strive to
purify your heart and engage yourself in righteous action, with devotion and
integrity. No Sadhana (spiritual discipline) is of any use if you are involved
in sinful deeds.
- BABA |
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Date20:6/2008 Man should get rid of Ahamkara (the feeling that he is the doer).
As long as the ego is dominant, the Atmic consciousness will not develop. The
egoist cannot recognize the Atma. It is egoism that is at the root of all of
man's troubles. It is delusion based on the misconception that the body is real
and permanent. The truth is otherwise. One should recognize the evanescence of
the body and the senses and control the desires prompted by the sense organs.
Desires are insatiable. The pursuit of wealth, power and position can only end
in misery. Instead, one should take refuge in God and dedicate all actions to
the Divine.
- BABA |
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Date19:6/2008 In the spiritual sphere, the responsibility for success or failure
is entirely one's own. You have no right to shift it on to others. The fire will
rage only as long as it is fed with fuel. Hence, do not add fuel to the fire of
the senses. Detach the mind from the evanescent and attach it to the eternal.
Plant the seedling of Bhakthi (devotion) by the practice of Namasmarana
(remembering the Lord's name). That seed will grow into a mighty tree with the
branches of virtue, service, sacrifice, love, equanimity, fortitude, and
courage.
- BABA |
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Date18:6/2008 One may say, "I am striving to control the mind but it runs about
like a mad dog. How am I to succeed?" Therein lies a mistake. The mind is
intangible, but, it is attached to the senses. Hence, control the senses; let
them not draw you into the objective world. By this means, the mind can be made
an instrument of illumination and not of delusion. The truth will then dawn that
this Atma (individual soul) is Brahman (God). The splendour of this awareness
will drive away the darkness of ignorance, for, the Atma (Self) is jyothi
(light) and there can be no Thamas (darkness of ignorance) where there is light.
- BABA |
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Date17:6/2008 The mind can be used as a bridge to lead one from the manifest to
the unmanifest, from the individual to the universal. Cleanse the mind and mould
it into an instrument for loving thoughts and expansive ideas. Cleanse the
tongue and use it for fostering fearlessness and friendship. Cleanse the hands;
let them desist from injury and violence. Let them help, heal and guide. This is
the highest sadhana (spiritual discipline)
- BABA |
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Date16:6/2008 An able monarch will have his ministers under control; he will
direct them along proper lines and maintain the peace and security of the
kingdom. On the other hand, a monarch who allows himself to be controlled by his
ministers does not deserve the throne; he is spurned and disgraced. His kingdom
has no peace and security. The mind is the monarch in man and the senses are the
ministers. But, if the mind is enslaved by the senses, the individual knows no
peace. Every Sadhaka (spiritual aspirant) who aspires to attain the Divine in
him has, therefore, to earn mastery over the senses. That is the first step. The
next one is the conquest of the mind, its elimination. The third is uprooting
the Vasanas (innate tendencies), and the fourth, attainment of Jnana (spiritual
wisdom). Only then can the awareness of the Atmic reality be gained.
- BABA |
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Date15:6/2008 You have to remove wicked thoughts from your heart, plough the
heart with good deeds, water it with love, manure it with faith, plant the
saplings of the Name of the Lord, fence the field with discipline, destroy pests
with Shraddha (dedication) and reap the harvest of Jnana (wisdom). Understand
that God is in you, with you and around you. In fact, you are God.
- BABA |
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Date14:6/2008 Keep the mind away from base desires that run after fleeting
pleasures. Turn your thoughts away from these and direct them towards the
permanent bliss derivable from the knowledge of the Divinity within. Keep before
the mind's eye the faults and failings of sensory pleasures and worldly
happiness. Thus you will grow in discrimination, non-attachment and achieve
spiritual progress.
- BABA |
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Date13:6/2008 There is no use arguing and quarrelling among yourselves about the
nature of Divinity. Examine and experience, then you will know the Truth. Do not
proclaim before you are convinced; be silent while you are still undecided or
engaged in evaluating. Discard all evil in you before you can attempt to
understand the mystery. And, when faith sprouts, fence it with discipline and
self-control, so that the tender shoot might be guarded against cattle, the
motley crowd of cynics and unbelievers. When your faith grows into a big tree,
those very cattle can lie down in the shade that it will spread.
- BABA |
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Date12:6/2008 It is impossible to know the Truth of the Atma either through the
study of manifold scriptures, or by the acquisition of scholarship, or by the
sharpening of the intellect, or by the pursuit of dialectical discussions. A
pure heart is the best mirror for the reflection of Truth. All the spiritual
disciplines are for the purification of the heart. As soon as it becomes pure,
the Truth flashes upon it in an instant.
- BABA |
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Date11:6/2008 Every act done with the consciousness of the body is bound to be
egoistic. Selfless Seva (service) can never be accomplished while being immersed
in the body-consciousness. However, consciousness of Deva (God) instead of Deha
(body) will bring forth the splendour of Prema (love). With that as inspiration
and guide, man can achieve much good, without ever knowing or proclaiming that
he is selfless in outlook. For him, it is all God's will, His work, His glory.
- BABA |
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Date10:6/2008 When you meditate, the mind often runs after something else and
tends to get diverted along other channels. You then have to plug that diversion
by means of the Name and the Form and ensure that the steady flow of your
thoughts towards the Lord is not interrupted; if it happens again, use the Name
and the Form again, quickly. Do not allow the mind to go beyond the twin bunds,
the Name on one side and the Form on the other! When your mind wanders away from
the recital of the Name, take it to the picture of the Form. When it wanders
away from the picture, lead it to the Name. Let it dwell either on the sweetness
of the Name or the beauty of the Form. Treated thus, the mind can be easily
tamed.
- BABA |
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Date9:6/2008 Mountains can be swept away sooner than deep-rooted Vasanas
(impulses). But with willpower and zest, supported by faith, the Vasanas can be
overcome in a short time. Only do not give up determination and faith, whatever
the loss, hardship or obstacle. Vasanas have to be sublimated in order to
achieve mastery over the mind.
- BABA |
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Date8:6/2008 There are four types of people: the 'dead', who deny the Lord and
declare that they alone exist, independent, free, self-regulating and
self-directed; the 'sick', who call upon the Lord whenever some calamity befalls
them or whenever they feel temporarily deserted by the usual sources of succour;
the 'dull', who know that God is the eternal companion, but who remember it only
off and on, when the idea presents itself powerfully; and lastly, the 'healthy',
who have steady faith in the Lord and who live in His comforting presence
always.
- BABA |
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Date7:6/2008 Service is God. Why has God endowed man with a body, a mind and an
intellect? Feel and empathise with the suffering through your mind, plan using
your intelligence and use the body to serve those are in need. Offer that act of
service to God; worship Him with that flower. Put into daily practice the ideals
that Sai has been propagating and make them known all over the world by standing
forth as living examples of their greatness.
- BABA |
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Date6:6/2008 God certainly listens to the prayers of His devotees. Some people
hesitate to pray lest their prayers should cause inconvenience to God. They are
mistaken in their belief, for God can never be put to any inconvenience
whatsoever. God has no suffering at all. He considers the devotees' happiness as
His own.
- BABA |
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Date5:6/2008 Great sages, out of great sympathy for their fellowmen, laid down
rules, regulations, limits and directions for daily life and conduct, so that
man's mind may not turn against him, but may turn towards the ideals of Sathya
(Truth), Dharma (Righteousness), Shanti (Peace) and Prema (Love). They declared
that every act must be evaluated and approved only if it cleanses the emotions
and passions, otherwise it has to be cast aside. Bhaavashuddhi (purification of
mental disposition) is the fruit of Karma (action) and any act that befogs the
Bhaava (thought process) or excites it into Rajas (passion) or demeans it into
Thamas (inertia) has to be avoided.
- BABA |
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Date4:6/2008 One may ask, if God is controlling everything, what is the need
for human effort? Yes, God is all powerful. But at the same time human effort is
also necessary, for without it man cannot enjoy the benefit of God's grace. It
is only when you have both Divine grace and human endeavour that you can
experience bliss, just as you can enjoy the breeze of a fan only when you have
both a fan and electric power to operate it.
- BABA |
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Date3:6/2008 |