Thought for the Day : 16th March 2014

Gayathri is the Mother of all scriptures (Vedas). She exists, wherever Her name is chanted. She is very powerful. The One who nourishes the individual being is Gayathri. She bestows pure thoughts on anyone who worships Her. She is the embodiment of all Goddesses. Our very breath is Gayathri, our faith in existence is Gayathri. Gayathri has five faces, they are the five life principles. She has nine descriptions, they are ‘Om, Bhur, Bhuvah, Swah, Tat, Savitur, Varenyam, Bhargo, Devasya’. Mother Gayathri nourishes and protects every being and She channelizes our senses in the proper direction. ‘Dheemahi’ means meditation. We pray to her to inspire us with good intelligence. ‘Dheeyo Yonah Prachodayat’ - We beseech her to bestow on us everything we need. Thus Gayathri is the complete prayer for protection, no urishment and finally, liberation. - ‘My Dear Students’, Vol 3, Ch 2, Mar 19, 1998.

Destroy your ego; you have no need to seek liberation; you will be liberation itself. - Baba

Thought for the Day : 15th March 2014

Not by work or wealth or progeny, but only by sacrifice can one attain immortality. All the scriptures explain the value of sacrifice. Understand its inner significance and practice it. Devotion should not be confined to visiting temples and saluting God therein. Devotion exists everywhere. Wherever you sit, you can utter the Name of the Lord. There is no place without Love, Love exists everywhere. Some love their mother or father, others their wife or children. There are yet others who love God. Loving God alone is true devotion. The love for any worldly person can at best be selfish – there is no one who loves another person without a selfish reason. God alone loves you without selfishness, expecting nothing in return. Therefore develop faith and devotion to God. - ‘My Dear Students’, Vol 3, Ch 2, Mar 19, 1998.

Practice the vocabulary of love – unlearn the language of hate and contempt. - Baba

Thought for the Day : 14th March 2014

You often desire that you must have peace. In fact, every being wants peace, but not many have it. They only see pieces everywhere. From where will you get peace? It is present right there, within you. Fill your heart completely with love – then you will merge in the peace present within your heart. There will be no agitation. An agitation-free mind will confer peace on you. What is truth? All that comes out of a loving heart is truth. What is Righteousness (Dharma)? All actions that emerge from the core of your heart, all actions done out of selfless love isDharma. Hrud+Daya = Hrudaya. Love and Compassion must pervade your heart. Have faith that your heart is your temple and there is no bigger temple than that. In fact it is a permanent and pure place for the Lord, only you have to keep it that way. - ‘My Dear Students’, Vol 2, Ch 7, Apr 10, 2000.

To transform yourself, the qualities you need are kindness, love, forbearance and compassion. - Baba

Thought for the Day : 13th March 2014

What is the objective of ‘studying’? You must study to become steady. When you have a steady mind, you can prosper. Your mind should not move like the pendulum of a clock. See to it that the Divine Love in your heart is steady. The goal of education should not be to just acquire theoretical knowledge but to practically apply it in your life. Your education should be for life and not for a mere living. Birds and animals lead life without ‘studying’, but your education must result in you developing a strong and good character. In this life, the only high aspiration you must have is for God. Many people collect a lot of information from newspapers and other sources, trying to find out what happened in Germany, USA, etc. These are good to know, but not very important. The aim of education should be to concentrate your mind onto a higher ideal and not merely to become like a library which is a conglomeration of all kinds of facts. - ‘My Dear Students’, Vol 2, Ch 7, Apr 10, 2000.

The end of knowledge is love. The end of education is character. - Baba

Thought for the Day : 12th March 2014

Take a glass of water, at the bottom of which is sugar. Even though there is sugar in the water, as long as it remains below, the water would not taste sweet. However if you take a spoon and mix the sugar with water, now sweetness pervades the entire tumbler. It is the same with our hearts too. Our heart is like the cup. The Atmic principle is sugar and the worldly desires are the tasteless water in the cup. You drink this tasteless water of the world and say that there is no sweetness. But how can you get the taste? Only when you take the spoon of intelligence, place it inside the cup of the heart and mix with discrimination between the temporary and permanent, then sweetness pervades. - ‘My Dear Students’, Vol 2, Ch 7, Apr 10, 2000.

Believe that God resides in all beings. Speak such words as would spread goodness, truth and beauty. - Baba

Thought for the Day : 11th March 2014

In the Bhagavad Gita, the Lord declares, “Whenever righteousness (Dharma) declines, I make My advent in the world.Dharma will never perish.” It is the practice of Dharma which is becoming weaker day by day, and not Dharma as such. Many times clouds cover the Sun. In such a scenario, the people on earth may not be able to see the Sun. Just because people cannot see, does it mean that the Sun doesn’t exist? No, Sun exists! Temporarily the Sun is hidden by the clouds; therefore people are unable to see it. Nobody can say that the Sun has perished, can they? Similarly, Sathya and Dharma have the effulgence of the Sun. Truth is the Sun, Dharma is the effulgence of the Sun. They are interdependent like matter and energy. Matter and energy cannot exist without each other. Similarly Sun and its radiance are reflection of each other. Sathya, the Sun andDharma, its effulgence redeem the world. - ‘My Dear Students’, Vol 3, Ch 2.

Believe that God resides in all beings. Speak such words as would spread goodness, truth and beauty. - Baba

Thought for the Day : 10th March 2014

All materials in this world will disappear after some time. The principle of Atma alone is imperishable. What is the Atmic Principle? That which pervades the entire body is Atma. You should try to broaden your mind by which you can merge in Divine Consciousness. For example, take a balloon and blow it. It grows bigger and bigger. As it gradually increases size, it also becomes thinner. After a point it becomes so thin than it bursts. Where does the air in that balloon go? It merges with the air outside, which is present everywhere. Thus conscience merges with the consciousness which is present everywhere. This is referred to as liberation, the final goal or emancipation. You can give it many names; they are not important. The goal is important. You must try to achieve this unity with Consciousness, and you can attain this by practising spirituality at all times with all your determination. - ‘My Dear Students’, Vol 2, Ch 7, Apr 10, 2000.

Destroy your ego. Then you will have no need to seek liberation, you will become liberation itself. - Baba

Thought for the Day : 9th March 2014

Some students aim to just pass the examination or get perhaps 60%. Low aim is a crime. Who will tolerate or accept any work that is done 40% or 50%? Low marks tend to speak poorly of yourself – so never aim low, you must aim high. You should target a high 98%, then you will definitely cross at least 75%. ‘Success begets Success’, so in any examination, begin answering easy questions first, properly numbering and tracking them. Then, you will feel encouragement from within to continue to write, and slowly be able to handle even the difficult questions as well. On the other hand, if you begin with tough questions, then you may get depressed quickly in the limited time. Depression leads to confusion, which in turn leads to loss of memory. Then, even if you know the answer, you will not be able to answer correctly. So to have the right kind of enthusiasm you must answer easy questions first. - ‘My Dear Students’, Vol 2, Ch1.

Education must result in humility. Humility is the best credential for success in life. - Baba

Thought for the Day : 7th March 2014

At times, you may feel dissatisfied with the answers you wrote, even though you have spent a lot of time reading. Why? Because when you are preparing for examinations, mere reading is not sufficient. You may read at home and feel confident of writing well in the exam hall, but that doesn’t work. You must necessarily practice at home what you do in the examination hall. That is why you should often practice writing the answers. Many things which you do not understand clearly while reading, becomes easier to comprehend when you write. The more you write and practice at home, the better you will do in the examination hall. I will also share another secret for your success: In the examination hall, before receiving the question paper, you should first pray. Receive the question paper after your prayer. Then slowly read the question paper and start answering the easy questions first and the difficult ones towards the end. - ‘My Dear Students’, Vol 3, Ch 1, 'Success in Examinations'.

You must welcome tests because it gives you confidence and ensures promotion. - Baba

Thought for the Day : 6th March 2014

In a story, Birbal tells Akbar, “Sweet talk is the sweetest thing in the world; nothing else, not milk, honey or jaggery comes close to it. A sweet word is the most valuable thing; through it one we can win a person over, give great joy and even attain a higher status. When crows caw at us, we throw stones at them. Whereas, when cuckoos sing, we respect them. Neither is the cuckoo going to give us a crown, nor will the crow punish us. When one’s speech is good, one earns a good name. Hence, a sweet word is indeed the sweetest thing in the world.” You must always talk to others in a manner which would give them contentment and joy. This is the essence of all scriptures. It is not enough to listen to, learn or chant Vedas, scriptures and Puranas (ancient spiritual texts), you must give joy and satisfaction to others. - ‘My Dear Students’, Vol 3, Ch 3, Mar 19, 1998.

Love for all should spontaneously flow from your heart, and sweeten all your words. - Baba

Thought for the Day : 5th March 2014

Prayer is for the mind, just as food is for the body. Wholesome food gives health and strength to the body. Prayer purifies your mind and strengthens your spirit. If bhajans are done in an ostentatious manner, ego gets bloated. Young people must proceed from tamas, the darkness of ignorance, to tapas, spiritual austerities. Be steadfast in pursuing whatever you choose. There is no point in doing meditation for two days and giving up on the third day. If you start practicing meditation, it must become an integral part of your life. You cannot assume you are meditating by merely closing your eyes. You must progress until you feel united with the God present within your heart. Along with meditation, you must acquire the knowledge and skills to lead your professional life. You must always maintain the same discipline and strength of character, wherever you are. - ‘My Dear Students’, Vol 2, Ch 5, Mar 11, 1984.

Through prayer and contemplation on God, you should try to control the evil qualities in you. - Baba

Thought for the Day : 4th March 2014

We often say, “I am performing all actions in this world for the sake of God”. Is it real? Are you doing all the tasks to please God, or is it for your own self? Contemplate on this. Every devotee (Sadhaka) does many different activities, for their own sake and not for the sake of God. Listening, singing the glory of the Lord, chanting His name, serving the divine feet, salutation, worship, servitude, friendship and Self-surrender – all these nine forms of devotion, are for your own good, and not for God’s benefit. Consider this example. You are eating an apple. Is it for the benefit of the apple, that you are eating it? No, it is for your own health! Similarly your actions, worship or meditation is only for your own happiness and satisfaction. The only thing God cares for is purity and steadfastness. Purity in thought, word and actions is all that matters to God. - Divine Discourse, Vol 2, Ch 5, Apr 10, 2000.

Purity alone attracts Divinity. If the iron filings are rusted, even the most powerful magnet cannot attract them. - Baba

Thought for the Day : 3rd March 2014

Meditation is not merging the form in your mind. It is merging your mind with the Form, so that the mind doesn’t exist. There are three stages in this process – The Ooha (imagining the Form), Bhava(experiencing the Divine) and finally Sakshatkara (Realization). In the initial stages, the devotee imagines one’s favourite Divine Form, as they have seen before. Over time, the image vanishes in the mind and they begin experiencing the Form. This process takes longer and slowly, the devotee starts experiencing the Lord from the toe to the head. The impressions last longer and grow deeper and gradually, the image of the Lord that is firmly implanted becomes an inner reality. While the imagining stage gives only momentary joy, the experiencing stage results in complete identification of the seeker with the Lord. Thus, over time, awareness of the Divine results in oneness with the Divine (Brahmavid Brahmaiva Bhavathi). - Divine Discourse, Vol 2, Ch 5, Mar 11, 1984.

Meditation is nothing else but rising above desires. - Baba

Thought for the Day : 2nd March 2014

If you throw a pebble in a pond, a small ripple originates and spreads until the end of the river. You may or may not be able to see, but the ripple starts right at the point where the stone meets the water. Similarly, in the lake of your mind, when you throw a stone of thought, ripples of thought waves start spreading throughout your body. The same ripple reflects in your eyes, brain, ears, heart and also in your hands and legs. Hence you must be very careful with the kind of thoughts that you permit to pervade your personality. When you get pure thoughts, all your senses will be purified by it. However, if you get bad thoughts, your senses will be perverted and this will quickly spread to your eyes, heart, hand and brain. Always have pure thoughts. If you do so, your body, senses and actions will be purified. - Divine Discourse, 'My Dear Students', Vol 2, Apr 10, 2000.

Bury bad thoughts under good ones. The bad ones will automatically fade away and be forgotten. - Baba

Thought for the Day : 1st March 2014

During meditation, care must be taken to keep the back straight and steady without bending forward or backward or sideward. If you bend or move, misdirection of highly potent energy (Kundalini) can occur resulting in mental derangement. Also wear loose clothes. Your eyes must concentrate on the tip of the nose. They must be half-open, so you are neither distracted nor falling asleep. Free your mind from bad thoughts and fill it with sacred ones. To achieve this, you must control your senses. Your ears must be trained to listen only to noble and elevating ideas, and to eschew evil speech and gossip. Your eyes must be tuned to see the Divine. The restless mind must be restrained by making it concentrate on inhalation and exhalation while incessantly repeating the Mantra, ‘So-Ham’ (I am He). Through these postures and activities, your life-breath is controlled and this will ensure that the great power of Yoga is revealed unto you. - Divine Discourse, 'My Dear Students', Vol 2, Ch 5, Mar 11 1984.

Bhajan, Satsang and meditation done with the mind soaked in love confers peace, joy and wisdom. - Baba

Thought for the Day : 27th February 2014

Wish You Happy Maha Shivaratri .

Meditation is a process that takes place beyond the senses. Consider a rose plant with branches, leaves, flowers and thorns. Locating a rose plant with a flower in a garden requires concentration. Once we have concentrated and identified the flower, the next stage is to pluck it without the thorns. Love is the flower, lust is the thorn. We have to carefully pluck the flower, without the thorn. This is contemplation. Having plucked the flower, what do we do with it? We must offer it to the Lord. Thus, meditation means offering the flower of love to the Divine. In the rose plant of our body, there is the rose of pure and sacred love, emitting the fragrance of good qualities. Below the rose, however, there are thorns in the form of sensual desires. The purpose of this life and meditation is to separate the rose of selfless Love from the senses and offer it to the Lord. - Divine Discourse, 'My Dear Students', Vol 2, Ch 5, Mar 11 1984.

Whenever and wherever you put yourself in touch with God, it is the state of meditation. - Baba

Thought for the Day : 26th February 2014

Bear in mind the company you keep. The great saint-poet Kabir once said, “I salute the bad and also the good”. Kabir was asked, “We understand you offering salutations to the good, but why do you salute the bad?” He responded, “When I salute the bad, I am doing this with a prayer to remove themselves from my presence; I am saluting the good, requesting their presence before me.” This is a profound statement. You must avoid bad company and cultivate the company of good. When you join with good people, you will be happy and you will confer happiness upon others. Strive to get rid of all your bad thoughts. Give up all your negative traits. Discharge your obligations to your parents. Render selfless service to the community. Redeem your lives by earning the Grace of the Lord. This is My blessing to all of you. - Divine Discourse, 'My Dear Students', Vol 2, Ch 3, Dec 29, 1985.

A piece of iron turns into rust if it seeks the company of the soil. The same iron glows and becomes a solid foundation if it enjoys the company of fire. - Baba

Thought for the Day : 25th February 2014

The path to God is difficult, but you can win. Let God do whatever He wants. Surrender to Him and say, “I brought nothing with me! Whatever You have given me, I offer it back to You.” You may think your parents gave you the body. Who put life into your body? Who makes your heart tick incessantly? You may feed the body with tasty food but who digests all the food you eat? Who is the driving force behind the circulation of blood? God Himself regulates every single act within every living being. The eye that is not even an inch long can clearly perceive the stars, far away in the sky. Who gave this little eye, this big strength and power? God alone has conferred and is conferring everything upon you. With your little ego, you are confused that you are the doer. This is the greatest ignorance. Whatever He gives, accept it, it is for your highest good. - Divine Discourse, 'My Dear Students', Vol 2, Ch 4, Apr 22, 2000.

When you are cutting vegetables for cooking, remember that you are cutting your desires and ego with the knife of wisdom. - Baba

Thought for the Day : 24th February 2014

At times, to get more protein and strength you may be recommended to consume animal foods like fish and poultry. Consuming non-vegetarian food is not required and you must avoid it. A healthy balanced diet of greens, milk, curds and grains will provide you with all required nourishment. There is a close relationship between your food, head and God. Animal foods will let you develop animal traits. Some may ask, do not plants have life and will they not suffer when we cut and cook them? All plants and vegetables have life, but lack the senses, just like a patient who is given anaesthesia during an operation lacks the awareness and pain of the doctor’s cuts and stitches. However animals have senses and when we cut them, they suffer intensely. To avoid bad thoughts, do not take excessive food, or that which is earned by unrighteous means, or non-vegetarian diet or food that is not offered to God. - Divine Discourse, 'My Dear Students', Vol 2, Ch2.

Good health is not dependent on good medicine. Good words, good manners, good sight and good thoughts – these are essential. - Baba

Thought for the Day : 21st February 2014

Lord Krishna’s friend Uddhava, was adept in the Path of Knowledge. He approached Krishna so that he can teach it to the cowherds. Krishna smiled and said, “Devotion and purity are fundamental to Gopikas – they are in Me, I am always enshrined in their hearts, you may not understand it!” Uddhava wasn’t convinced, so Lord Krishna sent him to Gokul. Uddhava said to them, “Let me teach you the path of wisdom to realize the Divine”. The Gopikas admonished Uddhava, “We don’t want to waste time on Yogas and Scriptures. Krishna is everything to us, give us one simple means.” Confused, Uddhava, now asked the Gopikas, “How would you become one with Krishna?” The innocent Gopikas responded, “If Krishna were a flower, I would be a bee whirling around Him. If Krishna were the mountain, I will become a river. If He is the deep ocean, I will be a small stream, joining Him”. Uddhava then understood that Gopikas always tuned themselves to adore the Lord, anywhere and everywhere. - Divine Discourse, 'My Dear Students', Vol 2, Ch 3.

To regard the Universe as a manifestation of God and to experience it as such is real devotion. - Baba