Message For the Day…” Life Has got Greater Meaning and Deeper Significance …”

One has only a short span of life on earth. But even in this short life one can attain divine bliss, by wisely and carefully using the time. Two people, same in appearance, ostensibly of the same mould, and also grown under the same conditions, but one turns out to be an angel while the other stays on with one’s animal nature. What’s the reason for this differential development? Habits, behaviour formed out of these habits, and the character into which that behaviour has solidified. People are creatures of character. To a superficial observer, life appears to be a rotation of eating and drinking, toiling, and sleeping. But verily life has a much greater meaning, and a deeper significance. Life is a sacrifice (yajna). Each little act is an offering to the Lord. If the day is spent in deeds performed in this spirit of surrender, what else can sleep be except total immersion in the Godhead (samadhi)? 

Sathya Sai Baba

Message For the Day…” What is Immortality …” ?

We must clearly understand the meaning of ‘death’ and ‘immortality’. We regard death as synonymous with all kinds of strength in the body being lost. In other words, death is the ebbing away of the life force from the body. If the life force remains in the body forever, we regard that situation as immortality. This is incorrect. To be able to completely identify oneself with the aspect of God and completely forget the aspect of the body is true immortality. If at all times we are totally immersed only in the thought of the body and its comforts, and forget the aspect of Atma, that is death. It is only when we are able to clearly recognise the connection between birth and death that the sacred desire for securing immortality will sprout in us. There is birth and death for the body, but there is no birth or death for the Atma. To be able to understand this eternity of theAtma is the real meaning of attaining immortality.

Sathya Sai Baba

Message For the day…” Search for the faults and weakness within yourself First…”

If your minds revel in external objects and in purposeless observation and criticism of the outside world, how then can it be trained to be steadfast? Ask yourself this question: ‘Great souls (mahatmas) and sages were also people like me. If they could attain perfection, so can I if I follow their method. What profit do I get spending my time in discovering the faults and weakness of others?’ Thus the first spiritual practice (sadhana) is to search for the faults and weaknesses within yourself, and to strive to correct them and become perfect. The unceasing toil of each succeeding day has as its aim and justification this consummation: to make one’s last days sweet and pleasant. But each day also has its evening. If the day is spent in good deeds, then the evening blesses us with deep sleep, invigorating refreshing sleep, the sleep which is said to be akin to samadhi.   

Sathya Sai Baba

Message For the Day… ” One Common Divine Present in Everyone is the Basis for Brotherhood amongst all of Humanity…”

In the present Age of Kali, there is so much hatred between brothers. When there is no unity within the family, is it possible to bring about unity amidst all persons in this world? In many platform speeches, people address each other as brothers and sisters. We must ask ourselves whether such words are coming from the depths of our hearts or whether we are simply reading them from a piece of paper. If you truly mean the words ‘brothers and sisters’ from the depths of your heart, you most definitely will win the grace of the Lord and good consequences will follow. Never worry or fear that you may have to distribute your ancestral property, or share wealth with those whom you address as brothers and sisters. It is necessary and sufficient if you realise and accept that one common Divine is present in every one of you and is the basis for brotherhood amongst all of humanity. 

Sathya Sai Baba

Message For the Day…” Impartial Vision is Auspicious Vision …”

The lion, though crowned as the king of the forest, turns back every few steps while walking through the woods, because it is afraid of being pursued. Fear in the mind will make your vision falter. Violence within the heart distorts the vision and distracts the sight. Be vigilant! You must practice and develop impartial vision. All creation must appear equally auspicious in your eyes. You must look upon all with as much love and faith as they have in themselves, for absolutely nothing is evil in creation – no, not even an iota! Evil appears as such only through faulty vision. Creation is colored only by the nature of the glasses you wear. By itself, every creation is eternally pure and holy. Hence you must cultivate one-pointed steadfastness (ekagrata) in whatever you do. Impartial vision (sama-drishti) is auspicious vision (subha-drishti).  

Sathya Sai Baba

Message For the Day….” Difference Between Happiness and Bliss…”

Happiness generally relates to bodily comforts and is transient. Such temporary pleasure comes to us for a few moments but very soon plunges us into deep sorrow. But the kind of bliss that one gets through the Soul (Atma) is permanent, pure and selfless. Hence spiritual education (Brahma Vidya)advocates that love must be cultivated for love’s sake only. You must not express love to merely obtain material benefits. If love is showered to win temporary benefits, then it will last for a very short time only. Divine Atmasymbolises eternal truth and is permanent. Therefore Prema attached to Atmawill be true and permanent. This infinite love and eternal truth is present in every being (jīva). If we focus on developing love and truth for its own sake, then we will experience bliss supreme. That is why the Upanishads advocate Selfless Love as ‘Satyasya satyaṃ’ or the Truth of truths. 

Sathya Sai Baba

 

Message For the Day…” Read Good Books and Practice What You Read…”

Books and facilities for mind-training are available in plenty, and at very cheap prices. The heaps of books that lie around cannot succeed in penetrating the heavy binding and emerge as light in you. For, just as God is hidden by the mountain ranges of lust, anger, envy, and selfishness within, the sun of wisdom is also hidden in the books. Though books and reading habits have spread to all corners of the earth, we can’t say that culture or wisdom has increased; the human is still not far from the ape. An attractive binding, title and beautiful pictures are what the reader seeks; these are transitory pleasures which give momentary contentment. Aimless reading of all and sundry books will confuse you and confer no peace. Hence discriminate, select and read books that contain life histories of saints and sages, and those that aid in the contemplation of the Divine. Practice what you read. Then you will realise truth and enjoy everlasting bliss.

Sathya Sai Baba

Message For the Day…” As the Sacred Heart is present in Everyone, You Must firmly Believe that GOD is in Everyone …”

Today in the world, we see many people who say that they have no faith in God. The one who does not have faith in oneself alone will have no faith in God. Truly speaking, nobody can live even for a moment, without faith in God; it is just impossible! Why? Do not be under the impression that God exists somewhere, having a special form, vested with special powers and so on. That which is contained in your own heart as a clean thought and as supreme consciousness is verily God! This sacred part of one’s heart is present in every being in the Universe. There is no one who does not have such a sacred heart. Hence, God is within you and you do not have to look for Him elsewhere. As this sacred heart is present in everyone, you must firmly believe that God is in everyone at all times.

Sathya Sai Baba

Message For This Day… Shivarathri…” This Day is a Day When One tries to establish a Bond between Mind and God …”

Rathri means night, signifying darkness. Shiva means auspiciousness. ‘Shivarathri’ signifies auspiciousness which is inherent in darkness. It refers to the wisdom which exists in the midst of ignorance. Wisdom and ignorance are not two different things; they are essentially the same, opposite polarities of the same underlying principle. The state that transcends both wisdom and ignorance is Divinity, Paratatva. This Shivarathri is a day when one tries to establish friendship between mind and God. Shivarathri reminds everyone of the fact that Divinity is all-pervasive and is to be found everywhere. It is said that Shiva lives in Kailasa. But where is Kailasa? Kailasa is our own mind full of joy and bliss. It means that when you develop purity, steadiness and sacredness from within, your heart becomes filled with peace and bliss, and ultimately your heart itself is Kailasa.

Sathya Sai Baba

Message For the Day…” Bhakti is the Key of Devotion to get the Treasure of Bliss…”

When we keep valuable things in a box, we lock the box and keep the key safely with us. If we lose the key or forget where we stored it, we cannot retrieve the valuables when we need them most. So too, in this human body, we need a key to get the treasure of knowledge and bliss. Shankaracharya refers to this as the key of devotion (bhakti). When you use the key of devotion and turn it on the side of detachment, you will easily open the door of knowledge and bliss. But, if the key of devotion is turned in the wrong direction, away from detachment and towards attachment, you will not be able to open the treasure-chest. Therefore, either for detachment or for attachment, this key of devotion which is between the two is important, and you should protect it. It will be possible for you to have this devotion when you have faith in God.

Sathya Sai Baba