ARCHIVED--- TFD - 2010

[V2K]

16th April 2010

The real tapas or asceticism in life is to observe disciplines and restrictions as prescribed. The mind is the foremost of the three inner instruments in human beings. We must protect the mind so that attachment, passion and excitement do not enter. These extremes are natural to the mind. The waves that rise in fury in the mind are lust, anger, greed, attachment, pride and envy; these six are your inner foes. Lust and anger bring on the remaining four. To release ourselves from these inner foes and to proceed in our spiritual path, we must observe spiritual practices.
     
- BABA

[V2K]

17th April 2010

Those devoid of Pure Love are sub-humans. The holy quality of Love is that it is ever present; not something which manifests off and on. Love is one and indivisible. Those saturated with Love are incapable of spite, selfishness, injustice, wrong and misconduct. Those who trample on Love and consider inferior qualities as important should destroy their evil qualities. Bad conduct and habits distort your humanness. Hearts filled with the nectar of Love indicate genuineness. You must possess Love that is unsullied, unselfish, devoid of impurity and that which is demonstrated continuously.
     
- BABA

[V2K]

18th April 2010

Work done with no concern or desire for the profit therefrom, purely out of love or from a sense of duty, is Yoga. Such work destroys your animal nature and will transform you into a Divine Being. Serve others, visualizing them as Divine Souls. That will help your progress and will save you from sliding down the spiritual stage you've attained. Service is far more salutary than even vows and worship. Service disintegrates the selfishness latent in you and opens your heart wide. It makes your heart blossom.
     
- BABA

[V2K]

Everyone who is engaged in repetition of the Holy Name, observes vows and has self-control and discipline is dear to the Lord. These people have faith, patience, warmth towards all, and are filled with kindness and joy. They have unalloyed love towards the Lord. The true devotees of the Lord are endowed with discrimination, filled with humility and wisdom, and are always immersed in contemplation of the Lord's sport. They dwell on the Lord's name at all times and conditions, and shed tears of love when they hear the Lord's Name on any lip. These are the characteristics of genuine devotees! Such devotees are very dear to the Lord.
     
- BABA

[V2K]

20th April 2010

Whoever assigns his wealth, strength, intellect and devotion towards the promotion of humankind is worthy of reverence. They are those who are born for a noble purpose. They observe the holy vow of service, unsullied by thoughts of self. This ideal of service and the urge to practice it forms the very heart of education. This is Pure Love in its chief manifestation. God loves those individuals who undertake activities for the benefit of other people, as His dear children. These are ideal brothers and sisters for their countrymen.
     
- BABA

[V2K]

27th April 2010

A kitten simply continues mewing in its place, placing all its burdens on its mother. The mother cat holds the kitten in its mouth and moves it to more elevated places or transports it safely through even very narrow passages. So too, the Lord will grant everything that is needed in this life, if all burdens are placed on Him and if He is pursued ceaselessly without forgetting him for even a moment. All that is required is to place the entire burden on the Lord and surrender fully to His Will. He will certainly provide everything. Lakshmana, the dear brother of Rama was an exemplar, who followed this path of devotion called Marjalakishora.
     
- BABA

[V2K]

28th April 2010

Rendering service to others, without expecting service from them in return is the secret to ensure peace and prosperity for all. Karma or activity which binds is a huge, fast-growing tree. Undertake every act as an act of worship to glorify the Lord; it is like a powerful axe that can cut the root of the tree. This is the true Yagna, the most important ritual that one must practise. This sacrifice promotes and confers Brahma Vidya (Self Knowledge). The yearning to do Seva must flow in every nerve of the body, penetrate every bone and activate every cell.
     
- BABA

[V2K]

29th April 2010

Worship God with purity of feeling and free from all other thoughts. As a result of this worship, the Lord will appear before your inner eye, in the form which is dear to you. This vision is not a matter of imagination; it is a ‘face to face’ experience. Without difference of location, you can abide in the presence of the Lord. Sometimes you may see everything as the glory of the Lord and become suffused with God consciousness. All these are the fruits of your devotion. As your devotion matures further, all differences disappear and unity is attained, and the highest stage is reached. This is called Saayujya. You should aspire for this Merger with the Lord. At this stage, you will wish to serve the Lord as He pleases and experience joy from the Divine Form.
     
- BABA

[V2K]

30th April 2010

Service is the blossom of Prema (love), a flower that fills the mind with rapture. Harmlessness is the fragrance of that flower. Let even your little acts be suffused with compassion and reverence. Be assured that your character would thereby shine greatly. The highest happiness is contentment. Where there is no harshness, holiness will thrive and virtue will flourish. Where greed exists, there, vice will breed thick.
     
- BABA

[V2K]

1st May 2010

For beings immersed in the world, there are two obstacles that must be overcome: the craving for animal desires and the craving of the tongue. Every one of you must conquer these. So long as they persist, they cause sorrow. These are the causes of all sins, and sin is the manure on which Maya (delusion) thrives. Those aspiring for liberation should subdue the senses. To conquer these desires, whatever activity you do - eating, walking, studying, serving or moving, you should perform them in the belief that they lead you to the presence of God. Every action should be done in a spirit of dedication to the Lord.
     
- BABA

[V2K]

2nd May 2010

Vidya (true knowledge) instructs you to reform yourself first. After transforming yourself, try to reform others. That is the advice offered by Vidya. The delusive attachment to the objective world can be uprooted by means of selfless service rendered as worship to the Lord. Genuine devotion is characterized by love for all, at all times, everywhere.
     
- BABA

[V2K]

3rd May 2010

A farmer clears and levels the land, removes the stones and thorns, ploughs and prepares the field, manures and nourishes the soil, waters and applies fertilizers on it. Then he sows the seeds and transplants the saplings. This is followed by the process of weeding and spraying of pesticides. Finally, after a long wait, he reaps the harvest. Once the crop is harvested, he then winnows it, threshes it and finally stacks the produce. All these various processes are for the sake of feeding the stomach. So too, one must feel that hunger, thirst, joy and sorrow, grief and loss, suffering and anger, food and appetite are but impulses that impel us towards attaining the Presence of the Lord. If you have this attitude, no sin will ever tarnish your actions. Over time, these impulses too will vanish, without a trace.
     
- BABA

[V2K]

4th May 2010

Your nature is revealed by your acts, gestures, looks, speech, food habits, dress and the manner in which you conduct yourself. Therefore, you must pay attention to ensure that your speech, movements, thoughts and behavior are all correct and filled with love and nobility, devoid of wildness and waywardness. You have to develop the humility to believe that you have much good to learn from others. Your enthusiasm, aspiration, resolution, capacity to work, knowledge and wisdom have to be directed towards the welfare of all and not utilized solely for your selfish ends. You should be broad-minded and cultivate all-embracing love.
     
- BABA

[V2K]

5th May 2010

You must understand the value of mother's love and her concern for you. You must give your mother the topmost priority. Sometimes, modern youth do not care for their mothers. They think they are highly educated and that their mothers do not know anything. It is a great mistake to think so. Never look down upon your mother. Mothers also should not compel their children to accede to each and every wish of theirs. Through love and sincerity, she should put her children on the proper path. Every mother should aspire that her children should be good; they need not be great.
     
- BABA

[V2K]

6th May 2010 Easwaramma Day

More fragrant than the sweet smelling flowers like jasmine and lily, softer than butter, more beautiful than the eye of the peacock, more pleasant than the moonlight is the love of a mother. Human life is a journey from 'I' to ‘We’. In this short journey, you have to detach yourself from the body and develop attachment towards the ‘Self’. For this, mother's grace is very essential.
     
- BABA