THOUGHT FOR THE DAY JAN 2011

[V2K]

17th January 2011

So long as attachment persists to the material body and possessions, worship of a material symbol is necessary. It is but a means. But many decry idol-worship as a superstition. This is not correct. We will find it impossible to love God or adore Him unless we meditate on some Form. That is a necessary stage in the process of living. One has to accept it as such. A tree’s value is estimated with reference to its fruits. To experience the Divine Principle, idol worship is and has been a great help to many.
     
- BABA

[V2K]

18th January 2011

The main things to be considered are not at what expense one has prayed to the Lord, or the number of years one has been engaged in it, or the rules and regulations one has followed, or even the number of times one has prayed over. The main considerations are: with what mind one has prayed, with what degree of patience one has been awaiting the result, and with what single-mindedness one has craved for Godly bliss regardless of worldly happiness and delay, with no lassitude and with constant attention to oneself, one’s meditation, and one’s tasks on hand. As far as possible, you must direct the mind to all holy things which yield sweetness and the joy associated with the Lord.
     
- BABA

[V2K]

19th January 2011

The mind should not be wandering in all directions indiscriminately like the fly. The fly dwells in the sweetmeat shop and runs after the rubbish carts; the fly (mind) has to be taught to understand the sweetness of the first place and the impurity of the second place, so that it may not desert the sweetmeat shop and pursue the rubbish cart. When such teaching is imparted to the mind, it is called meditation. On the other hand, look at the bee! It has contact only with sweetness; it approaches only flowers that possess nectar; it is not attracted to other places; it does not proceed there at all. Similarly, you must give up all inclinations towards sensory attraction.
     
- BABA

[V2K]

20th January 2011

For you to liberate yourselves from the succession of deaths, the only means is "Knowing Him." Do not imagine that you are sinners, for you are heirs to eternal Ananda. You are ‘images’ of God. You are by nature holy, complete. Is there a sin greater than calling such as you, sinners? You are dishonouring yourselves, defaming yourselves, when you acknowledge the appellation ‘sinners.’ Arise! Cast off the feeling that you are the body. Do not be deluded into that idea. You are Atma. You are drops of Amrith (nectar) of Immortality that know neither beginning nor end. All things material are your bonded slaves, you are not their bonded slaves.
     
- BABA

[V2K]

                          
Friday, January 21, 2011   


THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

How can those who are aware only of mere sensual pleasure know the Supreme Truth? The craving for sensual pleasure veils the truth from the inner eye. That craving manifests in multiple ways, creating more and more desires and laying down more and more urges to action. These hide the truth from our eye like a thick veil. The recognition of this veil is a big step in spiritual progress. This is the Maya Principle (delusion) of Vedanta. From immemorial times, though the Truth was self-evident, this curtain has hidden it from people. Fortunate are those who have achieved great strength in spirit, holding God as their father, mother, Guru, friend, and the beloved. They adored God as dearer to them than anything or anyone, here or hereafter.

- Baba

[V2K]

22nd January 2011

Repetition of God’s Name and meditation should never be judged on mere external standards; they are to be judged by their inner effects. If one sways between impatience and sloth, and if one always worries, “Why has it not come yet? Why is it still far away?” then it all becomes simply repeating the Name and meditation done with an eye on the fruit thereof. The single fruit of repetition of Divine Names and meditation is the conversion of the outward focus to the inwardly-focussed; seeing the reality of Atmic bliss. For this transformation, one has to be always active and hopeful, regardless of the time taken and the difficulties encountered. One should not count the cost, the time, or the trouble. One should await the descent of the Lord’s grace. This patient wait is itself part of Tapas (the austerity of meditation). Sticking unfalteringly to the vow is the austerity.
     
- BABA

[V2K]

23rd January 2011

When you achieve sense-control, mind-cleansing, concentration and inner silence, what initially appeared as a logical necessity later dawns upon the purified consciousness as a Positive Permanent Impersonal Will (Prajnaanam Brahma). Through the unremitting practice of Truth, Righteousness, and Fortitude, the Divinity quiescent in the individual will be induced to manifest itself in daily living, transforming every day into the joy of truly loving. Know the Supreme Reality, breathe It. bathe in It. Live in It. Then It becomes all of you and you become fully Divine.
     
- BABA

[V2K]

24th January 2011

In the pure, serene (Sathwic) path of meditation, you will consider repetition of the Holy Name and meditation as a duty and suffer any amount of trouble for its sake; you will be fully convinced that this world is just an illusion, so you will only do good under all conditions and at all times. You will desire only the good of all and will always love all; you will spend time uninterruptedly in the remembrance and meditation of the Lord. You will not crave even the fruit of repeating the Name and doing meditation; you will leave it all to the Lord.
     
- BABA

[V2K]

25th January 2011

If you crave for the fruit of your acts at every step, you are overpowered by passion. If the fruit is not available, then, gradually, laxity and disgust overpower the spiritual aspirant and the repetition of the Name and meditation will slowly dry up. This is the restless, passionate, Rajasic Path. For some, the Lord will come to memory only in times of danger or acute suffering or when one is the victim of loss or pain. At such times, such a person prays and vows to arrange ritualistic worship (Puja), offer some particular food, or build a temple to the Lord, etc. One will be calculating the quantity of food placed before the Lord, the tribute offered at His feet, the number of prostrations performed, and the number of times one went around the shrine and ask for proportionate rewards! For those who adopt this attitude in meditation, and follow the dull, Thamasic path, the mind and intellect can never be pure.
     
- BABA

[V2K]

26th January 2011

Today, people mistakenly think that spirituality has no relation to worldly life and vice versa. True divinity is a combination of spirituality and social obligations. National unity and social harmony are founded upon spirituality. It is the Divine that links spirituality and social existence. The Creator and the Prakriti (Creation) are inextricably associated with each other. Hence, God should not be regarded as separate from Creation. See God in the cosmos. For instance, take a tumbler made of silver. The one who notices the silver in the tumbler, thinks only of the material base and not the form of the tumbler. The one who sees it as a tumbler, may not note that it is made of silver metal. Only the person who can recognise both silver and tumbler can recognise that it is a silver tumbler. Likewise, without God, there is no creation. However, most people see only the creation; very few recognise that the creation is a projection of the Creator. It is essential that every human being should realize that without God, there can be no cosmos.
     
- BABA

[V2K]

28th January 2011

The very intention of repeating the Divine name and undertaking meditation is to purify the mind and the intellect. In order to achieve this, pure, serene (Sathwic) meditation is best. Over time, when the mind and the intellect become pure, they will shine with the splendour of the realization of the Atma (Divine Self). One in whom this understanding shines fully is called a Rishi (sage). It is said, “Brahmavid Brahmaiva Bhavathi” - The knower of Atma becomes the Atma itself. The goal of life, that which makes life worthwhile, is the understanding of the Atma and attaining oneness with it.
     
- BABA

[V2K]

30th January 2011

Wherever you may be, in whatever country, do not give room for religious differences. Do not give up your religion; adhere to your faith and tradition. When differences between religions are given up, love will develop in you. When love grows, you can have a direct vision of God. Without love, mere verbal prayers are of no avail. Realise that the Love that is present in everyone is the same. It is that common bond of Love of God that binds everyone.
     
- BABA

[V2K]

31st January 2011

There is a close, mutual relationship between the body, and the attitudes and feelings of the mind. So, people’s inner feelings become evident from their physical bodies. The posture and the appearance of the body help us to discover people's feelings. For example, with the sleeves of the shirt rolled up, and the palms rounded into fists, is it possible to exhibit love or devotion? Seated on the ground with knees bent, the eyes half-closed, and the hands held up over the head with the palms joined together, is it possible to show one’s anger or hatred or cruelty? That is why the ancient Rishis (sages) advised the spiritual aspirants to adopt appropriate bodily pose during prayer and meditation. They saw that through gentle body postures it is possible to control the waywardness of the mind.
     
- BABA