THOUGHT FOR THE DAY JULY 2011

[V2K]

In the olden days even before imparting knowledge to his disciples the Guru (preceptor) would assign them different tasks that they had to perform in his hermitage. This was done with a purpose. One important object of work is purification of the chittha (heart). Once the heart is purified one is ready to receive the teachings of the Guru. Thus in this manner the Guru first purified the heart of the disciple and only when he was satisfied with the disciple's spiritual progress did he start imparting Self-Knowledge.

- Divine Discourse, July 7, 1985.

[V2K]

9th July 2011

For success in any aspect of life, knowledge, skill and balance are essential. If you combine knowledge with skill, you will get balance. Balance is very important. It means maintaining equipoise in the face of praise and criticism. To stay balanced, skill is necessary. If you lose balance, suffering will soon follow. When you are given some work, you should put your heart and soul into it, and do it with utmost sincerity and dedication, to the limit of your capacity. Take for example, a person who is entrusted with planting trees and developing a garden. If he does the work wholeheartedly without getting affected by praise or blame, the plants will come up well, and the garden will get transformed into a place of great beauty. When the Guru comes to see that garden and feels happy with the condition of the plants, the joy of the Guru becomes the Grace He bestows on that individual, and the Grace will confer great happiness on that individual.
     
- BABA

[V2K]

Sunday, July 10, 2011
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
The Guru warns and wakens. He reveals the truth and encourages you to progress towards it. Unless, you have the yearning, the questioning heart, the seeking intelligence, he cannot do much. The hungry can be fed; he who has no hunger will discard food as an infliction. The Guru is a gardener, who will tend the plant; but the sapling must have sprouted before he can take charge. He does not add anything new to the plant; he only helps it to grow according to its own destiny, quicker perhaps, more fully perhaps, but, not against its inner nature. He removes the spiritual poverty by pointing to the treasure that lies buried within oneself; he advises the method of recovering it, the vigilance needed to use it to the best advantage.

[V2K]

11th July 2011 Ashadi Ekadashi

There are four stages in the journey to God. They are Saalokya, Saameepya, Saaroopya and Saayujya. The first stage is Saalokya, which is coming to the Divine Presence. From thereon, you should progress forward to Saameepya, which means getting nearer to Guru. From there on, you march forward to Saaroopya where you shine with the very form and splendor of Divinity. Finally, you enter the stage of Saayujya, which is complete mergence with the Divine. At this stage, the bubble bursts and becomes one with the Sea. Seva (Service) gives you the opportunity to progress along each and every one of these steps and merge with God.
     
- BABA

[V2K]

12th July 2011

Every animate being has to attain fulfillment; that is the destiny. The length and difficulty of the journey are determined by the nature of the cumulative effects of many lives. In order to attain fulfillment in the spiritual field, the help of those who have mastered the path is very necessary. This guidance can be transmitted only from one heart to another heart, when an intimate kinship is established between the seeker and the Master. Texts, commentaries, guide books only breed doubts, discords and discussions. Reasons can develop only cleverness and skill. Experience achieved through intuition alone is valid in the realm of the spirit. For the journey from intuition to illumination, layers of egoism and its evils have to be penetrated and destroyed. A Guru will be of great help in this adventure. For, He who has reached the goal can alone guide the pilgrim to it. Without the Guru, the aspirant tends to wander in the wilds.
     
- BABA

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13th July 2011

Guru Poornima is dedicated for thanksgiving to the Guru, for, the Moon (the presiding deity of the mind) today is full, clear, cool and bright! He has no blemish or dullness that diminishes his glow. The Guru too is pictured and praised today as unblemished, bright and affectionate. He is tolerant and truly peaceful. He is the living example and embodiment of the virtues he desires us to develop. He removes the faults in vision and destroys the darkness of ignorance. He reveals the Aathma (Divinity) to the individual and makes him free. Hence Guru Poornima is dedicated to such Divine Gurus. In fact, God, the God within, is the Guru of Gurus. His Grace can make the blind see, the lame walk and the dumb speak. By a mere touch, He can demolish the sins of the past and create peace and joy. Vyaasa is the first Guru who demarcated the path and the goal. So he is associated with the Poornima (full moon) day.
     
- BABA

[V2K]

Date: Friday, July 15, 2011
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
Guru Poornima is the day when you decide to become masters of your senses and intellect, emotions and passions, thoughts and feelings through Sadhana (spiritual discipline). Even during Dhyana (meditation), the ego will disturb you. Hence, offer yourself fully to God. This total dedication cannot emerge from scholarship. A scholar can be polluted by ego; he delights in putting pros and cons against each other; he raises doubts and disturbs faith, mixing the secular with the spiritual in order to extract worldly gain. But you must offer prayers to God to attain spiritual progress. Therefore, engage yourselves in Sadhana (spiritual practices) without delay. Cultivate virtues; be free from evil habits, thoughts, words and deeds. Grow in love and greet everyone with love. This is the way to Ananda (joy).

BABA

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16th July 2011

In Sadhana (spiritual practices), there are six steps: Sama, Dama, Titiksha, Uparathi, Shraddha and Samadhana. Sama, Dama and Uparathi have to do with various aspects of mind and sense control. Titiksha refers to having equal-mindedness in gain or loss, in pain or pleasure, and in praise or censure. Shraddha (faith) is very essential in spiritual life. Only the one who has Shraddha will attain illumination and wisdom. So whatever work is undertaken, one should do it with diligence and faith. Samadhana refers to contentment. He who has the least desires is the richest man in the world. He who is filled with desires is the poorest man in the world. Therefore, one should have contentment and self-satisfaction. Self-satisfaction comes from self-confidence. Self-satisfaction can lead one to self-sacrifice and thence to Self-realization.
     
- BABA

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25th July 2011

In order to fulfill the yearning of His devotee, God will appear in any form, at any place. But to see God, you must pray to Him with one-pointed concentration. This type of single-mindedness comes only out of Sathwa Guna (pure qualities), and that again is the product of meditation. Therefore, you must cultivate good qualities, and in order to develop these, you should desire Satsang (the company of the good). Seek the company of the noble; avoid evil company. Your true companions are those who talk and discourse about the Lord, about truth, about Seva (service) of others, and about love that considers all as equal.
     
- BABA

[V2K]

Space is one. But it is held in diverse containers like the home, the pot, the building and the canvas. There is no truth in this divided existence; it is the one space that exists in all these ‘receptacles’ which are varied shapes and forms, with distinct names attached to them, and different modes of behaviour and use. So too, individual beings (jivas) have different names and forms, peculiarities, specialties and behaviours. But like the string that holds the beads, passing in and through each one, the Super Consciousness in all individuals is ONE. That is the Self, Atma, which is mistaken as the ego through ignorance. Only when this truth is acquired, can man release himself from the hold of this transient world.

- Sathya Sai Vahini, Ch 20: “The Primal Purpose”.