Monday, January 31, 2011
Chinese New Year Blossoms (13) - Step Towards God
Sunday, January 30, 2011
Chinese New Year Blossoms (12) - Namasmarana
Friday, January 28, 2011
Chinese New Year Blossoms (10) - Children
Thursday, January 27, 2011
Chinese New Year Blossoms (9) - The Quest for Happiness
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
Chinese New Year Blossoms (8) - Reduce your Luggage
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Chinese New Year Blossoms (7) - Pray for Eternal Bliss
Monday, January 24, 2011
Chinese New Year Blossoms (6) - Your Virtue is Your Shield
Saturday, January 22, 2011
Chinese New Year Blossoms (5) - Transformation of the Heart
Friday, January 21, 2011
Chinese New Year Blossoms (4) - Revere Your Parents
Thursday, January 20, 2011
Chinese New Year Blossoms (3) - Be Like the Lotus
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
Chinese New Year Blossoms (2) - The Home is the Temple
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
Chinese New Year Blossoms (1) - Every Child
Sunday, January 16, 2011
You Cannot Paint the World Green
Before you experience the divine in every being in the universe and in every cell and atom, you have to experience it in yourself. Each act, word and thought must be charged with that awareness.
There was a millionaire once who was bothered by two aches, one in his stomach and the other in his head! He was examined and treated by a galaxy of medical experts; he consumed heavy loads of drugs, and underwent centuries of injections. But the aches persisted with greater vigor then ever before!
At last, a svâmî arrived at the scene of his agony. He spoke very kindly to him and pronounced the fault to be in his eyes! Set right the eye, and the head on top and the stomach below, would both behave very sweetly! To improve the eye, concentrate on only one color. Concentrate on green, he suggested. Do not let your eyes fall on red or yellow, or any other color.
The millionaire got together a group of painters and purchased barrels of green color and directed that every object on which his eye was likely to fall to be painted thick green. Just as the ashtagraha calamity (the ominous astrological phenomenon of eight heavenly bodies reaching a straight line in space, which was sought to be avoided by superstitious persons through ceremonials of exorcism) resulted in a rich harvest for priests, the millionaire's malady resulted in a rich harvest for paint-craftsmen.
When the svâmî came back to him after about ten days, the craftsmen ran toward him with a bucket of green paint for he wore a red gown! He wondered why, and got the answer that their master dared not cast his eye on any color other than green, lest the aches may return.
The svâmî reprimanded the patient and said that he had wasted lakhs of rupees as a result of his monumental stupidity. "If only you had purchased a pair of green spectacles, worth perhaps four rupees, you could have saved these walls and trees and pots and pans, and chairs and sofas and also a pretty large share of your fortune! You cannot paint the world green".
(Chinna Katha from Baba)
Saturday, January 15, 2011
Never Brood over the Past
"Never brood over the past; when grief overpowers you, do not recollect similar incidents in your past experience and add to the sum of your grief; recollect, rather, incidents when grief did not knock at your door, but you were happy instead. Draw consolation and strength from such memories and raise yourself above the surging waters of sorrow."
Friday, January 14, 2011
Thursday, January 13, 2011
God on Your Side, World in Your Hold
You may have accumulated riches, acquired deep scholarship and achieved health and strength. But, unless you have gained, in addition, a vision of the supreme sovereign, and an aspiration to be ever in the ecstasy of that vision, all that has been garnered by you is mere lumber.
The Pândavas sought from Him only His grace! The Lord agreed, He came over to their side, alone and unarmed! He held just a whip and drove the horses of Arjuna's chariot! That was all, but that was all that was needed for victory. The Kauravas were defeated to the uttermost; the Pândavas won the empire and eternal fame.
If God is on your side, you have the world in your hold.
This is the lesson driven home by the Hindu scriptures.
"Give up all bonds of right and duty; surrender unreservedly to Me!
I shall guard you from sin and liberate you from
that sad cycle of 'entrances' and 'exits' on the stage of life.
You can remain ever in your own reality of eternal calm",
the Lord has assured.
[See also Bhagavad Gîtâ, ch. 7 & ch. 18]
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
End Joy
Monday, January 10, 2011
Serve and Worship your Parents
Friday, January 7, 2011
New Year Gems (9) - Develop the Feeling of Oneness
"All of you are embodiments of the Divine.
All of you are embodiments of love and peace.
You are the Divine in human form.
Develop that conviction.
Immerse yourselves in Divine love.
Offer that love to the Divine, thereby you will have love for all.
It is only when you develop this love principle,
you will be realising the meaning of festivals like these.
Stand up for your belief in God,
even as you stand up for your father or mother.
Render service to society, without which you cannot exist.
Your welfare is bound with that of society.
Develop the feeling of oneness with all,
loving all as members of one Divine family."
~ Baba ~
(New Year Message - 1.1.96)
Thursday, January 6, 2011
New Year Gems (8) - Human Life is Highly Noble
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
New Year Gems (7) - Develop Love for God
"Devote every moment to actions that will please God.
Develop love for God, which will confer every blessing on you.
This is exemplified by the life of Harishchandra.
He sacrificed everything in the cause of truth.
And ultimately he got back everything by the grace of God."
~ Baba ~
(New Year Message - 1.1.98)
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
New Year Gems (6) - Pains and Sorrows
"We witness in the world all kinds of pains and sorrows.
But none of these is permanent.
Every term of pain is followed by pleasure.
The experience of pleasure is refined and enhanced
by the earlier experience of pain.
Like the refinement of gold by melting in a crucible,
pain divinises the pleasure that follows it.
The New Year or a new month does not bring with it
any new joy or sorrow.
Every second is new, because it heralds the march of time.
A year is in fact a succession of seconds
turning into minutes, days and months.
It is only when every moment is cherished as new,
will the new year become new.
The sacred way in which every moment is spent
will determine the fruitfulness of the year."
~ Baba ~
(New Year Message - 1.1.98)
Monday, January 3, 2011
New Year Gems (5) - Change Your Old Ways of Thinking
"The New Year comes regularly year after year.
But do you have any new thoughts?
You do not shed your old, mistaken ideas.
They should be given up, yielding place to
new, sacred and sublime thoughts.
Of what use is it to celebrate new year days if you do not
change your old ways of thinking and behaving?
Make proper use of time which is both precious and sacred.
Do not indulge in useless gossip.
Develop good qualities like compassion, love and sympathy.
Act as your own monitor and correct yourself by self-punishment.
By a simple method you can control your wandering mind or your anger.
Moreover, place your reliance on God."
~ Baba ~
(New Year Message - 1.1.96)
Sunday, January 2, 2011
New Year Gems (4) - As You Sow, So You Reap
"Sanctify the new year by engaging yourselves in
pure, selfless and ennobling activities.
As far as possible, avoid causing harm or pain to others.
As you sow, so you reap.
Whenever you feel disturbed by a sense of anger, envy,
pride, jealousy and the like,
be alert and resort to the contemplation of the Lord."
~ Baba ~
(New Year Message - 1-1-1991)
New Year Gems (3) - Transform Yourselves Every Moment
"Regard every second as a new year and act on that basis.
You need not wait for the passing of twelve months
to embark on any enterprise.
Transform yourselves every moment.
Get rid of the bad old ideas;
that will herald the birth of the new year.
Take part in service activities
to sanctify your lives.
Adhere to righteous conduct.
Live up to the motto.
Help ever, Hurt never."
~ Baba ~
(New Year Message - 1.1.93)
Saturday, January 1, 2011
New Year Gems (2) - Saadhana
"The year becomes new, the day becomes holy,
when you sanctify it by saadhana, not otherwise.
Saadhana can grow only in a field fertilised by Love.
Love or Prema is the sine qua non of
bhakthi (devotion to God).
The love you have towards material objects, name,
fame, wife and children, etc., should be sanctified
by being subsumed by the more overpowering Love of God."
(New Year Message - 1.1.67)