Wednesday, March 30, 2011

Moksha


"He who is able to fully control his senses,
will be in a position to attain liberation or moksha."


~ Baba ~
(Sadhana - The Inward Path)

Monday, March 28, 2011

Celestial Poems of Sathya Sai Baba



"Clay is one, but pots are different.
Milk is one, but cows are different.
Gold is one, but ornaments are different.
God is one, but He abides in different bodies."

~ Baba ~


Friday, March 25, 2011

Omnipresent Lord


I see You in the rising sun and in the stars at night;
Arid in the raging sea with all its power and might;
I see You in the willows weeping in the rain and
In the fragrant flowers of a country lane.

I see You in a baby's smile and in a mother's love
And in the peace and beauty of a snow white dove;
I see You in a caring heart and in a helping hand
And in the sick and suffering that's so hard to understand.

I feel You sometimes near to me yet sometimes way afar,
Oh Lord! I see You everywhere 'cos that is where You are!


~ Don Wilkinson ~

Wednesday, March 23, 2011

My Mission


"Where there is a desire for mental tranquility, I hurry to grant tranquility;

where there is dispiritedness, I hasten to raise the drooping heart;

where there is no mutual trust, I rush to restore trust.

I am every on the move to fulfil the mission for which I have come.

I want to light the lamp of Prema in every heart."


~ Baba ~
(Sai Reflections)


Monday, March 21, 2011

Baba's Car Gets the Pranams


One day in the mountains of Kodaikanal, Baba's red Mercedes came down to the main road. My family and other devotees were across the lake about a kilometer away. As soon as Baba's car came on to the main road, we stood up and held our hands together as a mark of respect. People lined up on either side of the road holding their hands together.

As the car passed, they realised that Baba was not in the car. He was in the bus with the students and He said, "The reason is that the car always kept company of God and today, though the car is going alone, all the devotees are offering their pranams to the car, i.e. you are judged by the company you keep. But I am missing all the pranams because I am with you."



(From the book "Sai Humour"
by Peggy Mason, Sandry Levy & Dr.M.Veeravahu)



Sunday, March 20, 2011

Unmerry-Go-Round


The possible reasons why you are still riding in the unmerry-go-round of life and death (Samsara) :

1. You have not got sick and tired of the ride yet.

2. You have forgotten how sick and tired of the ride you were.

3. You enjoy it now, not realising you will get sick and tired of it.

4. You are sick and tired of it but don't know how to get off.

5. You are in the process of getting off.

6. You are actually a great Bodhisattva in disguise as an ordinary sentient being, secretly saving others.


Well, which fits you? Hope it is 5 or 6.


(From: The Daily Enlightenment)

Friday, March 18, 2011

Celestial Poems of Sathya Sai Baba


"Birth is a worry, existence on this earth is a worry;
Family life is a worry, death is a worry;
Childhood is a worry, old age is a worry;
Living is a worry, friendship is a worry;
Actions are a worry, difficulties are a worry;
Joy is a strange worry;
O' people! At least now develop a love for Sai,
which will destroy all worries."

~ Baba ~


Three Principles


"Three principles are expounded in respect of spirituality.
These are:

1. Don't put your faith in your body
for you do not know what will happen at any moment of time.

2. Don't put your faith in the external world;

3. Never abandon your faith in God.


Once you are fully aware of these three principles, you can achieve anything."


~ Baba ~
(Divine Discourse 23.11.99)


Wednesday, March 16, 2011

Ceiling on Desires



Rammanamma and Venkateswarulu of Chirala town in India are a happy couple with three children. That was not the case a few months back when they lived in abject poverty and did not even have a place which they could call their home.

In the month of May 2004, the plight of this family came to the notice of the Bal Vikas teachers of the town. They decided to construct a home for them. But from where to get the funds? That was not a problem for the teachers. No, none of them was wealthy. Nor did they stretch their arms before others seeking a donation for this noble cause. They simply followed the formula that Swami teaches.

Yes, they had been putting a ceiling on their desires for quite sometime as instructed by Swami and each teacher had saved some amount of money. They just pooled their money together and lo and behold, a small but beautiful house was constructed in no time. They named the house "Matrusri Eswaramma Kripasrayam", after Swami's mother, and gifted it to the grateful family. The teachers not only had the joy of helping their fellowmen but in the process reduced their desires too!

This is the efficacy of this simple but powerful Mantra bestowed on us by Swami:

CEILING ON DESIRES!

Are you practising this Mantra? If not, why the delay?


Tuesday, March 15, 2011

Why God Feels Sad


"God is the only permanent friend in the world.
All the worldly friends can only say,
"Hello", "How are you?" and "Goodbye", nothing more.
God does not say "Hello", "How are you" and "Goodbye".
As long as you are in His company, you will be happy and He is also happy.

But when there is a separation from His devotee,
though God may not express it, He feels sad.
Why is the individual going along the wrong path?
Why is he distancing himself from Divinity?
Thinking so, God feels sad.
Even this is for the devotee's sake, not for His sake.
Whatever God says or does is for your own good."


~ Baba ~
(Divine Discourse 11.10.98)


Sunday, March 13, 2011

Height, Weight, Heart



"Hey, coconut tree!" said Swami to a very tall man. "How tall are you?"

"One metre, 82 cm." said the man.

"No! No! No!" said Swami. "Height in inches. See, look at me! 5 ft. 3 in. with my hair." said Swami putting his right hand on top of His hair.

"And how much do you weigh?" said Swami to the large man next to him.

"15 stone, Swami," was the answer.

Swami smiled gently and said, "Height not important. Weight not important.
HEART ... very important."



(From: "Sai Humour" by Peggy Mason, Sandra Levy & Dr.M.Veeravahu)


Friday, March 11, 2011

Celestial Poems of Sathya Sai Baba


"It is from the mind that the world originates;
It is due to the mind that the world vanishes;
It is from the mind that righteousness,
Wealth, desire and liberation arise;
It is also due to the mind that one becomes a Yogi."

~ Baba ~


Thursday, March 10, 2011

Little by Little

I resolve to do it all little by little.

I'm referring to walking my spiritual path.

No, don't get me wrong, I'm not being lazy or procrastinating.

I hereby resolve to, everyday:


1. Meditate a little (fifteen minutes to an hour)

2. Chant a little (Morning Puja and Evening Puja on the bus to and from work)

3. Reflect a little (realise one important thing a day, like this realisation!)

4. Help a little (make sure my day brings joy to at least one person)

5. Study a little (studying Dharma books before I go to bed and in my spare time)


Yes, little by little, here and there, I will work towards Enlightenment.

I will saturate my everyday life with Dharma and be ever mindful.

Steady, steady! Don't ever get burnt out spiritually!

There is nothing as terrible as that!

The rabbit didn't win the race.

The tortoise was slow but steady, and he persevered humbly, realistically.


(From: The Daily Enlightenment)


Tuesday, March 8, 2011

Dhyana and Japa


"Shake off the superstition that Jyana and Japa

can wait until the last years of life.

This moment is the most appropriate time for everyone;

no moment is too early."


~ Baba ~
(Sadhana - The Inward Path)


Celestial Poems of Sathya Sai Baba


"The body is a den of filth,
It is a basket of diseases,
It is a tuber that decays with age,
It is a bunch of twigs that will not be able to float
In the river of the world till the end,
It is a quiver of arrows.
O' mind! Do not harbour the illusion
That the body is permanent.
Make haste to take refuge at the feet of the Lord."

~ Baba ~

Saturday, March 5, 2011

Desire Binds Us

Those who catch monkeys prepare a pot with a small opening and fill it with some sweets. The monkey, who desires the food, will put its hand inside that pot and take a big handful of the food. Thus, the monkey becomes unable to draw its hand out through the opening. Only on releasing the grip will the monkey be able to take its hands out.


It is its desire for the food that has bound its hands. Because it took with its hand some food to fulfill its desire, it was bound there. This wide world is like that pot and our 'samsaras' or families are like the narrow top. Our desires are the sweet in the pot. The world being the pot, containing the desires, sweets, man put his hand in the pot. When he sheds his desires, he will be able to live in the world freely.


To get freedom, the first thing to do is to sacrifice. In philosophical terms, this is called renunciation. We think that the world is binding us but the world is lifeless.


It is the desire that binds us.



(Chinna Katha from Baba)

Opportunity

As the saying goes, "opportunity seldom knocks twice."


We consider others to be fools if they do not realise and make full use of their open opportunities before their eyes.


There is, however, a golden opportunity right before every one of us alive who is able to read this very passage - the opportunity to walk forth on the path of self-improvement spiritually, the chance to get closer to perfection of body, speech and mind.


This time round, in this precious life as a human being, is the "break" we'd been cultivating for, the life in which we can very well work seriously towards transcending our craving, aversion and delusion.


It is not easy to be born in a human life. The odds are astronomical.


We'd all "struck lottery" already! (But of course we'd worked our way through the wheel of Samsara to deserve this life in the law of karma).


"Claim" your birthrights to become Enlightened!

Or you would be a fool indeed!


(From: The Daily Enlightenment)


Celestial Poems of Sathya Sai Baba


"If you have heads full of evil thoughts,
Ears anxious to hear evil words,
Eyes eager to spy on everything,
Mind which listens to scandals,
Heart that is prone to deceive,
These perversions perforce
Will allow neither fair play to exist
Nor good qualities to thrive in any human heart."

~ Baba ~