Divine Wisdom

New Year Resolutions

Resolution One: 

I will live for God. 

Resolution Two: 

If no one else does, I still will. 

~ Jonathan Edwards ~

Happy New Year 2013

May your New Year be filled with Swami's grace and blessings!

Happy New Year!

Quotable Quotes

"Yesterday is gone.

Tomorrow has not yet come.

We have only today.

Let us begin."

~ Mother Teresa ~

Two Sirens

There are two evil sirens that entice youth into futility and frivolity, diverting them along the paths of ruin.  One of them is called Dame Cinema and the other is named Dame Novel.

The film contaminates and corrupts; it pollutes young and innocent minds; it teaches crime, violence and greed; it destroys the basic humanness and degrades it into bestiality.  Even ochre robed monks are steadily dragged down to sin by its insidious influence.

Dame Novel too corrupts equally, with salacious pictures of bestiality.  They both lead the young away into the wilderness of vice.  They do not know nor do they care to know how to shape the young into self-reliant, self-confident, self-knowing citizens.

~ Sri Sathya Sai Baba ~

(Chinna Katha from the Divine Discourses of Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba)

Heart of my Heart

Heart of my heart,

Bliss of my being,

Truth of my life,

Lord of my soul,

Living in each of us,

Speaking through each of us,

Down through the ages

Your voice is heard.

Now You are here

On earth amongst us,

Showering grace,

Truth, peace and love,

Reminding us gently,

Of Your secret presence

Hidden within us

And all your creation,

That our Truth is Your Truth,

That our Love is Your Love,

That we are not separate

But one.

~ Priscilla Taylor ~

(From: Sai Reflections, Dec. 2000)

Christmas

Christmas is a time to open our hearts to God

and his gifts.
Just like the rest of the year.

~ Author Unknown ~

Christmas Blessings

May you always be blessed,

this Christmas and every Christmas!

Christmas Wishes

May the peace and joy of Christmas be with you!

The Message of Jesus

“Develop love of God. All other forms of love are not love at all, but only fleeting and impermanent attachments. Man's biggest folly is forgetting his Divinity. All should realize that they come from God. 

All are children of God. Everyone should seek to get nearer and nearer to God. That is spiritual practice (Sadhana). You must feel that God dwells in your heart. You must develop compassion in the heart, because without it, the heart is only a stone.

That is the message of Jesus: The message of love. Love is God. Live in love. Start the day with love. Spend the day with love. End the day with love. This is the way to God. 

Only the person who is filled with love will be dear to the Lord.

Today, devotees from many countries are here. Whatever happiness you may have experienced here, you must sustain that when you go back to your countries. That is got by God's grace. 

You can get it through love and love alone. When you have that love, your proximity to God is ensured forever."

~ Sri Sathya Sai Baba ~

(Divine Discourse - Christmas 1966)

I Will Come

 "Build a beautiful temple within,

And let it reflect in your character.

Let the beauty from within

Come out and reach out.

Start the foundation with your faith,

Slowly build the walls with your love.

Cover the ceilings with your devotion.

Put within it lights of truth.

A carpet of peace.

Then close your eyes and sit with patience.

Wait for Me.

I will come.

I have come to stay.

You have built My home for Me."

~ Sri Sathya Sai Baba ~

(From: "Sai Darshan" by Seema M. Dewan)

Divine Wisdom

Celestial Poems of Sathya Sai Baba

"Thinking that God is someone else,

Man forgets his true nature.

If he sets aside all other thoughts,

He himself becomes verily divine.

Give up your illusion and follow Me."

~ Sri Sathya Sai Baba ~

Anyway ...

“People are often unreasonable and self-centered. Forgive them anyway.

If you are kind, people may accuse you of ulterior motives. Be kind anyway. 

If you are honest, people may cheat you. Be honest anyway.

If you find happiness, people may be jealous. Be happy anyway.

The good you do today may be forgotten tomorrow. Do good anyway.

Give the world the best you have and it may never be enough. Give your best anyway. 

For you see, in the end, it is between you and God. It was never between you and them anyway."

~ Mother Teresa ~

Sand into Gold

There is a story connected with the construction of the great temple at Kalahasthi.  It was built according to tradition by sage Agasthya, helped by Bharadwaja.

Everyday when the sun was about to set, Agasthya called every worker before him as he sat on the river bed and under his instruction, two sages poured into the lap of each worker sand taken from the bed; that was his wages!  Now that sand changed into gold in strict proportion to the work that the receiver had put in that day.  If one did more work, he got more gold; if less less.  If one had wasted the entire day, it would remain sand, so far as that worker was concerned.

There was no injustice, no grumbling, no favouritism.  All worked in the presence of the All-seeing and accepted the gold that was vouchsafed by the Almighty, for it was just his due, no more, no less.

It is work that is done in this spirit, the spirit of the constant presence of the Lord that is honest.  The Lord will reward by His grace the work that is done sincerely and gladly, not work that is done for fear of superior officers.  If hearts are pure, your work too would be pure.

(Chinna Katha from the Divine Discourses of Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba)

Devotion to a Name and Form

"It is a great help to install the Divine name and form of your choice in your spiritual heart.  It is much better to be attached to God's name and form than to an individual's.  If this is done, one will not be liable to do anything wrong.  Thoughts, words and deeds will be in harmony.

Having God's image installed in the heart will help to develop the ability to listen to one's conscience and to improve one's power of concentration.  It is unnecessary to be worried about how to get rid of the attachment to the Guru's name and form, before you have given up attachment to your own name and form.  If the latter is achieved, the attachment to all other names and forms will vanish.  Actions performed with a pure and steady mind will be performed much more efficiently.  

Listen to the voice of God.  Remember Him all the time, and by this, transfer your attention more and more from the world to God.

At the most you can claim to be an instrument of God.   It is better to practise a little bit of what you have read than to continue reading tons of books."

(From the book "I Am I" by Ratan Lal)

Divine Wisdom

Celestial Poems of Sathya Sai Baba

"The termites grow in small numbers in the beginning,

But they will eat away the entire wood at the end.

Evil qualities, which make a small beginning,

Will destroy even a great one at the end."

~ Sri Sathya Sai Baba ~

Nothing But Your Own Karmas

"All that you face today,

Are nothing but your own karmas,

For God does not punish and bring misery.

That is why I walk amongst you today,

To see which fruit is ripe to come home with Me,

And which one has to stay on the tree sill.

So ignore all your miseries

Your karmas have brought upon,

And realize your truest misery,

Of your separation from Me.

I give you all the options but it is you that chooses.

Choose Me!

And end it all!"

(From: "Sai Darshan" - Divine messages
received and recorded by Seema M. Dewan)

Quotable Quotes

"We may ignore, but we can nowhere evade the presence of God.

The world is crowded with Him.

He walks everywhere incognito."

~ C.S. Lewis ~

Divine Wisdom

Sincerity Rewarded

Two sadhus were doing penance sitting under a tree.  One day they heard a divine voice from above saying, "Listen, you will get liberation after as many lifetimes as there are leaves on this tree."

One of the sadhus got up in disgust and said, "I am fed up with this penance.  How can I wait for innumerable lifetimes to attain liberation?"  He walked away disillusioned.

The other sadhu felt happy that his liberation was certain and his final release was guaranteed in the course of time.  He unabatedly continued his penance.  The Lord was pleased with the steadfastness of this devotee and gave him instant liberation.  This showed that it is the attitude and sincerity with which the actions are done that is important and not the mere action itself.

God evaluated a devotee purely on his love and sincerity and purposeful striving towards the goal of liberation.

(From the book "I Am I" by Ratan Lal)

Nandalala Navacheeta Chora

Nanandala Navacheeta Chora Natavara Lala Gopala

Devaki Vasudeva Kumara

Deva Deva Gopala

Mohana Murali Gaana Vilola

Mohana Jaya Gopala

The darling of their foster father, Nanda,

the stealer of butter (sublime consciousness),

the beloved Son of parents Vasudeva and Devaki,

Lord of Lords, Lord Gopala!

The Son who fondly plays the flute "Murali"

and dances joyfully,

O the mind captivating victorious Lord Gopala! 

Celestial Poems of Sathya Sai Baba

"If one does not worship the Lord

Whole-heartedly with his hands,

If one does not utter the name of the Lord

Till his mouth tires,

If one does not saturate his heart

With compassion and truth,

Such a one is a curse to the mother's womb."

~ Sri Sathya Sai Baba ~

Losing What You Cling To

"You can only lose what you cling to."

~ Buddha ~

Divine Wisdom

No Time for Spiritual Practice

"Some people say they have no time to undertake spiritual practice because they work ten hours a day.  I tell them you might work twelve hours a day but give up the sense of individual doership.  That is a spiritual practice in itself.  Unselfish actions will be performed more efficiently.  Also such selfless actions will not leave any imprint on the mind.  If actions are bad, they will leave a bad imprint on the mind."

(From the book "I am I" by Ratan Lal)

The Name of the Lord

"Whatever you do, have the name of the Lord on your lips

and faith in God in your heart.

Thereby work will be transformed into worship."

~ Sri Sathya Sai Baba ~

(Divine Discourse 8.3.97)