Thursday, October 31, 2013
Serve the Lord
"You should not spend your time in idleness,
saying to yourself that the Lord will come to your help
when the need arises. You must rise and work.
God helps those who help themselves and
He will help no other.
Do the work that has fallen to your lot,
sincerely and efficiently.
Give up everything that is outside the
service of the Lord."
~ Sri Sathya Sai Baba ~
(Prashanti Vahini)
Saturday, October 26, 2013
The Pale Brown Hand
How small it is, the pale brown hand
That holds the world!
How gentle is the mighty strength
That lifts Humanity from self-destruction!
In future eons of Time,
When my struggling soul
Climbs slowly Saiwards,
Embedded in my consciousness
To spur me on, will be the knowledge
That I looked into the face, the eyes of Love,
That once - nay twice! - I held and kissed
The small brown hand of God."
~ Peggy Mason ~
Friday, October 25, 2013
Character
"Man must cultivate character,
for character outlasts the body.
Virtues are the strength and glory of man.
Character is power.
So cultivate it and use it for the
visualisation of the Lord.
Hold fast to the goal."
~ Sri Sathya Sai Baba ~
(Dyana Vahini)
Wednesday, October 23, 2013
Tuesday, October 22, 2013
Greatest Sin
Once Jesus was walking along the streets of a city. It was a slum
area. He saw a young man rolling in dirt, dead drunk. He went to him,
sat by his side and woke him up. The young man opened his eyes and saw
Jesus. Jesus asked him: "Son! Why are you wasting your precious youth
in drinking?" The young man replied: "Master! I was a leper. You
cured me of my leprosy. What else can I do?" Jesus heaved a sigh and
walked away.
In another street he saw a man madly pursuing a beautiful woman. Jesus
caught hold of him and asked him: "Son! Why do you desecrate your body
by indulging in such a sinful act?" The man replied: "Master! I was
really blind. You gave me vision. What else can I do?"
Jesus trudged along another street. He saw an old man crying bitterly.
Jesus approached him and gently touched him. The old man wiped his
tears and looked at Jesus. Jesus questioned him: "Why are you weeping
old man?" The old man said: "Master! I was nearly dead. You granted me
life. What else can I do except weep in this old age?"
In times of difficulty and distress, we cry out for God's help. But when God, out of His boundless love and compassion, responds to our prayer, we ignore Him and fall back into our self-centered life. One must guard oneself against this greatest sin of ingratitude towards God.
(Chinna Katha from the Divine Discourses of Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba)
Celestial Poems of Sathya Sai Baba
"The absence of the fear of sin,
The absence of the love for God,
Have extinguished humanity in humans.
That is the cause for the decline of universal peace."
~ Sri Sathya Sai Baba ~
Monday, October 21, 2013
The Dharma of Man
is caused by him to any living being.
Man must have as much attachment and as much
steadfastness in carrying ou good works,
in making others happy and in worshipping the Lord,
as he now has in accumulating gold and riches.
This is the Dharma of man."
~ Sri Sathya Sai Baba ~
(Prema Vahini)
Friday, October 18, 2013
The Big Difference
Little girl and her father were crossing a bridge.
The father was kind of
scared, so he asked his little daughter,
“Sweetheart, please hold my hand so that
you don’t fall into the river.”
The little girl said, “No, Dad. You hold my
hand.”
“What’s the difference?” asked the puzzled father.
“There’s a big
difference,” replied the little girl. “If I hold your hand and something happens
to me, chances are that I may let your hand go. But if you hold my hand, I know
for sure that no matter what happens, you will never let my hand go.”
Moral : TRUST and RESPECT cannot be LEARNED,
PURCHASED or ACQUIRED.
They can only be EARNED.
(From: Inspirational Quotes)
Thursday, October 17, 2013
Sweet, Soft Words
"I must also point out to the doctors
serving here, that perhaps even more than the
drugs they prescribe, the sweet, soft words
they speak and the love and sympathy
they evince, can cure better and quicker
the illnesses of their patients."
~ Sri Sathya Sai Baba ~
My SAI is Here
How wonderful to walk on smooth,
And shining steps towards my Lord,
But when resentment rears its head,
Insistent ego clouds my view,
And rocks and boulders strew the path,
Then Baba, it's so hard to do.
I beg you, Swami hear my prayer,
Dissolve the mists - make straight the way,
And let me now, become aware,
Of your sweet presence in my heart,
Then let the music in the hills,
Burst forth triumphant, loud and clear,
Why fear what ere tomorrow brings,
My dearest Lord - my SAI is here.
~ Pat Hathaway ~
(Sai Reflections - August 1999)
Wednesday, October 16, 2013
The Sign of Wisdom
"When hardships overwhelm you, know that it is the
consequence of your own past deeds.
Do not blame the Lord and develop a grouse against Him.
Do not pay heed to trouble or take it as such.
Rather engage yourself in the service of others and in
deeds of merit.
Continue relying on the Name of the Lord for support.
That is the sign of Wisdom."
~ Sri Sathya Sai Baba ~
(Prashanti Vahini)
Tuesday, October 15, 2013
Monday, October 14, 2013
Sunday, October 13, 2013
Remember, He is Omnipresent!
Thiruppandar was a great devotee of Lord Shiva. Once he happened
to visit a famous pilgrim center dedicated to his favorite Lord. After
the darshan of Siva, he felt that he was too exhausted and weak to
walk further, and therefore rested for the night in the temple itself.
Early in the morning, the priest entered the temple with a potful of
water to perform abhishek to the Lingam. To his utter consternation,
he found an aged man sleeping right in front of the shrine with legs
stretched towards the sanctum sanctorum. He got wild at the sight and,
in indignation, he sprinkled some water on the face of the old man.
But, there was no sign of any movement. So, he bent down and tried to
lift the old man's legs. Immediately the old man opened his eyes and
said in an appealing tone, "My dear Son! Why are you pulling my legs?"
The priest shouted "Oh! For your age, is it not shameful on your part
to indulge in such a sacrilegious act of stretching your legs towards
God?" The old man said calmly, "My dear son, I feel a cramp in my legs
and cannot get up. Will you place my two feet in a direction you like,
where God is not? I shall certainly get up after a while."
The priest
did not want to waste time in arguing with the man. So, he held the
two feet of the man, lifted them up and placed them in the opposite
direction. Suddenly, there sprang out a lingam from underneath the
feet! The priest tried to place the old man's feet in another
position, but there again sprang up another lingam! In a minute, the
place was full of lingams!
The priest fell at the feet of the old man
and said "Oh revered one! You must be a realised soul. Pardon me for
my insulting words and actions." The old man got up and said "My dear
son, have you not read in the scriptures that God is omnipresent? Can
you limit God to a place and to an image or a picture or in a frame?
Of course we have temples with idols and pictures of worship; but they
only help devotees to direct their faith and devotion to God as
embodiments of the various Divine shaktis in this vast boundless
universe. The Supreme Creator, the Almighty God is only one, and
remember, He is Omnipresent."
(Chinna Katha from the Divine Discourses of Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba
Saturday, October 12, 2013
Celestial Poems of Sathya Sai Baba
"Good and bad exist in man.
They exist quietly without showing themselves.
But they decide the life in future
In accordance to the good and the bad he does."
~ Sri Sathya Sai Baba ~
Universal Prema
"Do not lose your temper in any situation.
Do not lose courage in any contingency.
Respect everyone, whatever their status.
Then the quality of Universal Prema will develop in you."
~ Sri Sathya Sai Baba ~
(Dhyana Vahini)
Wednesday, October 9, 2013
Divine Wisdom
"You cannot see me, but I am the light you see by
You cannot hear Me, but I am the sound you hear by
You cannot know Me, but I am the truth you live by."
~ Sri Sathya Sai Baba ~
Tuesday, October 8, 2013
An Act of Kindness
President Abraham Lincoln often visited hospitals to talk with wounded soldiers during the Civil War. Once, doctors pointed out a young soldier who was near death and Lincoln went over to his bedside.
"Is there anything I can do for you?" asked the President.
The soldier obviously did not recognize Lincoln and with some effort, he was able to whisper, "Would you please write a letter to my mother?"
A pen and paper were provided and the President carefully began writing down what the young man was able to say:
"My dearest mother, I was badly hurt while doing my duty. I'm afraid I'm not going to recover. don't grieve too much for me, please. Kiss Mary and John for me. May God bless you and father."
The soldier was too weak to continue, so Lincoln signed the letter for him and added, "Written for your son by Abraham Lincoln."
The young man asked to see the note and was astonished when he discovered who had written it. "Are you really the President?" he asked.
"Yes, I am," Lincoln replied quietly. Then he asked if there was anything else he could do.
"Would you please hold my hand?" the soldier asked. "It will help to see me through to the end."
In the hushed room, the tall gaunt President took the boy's hand in his and spoke warm words of encouragement until death came.
My Name is I Am
I was regretting the past
and fearing the future.
Suddenly my Lord was speaking:
My name is I am.
He paused.
I waited.
He continued.
"When you live in the past
with its mistakes and regrets,
it is hard to stop.
I am not there.
My name is not "I was".
When you live in the future,
with its problems and fears,
It is hard.
I am not there.
My name is not "I will be".
When you live in the present moment,
It is not hard.
Here I am
My name is "I am".
(From: Sai Reflections - Aug. 1999)
Sunday, October 6, 2013
Om Tat Sat
"When we perform a duty as an offering to the Lord,
the good, the higher good and the highest good,
all become one.
First, I and you become we
Next, we and He become identified.
The jiva, that is the individual I,
should accomplish identity first with the creation
(i.e. the parakrithi, you) and then with the Paratmatma
(i.e. the Supreme soul), He).
This indeed is the significance of the mantra,
OM TAT SAT.
~ Sri Sathya Sai Baba ~
(Prema Vahini)
Saturday, October 5, 2013
Navaratri
"What should you do during these ten days of the
Navaratri festival?
Convert your will power (ichchaa shakthi)
into a yearning for God.
Convert purposeful action (kriya
shakthi) into a force for doing Divine actions.
Convert your
power of discernment (jnaana shakthi) into the Divine Itself."
~ Sri Sathya Sai Baba ~
(Divine Discourse - 9.10.94)
Friday, October 4, 2013
Faith in God
During the second world war, a steamer carrying Indian Sepoys was bombed by the Japanese and was sunk. Many lost their lives. Five among them managed to row their lifeboat and hoped to have a chance of surviving in spite of the surging Ocean. They were tossed about for many hours.
One of them became desperate and cried: "The sea will swallow me. I
will be a meal for the sharks". In that panic, he got drowned.
Another sepoy wept for his family: "Oh, I am dying without arranging
for the future of my family." He too lost faith in his survival and
breathed his last.
The third sepoy thought: "I have with me the Policy and documents of
Insurance. What a pity!" I should have kept them at home. What will my
wife do? I am sure to die." He also died.
The other two men reinforced each other's faith in God. They said: "We
shall not yield to fear. We shall prove that however desperate the
situation may be, God will certainly protect man if he has faith in
Him."
Even as they were talking like this, a helicopter sent from a
coastal ship which had received signals for help, caught sight of
these two men and hauled them up. When they were safe on land, they
said, "It is only five minutes between victory and defeat. Faith
earned the victory; lack of it brought about defeat and death."
(Chinna Katha from the Divine Discourses of Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba)
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