Holy Vijayadashami

 

As we observe the holy Vijayadashami festival, what resolve can we make to improve ourselves? Bhagawan clearly expresses His expectations through His message. 

"Embodiments of Love! On this sacred day of Vijayadashami, take an oath to give up vices such as smoking, drinking, and partaking of non-vegetarian food. Many do not realise the evil effects of these bad habits. If a smoker blows air on a white handkerchief, he will find yellow spots on it. This is a sign of disease. Smoking leads to cancer. Drinking is a demonic quality. It makes you intoxicated and forget yourself. Consuming non-vegetarian food is also a bad quality. When the human body itself is made of flesh, where is the need to consume the flesh of birds and animals? 

You should partake of only sacred food. Only then will you have sacred feelings. For sacred thoughts and sacred deeds, sacred food is essential. A noble soul like Bhishma himself has suffered on account of unsacred food. As a consequence, he had to lie on a bed of arrows for 56 days. 

In order to have sacred feelings, apart from partaking of sacred food, you also need to have sacred vision. Do not cast bad looks on anybody. Do not speak ill of others. Do not hear anything that is bad. Do not entertain bad thoughts. Do not indulge in bad deeds. Do not hurt anybody. More than this, there is nothing else that one needs to do to improve one’s own Self."

~ Sri Sathya Sai Baba ~

(Divine Discourse - Oct 1, 1998)

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All acts of ours must be elevated to the level of Yajna, offering to the Lord. That is to be the goal, the consummation. – BABA