Life 46 (Aug 23 - Dec 24)

[winston]

Why is it meaningless to seek spiritual maturity only through solitude?

Shutting yourself in a room and offering incense and flowers to a picture or image of the Divine, singing or reciting His glory are very poor substitutes for the discipline that will liberate you from ignorance.

All beings are images of Him; all men are His pictures; then, why shut yourselves in?

All creation is marching on a pilgrimage to Him; why then behave as if you are trekking it alone?

You believe that the time spent in church or temple or the domestic shrine, in adoration and in ritual worship is devoted to Him and the rest is spent for other purposes.

But, you cannot demarcate and delimit the realms of His and man like that. The Divine is ever with you everywhere.

Society is the school where this lesson is taught to those who earnestly seek.

- Sathya Sai Speaks, Vol 12, Ch 15.

Hands in the society, head in the forest.

Source: radiosai.org

[behappyalways]

Chinese girl with cerebral palsy completes 40m run on her own for first time
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=BgCP9w4_N_4

[winston]

What is the one Sadhana (Spiritual Practice) we all should take up, irrespective of who or what we are?

Today, there are many who do not attach any importance to namasmarana (contemplation on the Divine Name). It is a great mistake.

“In this Age of Kali, only chanting of the divine name can redeem your lives. There is no other refuge.” Singing the glory of the Divine is highly sacred.

Let each and every street reverberate with the singing of divine glory. Let each and every cell of your body be filled with divine name.

Nothing else can give you the bliss, courage and strength, that you derive from namasmarana. Even if some people make fun of you, do not bother about it.

People may say, “He is an I.A.S. officer. How is it that he is also doing namasmarana?” Whoever has a heart has the right to do namasmarana. Heart is the same in everyone. What is wrong if an I.A.S. officer does namasmarana?

Be he young or old, rich or poor, everybody has to do namasmarana. Only fools make fun of people doing namasmarana. Do namasmarana with full mind and total dedication.

- Divine Discourse, Apr 14, 2002.

Your lives will be redeemed only when you contemplate on the Divine Name incessantly.

Source: radiosai.org

[winston]

What is the resolve we must take and prayer we must make, as we approach another new year?

You are a member of the society. Your welfare depends on the welfare of the society. So, aspire for the well-being of one and all.

May all the worlds be happy! Eschew narrow-mindedness; cultivate broad feelings to experience bliss!

This New Year brings with it some good results. The New Year Day is not celebrated merely to partake delicious dishes.

Imbibe sacred feelings and resolve to lead a fruitful life. The good and bad of the world depend on your conduct, which in turn depends on your thoughts. So, develop good thoughts. Only then will you be able to lead a noble life.

Set an ideal to your fellowmen. Give them happiness. Show compassion towards them. Talk to them lovingly. All this is possible only when you acquire Divine love.

So, strive to become the recipient of Divine love. Chant His Name wholeheartedly.

- Divine Discourse, Mar 26, 2001.

Pray for supreme peace for all; do your bit for it by not adding to the disturbance that exists.

Source: radiosai.org

[winston]

How can we develop the balance and nobility embodied by the great spiritual individuals?

When the heart is filled with all kinds of worldly desires, there is no room in it for spiritual effort.

There is a vast difference between one who is attached to worldly things and one who is devoted to Dharma (righteousness).

- Divine Discourse, Jun 16, 1983.

Earn prosperity (Artha) while adhering to righteousness (Dharma) and have always only one wish (Kama): to get liberated (Moksha) - that is the way to realise the four goals of life.

Source: radiosai.org

[winston]

What are essential to ensure that our prayers reach the Divine directly?

If we were to write a letter, put it in an envelope, write the correct address on it and affix a postal stamp, the letter would be delivered, be it to the neighbouring street or to a far-off city like Delhi, Calcutta or Bombay. There is no far and near for the address written or for the postage stamp on the letter.

Likewise, the Divine makes no distinction between those near to Him or remote from Him.

We have to write down the 'address' of faith correctly. The faith should be unwavering, total and free from doubts of any kind.

The letter with the address of faith has also to carry the stamp of Prema (Love). It should be selfless love.

Selfish love will be useless. When firm faith is associated with such complete love, the prayers addressed to Him are bound to reach Him.

This kind of faith has become rare nowadays. Self-confidence is totally absent. How can one without confidence in himself for a mere three days, have faith in Him?

- Divine Discourse, Dec 25, 1997.

Faith, determination, courage, intelligence, energy and valour – wherever these six qualities exist, Divine protection is assured.

Source: radiosai.org

[winston]

What is the nature of pure love and why is it important to cultivate such divine love?

Men today are dominated by three evil qualities: anger, hatred, and envy.

These poison the mind of man. Consequently, every action of man gets poisoned. Every word he utters is venomous. All actions done by the promptings of the mind are tainted. All sensory actions are equally polluted.

To transform these evil thoughts and actions into good ones, it is necessary to infuse love into all thoughts and actions. When the mind is filled with love, all actions get suffused with love.

Today, man is totally unaware of what is meant by love. Man equates desire with love. He imagines that whatever he yearns for is prompted by love. This is not true Prema (love).

Prema is totally free from desire. It is utterly selfless. It seeks no return. It is all-encompassing. It makes no distinction between friend and foe.

Forgetting this concept of universal selfless love, filling himself with selfish desires, man fancies that he is filled with Love. This is mundane attachment. It is quite apart from the love that flows from the Spirit inside.

Spiritual love is boundless. It is vital to fill the mind with Love and expel the six enemies residing in it.

- Divine Discourse, Dec 25, 1997.

You must realise that there is nothing more divine than Love. Love is Divine. Live in Love.

Source: radiosai.org

[winston]

What should we do to connect with the Divine and win His Grace?

For the individual self, the body is like a chariot. The different parts of the body have different functions as the different parts of a car.

The four aims of life - Dharma, Artha, Kama and Moksha (Righteousness, Wealth, Desire-fulfilment and Liberation) - are like the four wheels.

The wheels have to be filled with the air of faith without which they cannot run.

The wheels can move only when they are properly steered. The steering is done by the mind in the human body.

To get the mind working, the switch of buddhi has to be turned on. The stomach is the engine for the human chariot. The food you consume is the petrol.

The Divine is the charioteer in the body; it is the Atma (Self in all). When this is understood, one can reach the destination of human existence.

- Divine Discourse, Sep 23, 1997.

Constant cleansing of the heart is essential so that the spiritual journey might be smooth and without accidents.

Source: radiosai.org

[winston]

Why should we prioritise our life to yearn for the Divine, to love Him, see Him in all and serve Him?

Riches and wealth are short-lived; office and authority are temporary; life-breath is a flickering flame in the wind. Youth is a three-day fair. Pleasures and fortunes are bundles of sorrow.

Knowing this, if man devotes this limited term of life to the service of the Divine then, he is indeed blessed.

Seek refuge at the Feet of the Divine even before the life-breath flies out of the cage of the body. It is an open cage! Any moment, the bird may fly into the outer regions. That is the fact.

The ignorant do not realise this; they beat their drums and proclaim proudly how rich they are or how happy they are, surrounded by sons and grandsons. Alas, the very physical frame which is so carefully nourished since birth rots and falls aside!

What then shall we say of those who feel that these other things are "mine"? Theirs is but a delusion of an insane mind. Everything is untrue, everything is impermanent; castles in the air, constructions in dreams.

Contemplate on this Truth; approach the Divine and glorify Him; that alone can confer on you permanent joy!

- Sathya Sai Speaks, Vol 06, Ch 38.

Nothing is permanent except Divinity. We must attain Him by our love.

Source: radiosai.org

[winston]

What is the purpose of the Divine’s Advent?

The Avatar comes to achieve the supreme task of uniting the entire mankind as one family through the bond of brotherhood, of affirming and illumining the Atmic Reality of each being in order to reveal the Divine which is the basis on which the entire cosmos rests and of instructing all to recognise the common divine heritage that binds man to man, so that man can rid himself of the animal, and rise into the Divine which is his goal.

The avatar is the embodiment of Love and is his instrument. There is no creature without Love; the lowest loves itself, at least. And its self is the Divine.

So, there are no atheists, though some might dislike Him or refuse Him, as malarial patients dislike sweets or diabetic patients refuse to have anything to do with sweets!

Those who preen themselves as atheists will one day, when their illness is gone, relish the Divine and revere Him.

Contemplate on this and derive joy therefrom, so that you may be inspired to observe the disciplines laid down and progress towards the goal of Self-realisation.

- Divine Discourse, Jun 19, 1974.

When you love the Divine, you love all; for, you begin to feel and know and experience that He is in all.

Source: radiosai.org