Today's Voice

11/30/2005

2005-11-30T13:39:00.000-08:00

One's misery is caused by one's own bad thoughts. By entertaining truthful thoughts, one is drawn to God. The one who remains beyond these thought processes will always remain in peace. Never forget this.

Therefore, the moment a thought originates in the mind, we should discriminate and find out whether it is good or bad. One is drawn to God by entertaining truthful thoughts, good thoughts. Thoughts of rendering service to others, of seeking the welfare of society - it is through such good and truthful thoughts that man becomes good.

This quality of godliness and devotion is present in all.

-SRI SATHYA SAIBABA

10/07/2005

2005-10-06T21:12:00.000-07:00

More things, more hurdles, more handicaps.

An accumulation of sofas and chairs, cots and tables, shelves and curios clutter the rooms and render movements slow and risky.

Reduce wants, live simply, that is the way to happiness.

Attachment brings sorrow in its wake. Be like the lotus on water - on it not in it. Water is necessary for the lotus to grow, but it will not let even a drop wet itself.

The world is an arena for virtue and a gymnasium for the spirit, but use it only for that purpose. Do not adore it as all-important.

-SRI SATHYA SAIBABA

10/06/2005

2005-10-05T20:54:00.000-07:00

Live in the constant contemplation of your kinship with others and with the Universe.

Do good to others, treat all nature kindly, speak soft and sweet words, become like a child devoid of envy, hate and greed; when your love crosses the boundaries of your family or community and expands to those beyond, you have taken the first step to cross the threshold of Maya (delusion).

-SRI SATHYA SAIBABA

10/05/2005

2005-10-05T08:44:00.000-07:00

Add two spoons of water to two glasses of milk; the water is also appreciated as milk!

So too, let your tiny drops of love for things material merge with the stream of love for God and be elevated.

At present your sadhana can be described only as adding two glasses of water to two spoons of milk! Have the love of God filling and thrilling your hearts; then you cannot hate anyone, you cannot indulge in unhealthy rivalry, you will not find fault with anyone.

Life becomes sweet and smooth.

-SRI SATHYA SAIBABA

10/04/2005

2005-10-03T20:47:00.000-07:00

Do not be attached to comforts and luxuries. They will only disorient you away from Me.

Be simplistic in your way of living. You come empty handed, And take nothing back with you. lesser the attachments, lesser are your worries. Your mind is at peace. Your desires are under control. You have less feeling of envy of others. You have less chances to hate.

There is no reason for anger, And less motivation to worship money. Most of all, there will be a feeling of contentment. When you are content, You automatically make contact with Me.

We spend more time together, You come closer and closer to Me, and your life ends with more meaning.

-SRI SATHYA SAIBABA

09/27/2005

2005-09-30T09:11:00.000-07:00

You have to use all your powers to understand the principles that constitute human nature.

First, you must understand the power of desire which makes you give up all your good resolutions. Of course, there has to be some desire; without desires you cannot live even for a moment.

But you should use all your desires for good. By this, you will be setting a good example to others. This constitutes living as a true human being.

-SRI SATHYA SAIBABA

09/25/2005

2005-09-25T05:06:00.000-07:00

Life is a pilgrimage, where people drag their feet along the rough and thorny road.

With the Name of God on your lips, you will have no thirst. With the form of God in your heart, you will feel no exhaustion. The company of holy people will inspire you to travel in hope and faith. The assurance that God is within call, that He is ever near, will give strength to your limbs and vision.

Remember that with every step you are nearing God and, God too, when you take one step towards Him, takes ten towards you.

-SRI SATHYA SAI BABA

09/24/2005

2005-09-24T05:02:00.000-07:00

Evil can only be conquered through the weaponary of love.

You cannot destroy anger by anger, cruelty by cruelty, hatred by hatred. Anger can be subdued only by forbearance; cruelty can be overcome only by non-violence; hatred yields only to charity and compassion.

Patience, tolerance, love - these alone can bring success. Act always as if God is watching, weighing your every thought, word and deed.

-SRI SATHYA SAI BABA

07/29/2005

2005-07-29T20:46:00.000-07:00

We aspire for peace and comfort all the time, but where can we find it? Is it to be found in the material world around us?

Experience shows that the peace or happiness that can be got from external objects is not enduring. It is like a mirage, which cannot quench the thirst of the deluded animal that runs towards it.

The real source of peace is within every individual, and it is this inner peace that can confer real joy. This peace can only be got through achieving equal-mindedness on all occasions, whether one is subjected to pleasure or pain, praise or blame, gain or loss.

-SRI SATHYA SAIBABA

07/28/2005

2005-07-28T20:44:00.000-07:00

People seek joy in far places and peace in quiet spots; but the spring of joy is in your heart, the haven of peace is in yourself.

Even when man walks on the moon, he has to take his fears, anxieties,prejudices and pet aversions with him.

Have faith in God and the correctness of moral living, then you can have peace and joy, whatever be the fare that fortune offers you.

-SRI SATHYA SAIBABA

07/27/2005

2005-07-27T20:42:00.000-07:00

If you cut down a tree, it could still sprout; or if a piece of iron were broken in two, a blacksmith could repair it. But, if you were to break a heart with venomous words, it would not be possible to ever make it whole again.

Words can cause endless troubles, and they can give boundless joy. You should therefore be most careful that your words you use should not give pain to others.

Never hurt another's feelings. One day, the words you have used will come back to you. So always use words that are sweet and good.

-SRI SATHYA SAIBABA

07/26/2005

2005-07-26T20:40:00.000-07:00

When you build a house, you build doors as well. These doors are meant to facilitate easy entry and departure of friends and relatives.

Only those whoare authorised to enter are allowed through these doors. The door is not meant for dogs and donkeys to come into the house.

Similarly through the doors of the senses, we should usher in only sacred thoughts, feelings and ideas. The heart is the abode of God. The Lord cannot be enthroned in a heart fouled by evil thoughts, ideas and feelings.

We should not allow either animal or demoniac qualities to enter into that sacred abode of Divinity.

-SRI SATHYA SAIBABA

07/25/2005

2005-07-25T20:37:00.000-07:00

An attitude of calmness will often solve many problems. You should not lose your peace, even under the most trying circumstances. Whatever the provocation, you should not contemplate causing harm to anyone.

Forbearance and forgiveness are qualities that should be fostered by everyone. You should be able to forgive even your enemies.

-SRI SATHYA SAIBABA

07/24/2005

2005-07-24T18:11:00.000-07:00

The bee will hover around the flower, humming and droning until it settles down to drink the nectar from it.

Once it enters the flower and tastes the nectar, it will hover, hum and drone no more. It will have no extraneous thought to disturb its bliss. It will become so intoxicated with the bliss that it will not heed its own safety; for, when the petals close and the flower folds, it allows itself to be imprisoned inside the flower.

Similarly, once the mind settles on the lotus feet of the embodiment of goodness and beauty, it can never crave anything except the nectar of the lotus feet.

-SRI SATHYA SAIBABA

07/23/2005

2005-07-23T18:08:00.000-07:00

One should depart the World with a Smile.

Every one has to make his exit some day; that moment should not be moment of anguish; one should depart gracefully, with a smile and a bow. In order to do that, a lot of preparation is necessary.

To depart, leaving all that has been accumulated during a long lifetime, is a hard task; so prepare for it by discarding attachment to one thing after another from now on. You see many things in dreams and many things are acquired by you during dreams: power, status, reputation. But when you awake, you do not weep over the loss, even though for the duration of the dream, all that was very real and gave you real satisfaction and joy.

That was a 'dream', you tell yourself; what prevents you from treating with similar nonchalance the possessions gathered during the waking stage of your life? Cultivate that attitude and you can depart with a smile whenever the curtain falls on this dreamland stage.

-SRI SATHYA SAIBABA

07/22/2005

2005-07-22T18:05:00.000-07:00

This material objective world is what becomes visible to our eyes, what pleases our senses, what fascinates our minds and what informs our brain.

But in and through this very world, there is one reachable non-material subjective world. When that is known, both worlds reveal themselves aspartial expressions of the same indivisible Consciousness (Chaithanya). The two supplement each other into the One Fullness, (Poornam).

From the Parabrahma (the Full), the Jiva (the Individual, that is the Complement) arises. When the Jiva sheds the material corpus in which it is encased, the eternal Universal Consciousness is again the One Fullness, the Parabrahma Principle.

-SRI SATHYA SAIBABA

07/21/2005

2005-07-21T18:02:00.000-07:00

Man today is behaving with even less gratitude than what animals and birds display.

He is ungrateful to his parents, teachers, society and even God. He makes a parade of his adherence to truth, righteousness, peace, love andnon-violence but does not practise any of them.

All this is because of intense selfishness and pre-occupation with his own concerns and interests. Only when man sheds his selfishness can he turn his mind towards God.

-SRI SATHYA SAIBABA

07/20/2005

2005-07-20T16:16:00.000-07:00

Man is endowed with many skills; he is offered many lives and shown many paths. The purpose of all these gifts is to develop in him the spirit of devotion and release him from the duality of joy and grief.

When man visualizes the universe as God, its capacity to confer the dual experience disappears; in its place, man finds peace and calm. God is One and One only, He is the immanent principle.

Hence, one must endeavour to know God, who is Truth.

-SRI SATHYA SAIBABA

07/19/2005

2005-07-19T16:14:00.000-07:00

In order to sanctify your senses, you should utilize them in the service of others. Yad bhavam tad bhavathi (as you think so you become). If you have bad vision, listen to bad talk, or indulge in bad activities, you will ultimately ruin yourself.

If you cannot undertake any service activity, at least speak softly andsweetly. You cannot always oblige, but you can speak always obligingly. Today, man speaks harsh words, which hurt the feelings of others. He puts his senses to misuse, how can he expect to be happy and healthy?

In order to enjoy perfect health, make sacred use of your senses. You may bea pauper or a millionaire. You may have money or not, but God has given eachone of you five senses. Make proper use of them and sanctify your lives.

-SRI SATHYA SAIBABA

07/18/2005

2005-07-18T16:12:00.000-07:00

It is no mean achievement to get the name of the Lord on the lips during the last moments.

It needs practice of many years based on deep-seated faith and a strongcharacter, devoid of hatred, greed and pride; for, the thought of God can survive only in a pure heart. But, we never know which moment may turn out to be our last one.

Therefore, one must constantly chant God's name and endeavour to cultivate good qualities.

-SRI SATHYA SAIBABA

07/17/2005

2005-07-17T08:42:00.000-07:00

Do not forget even for a moment that all this has been created by Him and out of Himself. Not only is HE present in everything, but also HE is everything. The differences are only in expression and manifestation.

If you forget this, you lose everything.

-The Mother

07/15/2005

2005-07-15T20:21:00.000-07:00

You have to busy yourselves with activity in order to use time and skill to the best advantage. That is your duty, and duty is God.

The dull and the inert (Tamasic) will hesitate to be active for fear of exhaustion or failure. The emotional and passionate individuals (Rajasic) will plunge headlong, craving for quick results and be disappointed when results do not come in as expected. The persons with balance of mind (Sathwic) will be active,considering it their duty; success or failure will not disturb their equanimity.

The godly will take up activity as a means of worshipping God. They leave the fruits of their efforts to God, as they know they are but instruments in His hands.

-SRI SATHYA SAIBABA