Thougth for the Day

In the presence of God, money, fame and fame, all amount to nothing. Desire only God. 

Awareness Article #4

Clever King!

#6 Scholarship
This means scholarship in the Vedas and scriptures. However, the pride of thinking you are a scholar is very very bad. Once many scholars gathered at King Janaka’s court for a debate. The rule governing the debate said the one who is defeated would be punished. Ashthavakra then entered the court. His body had 8 bends. When all the pundits saw him, they laughed saying, “What work does this boy have before us pundits.” Ashthavakra replied, “I have come to debate with you. Do not judge by seeing my outer appearance.” Then whatever question was asked of him, he answered correctly. He cracked the pride of all the scholars. So your pride of scholarship must be removed.
Divinity exists in everything. We cannot say how and through whom this divinity is revealed. Swami once told a story of a boy named Mansur. Mansur was a small boy. He had realized his true nature. He left home and He would continually repeat, “I am God; I am God.” While walking on the street he would proclaim, “I am God; I am God.” Many pundits heard this and scolded him not to speak in that way. They said, “Do not say this, how can you become God?" Yet he would repeat it again and again. Lastly, he was brought to the see the King. The King said, “Oh child, you are very small, you should not speak in this way.” He replied, “I am God.” The King then got angry and ordered that his eyes be gouged out. He became blind. However, he continued to say, "I am God; I am god." They then cut his hands and legs. The blood flowing from his body said, “I am God; I am God.” He then died and his body was burnt. The ashes too repeated, “I am God; I am God.” This shows that he had realized God. Every atom within his body was resounding with "I am God." So what is the use of scholarship? Through their scholarly pride, they killed a genuine saint. Oh, Swami, how much advice and instruction you gave us. How many examples you have narrated. Will the human mind awake? Through the pride of their scholarship, they must bear the sin of killing a great saint Therefore we cannot judge truth through our human intellect

Thougth for the Day

Carry the form of the Lord’s name in your heart and you will be able to speak with Him directly.

Awareness Article #4

Clever King!

#5 Youth
Youth is also like lightening, disappearing instantaneously. To pride over being young, Swami often says, “Respect your elders’. Today’s youth are tomorrows elderly. Time is always changing. A child is born, becomes a youth, reaches old age and finally dies. So none should be proud of their youthfulness. Man’s goal is only to attain God. Yet, if God’s grace is present, one can be forever young. An example of this is Markendeya. He was told that he would die at the age of 16. From that day forward, he performed intense devotion and God granted him the boon to be ever 16, a Chiranjeevi. Now yuga after yuga, he remains 16, always young. Adi Shankara also stated and warned that one should not be proud of their youth. Swami tells the same.
Let us see an example. There was once a King named Bhuru. He became old, yet still desired to enjoy the pleasures of being young. He asked his sons if they would agree to take his old age in exchange for their youth. Of the four sons, three refused. The youngest son agreed and took on his father's old age. The father then cursed the other three sons to become hunters. The youngest son greatly suffered from the life of old age, while his father enjoyed a life of being young. After a long time, he took back his old age and crowned his son as King.
This story shows ones attachment to youth. Through the Kings desire to experience the enjoyments of youth, he made three of his sons into hunters and his youngest son into an old man. He had such power that he could curse his three sons and transform the other. Yet, he spent all his powers to delight in the joys of being young. If He had just turned all his energy toward God, he would have attained immorality. So youth only remains a few years, before old age comes. None can escape for this .

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Thought for the Day

When you shower love on God, you will have the true face of Prema.

Awareness Article #4

Clever King!

#4 Pride of Beauty
This is a great danger. One day your beauty will vanish. What is beauty? It usually indicates outer beauty. Yet for how many days will outer beauty last? All is perishable. Beauty remains through your youth. Once old age comes, beauty fades away. Do not think about outer beauty. Focus your attention only on inner beauty.
Of the celestial beings, outer beauty is appropriate only for Apsaras, as they are ever young. The beauty of human beings on earth is like lightening, disappearing in a flash. So do not pride over beauty.

New e-book 
Viswamitra: A New Angle
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Thougth for the Day

If you have the slightest trace of personal likes, desires or ego, truth will not be fully seen.

Awareness Article #4

Clever King!

#3 Character

One should develop good qualities, however, it is very bad if pride arises in one who thinks they possess good qualities. Vinobaji tells in his treatise on the Bhagavad Gita that:
'If one is proud of his good qualities, or that he is a good man, it is better to be a bad person!’
This does not mean that I am writing and supporting those with bad qualities. This is not the meaning. If one is good and is proud of those qualities, it is worse than being a bad person. Vinobaji give the example only to show how terrible the quality of pride is. One should not know that he is a good person. When one has this much humility, pride will not arise. Once, Dharmaraja was asked to find one bad person in the world. Sometime later, he returned and said, ‘I searched the entire world, but all are good people. I alone am bad.' Dharmaraja is known as the King of Dharma. However, he had a completely different point of view about himself. In his eyes, all in the world wer e good; he alone was bad. He forgot himself. He forgot he was a good person. If this much humility is there, then there will be no pride. Though he was a King with all good qualities, he did not feel pride. One who is good, should be egoless to this extent.

Thougth for the Day

Through continuous and sincere effort one can win the grace of the Lord.

Awareness Article #4

Clever King!

#2 Wealth
The pride of wealth is very worst. All is perishable. Wealth is not permanent. Today’s beggar is tomorrow's millionaire; today's millionaire is tomorrow's beggar. Swami tells this often. The pride of wealth is the very worst quality. The rich often have no respect for others. God cannot be attained through wealth. Humility alone is required. Mahalakshmi is the goddess of all wealth. Yet she only wants to serve at the feet of her Lord, Mahavishnu. When Swami describes about the nine path of devotion, He gives the example of Mahalakshmi for Pada sevanam.

Thougth for the Day

Let Lord conduct your life according to His will.

Awareness Article #4

Clever King!

#1Family

Attachment begins in the family: first wife, then children, grand children and great grand children. In this way, attachment grows and catches hold of one tightly. A few days ago, I read a story in Swami's book.
... Once a king performed penance and God appeared in front of him. The Lord asked the king what he wanted. The king said, 'I want to see the coronation of my great grandson!'
Swami relates this and wonders at the cleverness of the king to ask for such a boon. All is contained in this one boon. Firstly, the king should have a son, and then the son should have a son and his grandson a son. All should become kings. The kingdom should not perish and the king keeps healthy to witness all!
All desires such as wealth, name, fame, heirs are contained in this one boon. Swami shows through a story how many desires there are in one man! The king asked this boon so his entire clan will be kings. God Himself came in front of Him, yet due to his desires, he asked for such a boon. Kuchela was very poor and went in search of God. However, when he saw God, he forgot to ask for anything as he was immersed in so much happiness. Thus, this egoism or pride that arises from being in a rich or royal family should be eradicated.

Thougth for the Day

Truth will be revealed fully when the soul has merged completely with God. 

Awareness Article #4

Clever King!

Swami gave a paper on which He wrote:'Identify these 8 egoisms. You must trample down the 8 egoisms. The conceits that develop are of family, wealth, personal beauty, youth, scholarship, native place and even accomplishment in austerities along the spiritual path. '

Thougth for the Day

Truth exists as truth.

Awareness Article # 1

Compulsory Marriage!

What is our true nature? We are immortals. Swami calls ‘O children of immortality’. Our real nature is immortality. This true nature is covered and does not allow us to attain the immortal state. It is due to body consciousness that we are born and die again and again. If we realize what our true nature is we will never be born again and attain Mukthi. Until we realize this, we must be born and die again and again. The cycle of birth will never come to an end until we know this truth. Otherwise we must attain liberation slowly through the path of Krama Mukthi, progressive liberation.

Thougth for the Day
God is the only guru.

Awareness Article # 1

Clown and Beggar

... I am not the child of a beggar! In this drama, I am a Prince, the son of the King. I am the son of Emperor Sathya Sai. I am not the son of a clown! 

All must think in this way. We must make vow to live our lives according to this. Yet, how to live? We must be humble to all and show love to them. We must decrease desires and follow the culture of Bharat. Speak truth and walk the path of righteousness. All must be satisfied with whatever they have in life.

Thougth for the Day

When the time is right, the Lord will break the shell and release us.

Awareness Article # 3

Compulsory Marriage!

...The ego identifies with body and our physicalness, i.e body awareness. It envelopes us like smoke obscures the fire, so we cannot see our own true divine nature. Our highest nature is hidden or covered by this ego, which identifies with lower nature.