Guest guest Posted December 31, 2008 Report Share Posted December 31, 2008 The inner voice is another name for the Buddhi (intellect). Man is guided by this inner voice in the conduct of his life. Whenever problems arise, he awaits the directives of the inner voice. If satisfactory answers are not forthcoming from his inner voice, he will have no satisfaction in life. In other words, one's satisfaction with the external world is a function of one's satisfaction with one's inner world, represented by the inner voice. Sometimes you hear people saying, " My conscience is not satisfied, or my conscience does not approve of this " . Here, conscience refers to this inner voice. Only when you follow the dictates of your conscience can you reach the right destination.- Baba Thought for the day as written at Prasanthi Nilayam today31st December 2008 ---------- What is the role of good company and sacred books in our effort to win God's Grace? Swami explains it to us today Sai Inspires - 31st December 2008 Listen to holy discourses, read sacred books. Holy places, Holy company and Holy Day - when these conjoin, it is the chance of a lifetime - make the fullest use of it. Your effort and the atmosphere of the place, together will lead you to success. Learn the means of winning Grace and earning purity from those who know - the elders and the scholars who have put their learning into practice. Do not despair or hesitate. Winning Grace will definitely wipe off the past. Good self-effort, good company and good practices will ensure happiness for ever. Hold on to these, till you win His Grace. - Sathya Sai Speaks, Vol 5, Ch 25, April 1, 1965. " Be ever in contact with God. " - Baba - Prayer must emanate from the heart, where God resides, and not from the head where doctrines and doubts clash ------------ SO SAYS THE LORD 1. Keep skid chains on your tongue; always say less than you think. Cultivate a low, soothing voice. How you say it counts more than what you say. 2. Make promises sparingly, and keep them faithfully, no matter what it costs. 3. Never let an opportunity pass to say a kind and encouraging word to or about somebody. Praise good work, regardless of who did it. If criticism is needed, criticise helpfully, never spitefully. 4. Be interested in others, their pursuits, their work, their homes and families. Make merry with those who rejoice,Êwith those who weep, mourn. Let everyone you meet, however humble, feel that you regard him as a person of importance. 5. Be cheerful. Don't burden or depress those around you by dwelling on your minor aches and pains and small disappointments. Remember, everyone has their problems. 6. Keep an open mind. Discuss but don't argue. It is a mark of a superior mind to be able to disagree without being disagreeable. 7. Let your virtues speak for themselves. Refuse to talk of another's vices. Discourage gossip. It is a waste of valuable time and can be extremely destructive. 8. Be careful of another's feelings. Wit and humour at the other person's expense are rarely worth it and may hurt when least expected. 9. Don't be too anxious about the credit due to you. Also, pay no attention to any ill-natured remarks about you either. Simply live your truth. Let go and let God! Success is much sweeter that way. -------- -------------------------- You have come from God, you are a spark of His Glory; you are a wave of that Ocean of Bliss; you will get peace only when you again merge in Him ------------------------------ SAI MIRACLES This photograph of Sai Baba and the tiger skin involves a miracle Sai Baba performed early in his life, probably in his teens. This may well be the first miracle involving someone who did not live in Sai Baba's tiny village, Puttaparthi. A hunter had shot and killed a tiger and was driving home when his car stalled near the Chitravathi River, which runs through Puttaparthi. The hunter could find no way to get his car to work. It wouldn't budge and the engine couldn't be started. The driver of the car told the hunter that there was a lad in the village who was said to have miraculous powers. The hunter, in his frustration, sent the driver into Puttaparthi to find the miraculous young man. When the teenage Sai Baba returned with the driver, he chastised the hunter and said, " What did this tiger ever do to you to deserve to be hunted down and killed? This tiger was a mother and you left her two cubs alone to fend for themselves. Go back and take care of the tiger cubs. " With that said, Sai Baba slapped the car and it was instantly fixed and ready to go. No doubt, the hunter's belief system had run into a different view of reality. He went back to the forest, found the tiger cubs and transported them to a zoo, where they could be well cared for. Subsequently, he returned to Puttaparthi, gave Sai Baba the skin of the tiger he had killed, and swore he would never hunt again. That tiger skin and head is the one seen in this photograph. LOVE IS THE WAY TO GOD -------------- See God in every one you meet; see God in every thing you handle. Live together, revere each other, let not the seeds of envy and hate grow and choke the clear stream of Love. ----------- Supernatural Acts Of God-Sai Baba The Glimpse He Granted It was a bright sunny morning. We had all just settled on the portico for Swami's Darshan. The rustle of His robe and the sweet fragrance announced His Divine Presence. To my delight I was called for an interview with my parents. I was a most badly behaved boy indulging in 'Modern' behavioral attitudes. I would like to admit that the entire family believed in Swami, except me. When we came to Prasanthi Nilayam in 1980, my brother got admission in the Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Learning and we got Swami's grace for the first time. Swami poured his love on us. Even then, my natural instincts turned lovingly towards the enchanting Person but my weaknesses and worldly habits turned me away from Him. I lacked the moral fibre to transform myself. I was scared that He would reveal my nefarious doings. In fact, I loved and dreaded Swami's Interview. In fact I wanted to get away from Puttaparthi and I wanted to avoid joining Swami's School. But Swami's infinite mercy and grace did not throw me into the jaws of the world. I went inside with bated breath and beating heart. As usual groups of devotees were taken in by Bhagavan, into the inner interview room. I was relieved when our turn was over and Swami moved to distribute Vibhuti packets. Suddenly He halted. The expression on His countenance changed from motherly Love to fatherly sternness. He beckoned me back into the inner interview room, alone! My hands would not stop shaking and my heartbeat raced beyond the range of my E.C.G. scale. He was already seated and commanded me to sit at His Feet. I sweated profusely. Then He asked me a question, " Tell me! Do you believe in Swami or not? " (By now it had become a choice between wanting to believe in Swami or not). He then gave me an undeniable and incredible proof of His omnipresence, of which even my own mother did not know. He told me how, utilizing my pocket money, I had gone to a Hindi movie, instead of attending school. He even told me the name of the film I had gone to, the name of the friend with whom I had gone, a Sarabjit Singh and even the amount of money I spent on 'Samosas' during the interval, which was incidentally Rs. 10/?. This revelation jolted me into the realization of my aimless derogatory living and opened new vistas of a happy, joyful life, in which I have made and am making sincere efforts to transform myself. —B. Dutt, II B.Sc.(1987)Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Learning ------- SAI VEDA Today man tries to know Divinity with his mind. In order to visualize Divinity, you should understand the principle of the Atma or 'I'. The Atma is formless. So long as you are attached to your form, you will not understand what Atma means -------------- YEARN ------------------------- SAI GITA Man's nature is love (prema). He cannot survive a moment, when deprived of love. It is the very breath of his life. When the six vices (anarthas), to which he was attached so long, disappear, love is the only occupant of the heart; but love has to find an object, a loved one. It cannot be alone. So, it is directed to the dark-blue divine child, the charming cowherd boy, who is purity personified, who is the embodiment of service, sacrifice and self-lessness, who has taken residence in that cleansed altar. There is no scope now for any other attachment to grow. So, step by step, this Love for Mâdhava (name for Krishna as the blooming hero, the sweet Lord) becomes deeper, purer, more self-denying, until at last, there is no other need for thought and the individual is merged in the universal ------------------- The heart with compassion is the temple of God ----------- POEM - LIGHT OF LIGHTS " I am the all-pervading, indestructible, beginningless and endless Truth,whose nature is perfect peace and bliss. I am the self-existent, all-powerful Reality.I am the free, ageless, birthless, everlasting Spirit.Disease, poverty, fear and want have nothing to do with me. l am bliss - pure bliss; peace - pure peace.I am the Light of lights. I am the primeval source of all things.I am God and there is none but 'I'. " Meditate thus until you are inebriated with the thought of your Divine state, until you merge and lose yourself in the limitless ocean of your immortal existence and make this blessed human life abundantly blessed. NAMADHU SINDANAIKKU BAGWAN BABAVIN ARULVAKKU ------------ Stories and Parables Stories and Parables quoted from the Discourses of Sri Sathya Sai Baba THE THIEF Sri Krishna Chaitanya was the pioneer of the movement of Nagarsamkeertan. He used to get himself immersed in the contemplation of the Lord while singing His glory and used to be oblivious of the external world. Once he was conducting Nagarsamkeertan in Navadweep. Several leaders of the town too joined him in his bhajan. They were all ecstatically singing bhajans and walking along the streets. A thief also joined this group. He thought it would be an opportunity for him to pick the pockets of rich devotees who would be lost in singing and dancing. But when he actually participated in it he began singing with more zeal than others. All of them had come to a temple and were seated. He sat near Chaitanya, while those sitting in front were listening to his discourse. Many had left the temple precincts by then. He held Chaitanya's both feet and said: " Swami, you are giving so much advice to so many people. Kindly impart to me some sacred " manthra " . Chaitanya looked at him and said: " Tell me first of all who you are and what you do " . The thief said: " Swami! How can I lie to you? I am a thief. I have been a thief all my life. My name is Rama, people call me 'Rama' - the thief. " Chaitanya said: " Oh what a pity. I shall give you a name or a message but what will you give me as guru dakshina? " The thief at once said without any hesitation: " I shall give you a share in the booty I get from my theft. " Chaitanya said: " I have no need for any money. All that I insist is that you should give up stealing. " The thief said: " Swami, that is my profession, how else can I earn a living, when I do not have any other skill? " " Well, " said Chaitanya, " I shall give you a sacred name on one condition, when you go for thieving, you must first recite the sacred name I give you 1008 times. " Chaitanya whispered into his ear: " Om Namo Bhagavathe Vasudevaya " . Transformation even by then had taken place in the thief because of the touch of the holy person. He was also freed from the sin of his past deeds because of the conversation with Chaitanya. The thief went back a refined person. One day many wealthy house-holders had locked their houses and had gone for the darshan of Sri Krishna Chaitanya. The thief did not want to lose this opportunity to break into a house. He went to the house of the richest man of the town. He broke into the house and entered the room where the iron safe was kept. He opened it and saw valuable gems and jewels of gold. He resolved not to touch anything until he had finished reciting 1008 times the manthra given to him. Before he completed the number, the master of the house arrived along with the familiy. The lady of the house wanted to remove all the jewels she had worn before she left the house and keep them back in the safe. She saw a stranger lost in the recitation of the sacred manthra " Om Namo Bhagavathe Vasudevaya. " She thought he must be a great sage who had come to their house to bless them. She called her husband. The thief was lost in his meditation. The entire familiy sat round him with folded hands. They thought he must be a saintly soul like Chaitanya. The thief opened his eyes after the completion of 1008 times the manthra. He was surprised to find a group of people sitting reverentially before him. The master of the house asked him, " Oh Sir! May we know who you are and may we request you to honour us by accepting to take food with us today so that we shall be redeemed of our sins. " The thief said to himself: " If the mere recitation of the Lord's name, now and then can bring me such honour, what greater things cannot happen to me if I sincerely make it my daily habit of reciting the name continuously. I may certainly win the grace of the Lord. " He decided to give up thieving. He prostrated before the master of the house and his wife and said, " Mother, let me tell you the truth. I am a thief. Let me go to the forest. I shall spend the rest of my life in the contemplation of God. " All were surprised at his words but were very happy. He stayed with them as their guest that night. The news of this event spread fast around in the morning. As a result, the whole neighbourhood came to see him. They took him in a palanquin round the town and left him in the forest where he wanted to do his tapas. Later, once again, he came to Chaitanya and received his blessings so that he may blossom into a real sage. --- Darshan View video Footage of Sai Baba during darshan in Puttaparthi. From the film 'Pure Love'.Time: 1.58 min. File size: 3.2 Mb----------------------------- MOVIE LINK A SILENT NIGHT -------------------------------- (PLEASE CLICK PLAY IN THE ATTACHMENT) ---------------------- Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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