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Thought for the Day - As written at Prasanthi Nilayam
Thought for the Day Archive
February 2003
01 February 2003
Adore man; the adoration reaches ME. Neglect man; you neglect ME. Of what
avail is it to worship the Lord and to suppress man, His counterpart? Love
for God must be maifested as Love for man, and Love must express itself as
Service. Through Love alone- Love acquired through sadhana, and shared
with all as sadhana- can peace be attained, by the individual as well as
by the nation. My Life is My Message and My Message is love. That explains
why you have gathered hither in hundreds of thousands.
02 February 2003
The sages of India knew that man was fundamentally Divine. They sought to
make man aware of his inner Reality and expand that spark of Divinity into
Light that can illumine the individual and society in the splendour of
Love. " Man should not consider that happiness consists in having houseful
of children and equipped with all the amenities for comfortable living.
Nor can peace be realized through wealth,power or position. Peace, indeed,
is the outcome of our actions and thoughts.
03 February 2003
Our country, or any other country for that matter, can be saved today not
by political manipulations or military alliances, but only through the
development of the consciousness in each one, of his inherent Divinity.
Instead of trying to investigate the whole universe, man should try to
probe into his own inner world and removing the junk therein, should set
at rest the evil urges that raise their hoods within. World peace and
prosperity can be accomplished only by such explorers and pioneers.
04 February 2003
Music, a vehicle of peace, is universally popular, men, women and children
of all lands are amenable to its subtle influence. Even animals and plants
are susceptible to music. The Lord has said “ Madbhakthah yathra gaayanthe
thathra thishtaami naradah” - where my devotees sing, there I seat myself.
05 February 2003
Comfort (sukha) is confused with peace (shanti) – comfort is taken to be
the same as peace. None of the rich or well-placed or prosperous or
powerful have peace. You can investigate and find out the truth of this
statement. Peace is not found in the passbook or a bungalow with many
rooms or a godown or an iron safe. Your whole attitude is topsy-turvy. It
is as absurd as putting the cart before the horse. The physical is
subordinate to the spiritual. The mind is the horse and that is neglected,
not groomed for the journey.
06 February 2003
Without being at peace with yourselves, you cannot be at peace with
others, And, is not peace the greatest of gifts, the most precious of
possessions?” “The mere removal of hate from the heart will not ensure
ananda(peace). Love too, has to be cultivated.” “Shanthi(peace) is a
divine attribute. It can be attained on by those who, with patience,
perseverance and forbearance, follow the sound path of spirituality.”
“When man thinks good, speaks good and does good, Shanthi(peace) will
ensue.
07 February 2003
Man has passed through many animal lives before he has come to earth in
human form. Strains of animal nature such as cruelty, anger, greed and
hatred still persist in him. Man is many animals in one, he has the
jackal, the buffalo, the tiger, the elephant – all in him. He must cast
off these traits from his composition. When he indulges in useless
controversy on matters beyond his understanding, he is behaving like a
sheep; when he jumps from one ideal to another, from one project to
another, without fully involving himself in any, he is exhibiting the
nature of the monkey.
08 February 2003
The six demons, Kama(Lust), Krodha(Anger), Lobha(Greed), Moha(Attachment),
Mada(Pride) and Matsara(Hate), pursue you and turn you into wrong paths
and make you servile, stupid and sad. Fight against them resolutely. That
is the life-long war you have to wage. It is not a seven years war or a
thirty years war; it may be a hundred-years’ war, if you live, a hundred
years. The struggle knows no respite. This is a civil war, where vigilance
alone can bring dividends.
09 February 2003
The flames of anger, pride, hatred, envy are more devastating than other
fires; they arise in the mind stealthily and in spurts; they are ever
demanding more and more to feed upon. How to put out these awful flames?
Well, sanathana dharma has certain extinguishes tested by experience and
guaranteed by Sages. They are sathya, dharma, shanti and prema. Saturate
your heart with these and you are rendered fireproof. Hate breeds fear;
hate is a seedbed of anxiety, scandal and falsehood. Love alone can
alleviate anxiety and allay fear.
10 February 2003
There are some who condemn the six passions as enemies and advise you to
eject them outright. But I will advise you to retain them as docile
servants. Hate those who slight the name of the Lord. Attachment can be
used to fix your heart on the Lord. Desire or kama is not a vice, for it
is given the status of Purushartha, a Goal. Develop desire not for the
material, the momentary; but for the deathless, the indestructible.
11 February 2003
I must warn you against two infectious diseases that are rampant in the
country now: selfishness and the habit of reviling others. Investigate,
examine and then you will realize the Self is better served by serving
others. You will realize that there are far more useful ways of spending
time, the little time that you are here in this life, than reviling others
or praising them, than concerning yourselves with the faults and
excellences of others. Care more earnestly for your fault, foster more
carefully your own excellence.
12 February 2003
Above all, at this moment, it is urgent that everyone should inquire in
the true, the pure, and the permanent. For there is at present a delusion
about values. Even the leaders of peoples are hugging the false hypothesis
that happiness can be achieved by means of wealth or health or property or
clothing or the cultivation of skills in handicraft and manufacture! The
world is full of people who suffer from insanity but who are still outside
the asylums! Suddenly, when hatred envelopes a country, even ordinary sane
people go mad and behave like savages.
13 February 2003
People are so busy in worldly affairs that they do not want to think for
themselves since this is the era of canned food, and wants quick results.
We are today witnessing the commercialisation of the ancient science of
yoga. Even drugs are being used in order to obtain mystical experiences;
this could be termed as ‘instant meditation’, like instant coffee. What
rishis of the past achieved through lifelong penance and self-discipline
can now be deemed to be redundant and mankind considers that anyone can
instantly transcend into the higher realms of the spirit just by pushing a
button or consuming a drug.
14 February 2003
The causes are many and complex as to why all this has happened. It is
even more difficult to predict as to where all this is leading the world
to. But there is no doubt that the law of cause and effect (karma thatwa)
operates with the same ubiquity as the law of gravity. Nothing can escape
it. Thus the wheel of cause and effect is forever revolving. The results
of today are the fruits of the causes of tomorrow. Action begets action
and so on endlessly. Only the Lord Himself can amend it. It is indeed
impossible analyze all the various causes of the past which are resulting
the happenings of today, and for the same reason to predict the happenings
of tomorrow.” However, we can see that the basic tendency today of man is
a search for attainment of joy and peace.
15 February 2003
The variety of knowledge has smothered the searching endeavour of the
intellect and this is hindering the conquest of man’s internal foes. It is
a dangerous pride, as it captivates man’s most useful servant ‘the
intellect’, which, instead of being used as a tool in the hand of man, has
become the master.” “An insidious disease is now rampant among most
people, namely unbelief. It sets fire to the tiny shoots of faith and
reduces life into cinders and ashes.” “Foolishness, egoism and sheer
ignorance are the causes of the misery of man today. The eye, the ear and
the tongue lead man to anxiety and malice, instead of making him the
messenger of peace and harmony. Intellect is the root of pride and envy.
16 February 2003
The worst enemy of man is his ego. Many have been able to overcome the six
weaknesses: anger, pride, lust, greed, hatred and attachment, but rare
indeed is the hero who has demolished his ego, which has jealousy as the
companion trying to dominate the mind continuously. More than ordinary
men, the scholars, sages, teachers and even devout spiritual aspirants are
victims of ego. It is their ego that makes them declare that they are
nearest to God and the most enlightened. The ego brings wave after wave of
wants and wishes. When egoism enters man, envy follows fast. Sorrow is the
shadow that haunts the ego.
17 February 2003
All our ideas and inferences are but products of the period between birth
and death. When the girl you married was seriously ill as a child, you did
not worry since she was not 'yours'. We ourselves grow this attachment.
This 'mine' and 'yours' attitude adopts colossal importance in our lives.
Egoism is a thorny bush, which when planted and fostered, makes us suffer.
It makes enemies even of close friends and does not allow men to work
together. Grief follows ego like a shadow.
18 February 2003
Only when there is not ego, or atleast, less ego, can peace, happiness,
co-operation and love flourish. Man cannot claim to be a man until this
ego which urges him to destroy others is overcome by the discipline
(sadhana) of service (seva). By saturating the service (seva) with love,
work is offered to God; it then gets sanctified into puja. This makes it
free from ego. Only by reducing his wants and overcoming jealousy and envy
can man reduce his ego, since to overpower the ego is well-nigh
impossible.
19 February 2003
Man is born with four facets of his egoism, which he must control and tame
to win his battle, which then will determine the quality of his earthly
existence. These are vanity of clan, wealth, ego of youth and that of
knowledge. These are leading the world into a situation fraught with
danger. Society has been broken up on the basis of religion, politics,
culture and economics.
20 February 2003
Due to increase in population on earth, the conflicts are also multiplying
because of vanity. The destructive capability of man is increasing along
with his creative productivity. Mankind today can manufacture a vast range
of worldly goods and effects in super-abundant quantities, and he can also
destroy these in a flash with the hydrogen bomb. Envy and greed also
emanate from the ego and have to be carefully watched and controlled. Like
a tadpole's tail, the ego will fall away when you grow in wisdom. Ego must
fall away; if it is cut the poor tadpole will die. So, don't worry about
the ego; develop wisdom. Jealousy and anger are the twins born of egoism.
21 February 2003
Criticizing others, finding fault with them - all this comes out of
egoism. Search for your own faults instead. Do not judge others as
inferior because they do not participate in bhajans. You can be very wrong
in your estimate of a person's spiritual development by mere externals.
Inner purity cannot express itself through pompous show.
22 February 2003
Carry on your legitimate duties, discharge your obligation, but do not
allow attachment to grow. Discriminate before you develop attachment. If
you have attachment towards wife and children, land and buildings, bank
accounts and balances, when these decline you will come to grief. Develop
attachment towards the Universal, and you too, will grow in love and
splendour. Cultivate love, not delusion. Love your wife and children and
do your duty towards them as a husband and a father. But always hold on to
true values. Do not lose your sense of proportion.
23 February 2003
It is to be noted that from birth to death, man is the slave of urges and
hesitations. Man must examine these and rely more and more on those that
lead him towards subjective joy rather than objective pleasure. Man should
not consider that happiness consists in having a houseful of children and
equipped with all gadgets for comfortable living. Nor can peace by
realized through wealth, power or position. Subjective joy can be acquired
by harmony at home, mutual co-operation among the members of the family
and the community.
24 February 2003
The ego brings wave after wave of wants and wishes before your attention,
and tempts you to attempt to gain them. It is a never-ending circle. So
try to reduce your wants and expand the range of your love in order to be
free from the coils of your ego. Living involves many confrontations,
companionships, separations, conflicts and neglects. We have to give up
both the types of contacts - the repugnant and the pleasant, the viyoga
and the samyoga. Attach yourself to God, the delusion of the world will
automatically fall off.
25 February 2003
There is a thief that lurks in the inner consciousness of man, always
planning to rob him of the Gems of Wisdom, that is desire(kama). When man
is able to fulfill his desire, the accomplice of desire, greed (lobha)
steps out and encourages us to desire some more objects. When what man
wants is not gained, another accomplice anger (krodha) steps out and prods
us to hate and blame those whom we suspect were the cause of our failure.
One attack of anger exhausts after three months of health. Man should
conquer anger by means of fortitude and conquer hatred by means of love.
Do not feed anger with retaliation and do not feed hatred with fury.
26 February 2003
How can man get over the dangerous pests of jealousy and hatred ? This is
possible when you make all the sense organs function in unison. When mind
conceives a thought, all the organs are co-ordinating to get the thought
executed. If senses would not follow thoughts, life will become miserable.
When there is forbearance, all organs co-ordinate harmoniously and work in
unison.
27 February 2003
By using your intelligence, you can dig out precious gems of wisdom buried
deep within your hearts. The very first obstacle that you will encounter
in the effort will be your ego. Next, desires are the loose rocks which
need to be excavated. After that you will come to a bed of sand, i.e. good
thoughts, good words and good deeds. It is the ego which brings about the
fall of man usually.
28 February 2003
The divinity you have as the core of your being, you ignore; at the same
time, you seek it in others. That is the tragedy. You insult yourself by
feeling helpless, weak and inferior, cowardice and self-condemnation,
these do not become a spark of the Divine flame. Once the ego is
suppressed, that very moment two consequences follow : Freedom from grief
and Freedom from joy. To achieve this great consummation, you must take
one step after another. Good deeds like puja, japam, dhyana, the
observance of vows etc; are steps; good thoughts like prayer for greater
discrimination, more chance to help others - also help. Slowly, steadily,
cleanse the mind; sharpen the intellect; purify the senses and win grace.
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