Past Sai Messages for the Day
Friday, February 24, 2023
There are three types of devotion. (1) The bird (vihanga) method where, like a bird swooping down upon the ripe fruit on the tree, the devotee is too impatient and, by that very impatience, loses the fruit, which falls from his hold. (2) The monkey (markata) method where, like a monkey that pulls toward it one fruit after another and by sheer indecisiveness is not able to decide which fruit it wants, the devotee hesitates, and changes aim much too often and thus loses all chances of success. (3) The ant (pipilika) method, where like the ant that slowly but steadily proceeds toward the sweetness, the devotee moves directly, with undivided attention, toward the Lord and wins His grace!
Thursday, February 23, 2023
The Lord is a mountain of love (prema). Any number of ants carrying away particles of sweetness cannot exhaust His plenty. He is an ocean of mercy with a limitless shore. Devotion is the easiest way to win His grace and to realize that He pervades everything, in fact, He is everything! Total surrender, leaving everything to His will, is the highest form of devotion.
Wednesday, February 22, 2023
Only the person who has conquered the eleven rudras can expect to realize the Supreme. What are the eleven rudras? They are the five organs of action (karmendriyas), the five organs of perception (jnanendriyas), and the intellect (buddhi). Mankind must seek to control these eleven organs as much as possible.
Tuesday, February 21, 2023
You must see, hear, study, observe, experience, and reflect; then only can you understand Me. You will learn that I am love (prema) itself; that I give only one thing, bliss (ananda), through the love. My task is to distribute solace, courage, and peace. That is to say, My attributes are ancient and authentic; only the manifested form is new.
Monday, February 20, 2023
The Lord is as anxious to assuage your pain just as you are anxious to secure His grace to get rid of it. You may not know this, but I know, for I feel it.
Sunday, February 19, 2023
You cannot claim to be educated or grown-up unless you have mastered the science of self-control and destroyed the root cause of delusion. It is not this night alone that you should spend in the thought of Siva; your whole life should be lived in the constant presence of the Lord.
Saturday, February 18, 2023
Every day during the dark half of the month, the moon, and symbolically its counterpart in the individual, the mind, wanes, and a fraction is diminished, its power declines. Finally, on the fourteenth night, there is just a wee bit left, that is all. If a little extra effort is made that day by the spiritual aspirant, even that bit can be wiped off and mastery of the mind completed.
Friday, February 17, 2023
Immerse your mind in good thoughts and the world will be good; soak it in bad thoughts and the world will be bad for you. So, recollect only good thoughts, think, plan and do only good deeds, and speak and act only good. Then as a result you will emulate God, the source of all good. This is the message of Shivaratri.
Thursday, February 16, 2023
You must feel the pain of others as your own; you must be happy when others are happy. That is the way to realize the unity of all. Above all, be vigilant; for, the fruits of sadhana (spiritual practice) may be destroyed by negligence. When the rains come, the earth is again green, for the seeds of grass are underground, though you thought the land was dry and fallow. Satsang, satkarma, etc. (good company, good deeds) must be kept up, all through life.
Wednesday, February 15, 2023
There is love in every one of you. What is the form of love? What is the nature of love? When we analyze carefully, we will realize that love is not limited to human beings alone but is present in all living beings. Every being is endowed with the quality of supreme divine love. One must give up enmity and cultivate unity and purity to understand this truth.
Tuesday, February 14, 2023
The Lord is everyone’s Father, in whose property everyone can claim a share. But to get the father’s property, one must reach a certain age, a certain standard of intelligence and discrimination. God’s property is grace and love (prema). If you have discrimination and renunciation, you can claim your share, which is your right.
Monday, February 13, 2023
The spiritual process may be compared to the conversion of milk into butter. The body is like a house. The heart is the vessel in which the milk of consciousness is boiled on the stove of devotion. The vessel is covered by the lid of earnestness (sraddha). When the fire of discrimination (viveka) is lit, the cream of understanding comes up from the boiling milk.
Sunday, February 12, 2023
The Gayatri Mantra has all three elements which figure in the adoration of God description, meditation, and prayer. The first nine words of the mantra - "Om-Bhur-Bhuvas- Suvah-Thath-Savithur- Varenyam-Bhargo-Devasya" - represent the attributes of the divine. Dheemahi pertains to dhyana (meditation). "Dheyo yo nah Prachodayath" is the prayer to the Lord. The mantra is thus a prayer to God to confer all powers and talents.
Saturday, February 11, 2023
All the potencies present in the external world are present in human beings. The material substances constituting the human body have together very small value. But realize how valuable the human body itself is. To animate the physical body a vibrant power is needed. That vibration power is derived from the prana (life-force). All the activities of the body are rendered possible by this life-force. The life-force itself derives its vibrancy (or virtuality) from a higher source - the spiritual power of radiation. It is these three potencies that are symbolized by the terms Bhur, Bhuvah, and Suvah in the Gayatri Mantra.
Friday, February 10, 2023
All beings are subject to moha or attachment, but one can break away attachment and attain moksha or liberation. This capacity for the transition from moha to moksha is once again an expression of the divine force within. Although divine capability finds greater expression in human beings than in other beings, divinity is latent in all things in the universe. It is this omnipresence that provides a powerful undercurrent of unity to the otherwise apparent and bewildering diversity. What the eyes see is superficial; that which is true lies beneath.
Thursday, February 9, 2023
Have high ideals. Strive to elevate yourselves. Strive for the highest goal, God. Whatever the obstacle or opposition, do not be disheartened. Give up the animal qualities in you, establish yourselves in human virtues and proceed boldly towards the achievements of divinity.
Wednesday, February 8, 2023
Service without the idea of self is the very first step in the spiritual progress of a human being. For it trains you to transcend all differences artificially imposed by history and geography and realize that the human community is one and indivisible. Learn this truth; experience it in action.
Tuesday, February 7, 2023
Even if you are not able to conceive the idea of a Lord or a God, you must be able to know what love is by experience, is it not? You have experienced the love of your parents, of a friend, of a partner, of a brother or sister, or toward your own children. That love is itself a spark of God, who is all love in all the worlds, at all times.
Monday, February 6, 2023
It is by constant control of thoughts and desires that one can purify oneself and raise the level of consciousness. To the extent one reduces desires, willpower (ichcha sakti) will grow.
Sunday, February 5, 2023
Let your vision be suffused with love. Vision filled with love is the hallmark of a true human being. All are one, be alike to everyone. You can understand unity in diversity only when you develop a sacred vision. Samyak drishti (correct vision – seeing things as they really are) makes you realize the presence of divinity in all.
Saturday, February 4, 2023
It is delusion (maya) that binds and limits you; all spiritual exercise is to conquer delusion. A bit of iron will sink in water, but if beaten and made hollow, it will float. So beat the mind and make it hollow. Then it will float on the sea of worldly life. Above all, have discrimination, and do not be led into taking any false step.
Friday, February 3, 2023
Take the word hridayam which means “the heart.” It is the combination of hrid (in the heart) ayam (He). It means not the organ that pumps blood to all parts of the body but the seat of God, the altar where Siva is installed, the niche where the lamp of wisdom is lit.
Thursday, February 2, 2023
Whoever has the enthusiasm, steadfastness, the determination to reach the goal will certainly succeed. Cultivate that faith in ultimate success; never despair, cavil, or doubt. That is My advice to one and all. Success is your birthright, and you must get it sooner rather than later.
Wednesday, February 1, 2023
Calamity, danger, and death cannot be avoided at all times; they are inevitable facts of life, and you have to learn to live bravely with them. This can be accomplished only by unceasing prayers and not by spurts of worship actuated by sudden fear. Purify your hearts and your thoughts, feelings, emotions, and speech; strengthen your nobler impulses. Then, no panic can unnerve you; nothing can shake your stability, your inner peace (prasanthi).
Tuesday, January 31, 2023
First, be fixed in the consciousness that your Self is the immortal Atma, which is indestructible, holy, pure, and divine. That will give you unshakable courage and strength. Then, you must develop mutual love and respect. Tolerate all kinds of persons and opinions, attitudes, and peculiarities. The school, the home, and society are all training grounds for tolerance.
Monday, January 30, 2023
Holy company, a good attitude, and sacred thoughts are all essential for the growth and health of the inner personality. The body is the temple of the Lord. Just as you are particular about coffee or tea at regular intervals, be also particular about meditation and repetition of the holy name at fixed times for the health and liveliness of the Spirit.
Sunday, January 29, 2023
Always be happy and cheerful, for your innate nature is bliss. You need not go in search of happiness. Bliss emerges out of Atma. Whenever you wish for it, you will get it. Happiness is union with God. Therefore, always be in the company of God. Once you are in the company of God, happiness will follow you always.
Saturday, January 28, 2023
Faith in the almighty God is the impregnable armor that the sadhaka (spiritual aspirant) can wear, and peoples of all lands are sadhakas, whether they know it or not. Be steady, do not waver, keep straight on, and hold fast to the ideal without despair. Pray until God relents; do not turn away sadly if God does not shower grace when you expect it.
Friday, January 27, 2023
Entrust your mind to the Lord before it is too late, and let God shape it. Assign to your mind the task of serving the Lord, and it will grow tame. You do not hand over to the goldsmith an ornament that is quite nice. You give ornaments for repair when you feel that they have been broken, dented, or gone out of fashion. So too, give the Lord your mind that certainly needs repair, if not complete reconstruction.
Thursday, January 26, 2023
When you build a house, you install a door in front. What is the purpose of the door? It is to admit all whom you welcome and to keep out all whom you do not want. It has a double purpose; you do not keep the doors wide open for all and sundry to come in as and when they like. So too, select the impulses, the motives, and the incentives that enter your mind. Keep out the demeaning, the debasing, the deleterious. Admit the highest wisdom of the scriptures, the wisdom culled out of the crucible of experience.