August 27th

Man does not live by food alone. In fact he lives by the power of the Atma. So you must use your strength of body and mind, wealth and education with intelligence, in order to realize the power of the soul. Without discrimination, what is the use of physical strength? Everyday, when you take food, you are offering eatables to the Fire that God has put in you to digest food. You have to eat in a prayerful mood, in profound gratitude. The Bhagavad Gita says that the fire that cooked the meal is God; the meal is God, the eater is God; the purpose of eating is to carry on the work entrusted by God, or pleasing to God; and the fruit of that work is progress towards God.

August 26th

One's actions decide one's destiny. It is of no avail to blame others for one's misfortune and misery. Nor is it correct to blame God as being partial or cruel. When one plants the seed of a bitter fruit, one can only expect a bitter fruit to grow. God is only a witness to the chain of causes and consequences. The way to escape this predicament is by dedicating every act to God in a spirit of detachment.

August 25th

Be thankful to the Lord that He gave you Time, as well as action to fill it with. He gave you food, as well as hunger to relish it. But, that does not entitle you to engage yourself in action without discrimination. When you build a house, you install a door in front to admit all who are welcome and keep out those are not. You do not keep the doors wide open for all and sundry to come in as and when they please. Similarly, screen the impulses and motives that enter your mind; keep out the demeaning, the debasing, the deleterious. Admit only the highest wisdom of the scriptures, the wisdom culled out of the crucible of the experience of the ancient sages.

August 24th

The supreme message of the life of Lord Sri Krishna is the uniqueness of the Prema Tattwa (Principle of Love). This message is all the world needs. Krishna is the embodiment of love. This love can be understood only through love. It is strong, brilliant and unbreakable like diamond. It is extremely precious. If you want to secure such divine love, your love for God must be equally strong. You can cut diamond only with diamond. Love begets love. Hatred can only beget hatred. Jealousy begets jealousy. Anger breeds anger. Therefore, if you want to foster love, you have to get rid of hatred, jealousy and anger.

August 23rd

Why is man so pathetically afflicted today with fear and anxiety? Are we to search for the reasons outside us or do they lie within us? The reason lies in the false emphasis we have laid on things of the material world, ignoring matters of the spirit. The body that man bears is essentially a receptacle of God. It is a temple where God is installed, where God is the Master. Hence, it does not behove you to pander to its every whim. Instead, realise it to be a very valuable instrument in your journey to God.

August 22nd

Man has springs of joy and peace in his heart, even as a child. Cultivate them, give them fullest freedom to gush forth and fertilize all fields of activity, that is the real purpose of education. Man is born to be perpetually happy, but he is always in misery. This is tragic; it is like the man who died of thirst though he was standing knee-deep in the running stream. The source of happiness is in you. Real education has to teach man how to tap this spring of joy.

August 21st

God is the great Unseen, the vast Unknowable. Though you do not see the roots or know how deep inside the earth they are, you pour water round the trunk, so that it may reach them. You expect that the roots will absorb the water and the tree will grow and yield fruit. Recognise that similarly there is God as the very basis of Creation; pray to Him, and He will shower fruit.

August 20th

Education has to cultivate humility and discipline; but today it is yielding a harvest of pride and envy. ‘Vidya’ means: ‘Vid’ (Light) and ‘Ya’ (that which gives). So education has to shed light and illumine the darkness in the mind and the intellect. It does not indicate mere bookish knowledge. It has to clarify the kinship of man with man and his intimate relationship with nature. It must harmonize one's earlier experiences with one's present ones, and guide one to beneficial experiences in the future. It must validate the knowledge gained from the books by the experiences and in the process make man grow, until he becomes Divine.

August 19th

The very first Sadhana (spiritual exercise) one must adopt is the cultivation of inner silence, to put an end to the continuous dialogue with the mind. Let the mind rest for a while. Do not project on the mind irrelevant details or pollute it with fumes of envy and greed. Every idea we entertain, either good or bad, gets imprinted on the mind. An element of weakness and unsteadiness is thus introduced in the mind. Keep the mind calm and clear. Do not agitate it every moment by your non-stop dialogue.

August 18th

Many of you have problems of health or mental worry of some sort or the other. They are mere baits by which you have been brought to My presence, so that you may obtain My grace and strengthen your faith in the Divine. Problems and worries are really to be welcomed as they teach you the lessons of humility and reverence.

August 17th

The greater the number of desires, the lesser the happiness you will experience. Be contented. A discontented man loses everything; only a contented man can experience real joy. The happiness in one's life will be in inverse proportion to one's desires. In the journey of life, as in a railway journey, the lesser the luggage (desires) one carries, the greater the comfort.

August 16th

Life has to be an incessant process of repair and reconstruction, of discarding evil and developing goodness. Paddy grains have to be de-husked in order to become edible as rice. Cotton has to be converted as yarn to become wearable cloth. Gold nuggets have to be heated in the crucible to remove the impurities. Man too, must purify his impulses, emotions and desires and cultivate good thoughts, words and deeds so that he can progress spiritually.

August 15th

Devotion to one's motherland is as important as devotion to God. When integrity and patriotism are developed in an individual, his vision becomes broad and his outlook balanced. The motherland is not just a place on the map or an extent of land or a collection of names; it is verily the Mother who feeds the body as well as the mind. It teaches the art of progressing towards the supreme goal of life, namely, self-realization. It is thus the embodiment of both Lakshmi (Goddess of prosperity) and Saraswathi (Goddess of knowledge).

August 14th

The blazing fire of Jnana (wisdom) which convinces you that all this is Brahman (God), will consume in to ashes all traces of your egoism and worldly attachment. You must become intoxicated with the nectar of union with Brahman. That is the ultimate goal of Dharma (righteousness) and Karma (action).

August 13th

A devotee, filled with the love of the Lord, welcomes what may appear as punishing as something intended for his good. Even when the Lord appears to be angry, His compassion is evident. Even in punishment God's kindness will be seen. Hence no one should cherish grievance that he or she has been singled out for punishment. Even punishment is a means of leading one to God. The display of anger is for safeguarding the devotee. The true devotee is one who recognises this truth and welcomes whatever happens to him as intended for his good.

August 12th

Whatever the crisis, however deep the misery, do not allow your grip over the mind to get loose. Tighten it further, fixing your eyes on the higher values. Do not allow the mind to stray away from the tabernacle of the heart. Make it bow before the Atma within.

August 11th

Impure gold is melted in the crucible and it emerges shining and bright. The mind rendered impure by Rajas (passion) and Tamas (sloth), by anger and conceit, by the impressions of a thousand attachments and desires, can be made bright and resplendent if it is put in to the crucible of Vicahara (enquiry) and heated on the coals of Viveka (discrimination). The brightness is due to the light of Realization, the knowledge that you are the Atma.

August 10th

When you repeat the Name without feeling, it seldom reaches the mark. The Name of the Lord must be recited with awe and wonder, humility and reverence. The bow has to be drawn full before the arrow is released; then it will pierce the target. Feeling is the force that draws the strings taut and makes the Name reach the deity, the bearer of the Name.

August 9th

Many feel that it is human to err and that Bhagawan should forgive their lapses. In fact, if they were truly human, they should not commit mistakes at all. Even if sometimes a mistake is committed, willingly or unwillingly, it should not be repeated. It is a grievous error to think that it is natural for a human being to err. To follow the directives of the senses is the mark of an animal. To be guided by the Atma is the sign of a human being. None should attempt to justify his or her weaknesses and lapses as natural to a human being. They should be regarded as signs of mental debility. When you have truly acquired sense-control, you will experience the power of the Divine in you.

August 8th

Man seeks joy in far places and peace in quiet spots; but, the spring of joy is in his heart, the heaven of peace is in him. Even when he walks on the moon, man has to take with him his fears, his anxieties, his prejudices and his pet aversions. Have faith in God, and in the correctness of moral living. Then, you can have peace and joy, whatever may be the fare that fortune offers you.

August 7th

Discrimination is very essential in life. One must always inquire, "Is it good or bad?" and "Is it right or wrong?" We must accept the good and discard the bad. It is not enough that discrimination be practiced only for physical objects. We must use discrimination in our vision – in what we see. We must show discrimination in our words, in what we listen to, in our thoughts and, of course, in our actions and in our behaviour. Only then will the word 'discrimination' acquire significance.

August 6th

Whoever subdues his egoism, conquers his selfish desires, destroys his baser feelings and impulses and gives up the natural tendency to regard the body as the self, he is surely on the path of Dharma (righteousness). The goal of Dharma is the merging of the wave in the ocean, the merging of the self in the Higher self.

August 5th

The body, the sense organs, the mind and the intellect are the instruments for a human being. Only when one understands the secrets of these instruments will one be able to comprehend the Atmic Principle. If you cannot understand the vesture you are wearing, how can you understand the mystery of the infinite, indwelling Spirit? The body is the basic instrument for all the actions in life and for the acquisition of all knowledge and skills. The body should be regarded primarily as an instrument for the realization of the Divine. Attachment to the body for physical pleasures should be given up. It is essentially sacred and precious for it is the abode of the Atma and should be used only for sacred purposes.

August 4th

Look at the clouds that wander across the sky. Note that they have no intimate lasting relationship with the sky, which they hide for a short while. Such is the relationship between your body and you; you who are of the nature of Paramatma (God) and the body which is but a temporary, passing cloud that hides the Truth.

August 3rd

The fact that in every being there is the Supreme is an inescapable reality. God will not be released if denied or enter if invited. He is there, in the very 'Being' of every being. This is the truth and if you want to know it and experience it, develop the vision of the Jnani (wise person). Just as the telescope enables you to see things that are far away, the 'Jnanascope' is essential to see Brahman (divinity) immanent in everything.

August 2nd

The impure impulses bind you to the wheel of Samsara (worldly existence) and tie you down to this earth. The giant tree called mind has two seeds: Vasana (impulses) and Prana (life breath). The seed grows in to the tree, the tree yields the seed. The Prana moves because of the Vasanas. The Vasanas operate because of the Prana. But if beneficent Vasanas are encouraged, they will not bind the mind. They are like seeds that are fried, which will not sprout. These Vasanas are characterised by such activities as the association with holy persons, reverence for the guru, charity, fortitude, love, patience, truth, courage, sense control, etc.

August 1st

Only those who have filled themselves with love and have lived in the light of that love are called men. Those devoid of love are demons. Those saturated with love are incapable of spite, selfishness, injustice, wrong and misconduct. But in those who have no love, the above qualities are predominant. By love is meant love which is unsullied, unselfish, steadfast and devoid of impurity.

July 31st

When a river reaches the ocean, it becomes one with the ocean and the river ceases to exist. Before it joins the ocean, the river is bound by its banks and it has a distinct form. But when it merges in the ocean, it loses its form, name and taste. Likewise, when "man" merges in the Infinite, only the Infinite "I" remains and the limited human entity disappears.

July 30th

There is a tendency to interpret renunciation as merely giving up worldly attachments. Renunciation truly means attaining perfect equanimity. People may criticize you or praise you, take them both with a sense of equanimity. One may try to harm you while another may try to do you a good turn; treat both situations with equanimity. In one business venture, you may incur a loss while in another you may make a profit; treat them both alike. Equanimity is the hallmark of yoga (spiritual attainment).

July 29th

There are two forms of Love. One binds you to God. The other binds you to the world. The mind is responsible for either of these states. The mind can be compared to a lock. If you turn the key to the right, the lock opens. If you turn the key to the left, it gets locked. The heart is the key to the lock of the mind. If you turn the key towards the world, you have attachment and bondage; when you turn it towards God, you achieve liberation. That is why, it has been declared that the mind is the cause of human bondage or liberation. When it is filled with wisdom, it makes a man a saint. When it is associated with ignorance, it turns into an agent of death.

July 28th

This world is the jungle in which you roam; fear is the lion which drives you up the tree of samsara (worldly activities). Anxiety is the bear that terrifies you and dogs your every step in this world, so you slide down into attachments and binding deeds through the twin roots of hope and despair. Day and night are the rats which nibble away at the span of life. Meanwhile, you try to snatch a little joy from the sweet drops of egoism and the 'I' feeling. Finding at last that the drops do not give true fulfillment, you shout in the agony of renunciation, calling on the Guru; the Guru appears from within or without, and saves you from fear and anxiety.

July 27th

Sadhana (spiritual discipline) determines the character of a person and character in turn determines one's destiny. Character is cultivated by performing good actions. Actions are based on one's thoughts and intentions. Whenever any thought arises in the mind, one should examine whether it is right or wrong, whether it will benefit society or cause harm. Actions should be based on such enquiry. It is wrong to blame anyone for our misfortunes. Our thoughts and actions alone are responsible for our plight. If one entertains pure thoughts and does all actions with firm faith in God, one will be favoured with God's Grace.

July 26th

What man needs today is not Siddhantam (ideology). Instead, he needs sense-control. Without control of the senses, a man cannot become spiritual. This was proclaimed by Saint Thyagaraja in his song wherein he said that without peace of the Spirit there can be no happiness for any one, whether he is a scholar or an novice. Only through self-control can a man experience peace.

July 25th

When you know that you are but a spark of the Divine and that everything around you too is a spark of the same Divine principle, you look upon all with reverence and true Love; your heart is filled with supreme joy and the assertions of the ego are rendered ineffective. Man seeks joy in far off places and peace in quiet spots; but, the spring of joy is in his heart, the heaven of peace is within him. Even when he walks on the moon man has to take with him his fears, his anxieties, his prejudices and his aversions. Have faith in God and in the correctness of moral living. Then, you can have peace and joy, whatever may be the fare fortune offers you.

July 24th

The word 'Dharma', which is really bound up with an infinite variety of meanings, is regarded in common usage as referring to actions like charity, performing good deeds, going on pilgrimages and discharging one's duties, etc. But these relate only to external actions. Dharma is eternal, the same for everyone, everywhere. It expresses the significance of the inner Atma. The birth place of Dharma is the heart. What emanates from the heart as a pure idea, when translated into action is Dharma. The true Dharma of every human being is to make every endeavour to realize the Divine; Dharma should lead to Self-realization.

July 23rd

The best Sadhana (spiritual practice) is to behave as you do when you get a parcel of books by post. To get at the books you unwrap the parcel and throw off the packing material. Now, take the prayer that is the deepest and the most significant - 'I want Peace'. Unwrap it of the 'I' (the ego) and of the 'want' (desire) and get hold of Shanti (Peace). When you are burdened with egoism and desire, how can you attain Shanti? So, throw away the outer covering and hold on to the precious essence that remains.

July 22nd

He who considers himself free is free indeed, and he who considers himself bound remains bound. Constantly think yourself as being eternal, unlimited, Consciousness-Bliss, and you will be free and happy. So long as you trap yourself in body consciousness you are like a lion moping about in a musty cave. Do not feel satisfied by saying, 'I am the body'. Roar and say, 'I am the Universal Absolute. I am all that is, was and will be.' Pettiness, ego, time and space - all will flee from your heart and you will realise your own Divinity.

July 21st

Attachment causes pain, and detachment results in joy. But, you cannot easily detach yourself from activity; the mind clings to something or the other. Make it cling to God, let it perform all actions for God and leave the success or failure, the loss and the profit, the elation or the dejection, to God. This is the secret of Shanti (Peace) and contentment.

July 20th

The mind must become the servant of the intellect, not the slave of the senses. It must discriminate and detach itself from identification with the body. The kernel of the ripe tamarind fruit is not attached to the outer shell; likewise the mind must be unattached to this shell called the body. Strike an unripe tamarind fruit with a stone and you cause harm to the pulp inside; but, when you strike the ripe fruit it is the dry rind that falls off; nothing affects the pulp or the seed. The mature aspirant does not feel the blows of fate or fortune; it is the unripe one who is wounded by every blow.

July 19th

Believe firmly that the body is the residence of God, that the food you eat is the offering you make to your deity; that bathing is the ceremonial bathing of the Divine Spirit in you; the ground you walk upon is His domain; the joy you derive is His gift; the grief you experience is His lesson that you tread the path more carefully. Remember Him at all times; many people think of God only when grief overtakes them; of course, it is good to do so; it is better than seeking the help of those who are also equally liable to grief. But, it is infinitely better to think of God in grief and in joy, in peace and strife. The proof of rain is in the wetness of the ground; the proof of Bhakthi (devotion) is in the Shanti (equanimity) the bhaktha (devotee) has, Shanthi which protects him against the onslaughts of success and failure, fame and dishonour, gain and loss.

July 18th

'Gu' means darkness and 'Ru' means light. Guru (spiritual preceptor) scatters darkness through light; he imparts wisdom which roots out our ignorance. 'Gu' also connotes 'Gunaatheetha' (One who is beyond 'gunas' or attributes) and 'Ru' connotes 'Roopavarjitha' (One who has transcended Form). Do not seek human Gurus, however great their reputation. They are bound by the qualities they have developed and they are still in need of the Form so that they may conceive of Reality. They themselves being limited, how can they communicate to you the Unlimited? Pray to the Parabrahma Principle (transcendental principle) or God within you to reveal Itself. Accept that as the Guru and you will be illumined.

July 17th

Man is a prisoner of his senses as long as the feelings of 'I' and 'mine' remain. Man strays into misery and pain, because he aspires for the temporary and the trivial. He ignores the voice of God that warns and guides from within, and pays the penalty for the transgression. Life is to be dedicated not to mere food and drink and catering to the cravings of the senses. It has to be devoted to the attainment of the bliss that God alone can confer.

July 16th

The sense of duality arises when the Aham ('I') assumes a specific form and name. Ahamkara (the ego-sense) is the result of this change in form. It is only when one dissociates himself from name and form that one can discover one's true divine self. To forget one's essential divinity and identify oneself with a changing and impermanent form is the cause of bondage and sorrow. It is the mind that is the cause of this wrongful identification, because of its involvement with the external world and the impressions received through the senses. When the workings of the mind are understood, the reality of the Atma, which is beyond the mind, will be experienced as the one omnipresent, immutable principle.

July 15th

The proof of rain is in the wetness of the ground. Likewise, the proof of true devotion is in the peace of mind that the aspirant has been able to attain - the peace that protects him against the onslaught of failures and disappointments, the stillness of mind which is not agitated by loss and dishonour or perturbed by anger, jealousy and other lower passions. Know that you are the embodiment of that peace. Whoever has the determination, discrimination, steadfastness and the earnestness to reach the goal will reach it.

July 14th

For the bird in mid-ocean, flying over the deep, blue waters, the only resting place is the mast of a ship sailing in those waters. In the same way, the Lord is the only refuge for the man who is tossed about in the stormy seas of this world. However far the bird may fly, it knows where it can find rest; that knowledge gives it confidence. The Name of the Lord is like that mast; remember it always, associate it with the Form and have that Form fixed in the mind's eye. It is a lamp shedding light in the recesses of your heart. Have the Name on the tongue and it will drive away the inner darkness as well as the outer.

July 13th

Broaden your vision. Cultivate the spirit of love. Being endowed with the human form, you must strive to develop human values and not stray away from the path of righteousness. Fill your minds with sublime thoughts, and your hearts with divine feelings. Consider everyone as your brother and sister. Only then will you realize your unity with all creation. Redeem your lives by revering your parents, honouring your teachers and developing loving faith in God. Be aware of the divinity that is inherent in every being. Thereby, you will grow in self-esteem. Fill your life with joy. Be happy and make others happy. This will please God.

July 12th

With faith in the omnipresence of the Divine, man should engage himself in good deeds, cherish good thoughts and dedicate his life to good practices. His words should be words of truth. The ornaments he should wear are the necklace of truthful speech, the earrings of listening to sacred lore and the bracelet of charity. Money is of the nature of manure. Piled up in one place, it pollutes the air. Spread it wide, scatter it over fields, it rewards you with a bumper harvest. So too, when money is spent for promoting good works, it yields contentment and happiness in plenty.

July 11th

You wear coloured glasses and see everything through those glasses. Correct your vision; the world will get corrected. Reform yourselves and the world will get reformed. You create the world of your choice. You see many, because you seek the many, not the One. Try to subsume the many in the One - first the family, then the community, the state, the nation and finally the world. Thus, progressively march on towards more and more inclusive loyalties and reach the stage of universality in thought, word and deed. This is the Sadhana (spiritual endeavour) of Love, for, Love is expansion. The individual has to be Universalised and expanded into Vishwaroopa (the cosmic form of the Divine).

July 10th

The human body has been given to you for a grand purpose - that of realizing the Lord within. If you have a fully equipped car in good running condition would you stow it away in the garage? The car is primarily for going on a journey. Only then is it worthwhile to own it. So too with the body. Proceed, march on towards the goal. Learn how to use the faculties of the body, the senses, the intellect and the mind, for achieving that goal.

July 9th

What God loves most are the flowers that blossom on the tree of man's own life, fed and fostered by his own skill and sincerity. They are the flowers of virtues grown in the garden of his heart. Of these, the virtue of non-violence is most important. It involves much more than abstaining from harming living beings. One should desist from causing pain to any living being, not only in deed, but also in word and thought. One should not entertain any idea of hurting or humiliating another.

July 8th

The nature of Divine love is different from that of human attachment. It is timeless and constant. Make it your sole ideal. It is inherent in you; all that needs to be done is to manifest it in the proper way. If there is sugar at the bottom of a tumbler of water, you can make the water sweet by stirring the sugar to dissolve it. Likewise, your heart is a tumbler at the bottom of which there is Divinity. Take the spoon of Buddhi (intellect), stir the heart by the process of Sadhana (spiritual effort). Then, the Divinity in the heart will permeate the entire body.

July 7th

Man is enamoured of wealth, spouse and children. These obstruct him at each step and act as handicaps to spiritual advancement. Of course, money is essential for the process of living and labouring for it cannot be avoided. But, beyond a limit, riches foul the mind and breed arrogance. They must be used for good purposes, fostering Dharma (righteousness) and well-being, and fulfilling one's duties along the Divine path. If riches are spent for realizing fleeting desires, they can never be enough and the ego discovers newer and more heinous ways of earning and spending.

July 6th

Grief is the feet and joy the head; both are part of the same entity. You cannot welcome joy and reject grief at the same time. You cannot have the obverse without the reverse. The diamond is at first just a dull piece of stone, a hard pebble. Only when it is cut by a skilled artisan does it shine brilliantly like a flame. Allow yourselves to be treated by the Master so that all your dullness will disappear and you will emerge effulgent as a resplendent diamond.

July 5th

Do not get attached to this evanescent body; utilize it as an instrument. Consider yourself as being separate from the body created out of the conjunction of the five elements. Know yourself to be the indestructible Atma. The body is the root cause of all grief and misery. Make the body obey your will. Contemplate on the truth that the body and the Atma are separate. This practice is indispensable for realizing the truth of one's Divinity.

July 4th

Man has the choice of two paths - the Pravritti Marga (the outward path of involvement) or the Nivritti Marga (the inward path and non-involvement). When involved in the world, man is confronted with the six internal foes - lust, anger, greed, attachment, pride and hatred. When detached from the world, man is helped by six internal friends - sense and mind control, fortitude, contentment, faith and equanimity. The human body is deified as the temple of God; but the foes have to be evicted and the friends admitted before the Divine can establish itself there.

July 3rd

Broaden your heart and make it as magnanimous as that of God Himself. If you look at a balloon, at first, it is flat. If you go on blowing air into it, it becomes bigger and bigger, and at one stage it will burst. Though beginning with the ideas of 'I' and 'mine', if you ultimately move on to the stage where you realize that "all are mine", "all are one"; gradually you will become broader in your vision and will merge in God who is omnipresent. You should recognise the truth that man's life consists of making the journey from the stage of 'I' to the stage of 'We'.

July 2nd

Man should be the master of his behaviour; he should not be led away by the impulse of the moment; he must always be conscious of what is good for him. He should carry on his daily tasks such that he does not make others suffer or suffer himself. Be calm, unruffled and collected. The more you develop charity for all beings, contrition at your own faults, fear of sin and love of God, the more firmly established you will be in Shanti (peace).

July 1st

The spark of Love in you has to be cherished and nourished; then, every being will be God, every act will be Divine and every reaction you get from the outside world will be charged with love and sweetened with that nectar. When you love the God in all beings, He responds with love. Love God, though tribulation may be your lot, love Him though you are refused and rebuked; for, it is only in the crucible of travail that the metal is purified and cleared of blemish.

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