Saturday 24 December 2011

In you, around you, behind you, above you, below you

“I am in you, around you, behind you, above you, below you.... I am always with you” – Bhagawan Baba

What a statement! I experienced what this means in real terms today.

During the end of my college days, I had asked my friends to write their thoughts and wishes for me in autograph books, which I felt would be a good storehouse of memories for me during later years. And yes, I did feel very nice and warm inside, later on, whenever I revisited those books.  

But, of late, I've kinda outgrown the need to maintain them, 'coz I cherish the memories deep inside my heart and don't feel the need to have the books in the physical form any longer. Hence, a few days ago, I shredded the papers that contained writings from these books. I took out the unused papers so that mom and I can use them as scribble pads at home.

Today, I just wanted to double check whether I'd overlooked taking out any pages that contained writings in them. I found a couple. I read my friends' jottings once before shredding the papers. And this is what I found from one friend – "All the best for a great future. May Baba's blessings be with you." :)

Apparently, the person who'd written this had known that I'm a Sai devotee during my college days itself. :)

I felt so happy and definitely blessed to see these lines today. And it made me wonder how Swami had planned an incident in my past and made me revisit the lines today! :) Isn't it amazing?

This is yet another small incident in my life, but a very powerful reminder that Swami is always with me and indeed, each of us, at all times :) He knows the past, the present, and the future of every being! That is for sure. 

It's such an incredible, inexplicable experience to be so tuned to the Divine Presence all the time, every day. Truly exhilarating! I hope and pray He makes me continue to feel His presence every day and every moment. :)

Thursday 22 December 2011

Message from God - Direct Dil Se

My heart was yearning for a direct message from God today and I found it in the most unlikely manner. 

I was watching a video from Souljourns about the Christmas celebrations in 2009 in Prasanthi Nilayam. (You can watch the video at http://vimeo.com/33382564)

I did not watch the video entirely but kept forwarding and pausing to watch at places where the proceedings interested me (or the music). At one point, I noticed that the video had zoomed in on the lyrics of a song which the choir was practising.

And the lyrics on my screen at that particular moment where I'd paused the video ran thus: "Give your heart unto Swami. Give Him first place in your life. He will guide you & guard you & care for you, through all of life's worry and strife."

That was enough for me. :) So poignant! It was definitely not by chance that i happened to pause the video at exactly that point where these lines came up. What a way Swami chose to send me this message. He thinks of the most innovative methods. :) Simply amazing! He's truly a master planner.

Thank you Swami for making my day with this beautiful incident. And for reaffirming my faith in you every day. It just keeps growing and growing.

Tuesday 20 December 2011

Omnipresent Sai

Two incidents that occurred today just reaffirmed that God is always with each of us, at all times. No doubt about it! He knows every little thought we have, every word we speak, every breath we take, every action we do. 

I dunno why but in the last couple of years, I've taken a preference for varying shades of purple in many of my clothes purchases. I have salwars and sarees in shades of lavender, purple, etc. Today, when I went out, I just happened to choose a salwar from my wardrobe in this color combination - purple, white, and pink.

To my utter amazement, sometime later in the day, I read an article on theprasanthireporter.org where I saw this beautiful photo of Swami with a young lady, who was wearing a similar color combination.
 


What astounded me more was that in the article, she mentions how Swami directed her in a dream to choose this color combination and wear it during her talk in Dec 2009 in Sai Kulwant Hall in Prasanthi Nilayam. And the icing on the cake was the significance she attributes to each of the colors (white for 'peace', pink for 'love all, serve all', and purple for 'transformation'). I was simply stunned! These colors had a significance 'coz I'd worn them today. Moreover, the message for each color left me speechless.

Although this might seem a rather small incident, I personally feel that Swami had sent me a strong message today. He willed that I should read this article today. Yes, He has transformed me; yes, He has filled me with peace; and yes, He has taught me to love all and serve all (and I am trying my best to do that). 

What a revelation, esp. the part about 'transformation'! Amazing! I can only say a silent prayer to Him in gratitude for everything He's doing for me. 

The other incident was that I happened to post a comment on a blog today where I mentioned the foll. point - Swami once said,  "I know everything but pretend as though I know nothing. Man knows nothing, but pretends he knows everything." 

I listened to a talk downloaded from Radio Sai in which the lady being interviewed echoes the same point -

"In truth, Swami knows all about our past, future and present. But He feigns ignorance. Someone asked Swami what was the most difficult task for Him. He replied, “To pretend that I do not know anything despite knowing everything.”

I smiled to myself when I heard these lines. What more proof does one need to believe in His omnipresence? If we firmly believe that God is always with us, we would certainly watch every single thought, act, and word of ours. That way, we only stand to gain, because every good thing gets accumulated in our deposit as credit. By doing, being, and seeing good, we can save ourselves from a lot of future misery. 

Do read the transcript at http://media.radiosai.org/Journals/Vol_09/01MAR11/04-niranjana.htm and you'll understand how we can maintain good credit in our account with God.

Amazing lessons today!

Sunday 4 December 2011

Sai Inspires - Difference between fortitude and patience

Generally, people seek only happiness and joy; under no circumstance do they desire misery and grief! They treat happiness and joy as their closest well-wishers, and misery and grief as their sworn enemies. This is a great mistake. 

When you are happy, the risk of grief is great; fear of losing the happiness will haunt you. Misery prompts inquiry, discrimination, self-examination and fear of worse things that might happen. It awakens you from sloth and conceit. 

Face the dualities of life with thithiksha (fortitude). But be aware, thithiksha is different from patience (Sahana). 

Patience is putting up with something; tolerating or bearing with it because you have no other choice. 

Fortitude is having the capacity to overcome it, but yet, disregarding it - that is the spiritual discipline. 

Putting up with the external world of duality with inner equanimity and peace is the path that will lead you to liberation. 

Bear all, with analytical discrimination - this type of patience will yield good results.

-- Sri Sathya Sai

Thursday 1 December 2011

Inspiring quote to commence the new month

Got this from my Neale Donald subscriptions.

I believe God wants you to know...
...that the quality of one's life is 
in direct proportion to one's commitment 
to excellence, regardless of their endeavor.

Vince Lombardi said that, and he was right.

Are you committed to excellence in everything you think and say and do? 
Ah, yes, it is about thoughts and words too, not just about actions. 
Are your thoughts and words excellent?
And your actions, too?

This does not mean that you must be without errors, by the way,
but only that you must seek to correct them. 

Do not confuse excellence with perfection. 
The first is possible to achieve; the second is probably not.

Saturday 19 November 2011

Coolness comes from detachment - what a thought!

"Give each problem the attention it deserves; but do not allow it to overpower you. Anxiety will not solve any difficulty; coolness comes from detachment. Above all, believe in God and the efficacy of prayer; the Lord has said that he who does good, thinks good and speaks good will not come to harm. That is the way to get
equanimity, shaanthi." - Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba

Tuesday 15 November 2011

How to earn the grace of God

To earn the Grace of God, 
you have to pray to the Personified Power 
with Name and Form; 

it is your yearning that decides in what form the Lord appears. 
You call and He answers. 

If you are not earnest, if you feel indifferent, 
and say, “Let Him come when He wills, in the Form He likes 
and with the Name He prefers,” He will not come at all. 

Call on Him with anguish; He will respond.

-- Bhagawan Baba

Friday 11 November 2011

All about adapting, adjusting and accommodating

Do not worry about the unsatisfactory environment you may be in. Of course, sometimes the place you are in may have drawbacks and may not be ideal. But it is of no use trying to run away from it. You can overcome any obstacle by training your own mind. 

Stay in your environment and pray to the Lord that He may fill you with His thoughts and vision, enabling you to ignore the defects of your surroundings. Do not seek comfort, for it might not be conducive to meditation. Learn to be comfortable in any place; that is better. 

Live in joy wherever you are for that is the way. Revel in the realm of your mind, worship there the Lord you have chosen as your goal and be free of all the defects of your natural or human environment! Then no spot will be irksome to you, nor will any place seem disgusting.

-- Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba

Saturday 5 November 2011

Living in the present

"All that has to happen will happen. Do not worry about it. 
Past is past, forget the past. 
Future is uncertain, do not brood over it. 
Present is important, live in the present and be happy."
  
- Bhagawan Baba

Thursday 3 November 2011

When does God interfere and come to the devotee's rescue?

It is only when man develops faith in God that God will come to the rescue of man. 
In fact, Divinity is not confined to any form. 

It is a power, and that power is infinite. 
Such an infinite power can accomplish any difficult task.
God may assume a number of forms, but divine power is only one and the same.

Considering the praapthi (deservedness) of the concerned individuals, 
God interferes to bring about transformation in them.

                                                                                              -- Bhagawan Baba


Amazing lines! Resonates the experiences I have had. Swami has touched me and transformed me. I truly believe that He chose to interfere and turn around my life for a reason that He alone knows. I shall remain content with just knowing that He has a plan in mind for me, although I can't see the bigger picture with my limited vision. I'm happy just knowing that He is in control of my life and is with me all the time.

Monday 31 October 2011

Tackling worry and problems

All the problems you face today 
are going to go away, 
unless you worry them to stay.

Problems like worry. 
Worry is a magnet for them. 
If you just "let it be," 
the current worrisome condition 
will not even be part of your life 
a short time from now.

If you worry enough about it, however, 
you can be sure that it will stick around. 
So, just do your best around all this...
then turn it over to God. Yes?

What a brilliant quote! We can choose how to handle our problems - either worry about them or do our best and leave the rest to God. :) 

The latter part reflects the saying from the Bhagavad Gita, about doership. Krishna says that man has the right only to action, and not the results thereof. God alone is the doer. If we have this thought and perform our tasks, we will certainly not be worried about the results of our actions. God knows the best possible result for every action we do. He takes responsibility if we thus surrender to Him.

Saturday 29 October 2011

Outer Prosperity?? Nah! Inner content!

Inner content is more important than outer prosperity.

Found this amazing line from one of Bhagawan Baba's discourses today. It's so true! 

It's lines like these that keep reaffirming my convictions and beliefs. Thank you, Baba!

Friday 28 October 2011

Struggle or celebrate?

Happens to be my 50th post! :) I hardly realized it. 

Here's an interesting but significant paragraph! Amazing how God constantly answers my questions!

It is okay to be at a place of struggle. 
Struggle is just another word for growth.

Even the most evolved beings find themselves in a place of struggle now and then.
In fact, struggle is a sure sign to them that they are expanding; 
it is their indication of real and important progress.

The only one who doesn't struggle
is the one who doesn't grow. 
So, if you are struggling right now, 
see it as a terrific sign -- and celebrate your struggle.

What to seek in life - Safety or Joy?

Got these lines a few days ago. Set me thinking ...

Safety is not the thing you should look for in the future. 
Joy is what you should look for.

Security and joy may not come in the same package. 
They can...but they also cannot. 
There is no guarantee.

If your primary concern is a guarantee of security, 
you may never experience the truest joys of life. 
This is not a suggestion that you become reckless, 
but it is an invitation to at least become daring.

Thursday 27 October 2011

God seeks only love from His devotees

The devotee can tie up the Lord with his Prema, 
by Bhakti that overwhelms and overpowers his egoism. 

When man is full of this type of devotion, 
the Lord will Himself bless him with everything he needs; 
His grace will fulfill all his wants.

                                                                                     -- Sri Sathya Sai Baba

Friday 21 October 2011

Another gem today - God knows my every concern and beautifully addresses them

Yet another beautiful personalized quote I got in my mail today. I say 'personalized' because I feel God speaks to me through these lines and addresses the thoughts uppermost in my mind through these lines. Every day that passes gives me renewed hope and faith. I pray for this faith and hope to keep growing.

It sometimes looks like "one thing after the other," 
but really, it is blessing after blessing.

I know, I know...you don't experience it that way. 
But that's because you don't see it that way. 
In this business of life, what you see is what you get.

If you think you are looking at struggle, struggle is what you will experience.
If you decide that you are looking at a gift
(even if you can't see it clearing in this exact moment), 
a gift is what you will get. 

Just wait. You'll see. I mean that literally. You will see.

Thursday 20 October 2011

My life has a purpose - So says God!

The following lines that I received in my mail y'day from my Neale Walsch daily quotes were a direct answer to a question I was asking myself. I smiled when I read them. :)

Life on earth has more meaning than may be immediately apparent to you.

Please do not think that all you are doing here is living until you die. 
If that were all that's happening, God would hardly take time to be involved.

No, there is something else occurring.  It has to do with the evolution of your soul.

Powerful divine assurance

Amazing lines I received in my mail today. God's voice reassuring me that He's by my side!

There is a solution. There is. 
But you must keep going to find it. You cannot stop, you cannot give up.

This is about more than just patience. This is about more than just persistence. 
This is about absolute knowing that God is on your side.

When you know this, you never give up...and the sense of struggle goes away. 
You simply keep moving forward, knowing that in the end all will work out. 
And that along the way there will be great insights and wonderful remembering.

Thursday 13 October 2011

Money is not the issue

Got this from my Neale Walsch subscriptions. Lovely thought!

There is no security in doing something for a living 
when you are dying inside while doing it.

That is taking care of the body at the expense of the soul.

And a withering soul cannot help but produce a withering body.

So do not think you are "taking care of yourself"
by killing your spirit to keep your body alive.



Monday 10 October 2011

Sai Inspires - Good Work always begets God's grace

"You should never give up devotion. Your good work will beget God's grace without fail.

If you follow truth, which is verily God, you will invariably do only righteous acts. Divine love will flow to you and ensure you are always doing sacred work." - Baba

Thursday 6 October 2011

Thought for today

God is the nearest, dearest, the most loving, 
and the most eager friend, comrade, and kinsman of everyone.

- Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba

Monday 26 September 2011

My day is made!

Got this message from my Neale Donald Walsch subcriptions. And I immediately smiled, for I felt God's presence. And I silently sent up a 'Thank you' to Him! :)

Getting down on yourself is not the answer. 
Why would you do to you what God would never do to you?

The few things you do not "get right" (whatever that is)
cannot compare to the things at which you excel. 
Do you know that? 

You are kind, you are caring, 
you are generous, you are sensitive, you are compassionate, 
you are forgiving, you are more accepting than you know,
and more loving than you will give yourself credit for.

Now...what else is there?

Try to understand this: You are doing just fine. Better
than 'just fine.' You are excelling. You are magnificent,
you are wonderful! And God loves you to pieces!


Monday 19 September 2011

Quote on patience and waiting

Interesting thought for the day! :)

Patience, above all else, is what is needed right now. Do not let anxiousness or frustration take over.

Conditions on the exterior of your experience will change, but your highest benefit will be achieved when conditions in your interior remain the same. 

Hold to your inner peace. Reclaim your identity. 

Trust your higher wisdom. Look to the grander vision.

Do not agitate for a decision right now, nor seek an immediate solution. 

Do not wish for an end to things as they are. 
That end will come. Yet, let it arrive naturally. 

Do not push the river. Wait. 
The Right Time is at hand, and resolution of this difficulty is on its way.




The Loving Mother who twists the child's cheek and then caresses

When we go through tough times, let us remember these lines. God sometimes puts us through testing situations to grant us eternal peace thereafter. I came across the foll. lines from a discourse by Bhagawan Baba. Very profound!

God is not happy unless he gives you some occasional sorrow. 

Even the mother will not be happy unless the child cries heartily. 

Even while kissing the child, the mother twists the child's cheek and then kisses him. 

In the same manner, God also causes several troubles and tests and then will please you.

God makes you cry only to give you extreme happiness after that. 

We will be able to eat more food, if we are hungry, and are able to digest well. 
If the food we take is not digested, how can we eat more food? 

In this manner, at first God gives troubles, sorrow, and pain and then after your digesting these, he gives happiness and bliss.

Sunday 18 September 2011

They also serve who only stand and wait!

Know that when God takes, He gives much more! It is only the one that waits, patiently, that receives.

Friday 16 September 2011

Stay cheerful always

I loved this line I came across today in the Sri Sathya Sai Central Trust web site today.

"If all your ambitions do not materialize, do not waver or get depressed. He is a realized one who is cheerful in the face of all adversities."

Thursday 8 September 2011

A prayer to the Lord

I came across this beautiful prayer in Sathyam Shivam Sundaram - vol. 6. 

When you take me on your wings into the skies of your glory, give me the humility to bow to you in all men.

When you trample me to shake off your all my unlikeness to you, grant me the resolve to cling to your feet with love.

When you take up the sword to strip me of all selfhood, give me the strength to surrender to your wrath.

When you lift me up into the heavens of your bosom, grant me the courage to sever the bonds of earth.





Sunday 28 August 2011

On tests

The Lord responds not merely to the sweet voiced Kokil (cuckoo) and its song; He gives ear to the warbles of other birds, too. He gives ear to the wailings of every being. In fact, suffering entitles you more to the Grace of the Lord. When suffering comes in waves, one behind the other, be glad that the shore is near; bear them bravely; do not like cowards throw the blame on some outside power or develop dislike for the Lord.

Welcome the test because thereafter you are awarded the certificate. It is to measure your progress that tests are imposed. So do not flinch in the face of grief. The Lord bestows a favour when He decides to test you, for He is impressed by your achievement and wants to put upon it the seal of His approval. Rise up to the demands of the test; that is the way to please the Lord. 
                                                                             
                                                                        - Bhagwan Sri Sathya Sai Baba

True devotion

Bhakti (devotion) occupies pride of place in Bharathiya culture. Devotion does not only mean performing rituals, undertaking pilgrimages, or visiting temples. These are actions merely indicative of devotion. 

There is a power which provides the impulse for these actions and that is the love of God. Bhakti means Paripurna Prema(complete love). This love is motiveless; love based on a reason cannot be real love.

As a river seeks to join the ocean by a natural impulse, as a creeper winds itself naturally around a tree to climb upwards, the devotee's love is a spontaneous expression of the yearning to realise God. It is free from worldly desires of any kind.

To experience the presence of the Divine, your love should flow as a pure selfless stream. You should regard the Divine as the One that pervades everything. Practise seeing God in every object in the cosmos and firmly believe that all names and forms are derived from God.

                                         -- Lines from a discourse by Baba on Sep 15th, 1988

Saturday 27 August 2011

Striking lines from Shirdi Sai Satcharita

I came across these lines today in the English translation of Shirdi Sai Satcharita by Mrs. Indira Kher. I felt they apply to Bhagwan Baba and I drew solace from them.

How can it be said, that Baba was alive only while he was in the physical body and that he is dead because he has taken Samadhi?

He is in fact, beyond life and death and pervades this creation, animate and inanimate.

Once you look to Sai with love and affection, he is in your power, all your life. He wants nothing but single-minded love and devotion and comes running to your help, when you call him.

Neither time nor place can then restrain him; he stands behind you firmly, all the time and for ever. How he will press the spring and where we do not know, for all his doings are inconceivable!

Such is his planning, that innumerable doubts and misconceptions will arise in the mind. But when we concentrate on his feet at such a time, our power of meditation and contemplation grows.

I especially loved the line "Once you look to Sai with love and affection, he is in your power, all your life." So true! Swami wants only one offering from all of us - LOVE! And when we love Him with single-minded devotion, He's willing to shower His blessings on us.


Thursday 25 August 2011

God answers prayers sometimes in the way we don't expect!

Today, I was praying to Swami to make a flower fall from His picture or from any of the idols in the bhajan hall at the Sai center I go to. I wanted to see the flower fall. I kept waiting during the bhajan session. However, I didn't notice it happen.

But, after the bhajan session ended, I noticed that a small part of the garland had fallen on the floor in front of the Ganesha idol on the dais. When I asked the aunty next to me, she said that it had fallen sometime when we were singing the Arathi song (I had not seen it fall). I felt so happy that Swami had heard my prayer and answered it, though in His own way and not in the way I expected. I felt Swami saying "I heard your prayer! And I fulfilled your wish!" :)

And that was not all! Along with the usual Vibhuti prasad, each of us got a Cadbury Daily Milk Eclairs too. Wow! A double treat for me today! I felt the sweet and the flowers augured well for me, indicating positive things ahead! Thank you, Swami for this wonderful blessing today!

Tuesday 23 August 2011

Sunday 21 August 2011

Swami's words of encouragement for me today

I felt greatly encouraged on these lines, which I happened to come across, spoken by Baba in one of His 1973 Summer Showers in Brindavan.

"It is desirable to undertake various practices to win the grace of the Lord at this young age while you have the energy and ability to learn and concentrate. It is quite probable that some of your friends may point out to you that this is the age to make a success of yourself in worldly affairs. They will advise you to earn money and enjoy life. According to their way of thinking, the pursuit of God can be kept in abeyance till the age of retirement from active life. 

But, the fact is that the young age, being impressionable and formative, is the right age to develop sacred ideas and practice spiritual sadhanas. It is common knowledge that if throughout one’s life one pursues Maya, then at the time of death it will not be possible to divert one’s thoughts towards God. Therefore, now is the time for you to lay the foundation for a good future."

Thank you Swami for showing me your presence today!!

Saturday 20 August 2011

God's love engulfs me - Lovely lines I chanced to read today!

God loves me in this very moment, just as I am. I do not have to change myself or perform some special task in order to earn divine love, for as God's child, I am loved freely and completely.

God's love for me is always present, regardless of circumstances. Therefore, my actions in the past cannot deprive me of God's love.

Through God's infinite love for me, I am continually nourished and encouraged to do better. The past is over, and God upholds me in doing my best right now.

God's love surrounds and enfolds me, uplifting me at all times. I am one with God's love, and it flows through me like a cleansing stream, healing past hurts and carrying me forward with great confidence. Enfolded in God's love, I am at peace.

Saturday 13 August 2011

Realizing God through Intense Love

Lovely lines from one of Baba's Nectarine Discourses

The only easy and sure means for ordinary people to realize God, 
without regard to their caste, nationality, sex or any other qualification,
and without their having to practice various austerities and penances, 
is intense devotion and love for God. 

The Gopikas experienced the continuous presence of God within and without. 
They showed that such sublime love was possible for ordinary persons,
with little knowledge of the scriptures or spiritual disciplines.
They demonstrated the inextricable link between the Divine and the individual.

Thursday 11 August 2011

Feeling God's presence every moment!

I was just stunned today by the many coincidences I came across. I really felt God's love and presence so much!!

I was searching for a suitable quote on the Radio Sai site relating to the keywords "love" and "expansion" and I really liked what I got -- "Expansion of love is life, contraction of love is death." Now, in the evening, when I was looking through the quotes in my Sai diary, I came across exactly the same quote in the page for tomorrow. Amazing!

Later in the evening, just as it crossed my mind that Swami's work is of top priority and that all other work comes only next, including meeting friends, the lines "Putr, pita, bandhu, mitr saathi sabhi koi tere kaam nahi aayenge kabhi, Bas prabhu ke charanon mein ..." came up in the song I was listening to -- "Ek mantra japte raho Shyam Shyam Shyam". I could only smile to myself, acknowledging His presence and thanking Him for the same.

Then, later, I somehow kept praying to Swami to bless me with His darshan at least in dreams. And similar lines came up in the section of "Sathyam Shivam Sundaram" that I was reading - "Poor fellow! When he left, he prayed for My darshan at least in dreams! I must give him the chance!" 

And now, as if to reaffirm that it is indeed He who made these events occur in such a striking and coincidental manner, I see that the chapter's title is "The Constant Presence" for the particular quote from the "Sathyam Shivam Sundaram" book. 

My faith just keeps growing with every passing day!







Monday 8 August 2011

Nice quote for today

"You need to make a commitment, and once you make it, 
then life will give you some answers." - Lee Brown

Making a commitment means more than saying "I'll try." 
It means saying "I'm all in. I'm totally committed here. 
Even if the going gets rough.
In fact, especially then."

Someone once said, aging puts wrinkles on the body. 
Quitting puts wrinkles on the soul.

Saturday 6 August 2011

Thought for the day

Greatness comes not when things always go good for you. 
But the greatness comes when you're really tested, when you take some knocks, some disappointments, when sadness comes.

Because only if you've been in the deepest valley,
you can know how magnificent it is to be on the highest mountain.




Wednesday 3 August 2011

God's love is so wonderful!

I received a lovely PPT last evening. I've uploaded it on Google Docs. The link is given below. I felt so blessed and at peace after going through the entire presentation. Felt God's presence so much. Hope you too enjoy the presentation!

Tuesday 2 August 2011

A touch of tolerance is better than an apple a day!

Interesting words I received in my email today. I felt God's presence, 'coz I know He chose these words to reach me today. 

If you become ruffled with every comment that you consider a 'slight,' you will never find peace. 

Nor will you find it by always separating yourself from those who ruffle you. 

You can only end so many friendships before you find yourself very much alone. 

You can keep making new friends, of course, but sooner or later they will ruffle you -- and then what?

Perhaps the better course might be to let the ruffle go. People rarely mean it when they do that, and a touch of gentle tolerance and easy forgiveness every day is even better than an apple...

Thursday 28 July 2011

Accepting even trials and tribulations as God's will

It is very tough to maintain equanimity when one is burdened with a lot of trials and tribulations. But, nothing happens without God's will. When we accept problems as part of life, we will understand that they are placed with a purpose. Everything is for our own good. 

Unless the gold undergoes hammering and beating in the fire, can it acquire the shape of a beautiful jewel? No! Similarly, the problems and challenges we face in life only toughen our character. Holding on to the Lord's feet in such troublesome times will help us handle such tough situations.

I felt at peace on reading the following lines from an old Divine Discourse by Baba.

Even the sorrows and difficulties we experience are for our own good. They are preludes to happiness and bliss. If you cultivate such positive outlook, you will always be blissful.





Thursday 21 July 2011

Of thanking in advance - Shows our faith in God

Lovely lines - a great lesson for life!
 
Gratitude in advance is the most powerful creative force in the universe. 

Most people do not know this. Yet, it is true. 

Expressing thankfulness in advance is the way of all Masters. 

So do not wait for a thing to happen and then give thanks.

Give thanks before it happens, and watch energies swirl!

To thank God before something occurs is an act of extraordinary faith. And that, of course, is where the power comes from.