GEM 721

Whatever sacred acts you may do in the external world, if you have no purity of mind and heart, all of them are valueless.

(From : Garland of 1008 Gems, Bhagawan Shri Sathya Sai Baba's Sayings)

Prayers

Prayers for worldly ends do not reach God.  They will reach only those deities who deal with such restricted spheres.  But all prayers arising from pure love, unselfish eagerness to render service, and from hearts that are all-inclusive will reach God.

(Sathya Sai Speaks, Vol II, pg 68)

Envy

Q491

How is the rosary to be held in the fingers for rolling the beads during japa ?



Hold the rosary over the middle finger, keeping the three Guna-fingers together.  This means that you are now transcending the world of attributes and qualities, of name and form, of multiplicity that is the consequence of all this transformation, and proceeding towards the knowledge of the UNITY.  The Jeevi finger now slowly passes each bead towards the thumb (Brahman), touching the tip of the Brahman finger when the bead passes over, so that the mergence is emphasized with every bead and every breath, for, while the fingers learn and teach the lesson, the tongue too repeats the mantra (holy formula) or the Name, with the Pranava (the primal sound of OM).

(SSS Vol 9, pg 29)

Strength and Courage

It takes strength to fit in.

It takes courage to stand out.

It takes strength to feel a friend's pain.

It takes courage to feel your own pain.

It takes strength to hide your own pains.

It takes courage to show them.

It takes strength to endure abuse.

It takes courage to stop it.

It takes strength to stand alone.

It takes courage to lean on another.

It takes strength to love.

It takes courage to be loved.

It takes strength to survive.

It takes courage to live.

- Author Unknown -

GEM 720

Too much food results in dullness of mind.

(From : Garland of 1008 Gems, Bhagawan Shri Sathya Sai Baba's Sayings)

Friends and Foes

The body is the ball filled with air of Divinity; it is kicked in play by six players on one side (the six FOES : Lust, Anger, Attachment, Pride and Hate) and six on the other side (the six FRIENDS : Truth, Righteousness, Peace, Love, Compassion and Fortitude).  The goal-posts are on each side and if the ball is kicked so that it passes through them, the Dharmavidya (Moral Attachment) and Brahmavidya (Spiritual Attainment), those who kick it so can claim victory.

(Gems of Wisdom, Characteristics of Man, pg 283)

Complaints

Love And Madness

One day, all the vices and virtues were gathered together and were more bored than ever. Suddenly, Ingenious came up with an idea "Let's play hide and seek!" 

All of them liked the idea and immediately,

Madness shouted: "I want to count, I want to count!"

And since nobody was crazy enough to want to seek Madness,

all the others agreed.

Madness leaned against a tree and started to count "One, two, three..."

As Madness counted, the vices and virtues went hiding.

Tenderness hung itself on the horn of the moon... 

Treason hid in a pile of garbage... 

Fondness curled up between the clouds...

and Passion went to the centre of the earth.... 

Lie said that it would hide under a stone, 

but hid at the bottom of the lake... 

whilst Avarice entered a sack that he ended up breaking.

And Madness continued to count: .... "seventy nine, eighty, eighty one..."

By this time, all the vices and virtues were already hidden - except Love.

For undecided as Love is, he could not decide where to hide. 

And this should not surprise us, because we all know how difficult it is to hide Love.

Madness: "...ninety five, ninety six, ninety seven..."

Just when Madness got to one hundred......... 

Love jumped into a rose bush where he hid. 

And Madness turned around and shouted: "I'm coming, I'm coming!"

As Madness turned around, Laziness was the first to be found, 

because Laziness had no energy to hide. 

Then he spotted Tenderness in the horn of the moon, 

Lie at the bottom of the lake 

and Passion at the centre of the earth

One by one, Madness found them all - except Love.

Madness was getting desperate, unable to find Love.

Envious of Love, Envy whispered to Madness: "You only need to find Love,

and Love is hiding in the rose bush." 

Madness grabbed a wooden pitch fork and stabbed wildly at the rosebush. 

Madness stabbed and stabbed until a heartbreaking cry made him stop. 

Love appeared from the rose bush, covering his face with his hands. 

Between his fingers ran two trickles of blood from his eyes. 

Madness, so anxious to find Love, 

had stabbed out Love's eyes with a pitch fork.

"What have I done! What have I done!" Madness shouted.

"I have left you blind! How can I repair it?"

And Love answered: "You cannot repair my eyes. But if you want to do

something for me, you can be my guide."

And so it came about that from that day on,

Love is blind and is always accompanied by Madness ... 

~ Author Unknown ~

Reverence

In search of my mother's garden, I found my own.

- Alice Walker

When I look at the vastness of an ocean or stand at the foot of a towering mountain, I am awestruck by the power and glory of God.  And I feel especially filled with reverence when I realise that the divine energy which created such majesty also created me.

As I consider the beauty and greatness of natural wonders, I might feel insignificant in comparison.  However, I know nothing could be further from the truth.  I am not insignificant at all!  I am important and unique, for I, too, am God's creation.

This understanding fills me with a deep sense of peace that lingers like the pleasing aroma of a flowering garden.  As I live each day from the peace and strength within me, I remember who I am : a creation of the Almighty.

I am at peace, for I am one of God's beloved creations.

(From : 'Daily Word' magazine by Silent Unity, a world wide prayer ministry)