Can we control?

Can we control anything at all, i clearly came into a conclusion from these two following stories...

Story #1 : Control of Senses?

A spiritual aspirant went to a guru and asked guidance to improve his meditation and mind control. The all knowing guru directed him to do meditation in a river bed. Our man started it very enthusiastically and was continuing it for days until a gorgeous looking woman came to the river to fetch some water. Our man was stunned for that moment and later felt that he got completely distracted. Next day he closed his eyes tightly with a cloth and continued his sadhana. Now came the woman again and the sounds from her jewels fell into his ears and he again got disturbed. Next day he closes his ears too with a cloth, but got distracted by the scents of her flowers. So the following day he is completely wrapped himself closing his eyes, ears and nose and started his sadhana. Thanks to his wrap, there were no disturbance - sound, smell or sight. But the thought of her started to haunt him more because he was unaware of what is happening outside. He gave it up and went to the guru and narrated all these to him. The guru told him that it was the "mind and not anything which needs control”.

Story #2 : Control of Mind?

A king was affected with some unknown disease and all treatment given by the best doctors in his kingdom failed. A wise man heard about it and offered a medicine to the King. He said that there was only one rule to follow when he had to take the medicine. He should not think about "Monkey" when he takes the medicine. The King failed miserably to consume the medicine because the moment he took the pill in hand, Monkey thought haunted him. (The rest of story follows as to, he understood it is only in mind and gets cured etc..etc....not important for us). So it is clear that you cannot control your mind in any way.

So what do we do?...we can control neither our senses nor our mind (from say unnecessary thoughts).......solution?

From Satsang with great people and grace from Lord , i humbly feel we should work on the roots of the thoughts.

1. Set your goal first - Spiritual progress
2. Every thought which comes to your mind, analyze if it will take it to your goal. Pursue it only if you think it will.

From the story above, if we have to apply this solution...

if we see this gorgeous looking girl, and if we see our mind following thoughts/imagination that are directed towards her, try and remind it of its GOAL. Just an example the girl scenario was, we can use this in all unnecessary catches and hurdles which let us go towards our GOAL!!!

Note : Easy said, but tough to follow...I am also trying :-)

Maya – A simple explanation

Maya is like a baby sitter to whom the Mother[GOD] gives the baby[Us] to take care of. The  Mother goes into the next room and would not return until the baby’s cries are heard. The baby sitter tries in all possible ways[toys, chocolates, pranks….etc] so that the baby does not think about the mother. Till the baby realizes and shouts for the mother she will not turn up.

THE SAME WAY UNLESS WE WIN OVER THE MAYA AND CRY LOUD FOR GOD, HE WILL NOT SHOW UP!!!

The Three paths to Divinity

The very first article in the inaugural issue of Sanathana Sarathi was Bhagavan's 'Prema Vahini', or the 'Stream of Divine Love'. What else could it be, when Bhagavan has declared that if you ever want to give Me any appellation, call me "Premaswarupa or the Embodiment of love", for "Love is my form; Love is my instrument." And each devotee's life is a testimony to this unconditional all-encompassing love of Bhagavan.

For twenty-five months till February 1960, Swami assiduously penned for mankind the challenges and characteristics, norms and nuances of Divine love. Once and for all, Bhagavan settled the age-old controversy on the relative status of the three paths - Bhakti, Karma and Jnana (Devotion, Action and Knowledge) - that lead to God. He explained,

"I do not agree that Bhakti, Karma and Jnana are separate. I do not place any one before the other, nor will I accept a mixture of the three. Karma is Bhakti; Bhakti is Jnana. A piece of candy has taste, weight and shape; the three cannot be separated. Each bit has all the three; we do not find shape in one bit, weight in another and sweetness in the third. When the candy is placed on the tongue, the taste, the weight and the shape are simultaneously experienced. Similarly, Jnana, Karma and Bhakti may be truly experienced only as one whole."

Karma is love in action, Jnana is love experienced and Bhakti is love universally shared. Thus, Baba dismissed in one stroke all disputations about the superiority of any one of these disciplines over the other.

Prayer Of Surrender

Why get agitated? Let Me take care of your business. I shall be the One who will think about them. I am waiting for nothing else than your surrender to Me. I intervene only when you know how to completely surrender to Me, then you do not have to worry anymore about anything. Say Farewell to all fears and discouragement. You demonstrate that you do not trust Me. On the contrary, you must rely blindly on Me.

To surrender means: to turn your thoughts away from all your problems. Leave everything into My hands saying: Lord! Thy will be done, Thou think of it. That is to say: Lord, I thank you for You have taken everything in Your hands and you will resolve this for my highest good.

Remember that thinking of the consequences of a thing is contrary to surrender; that is to say when you worry that a situation has not had the desired outcome. You thus demonstrate that you don't believe in My love for you. You will prove that you don't consider your life to be under My control and that nothing escapes Me.

Never think: how is this going to end? What is going to happen? If you give into this temptation you demonstrate that you don't trust Me. Do you want Me to deal with it, yes or no? Then you must stop being anxious about it. I shall guide you only if you completely surrender to Me and when I must lead you into a different path than the one that you expect, I carry you in My arms.

What seriously upsets you is your reasoning, your worrying, your obsession and your will to provide for yourselves at any price. I can do so many things when the being, as much in his material necessities as in his spiritual ones turns to Me saying: You think of it, and rests quietly closing his eyes. You will receive a lot, but only when your prayer will fully rely upon Me. You pray to Me when in pain so that I will intervene, but in the way you desire it. You do not rely on Me, but you want me to adjust to your requests.

Don't believe like sick ones who ask the doctor to treat, all the time suggesting the treatment to him. Do not do that, but rather, even in sad circumstances say: Lord! I praise and thank you for this problem, for this necessity. I pray to you to arrange things as You please for this terrestrial and temporal life. You know very well what is best for me.

Sometimes you feel that disasters increase instead of diminishing! Don't get agitated. Close your eyes and tell Me with faith; Thy will be done. Thou think of it. And when you thus speak, I even accomplish a miracle when necessary. I only think of it when you trust Me totally. I always think of you, but I can only help you completely when you rely fully on Me.

-- Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai BABA

How To Offer Food to God

It is helpful if one has an altar already set up somewhere in your home, apartment or dorm. On this altar should be either a sacred image or a picture of God in any of His sacred forms. In addition, you can include images of your guru, saints, or other gods or godess on your altar - Durga, Ganesha, Sarasvati, etc. Images of God, however, should be the central focal-point of any altar used for meditation. If you don’t have an altar, then placing a simple image of God somewhere special will do.

When the food is ready, take a sampling of each preparation, along with a glass or cup of water, and place them all on a special plate that is used only for offering food to God. This plate must never be used for any other purpose than offering food in Prasada Meditation. Place the plate of food before the sacred image. Offer a little incense to God. Then, in a meditative and devotional state of mind, sit with eyes closed in meditation and recite several sacred mantras. And request the Lord to accept your offering. After you have offered the food in this way, the food that you have cooked is now sanctified and considered to be prasada, food transformed into the grace of God. By partaking in such food, we show our devotion to God, and thus make spiritual advancement. The food on the the plate should be re-merged into the food in the pots. Having thanked the Lord for accepting your offering, the prasada can now be eaten. The food should also be eaten with meditative awareness. While eating the prasada, please always be conscious and aware that you are partaking in the special grace of God. Eat with reverence, and enjoy!

-- www.saibabaofindia.com/sathwicfood