THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

Life is a mosaic of pleasure and pain - grief is an interval between two moments of joy. Peace is the interlude between two wars. You have no rose without a thorn; the diligent picker will avoid the pricks and gather the flowers. There is no bee without the sting; cleverness consists in gathering the honey nevertheless. Troubles and travails will haunt you. But you must not allow them to deflect you from the path of duty and dedication. The world today is afflicted with anxiety, fear, depression, hatred, greed and suspicion. The only way the world can be set right is for man to realise his high destiny; for every man yearns for two boons - attainment of joy and escape from sorrow.

- BABA

Swami Vivekananda's Speeches

The World Parliament of Religions, Chicago

WELCOME ADDRESS - Chicago, Sept 11, 1893

Sisters and Brothers of America,

It fills my heart with joy unspeakable to rise in response to the warm and cordial welcome which you have given us. I thank you in the name of the most ancient order of monks in the world; I thank you in the name of the mother of religions, and I thank you in the name of millions and millions of Hindu people of all classes and sects.

My thanks, also, to some of the speakers on this platform who, referring to the delegates from the Orient, have told you that these men from far-off nations may well claim the honor of bearing to different lands the idea of toleration. I am proud to belong to a religion which has taught the world both tolerance and universal acceptance. We believe not only in universal toleration, but we accept all religions as true. I am proud to belong to a nation which has sheltered the persecuted and the refugees of all religions and all nations of the earth. I am proud to tell you that we have gathered in our bosom the purest remnant of the Israelites, who came to Southern India and took refuge with us in the very year in which their holy temple was shattered to pieces by Roman tyranny. I am proud to belong to the religion which has sheltered and is still fostering the remnant of the grand Zoroastrian nation. I will quote to you, brethren, a few lines from a hymn which I remember to have repeated from my earliest boyhood, which is every day repeated by millions of human beings: "As the different streams having their sources in different paths which men take through different tendencies, various though they appear, crooked or straight, all lead to Thee."

The present convention, which is one of the most august assemblies ever held, is in itself a vindication, a declaration to the world of the wonderful doctrine preached in the Gita: "Whosoever comes to Me, through whatsoever form, I reach him; all men are struggling through paths which in the end lead to me." Sectarianism, bigotry, and its horrible descendant, fanaticism, have long possessed this beautiful earth. They have filled the earth with violence, drenched it often and often with human blood, destroyed civilization and sent whole nations to despair. Had it not been for these horrible demons, human society would be far more advanced than it is now. But their time is come; and I fervently hope that the bell that tolled this morning in honor of this convention may be the death-knell of all fanaticism, of all persecutions with the sword or with the pen, and of all uncharitable feelings between persons wending their way to the same goal.

District meeting

This sunday 26th july, district meeting at KOTTAYAM SAMITHY. All the office bearers are requested to attend the meeting.

sairam

ticket reservation

sairam,

The seats are less in Banglore island express. so please book your seats as early as possible.

seats are available in
1) ernakulam - banglore city 30/sept at 5 pm Train no: 7683

2) ernakulam - banglore city 30/sept at 8 pm Train no: 6322

3) Island express 30/sept at 4.30 pm Train no: 6525


return on 4/oct

banglore- kottayam island express at 9.45 pm Train no: 6526
banglore - kochuveli (through alleppey) 5 pm Train no: 6315

Love.

Give joy to all. Practicing Selfless Love is the way to achieve this ideal. When Love can bring even God near you, how can it fail where human beings are involved? God dwells in a pure heart, shining in His innate splendor of Wisdom, Power and Love. Start the day with Love. Spend the day with Love. Fill the day with Love. End the day with Love. That is the way to God

"RAMAYANAM"

Ramam tapovanadighamanam, Hathwa mrugham kanchanam, Vydhehi haranam, Jadayu maranam Sugreeva sambhashanam, Paschad ravana kumbakarna hananam. Edad hi ramayanam

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

Strive - that is your duty. Yearn, that is your task. Struggle, that is your assignment. If only you do these, sincerely and steadily, God cannot keep back for long the reward of realization. The river strives, yearns and struggles to merge with the sea from which it came. It has that consummation ever alert in its consciousness. It attempts to make itself pure and pellucid so that it may be welcomed by its source. It overcomes every obstacle of terrain in order to journey successfully towards it goal. Similarly, you too must utilize all the physical, mental, intellectual, moral and material endowments that God has granted you so that you may journey to the goal of Realization.

- Divine Discourse, Feb 16 1977

Take an ordinary postal envelope. Upon it, in golden ink, write the address of a person in artistic calligraphy. Insert a beautiful worded letter full of amazing sentiments, and drop it into a postbox. What happens to it? It will not move even a yard away! Now take a simple post card, scribble unimpressive things with no special care, affix a stamp, an address and drop it into the box. What happens? The artistically ornamental envelope is inert, while the inartistic cheap document travels a thousand miles towards the person indicated. Therefore, whatever may be the uniqueness or importance, the furore or attractiveness, the service that you do can yield no fruit if it is done without a pure chiththa (thought or intention).

-Divine Discourse, Mar 6, 1977

thought for the day

By saturating work with love, it can be transformed into worship. When such work is offered to God, it gets sanctified into puja (sacramental worship). This makes it free from ego. It is also freed from the earthly desire for success and the earthly fear of failure. When you can feel that when you have done the work as best as you can, your puja is complete. It is then for Him who has accepted the puja to confer on you what He considers best. This attitude will make the work unattached. Regular practice of this discipline will render the consciousness clear and pure. Without this practice, however prospective your career might be, however much you may accumulate the wherewithal of a comfortable life, to whatever heights of authority you may have climbed through the exercise of intelligence, your gains shall be nothing, unless your every activity is suffused with the Divine purity, that is inherent in consciousness.

SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT

PROPOSED PROGRAMS FOR SAI YOUTH CAMP AT PUTTAPARTHI ARE
DRAMA
BHAJAN
CHENDAMELAM(SAIYOUTH KTYM)
youth who are interested in the co-ordination activities pls urgently contact dist. youth incharge Aravind 9447779857 or dist. co-ordinator suresh9447599178.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

Once the person is drawn to the Divine, the process of culturing or "Samskara" begins. Without this, the individual is fallow and feeble. He has no dignity or personality. A worthless steel lump is transformed by skilful manipulation and reconstruction into a watch that is worth several units of money. This is the result of the Samskara, which turned a steel lump into an useful tool for indicating time. In a similar manner, one can be transformed into a noble, efficient, happy and disciplined member of the society by implanting in him/her good thoughts, good feelings, good deeds and good emotions. Such transformed persons will spontaneously engage themselves in the task of promoting human welfare. They will be promoters of the ideals of the brotherhood of the man and the fatherhood of God.

Let us consider the act of "Chamatkara," the acts that attract and cause you to wonder. You see a flower. You long to hold it in your hand only when its colour or fragrance is attractive. You enter the market and see heaps of fruits. If the fruits are not attractive, you have no urge to eat them and benefit by them. Attraction is the nature of the Divine. When one renounces one's selfish desires, his/her love expands unto the farthest regions of the Universe until that person becomes aware of the Cosmic Love that feeds all.
- Divine Discourse, Nov 23, 1976

GREAT CONCEPT