Love reading?Do Read with love

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Shri Krishna elucidates a very important fact, in Shrimad Bhagavad Gita, Chapter 18, Verse 68: Amongst My devotees, those who teach this most confidential knowledge perform the greatest act of love. They will come to Me, without doubt. (‘most confidential knowledge’ refers to the inherent meaning of the Gita)

Om Sai Shri Sai Jai Jai Sai! 🙏🏻🎁

As the temperatures soar, passions are on the rise too- anger, irritation, animosity and such increase since one can’t deal with the environmental, energy sapping heat that’s a killjoy. The breeze has turned a spoilsport adding to the misery, thus kindling anxiety and restlessness. In times like this, post work, be it in the house or office or elsewhere, one must settle down to quiet time, spent with self. Should we do so, we will begin to travel to ourselves, the true ‘Me’, move inward, to come face to face with a totally different person who is entirely reasonable and peace-loving! 🅿️

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Try it. Searching the real you, that is… and through it rediscovering that ‘person’ who had first come into this world- pure, innocent, untainted. Actually, if just spending time with oneself isn’t an exciting option, one can choose a book for company. A companion that gives so much without asking for too much in return. Reading demands just one thing- ‘loving attention’. That’s all, reading with love and concentration will quieten us, relax us and soothe frayed nerves. A beautiful distraction that is purposeful. This distraction will gain tremendous meaning and significance if the book that we choose pertains to progress of the Self. No, not self-help books, rather books that help to reach the real you that lives deep within and waits patiently to be discovered. Spiritual books walk us on the path of understanding our true goal and purpose in life. But again the crucial element remains LOVE. Dedicated reading, with positive emotions within, are a great way of being able to focus and draw meaning from what is being read. Interestingly, the meaning that one understands will depend on that individual’s requirements and abilities. That’s because the divine is at work and doles out what is best for the reader and in her/his interest too. 😇🙇‍♀️

So, when Balasaheb Deo sat down to read the Dnyaneshwari and just couldn’t direct his mind to the reading on several occasions, he became dejected because there was no point of further reading, without absorbing the inherent gems of knowledge. In Ovi 83, of Chapter 41, Baba’s choice for this Tuesday, this very restlessness arising out of lack of success is talked about. The Ovi says:

Whenever he took up the Dñyaneshwari, some doubts arose in his mind. So his reading became superficial and he could not create love for it. (Ovi 83, Chapter 41, The Bestowal of Sai’s Grace and Favour)

Some details: Who is ‘he’? It’s Balkrishna Vishwanath alias Balasaheb Deo, Sai Baba’s devotee, Mamlatdar at Dahanu (near Mumbai). What is Dñyaneshwari? (a commentary on the Bhagavad Gita written by a saint, Sant Dnyaneshwar. Also called Jnanesvari, Jnaneshwari or Bhavartha Deepika.

While reading, it is natural for questions or doubts to arise, but then these get resolved by the Guru seated within your heart. However, if these doubts persist, the reading becomes ineffective and that’s how it had come to pass with Deo, who was thus disappointed. 😞

You may have noticed in the verse from BG, at the start of this post, Shri Krishna talks of conveying the true essence of the holy text and he declares that one who does so, actually commits an act of love, of the highest kind. So, whether reading alone or reciting before others while reading, the key input for a successful output is LOVE. That’s because when one treats a matter with love, one is committed to it heart, mind, body and soul and thus all energies are directed towards the task, ensuring its success. ✌️🤩

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So if you want to beat the heat and the blues thereof, do consider reading. You may choose your kindle or phone, a hard copy or soft copy, a pdf or a printed page, that’s of little significance as compared to how you read and of course what you read too! 😊Coz if you read matters of spiritual progress with love, you will find yourself miles ahead from where you were when you began this meaningful reading. 😍🌄😀

Happy reading- this post as well as the book you wanna start with!

Suggested reading list:

1. Shree Sai Satcharita        2. Bhagavad Gita                   3. Sripad SriVallabha Charitram
2. Transcendent Journey      5. Baba’s Gurukul                 6. Baba’s Rinanubandh 7 Baba’s Divine Symphony   8. Baba’s Vani                       9. A Divine Journey with Baba10. Shirdi Sai Baba: His Divine Manifestations 11. Baba’s Anurag ( Books 5 to 11 from Dr Vinny Chitluri)

Catch up last Tuesday’s blog HERE

Till we meet on Thursday, it’s Sai Ram 👋🏻🙏🏻to each one, and yes….stay blessed! 💖❣️