Precious Time
Of all precious things in the world, time is the most precious. Think over how you are spending your precious time. Your primary duty as a human being is to offer your body, your work, and your time to the Lord, who is the very embodiment of time.
Health that is spoiled and lost can sometimes be recovered with the help of medicines. But, time that has gone by is lost for good; there is no way for it ever to come back and be used again. You have to make every effort to make use of this precious time in a sacred manner. Time is infinity; it goes on forever. But the time allotted to you is only a microscopically small fraction of that. Many of you are wasting your lives by thinking that the phenomenal world is real; as a result, you are using all your limited time for enjoying the pleasures of the world. If you reflect even for a moment on what you have achieved and how you have spent your priceless time, you will be very sorry to find that you have used it in such a wasteful way.
You are thinking only of fulfilling your desires and anticipating the comforts that you see before you, not thinking at all of what is lurking behind you, waiting to pounce on you. You are wasting your time without realizing the harm that may befall you in the future. You cannot know at what time, in what place, and under what circumstances danger may present itself and come your way. Therefore, you have to sanctify the time at your disposal now and use it properly, recognizing its sacredness and preciousness.
Digest 2, p. 336
The god of death is called Kaala, time. Time is the god of death; time knows no mercy; when the time is over, you have to leave. Each day, your span is shortened by 24 hours. The dying person spins a rope around his neck by every act of his all his life…. All acts done with egoism, self-interest, an eye on the beneficial consequence or the fruits give a little more length, a stronger twist to that rope.
Digest, p. 155
You must examine your own equipment and decide on what to discard and what to retain. All qualities, attitudes, habits that remind you of the absolute into which you have to merge have to be retained and developed. All that draw you away into the relative world of time and space have to be discarded or at least recognized as having but temporary value.
All the joy you crave for is in you; however, like a man who has vast riches in the iron chest, but has no idea where the key is, you suffer. With proper directions, dwelling upon them in the silence of meditation, it is possible to secure the key, open the chest, and be rich in joy!
Sathya Sai Speaks, Vol. 4, p. 264
