THE SPEAKING TREE: Stay Tuned to the Beauty of NatureSHAMMI PARANJAPE[ FRIDAY,
DECEMBER 17, 2004 12:00:01 AM ]
Life is not as ordinary as it seems. You just have to look around you to feel
the magic. A Chinese proverb says: "The miracle is not to fly in the air, or to
walk on water, but to walk on earth." Every so-called ordinary day is suffused
with the extraordinary; we just don’t take notice. "It is God who moves the dew
to drop, the lotus to bloom, the butterfly to flit and the Sun to rise. That is
all the power, all the wisdom, all the love, all the miracle that ever was, is,
and will be," says Sathya Sai Baba.

There is continually wonderful activity happening in Nature around us all.
Caught up as we are in the hurly-burly of our daily existence, we don’t make
the effort to observe. When did we last pay attention to the full moon
glittering in the night sky, or to the millions of twinkling stars? Flowing
water is taken for granted and its beauty or value is realised only when there
is water shortage and the tap goes dry. Remaining conscious of divine gifts
will not only make life enchanting, it will also make us value God’s gifts and
hence prevent misuse or wastage. Nothing should be taken for granted, least of
all Nature’s bounty, because Nature is the very crucible of life. All that
sustains life on earth — sunlight, air, food and water — come from Nature. Real
wealth is not in coins and currency but in our natural resources that are so
necessary for our very sustenance. So the more we stay in tune with Nature and
its rhythms, the more we stay tuned to ourselves. Sathya Sai Baba says:
"Humanity is a limb of Nature and Nature is a limb of the divine... Imbibe
wisdom from the sky, the clouds, the mountains, the rivers, the seasons, in
fact from all beings and things. Education is no book affair. The universe is
the university for those who care to watch and learn." Appreciation of the
beauty of God’s creation nourishes our inner spirit because Nature is a
reflection of God and revering Nature is to revere the Creator. It was the
belief that God is sarva-vyaapi and resides in every atom of creation that
impelled our ancients to worship Nature and its five elements. The story of
Bhakta Prahlad underlines the truth that God is Omnipresent. Prahlad, a great
devotee of Lord Narayana was in a constant state of bliss, chanting the name of
Hari. His father, the tyrant Hiranyakashyap, swollen with false ego, tried every
evil device to stop this incessant chanting. He failed. In the end, utterly
exasperated, he asked Prahlad: "Who is this God that protects you? Where is
He?" Prahlad told his father that God was everywhere in the cosmos from the
microcosm to the macrocosm. "Is your God then in this pillar, too?" he taunted
his son. "Yes", said Prahlad. Hiranyakashyap struck the pillar angrily with his
mace and Lord Narayana in the terrifying avatar of Narasimha — half-man,
half-lion — emerged. Ultimately, Nature is the best teacher. There are not only
lessons to be learnt but also joy to be experienced. The galleria of Nature is
meant to acquaint us with God’s glory and then lead us on to the Supreme artist
behind it all. This can be done by seeking from Nature the marvellous
inspiration for infusing truth, beauty and goodness — satyam, shivam, sundaram
— in our lives and thus sanctifying ourselves. Ideally, we should be able to
appreciate and enjoy these divine gifts within the parameters of dharma, with a
deep sense of gratitude, never forgetting that whatever beauty He creates, the
Creator Himself remains far more beautiful than all of his creations

sourced: http://www1.timesofindia.indiatimes....how/961169.cms

Yours in sai's seva


Deepak Bharwani
http://mumbai.mtnl.net.in/~sairam

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"Har taraf bahar hai,khushbu hai, chahak
hai,mahak hai.
Kal-kal ninad,ambar ki chchaya,chand-taron ki
jhilmilavat.
Masti bhari bayaar, jhar jhar bahta paani,
Unche paharon ki shaan aur athaah samudra
ki uthatee laharen avam tarange.
Ankhon ki chamak,chehare ki damak.
Dil ki dharkan, angon ki pharkan.
Yeh kaun hai jo hamere charo taraf
goonj raha, chahak raha hai aur hamare
dil dimaak par chaya hai.
Vah param Shakti Sai hai
Jo hamre beech aayee hai.
Usko ham yaad kare
Aur ham pyar kare .
Vah hame sab kuch dega.
Bas vishwas kare."
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With Sai Love,
S.L.Gupta,
Kanpur
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