Discourse by Ryuko Hira in Geneva on Sathya Sai Water Project

[Guest guest]

his consciousness. This delusion is a kind of prison,

restricting us to our personal desires and to affection for a

few persons nearest to us. Our task must be to free ourselves

from this prison by widening our circle of compassion to

embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its

beauty. -Albert EinsteinDear One,This details

a discourse given in Geneva by Ryuko Hira on the SATHYA SAI DIVINE GRACE WATER

PROJECT.

 

COLLECTION: PREETHAM SAI P.V.

MANGALORE,INDIA.===================================R. Hira

Speaks:Sisters and Brothers!In the preparation for Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai

Baba's 70th birthday I havebeen given much work and little time. That's Baba's

way! The lesson fromthis is that "in other's welfare lies our gain". The title

of thisproject, the Sathya Sai Divine Grace Water Project, was given by a

poetfrom Thailand who has written poems on Baba in Thai and in English. Hereis

one example: "Sai Baba has set the

norm For worship at its highest form. To remove the misery of others

And to treat all beings as brothers."Water for 700 villagesThe area called

Rayalaseema, in which Puttaparthi is located, lies in theState of Andhra

Pradesh. Although this area is the birthplace of Sri

Sathya Sai Baba Himself, it has year after year been stricken by drought,with

continuous serious shortages of water. This scarcity has causedunbearable

suffering to many people who are our sisters and brothersliving there. With

their children they walk barefooted in the hot sun, anaverage of 4.6 km every

day, carrying heavy pots of water on their heads. There is also a high arsenic

content in the wells due to contaminationfrom the soil, and this has produced

serious lesions on the

feet and handsof the people. The Central Government of India and the State

Governmenthave been trying their best to alleviate this water shortage,

whichaffects not only India but other countries also in Asia. The UnitedNations

has said that water will be the world's most critical resource bythe year 2000.

Recently the Far Eastern Economic Review had a specialarticle on water shortage.

Baba has come for the whole universe but He will answer first those whopray

sincerely. To remove the suffering and the sickness of these peopleHe

announced on 23 November 1994 that within one year He will supplypotable

drinking-water to 700 villages with a total population of about1.3 million

(500-3000 in each village). On 23 November 1995 we shallcelebrate Baba's 70th

birthday and all these 700 villages, because of

HisDivine Will, will receive water. There are many more needy villageswhich,

hopefully, the Sai Organisation will be encouraged to take up in asecond and

third phase. *A chance to

serve*We refer to ourselves as the Sai family and we say we love Babaas our

mother and father. As He is feeling the pain andsuffering of the people in the

villages, we cannot say they aresuffering alone. Baba's heart is with the poor

and with theneedy. His heart is with the people who are thirsty wherever

theyare. If we accept Him as our mother and father we are part of

thefamily. We cannot be selfish in our relationship with Baba. Wehave to make

a choice in this 70th year: are we really a Saifamily or do we only name

ourselves as Sai family? RepeatedlyBaba says, "I and We are one, You and I are

one". This is achance He has given to us--- to become a part of His mission.

On25th February this year, shortly before Mahashivarathri, largecrowds were

sitting waiting for Baba's darshan but He did notappear. What was He doing? He

was talking about the greatspiritual significance of this water project to 600

students inthe Poornachandra Hall, which I shall summarize below. And Hecame

out for darshan at 8 o'clock instead of 6:45!There are five methods by which

water could be supplied. (1) To sinkwells in the dry river beds. (2) To

establish

canals from the existingirrigation canals. (3) To construct summer storage

reservoirs (to preventevaporation of the water due to the intense heat). (4)

To sink bore-wellswherever there is a resource of water in the ground itself.

(5) Toprovide overhead storage tanks with capacities of about 150,000 litres

ofwater. The total cost of this project is estimated at US$ 70

million,approximately twice the budget we had for constructing the hospital,

orabout $ 100,000 per village. These estimates include the cost of surveysof

water availability and quality, supplies and equipment, the boring anddrilling,

the pump installations, and so forth. Baba's projects are soholy and sacred

that every person involved ---whether non-devotee ordevotee--- does the best

possible. Some 2000 km of the main pipeline arenow being installed using

appropriate materials. When Baba does somethingit is permanent and the pipes

will ---like the hospital--- last a thousandyears. This seva we are undertaking

will live beyond our physical bodies. Thus, Baba has given us a chance in this

body to gain the merit of athousand years. *Spiritual

Significance*Why has Baba undertaken this project in this 70th birthday year?

What isits spiritual significance? What is the gift we can give Him for His

70thbirthday? What does He want from us? Among the answers are that He

wantsour love and devotion, or wants us to be good, but I should like tomention

a rather special answer, which arises from the following questionsposed by Baba.

(1) Who rules the universe? The answer usually is

God, the

Creator orBhagavan Himself. (2) Who rules God? God is ruled by Truth. (3)

Whorules Truth? Baba said the noble souls rule Truth. The only gift Babawants

is that we should become noble. We should become noble and behappy. The

spiritual significance of this water programme is that,through this process, He

has given us a chance in this 70th birthday yearto make ourselves noble and

happy. In His talk to the students Baba said that two-thirds of ourplanet is

water, which is the life source. One can manage tolive without food but not

without water. Water is the symbol ofpurity. And as purity is divinity, water

is God. But why iswater the symbol of purity? Baba gave three explanations.

(1) Water originates in the form of God from the head ofShiva, as the Ganges

river, which is symbolic to the Indians. (2) What is the role of the

ocean? It is to clean theuniverse. Through the evaporation process we have rain

whichcleans every plant, every road and everything else that has tobe cleaned.

(3) Now who cleans the ocean? It is the duty of the fish topurify the ocean.

The very strong odour in fish is related toall the dirt they have collected.

So, water is a purifier andits job is to purify. Purity is Divinity, water is

God! In a letter to a student, which was published in the book

calledPremadhara, Baba asks, "How will you know that I am near to you?"

Theanswer is, "When your mouth is parched and you can hardly speak, in thefirst

sip of cool water you take I am soothing you. So, think of Me for Iam the

water." In the Gita, Lord Krishna has said, "I am the taste ofwater". This

precious water is often wasted. If one drop of water leaks everysecond from a

tap, in one day this amounts

to 50 gallons (227 litres) ofwater lost. Washing the car with a hose wastes a

lot of water, so use abucket. In toilet flushes in our homes much water is

being used up. Whenwashing dishes or brushing our teeth the water is allowed

to run. Wateris sacred. To give water is to give God. God is Love. To give

Love is togive water. The service of giving water is the highest form of

worship.In religious ceremonies, e.g., Christian baptism, water represents

aspiritual element. The significance of this particular seva is torecognise

God in man, seeing the oneness in all humanity. Baba has takenup this project

in order to raise every devotee who participates, throughAdvaita or non-

dualism, to see the oneness as we cross national orgeographical borders. For

example, when offering your heart to thosethirsty people--- whether in China or

in India, you are crossing German,Swiss and other frontiers

to serve the one "caste" of humanity. Bysharing the pain and by lightening the

burden of those who suffer infamines, earthquakes and other calamities, we

should not think that we arehelping God because there is nothing that man can

do for God. We are onlypractising what Baba has said, thereby helping

ourselves to become noble. We all know that, by Baba's Will, simply raising His

hand He could start ahundred rivers of water to flow. But the Master of nature

follows the lawof Truth, the law of nature. Therefore this is Baba's leela

(divine play)and we must not be deceived by the illusion. This is not a

project forwhich any money has to be raised. It is the consciousness that has

to beraised. *How can I serve?*How can _I_ serve in this

project? There are five ways. (1) The

seva of prayer. One day Baba was in His car and, pointing to abeggar, He told

the person seated next to Him, "Yes, it is good to givemoney to a beggar, but

it will last only a day. The prayer you offer willchange the life of that

person. The prayer will reach God and it willbring a transformation of that

person." We say a prayer before we eat,but for 30 seconds in this particular

year of the 70th birthday--- beforeyou drink any fluids--- you must think of

the pain, the suffering andproblems of the people who have nothing, not even a

glass of water. (2) The seva of the intellect. Architects, engineers,

andgeologists, and others engaged in water supply and relatedfields, who can

and want to help, are welcome to speak to their[local Sai Seva] Coordinators.

(3) Physical labour by volunteers was planned originally, aswas the

case during construction of the hospital, but there aremajor problems. For

example, the villages are scattered in theinterior of the State with no proper

living accommodation andother facilities. Moreover, for each foreign devotee

we wouldrequire two Indians to help him! For your information, 13,000people

are now working two shifts a day to finish this projectin time. One truck load

can carry only two pipes, so you canimagine how great a task it is to lay down

2000 km. (4) Supply of materials such as pumps, pipes, tanks and

otherconstruction materials. Please note that all the materials mustmeet the

required local specifications. (5) Monetary resources. You already know

that Bhagavan Baba,the Central Trust and the Sathya Sai Organisation never

solicitany

donations. This project is not open for donations, it is openfor sadhana. It is

open for sacrifice, to take us to noblerheights. If God was for sale, people

would try to "buy" Him. We receive everything from God totally free and it is

our duty,it is our Dharma to volunteer and participate wholeheartedly inevery

seva project that Baba announces. As active members in the Sai family we must

open our eyes and raise ourconsciousness to become a part of Baba's mission.

This project is lookingfor earnest, wholehearted people who want to do seva.

Baba says, "My lifeis My message". But what is the message in this 70th

birthday year? Thereare different views and interpretations of His message, but

to me the 70thbirthday and the divine water project can mean only one thing,

which Hehas repeated in every discourse this year: sacrifice,

sacrifice,sacrifice! When Baba said, "Expansion is My life", what did He mean

byexpansion? You must expand your heart. Do not restrict it to your templeor

house, your centre or your region. Baba is universal. We are part ofHis

family, so we are universal. *In the service of God*Recently

in China I was asked, "Why should the Chinese Sai organisationdonate money for

water in India?" I should therefore like to clear anydoubts some of you may

have. When God created the universe He did not nameany country, nor did He draw

any boundary lines---you are in China and Iam in England. It is one universe!

It is one humanity! Since Baba is theAvatar, He knows which particular region

of this universe needs immediatehelp, which needs intermediate help, and which

needs secondary help. Wecannot determine the actions of the Avatar. We can only

follow. So if Hedecides that He is going to serve a particular district in

China, Americaor India, those who are in the Sai family must join with Him all

the waythrough. This is expansion of my life, expansion of my consciousness

torealise that the whole of humanity is one. The seva that Baba is doingcomes

first and must be given top priority. His projects are selfless andto

participate in them is the purest seva. In Puttaparthi, on the Vidyagiri hill

there are five statues of the GreatMasters---Lord Krishna, Lord Christ, Lord

Buddha, Zoroaster and LordShiva. But above them is a huge statue of Hanuman.

Why is this statue ofHanuman bigger than Shiva? Why is it higher? There is

great significancein whatever Baba does. Hanuman is the symbol of courage and

devotion. Hewas a servant of Lord Rama, but reached the divine heights by

serving. This is what Lord Hanuman has taught us. When you serve God in man,

thatservant becomes God. Baba has given us a chance in this 70th birthdayyear

to follow the quickest way from being a servant, or a devotee, to goto that

higher level like Hanuman. This project is a mammoth task. If you think it is

impossible, it willbecome impossible. The first thing therefore is to think

that it ispossible and we are going to do it. Why? Shortly before Lord Rama

was tobe crowned as king, he was ordered to leave the palace and go into

exilefor 14 years in the forest. His mother Kausalya, his wife Sita, and

hisyounger brother Lakshmana all wanted to go with him to the forest.

Thecitizens of Ayodhya, the capital of his kingdom, also walked all the wayto

the boundary of the forest to take leave of him. Even the

birds andthe monkeys under Hanuman supported him. Why was everybody helping

Rama? Because Rama's mission was Dharma. When our

mission is to serve the Avatar to serve humanity, this is Dharmaand nothing

will stand in our way. We may have no resources with us, nofinancial resources

or technical resources, but the greatest resource wehave is our own will

coinciding with the Divine Will. If we have thatwill, all the resources will

follow. Baba says in all His discourses thatDharma protects Dharma. If we

keep this in mind and follow the path ofDharma, nothing will come in our way.

*Ceiling on desires*How do we raise the money? This is possible through

the practice ofceiling on desires (COD), while

always keeping in mind that this wholeproject is an exercise in sadhana to help

make us "noble". The spiritualdiscipline of COD teaches us to limit our

personal desires, starting withsimple daily needs like several cups of coffee

or tea, soft drinks,cigarettes, alcohol, snacks, cosmetics, etc. Another

example is when formy birthday or wedding anniversary, I feel I should buy new

shoes or newclothes. But at what cost, the suffering of the people who have no

water? Unless our consciousness has expanded through the COD programme, we

shallnot know the true benefits. So we must constantly be aware of and

alwayspractise ceiling on desires. Phyllis Krystal and others have

describedvery well how to implement this programme. These texts could

betranslated and discussed widely to facilitate implementation. The actual

amount of money saved is secondary. If one person practices CODas an expression

of his or

her love for Baba and for all humanity, he orshe might save 2 or 3 dollars in a

day. From 1st June to 22nd November,we have about 170 days, so the savings can

amount to a few hundreddollars. When several people are involved in the COD

programme, a hugepool of money can be realised to support the project. What is

importantis to participate wholeheartedly in this sadhana. In the Sanathana

Sarathi (February 1995) is described a story about a boyin Baba's school in

Puttaparthi who practised ceiling on desires. A fewyears ago when the Super

Specialty hospital was being built, Baba was verybusy with the doctors and

architects, and He had very little time for thestudents who felt deeply this

separation from their Sai mother. One ofthese students one day offered Baba a

letter which He took. Baba thenreturned to the interview room with the

doctors. Normally

He would notcome out for an hour or so, but on this occasion He came out after a

fewminutes with the letter still in His hand. He called the boy to Him and,with

his permission, read out the letter to all who were in the verandah:

`Dear Bhagavan! `You have given so much to me and to

everyone here. You have provided free education for me and all my

brothers, and now I hear that you are constructing a BIG Hospital that

will provide the most modern health care facilities to every section of

the society totally free of cost. Bhagavan! I also want to be

a part of your glorious mission but I am just a small boy and I

don't know how I can contribute. My parents are extremely poor but, in

spite of that, they send me a little extra pocket money every month. I

know it's due to their love and concern for me. `Bhagavan! For the last

three months I have not given my clothes to the dhobi (washerman). While

all the other boys were sleeping in the night I washed my clothes and thus

I managed to save a little money. I have also resisted the temptation of

toffees, chocolates and all other things and thus managed to save a

little money. Bhagavan! I offer this 100-rupee note to you. I feel

ashamed and small to give you so little, but even if this money can be

used to buy a small brick for the foundation of the new hospital, I will

be the happiest child in the world. Your

loving Son'Baba said that these 100 rupees are worth millions of rupees to

Himbecause that "brick" is not made of mud, but of love and sacrifice and

wasgiven with a pure heart. This is what He wants from us all! Sisters and

Brothers, Baba will never ask you to do something. We have toopen ourselves to

see what we can

do. Look at His example--- using onebucket of water for His bath, or putting on

and off the lights each timeHe enters or leaves the interview room, thereby

saving energy. If youwant to benefit, if you want to be noble, if you want to

walk hand in handwith Baba, He has shown us how to do it. If you arrive in the

station oneminute after the train has left, you have missed it. November 22nd

is thelast day for 700 villages to celebrate this Divine Grace Water Project.

Those of you who would like to join must take steps and establish a

WaterCoordinator in each centre and see what kind of seva you would like to do.

This project is extremely urgent and demands top priority. Sai Ram! ------- End

of Transcription-----------------------------

Please note than the number of villages, which was initially 700, has been

revised upwards to 900, as confirmed directlyby Justice Bhagawati.

The talk by Ryuko Hira was given in the context of a two day meeting; the

idea to celebrate it came from Indulal Shah and Justice Bhagwati and was

approved by Swami, who sent a special message for the occasion; other speakers

were the above mentioned, Art Om Jumsai and a few more. [We are transcribing

the interventions]. Indulal Shah explicitly told the transcribing devotee to

give an account of what was said `to those who could not attend.' Thus this

discourse comes to you as Sai Seva through the grace of that transcriber,

EsterDelaFuente, to whom I offer grateful pranams.

http://www.hindunet.org/alt_hindu/1995_Jul_2/msg00120.html--

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a fine person does, so will others do; people effect behaviourby example.

-Bhagavad Gita

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