The Times of India honors Swami. His quotations and the special article

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Sai Ram

 

"The Times of India" Editorial, 23 November 2005

 

Pearls of Wisdom by Swami

God... 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.

 

We should not feel that we are living just because there is a heartbeat.

Only when we perform worthy actions can we say that we are alive.

 

Everyday we must resolve to perform service. Whatever we have to do must be

looked upon as something divine and noble. Only then will work be transformed

into worship.

 

All the religions follow great paths. but it is the selfish ways of man that

make him quarrel and fight for the supremacy of his religion.

 

The motive behind the formation and propagation of different faiths was the

same. The founders were all persons filled with love and wisdom. none had the

design to divide, disturb or destroy.

 

They sought to train the passions and emotions, to educate the impulses and

direct the faculty of reason to paths beneficial to the individual and society.

 

 

Sri Sathya Sai Baba ( Today is the 80th birth anniversary of Sri Sathya

Sai Baba .)

 

Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/1304421.cms

 

------------ "The Times of India" Editorial, 23 November 2005

 

"Divine Incarnations Reveal The Path to Anand" Shammi Paranjape

Krishna assures in the Bhaga-vad Gita: "For the protection of the good, for

the destruction of evil forces, and the firm establishment of Dharma, I am born

in every age". It is commonly believed that God manifests periodically in every

age as an avatar.

 

Though gurus and saints are many, an avatar is a separate and singular

phenomenon comparable to none other. The guru is a realised soul on the ascent.

An avatar is an evolved soul who takes human form for the welfare of mankind.

 

When an avatar takes birth, it is a case of avatarana or descent of

divinity, in order to facilitate man's arohana or ascent to divinity.

 

An avatar's birth is voluntary through Vidya Maya or Yoga Maya whereas man

is born under the spell of Avidya Maya or ignorance. Man's body is 'mrinmayam',

made up of natural elements and his birth is karma janam or due to his past

actions, good or bad.

The avatar's body is 'chinmayam', embodiment of chith or pure consciousness

and His birth is either 'prem janam' (embodiment of love) or 'leela janam'

(sportive), brought about by prayers. God's descent on earth in human form can

only be an act of supreme compassion and love, to give you the key to ananda or

bliss.

He comes for the spiritual regeneration of humanity thro-ugh truth and love.

Sri Sathya Sai Baba says, "The avatar comes to reveal man to himself, to

restore to him his birthright of inner bliss.

 

He comes to awaken humanity to its spiritual reality and inform that every

human being is actually an avatar or incarnation of the Divine".

 

Though 21 avatars are mentioned in the Maha Bhagawata, there are usually

references to 10 — Matsya, Kurma, Varaha, Narasimha, Vaamana, Parashurama,

Rama, Krishna, Buddha and Kalki. They summarise the seekers' own spiritual

evolution and progress.

 

The avatar behaves in a human way, so that mankind can feel kinship with Him

and emulate the ideal behaviours and exemplary patterns set by Him. In Treta

Yuga, Rama took birth in Ayodhya, as much to vanquish evil represented by

Ravana as to demonstrate the ideal of the perfect man (Maryada Purushottam).

In Dwapara Yuga, Krishna came to quell the adharmic forces represented by

the Kauravas and to enlighten seekers about the three paths to salvation —

karma, jnana and bhakti.

When an avatar takes birth, Maya walks with him. It is difficult to pierce

the thick veil of Maya that surrounds Him and recognise His reality.

 

"Thickly veiled by My Divine Power (Yoga Maya) I am not revealed to all. The

deluded world knows Me not as the unborn and eternal" (Bhagawad Gita). Thus,

though the avatar may be in our midst, many may mistake Him to be a realised

soul or holy man. Others may doubt his divinity or disbelieve it entirely.

 

Sceptics are part of the drama that surrounds the avatar. For every believer

there is a non-believer. The 'kshobana' factor is whereby an avatar wilfully

confounds his followers.

 

The Lord creates confusion in the mind of the devotee by some word or act,

which clouds rather than reveals His omni-science. This is a test of faith and

devotion for the avowed.

 

The Kaliyuga avatar will reveal His glory and heal the world with Satya,

Dharma, Shanti, Prema and Ahimsa.

 

Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/1304416.cms