Sai center activities in Saudi- 14th weekly posting for 2007

[Guest guest]

Sai-Satsang in 3 centers continued

(week ending 11th May, Friday)

 

Sairam to all Children, Sisters and Sai Brothers

in all 3 Sai SatSanghs in Jubail, Dammam and Riyadh.

 

We continue with the fourteenth (14) posting of the

activities of all 3 centers.

 

Summary:

1) Attendance all over Saudi continues to be over 100.

2) Eswarammba Bhajan session held on Sunday in Riyadh

 

3) Note on Atma

 

Details:

 

In Dammam the weekly satsang was held on the evening

of Wednesday 9th May, at the residence of Bro. Prem.

The attendance was by about 30 members starting at

7.40 pm, a bit late. Aarthi taken by Hemant son of Mr.

Suresh Menon, as he is leaving the Kingdom to India

for higher studies. Study circle was held later and

attended by about 15 members. In the session, quotes

on Motherhood by Swami, was discussed briefly followed

by Chapter 6 on Discipline. A few books were

distributed to interested members from the Library

which is a very good initiative.

 

Jubail center held the weekly Satsang on Thursday 10th

May at 8.15 pm attended by about 25 members at Bro Dr.

Khosala’s residence followed by dinner. Aarthi was

taken by Bro Jayaraman again, one of the 6 member

Dammam devotees who attended. Bro Vimal, the spiritual

coordinator informs me that in Jubail most members

work full day on Thursdays and the members do not have

grown-up children but usually below 10 years which

means that Balvikas is difficult to organize.

 

At this point, I must clear a misunderstanding by some

(Riyadh) members. I do not visit personally Dammam

or Jubail each week as I am based in Riyadh. I get the

reports by telephone in Dammam from Bro Vinod Chandra

(0504-806-227) or in Jubail from Bro Vimal

(0507-967-593). If any Dammam or Jubail members wish

to add anything relevant to the weekly reports, they

can contact the two numbers above.

 

Riyadh group held the weekly Bhajan on Friday 11th May

from 9.00 am till about 12 noon. It was attended by

about 45 members. The aarthi was taken by Bro Raj

Rajgopal whose daughter celebrated her birthday in

USA. Bro Ravi-SABIC read extracts from Shirdi Sai

Charithra.

 

Earlier in the week a special Bhajan was held last

Sunday 5th May for Eswarammba day (Swami’s mother

whose birthday is being observed as Children’s day by

our SAI organization). More information on the

celebration on that day in Puttaparthi are in SAI Org

web site.

 

After the Prasad, a study circle session was held on

the Topic “Atma”. It was attended by 15 members

including Uncle Sankaran, father-in-law of Bro Raj

Rajgopal who lives and works in Puttaparthi Prashnthi

Nilayam. He is attached to the Media Department that

publishes books & videos. If any members wish to

sponsor any books/ videos to be published by Sai

Trust, Pl contact him now in Riyadh via Bro Raj

Rajgopal or via his daughter Sujata.

 

On the topic of Atma, one member raised a query that

“How can we know it is inside us and if it is there,

why we do not consciously feel it?” This is a common

question used by Scientists and Rationalists to

“doubt” whether there is Atma which in English could

be called as Super-Soul although in Sanskrit and

Vedanta it is a much bigger concept.

 

Since this is an important topic, I will mention a few

words on it. “Atma” is the core-central concept of our

Vedas-Vedanta and Hinduism and this distinguishes it

from all other religions and philosophies. It is an

original Indian concept and is not borrowed from here

and there.

 

Just because we study this subject later, (after

“Body- Buddhi-Manas” etc) it does not mean that it is

subsidiary to any of the above. Infact it is the

“supreme source” from which everything flows. This is

our central theory.

 

If it is so, why don’t we feel it or be conscious of

it? Now there are other organs within our body which

we do not feel specifically although we are (now)

aware they exist. This includes vital organs such as

Brain, heart, stomach, liver and Kidneys. Though these

cannot be felt, although inside us and contributing to

our day to day life, we do recognize them. May be

because, you can do a surgery and see inside and this

can be proven. Our inside organs can be recognized by

most people only through the senses usually the

visual, because we humans have been equipped with only

6 senses.

 

However Atma can be recognized by a sense beyond these

6 senses. There are other forms of such energy forces

such as electricity and magnetism which cannot be seen

or sensed by humans but still we now recognize them

because there are external manifestations of such

forces such as lamps, fans and fridges. They are

studied as “Laws of Physics”.

 

However laws of “Atma” are different from those

commonly understood laws of “Physics, Chemistry,

Mathematics, Commerce, Sociology etc”

 

Although we will learn in further sessions of study

circle on “Atma”, let me conclude on what our Vedanta

means Atman = Brahman. This means this is the starting

point of everything we know in the universe. As per

our Vedantic philosophy, now receiving some scientific

recognition even in the western world, in the

beginning there was just one – it was, is and will be

“Brahman”. This “one” has now seems to (us) as

becoming “many” because of Maya or veiling power of

nature. That is why everything in this world is

temporary and transient and only Brahman alone is

permanent truth and Bliss- “Sachidananda”. The steps

to reach this conclusion are many and logical and they

are well documented in Vedanta. Our Baghvan quotes

extensively from this central concept in his lectures.

All Hindus should learn about this central concept,

others too welcome.

 

If Atma = Brahman, then what are we humans and what is

the relation? What about other non-human living beings

(about 1.8 million as per latest count) and other

matter such as hills and seas. This full explanation

is in Vedanta but if you want just a one liner it is

in Mahavakyas “Ahm brhamasmi” (I am Brahman).

 

 

Sairam and Pranams to all.

P.B.V.Rajan