KANSAI LIGHT FOR MAY ISSUE 2008. ...KL-221 P-37

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KANSAI LIGHT MAY , 2008. ISSUE News letter of Sri Sathya Sai Organization Japan address: I.S.S, 2nd Fl, 1-3, Kumochi 5-Chome, Chuo Ku

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PRINT THIS COPY FOR YOUR EASY REFERENCE. -------------------- 1. Divinity being the same, why are we so different from each other? The body is the temple of God; in every body, God is installed, whether the owner of the body recognizes it or not. It is God that inspires you to good acts, that warns you against the bad. Listen to that Voice. Obey that Voice and you will not come to any harm. A lady wept that her necklace was lost or stolen; she searched everywhere and became inconsolably sad. Then, when she passed across a mirror, she found the lost necklace around her neck. It was there all the time. Similarly,

God is there, as the Inner Dweller whether you know it or not. Sai Baba. --------------------------- 2. SHIRDI SAI PARTHI SAIPART - 40 (Continued from the previous issue) [ This page has lots of Graphics. Allow time for the images to download. ] EPISODE 21 ACT XIV - SCENE 1 Kondama’s House. KONDAMA RAJU: The words of Venkava Dhoota have proved to

be absolutely true! ………. Venkama, ours is the Ratnakara lineage, and we do not know black magic, related rituals, and the like. Other than pure devotion to God, charity and compassion to others, and a spiritual outlook, we are ignorant of strange practices. VENKAMA RAJU: That may be so father, but people are making all sorts of comments about our Sathyam. I am unable to decide whether He has Divine Power in Him or devilish power. I have therefore sent for Narasimhachari, an expert on magical chants. He should be able to diagnose the problem correctly. NARASIMHA: Venkama Raju,……. Venkama Raju! VENKAMA RAJU: You have come at the right moment. Please step inside; come. NARASIMHA: Salutations to you Kondama Raju sir!…….[chants] Please get water in this vessel. VENKAMA RAJU: Easwari! EASWARAMMA: Yes? VENKAMA RAJU: Take this and get some fresh water. NARASIMHA: Mother, also put a couple of basil leaves in the water. And, apply turmeric as well as kumkum to the vessel

on the outside. EASWARAMMA: I shall do so. NARASIMHA: Call the boy, and let me see what the problem is. VENKAMA RAJU: Sathyam, …..Sathyam. ……..Sit here boy. NARASIMHA: Your name? SATHYA: Sathyam. NARASIMHA: Your place? SATHYA: The whole Universe! NARASIMHA: Your age? SATHYA: I am Eternal! NARASIMHA: Where do You live? SATHYA: Everywhere! NARASIMHA: What is this strange behaviour? SATHYA: It is just Divine Love. NARASIMHA: Are You a devil or a ghost? SATHYA: I am the Embodiment of Love! NARASIMHA: You are talking too much philosophy! Is it due to the poison of the scorpion? SATHYA: The Blue-throated One held back the poison in His throat. If digested, it becomes

ambrosia. It is the same with Vedantic Philosophy. If it is understood, it will reveal Divinity. NARASIMHA: Venkama Raju, the influence of the devil seems to be greater in this boy than the effect of poison. SATHYA: Do you know what your lineage is? NARASIMHA: What! You have now begun to ask me questions in return! It surely means that the devil is in You. SATHYA: If I am an evil spirit, then you are a deadlier one. NARASIMHA: Oh I see, You want to talk back, is it? Now look straight into my eyes and tell me what you see. SATHYA: Basil leaf. NARASIMHA: No, not that. Now tell me what You see. SATHYA: I see the bow of Siva, the Pushpaka Chariot, and Anjaneya flying in the sky with the Sanjivi Mountain. NARASIMHA: Where are they? I cannot see them. …..Did you hear? He is speaking meaningless words.

…..The Bow of Siva, the aerial chariot! SATHYA: They are not visible to you because you are a phoney. I know exactly what your strength is. You, who do Puja to My Divine Form daily, can you not recognise Me? Look at Me! NARASIMHA: Venkama Raju, your son has lost all His mental balance. He has been seized by some evil spirits. Take Him immediately to the witch doctor in Kadiri-Brahmanapalli. I’ll go back now. Kondama Raju and Mother Easwaramma, the boy is in the grip of evil spirits. EASWARAMMA: What is he saying about devils and evil spirits? What has happened to our Sathyam? VENKAMA RAJU: Easwari, don’t get agitated. So far, we have tried the doctors of Anantapur and Dharmavaram. Narasimhachari also has examined Sathyam. We will now see if the native doctor in Kadiri Brhamanapalli at least can cure Him. We will know for sure whether it is the devil or Divinity. EASWARAMMA: I feel very scared. I will accompany Sathyam on the visit to this doctor. KONDAMA RAJU: Why you, my dear? Tomorrow, Seshama and Suseela will be here. They

can go. Well, Sathyam, …..will You go? SATHYA: If you wish, grandpa. As far as I am concerned, nothing has happened to Me. The doctor can do nothing to Me. VENKAMMA[sister]: I too shall go, as company for our brother. KONDAMA: Alright my dear, you too may accompany. SCENE 2 At the witch doctor’s place. He chants Black magic. WITCH DOCTOR: Glory to Maha Kaali, Malayala Bhagavathi. Salutations to You Mother! Speak Mother, speak. Speak! Tell me, are you a ghost, devil, imp, or goblin? Why did you seize Him? Where did you catch Him? Tell me, who are you? Tell me! SATHYA: I am Satyanarayana Raju. WD: I know that; I did not ask for the name of the body, but of you the ghost, devil, or goblin, or whatever, within. Tell me: What are you? Speak out! SATHYAM: I am Sathyam, the whole Truth. WD: No, you are an evil spirit. Tell me, where did you come from? The north, south, east or west? Answer. Answer! SATHYA: You are the evil spirit! With the Five Elements as the witnesses, I declare that I am I! WD: Are You refuting Mother’s words to me, who has the five elements in his hand? Mother is demanding! SATHYA: Mother will not do anything to Me! WD: You are a devil who will not respond to mere words. I know how to drag you out! I shalldrag you out! Sound the drums! VENKAMMA[sister]: Please don’t hit my brother! Don’t hit Him! Don’t hit my Sathya! SESHAMA RAJU: Don’t be scared Venkamma. He is not hitting your brother, but the evil spirit that has seized your brother. The spirit will flee and nothing will happen to your brother. VENKAMMA: Don’t hit my brother! WD: Did you walk under a tamarind tree? Speak out! SATHYA: Yes, I did. WD: It caught you there, it seized you there! SESHAMA RAJU: Which evil spirit has entered Sathya? WD: The evil power resident in the tamarind tree. It is no ordinary power. If you do not drive it away, this child will not be yours. Glory to Kaali,………… glory to Maha Kaali, Come out, come out, come out. SUSEELA: Sir, I pray to you; please chant incantations or do some magic and drive away the spirit, but for heaven’s sake, don’t beat the child. [to husband] Please tell him not to rain blows. SESHAMA RAJU: Don’t feel scared; there is nothing to be alarmed about. Nothing will happen to Sathya. These blows will drive away the evil spirit. Don’t be scared. WD: This devil will not leave with mere chants or magic. It is the Tintirini Devil. Come out, come out, I say! SISTER: Don’t hit my brother! WD: Child, I am not hitting your brother, but the devil that has entered into Him. ……Yes, Mother. What’s that Mother? Is that so Mother? It shall be so, Mother. SESHAMA RAJU: Whom are you talking to? WD:

To Malayala Bhagavathi. She says that the help of the nine planets must be sought, and employing the nine-fold strategy, this Tintirini devil must be driven away. SESHAMA RAJU: What must be done for that? What’s that? Why have you taken out chains? WD: Jai Malayala Bhagavathi! SESHAMA RAJU: Hey, what’s it that you are doing? WD: With this chain, I am tying up the spirit. SESHAMA RAJU: No, no! Don’t bind my brother! WD: Stop! If you want your child back, there must be violence. This is no ordinary devil, but a very proud one. It has entered the head, and I shall bring it down by tying it. SESHAMA: Don’t tie my brother with chains! Don’t hurt Him! SUSEELA: Don’t tie that poor little child! Release Him, I beseech you. Let Him go. WD: Out, out, come out…… SUSEELA: Release Him! SESHAMA RAJU: No, no! Don’t hit Him; don’t

torture Him! WD: Come out!…. Come out! SATHYA: Only if it has gone in, can it come out! WD: What! You are talking back to Mother?….[chants] What’s that Mother? Is that so Mother? Alright Mother! You want the head shaved? Will be done Mother. …[To assistant] Bikshalu! Hand me that knife! BIK: Here it is, Master. SESHAMA RAJU: I appeal to you, please let my brother go! WD: Stop! ……..One step more, and you will vomit blood, your intestines will get hopelessly knotted, and you will writhe with pain on the ground. …..Drums! Drums. He sharpens a knife. SESHAMARAJU: No, please no! Don’t shave my brother’s head. Tell me what you want, and I shall give it to you – any amount of money…… No, please no! I pray to you – let my brother go! WD: Run away! Run away! I am now shaving your head. Devil Tintirini, I

have shaved your head and chased you away; I have shaved your head and chased you away. I have snapped your grip! SUSEELA: No! ………No! SISTER/SHESAMA: No! WD: You are laughing in spite of lashes, and bleeding. You must be a greater evil force than Devil Tintirini!

SESHAMA RAJU: No! Stop! We cannot stand this torture! We want to take our brother home. WD: Stop! One step forward, you will vomit blood, your guts will twist and you will die! The evil spirit will enter you! …. Jai Maha Kaali!!….Drums! SESHAMA RAJU: No, no! Don’t torture my brother! ….No! Don’t torture Him please! WD: This punishment is not enough because this is a cruel and stubborn female devil. I shall deal appropriately with its eyes, and drown the devil in the waters of the nether world! He throws acid in the eyes. Pours water. Drums. SESHAMA RAJU: Stop, please stop!

Don’t destroy Him totally! What you have already done is enough! More water poured over Sathya’s

head. SESHAMA: No, no! Stop the torture. ….Don’t do anything to Him! SISTER: No!….Brother! Brother! An explosion. WD and assistant collapse. SESHAMA RAJU: Come on, this is the opportunity to release Sathyam and make a quick getaway! Brother, come! Come! END OF SCENE 2 ------------============================================================ 3. Shortly after coming to Shirdi Baba displayed his mastery over matter. He was fond of

lights and used to borrow oil from the shop keepers to keep earthen dishes with wicks burning the whole night in the masjid (temple). After a while the shop keepers got together and decided not to give oil. Then they watched to see what Baba would do. Unperturbed, Baba poured water into his oil pot, took a drink from it, then filled all his earthen dishes with it and lighted them. To the surprise and dismay of the shopkeepers, the wicks began to burn and kept burning the whole night. Afterwards the shopkeepers repented and apologized. Experiences of Sai Baba's Various Devotees Sugar Tea Das Ganu was once performing his Kirtan (religious discourse) and singing the glory of Sai Baba, in the Koupineshwar temple in Thana. One Mr. Cholkar, a poor man serving as a candidate in the Civil Courts in Thana, was amongst the audience. He heard Dasganu's Kirtan most attentively and was much moved. He there and then mentally bowed and vowed to Baba saying - "Baba, I am a poor man, unable to support my family. If by your grace, I pass the departmental examination, and get a permanent post, I shall go to Shirdi, fall at Your Feet and distribute sugar-candy in Your name." As good luck would have it, Mr.Cholkar did pass the examination and did get the permanent post and now it remained for him to fulfill his vow, the sooner the better. Mr. Cholkar was a poor man with a large family to support; and he could not afford to pay for the expenses of a Shirdi trip. As Mr. Cholkar was anxious to fulfill his vow as early as possible, he resolved to economize, cut

down his expenses and save money. He determined not to use sugar in his diet and began to take his tea without it. After he was able to save some money in this way, he came to Shirdi, took Baba's darshan (sight of a holy person), fell at His Feet, offered a coconut, distributed it with a clean conscience along with sugar-candy as per his vow and said to Baba that he was much pleased with His darshan and that his desires were fulfilled that day. Mr. Cholkar was in the Masjid with his host Bapusaheb Jog. When the host and the guest both got up and were about to leave the Masjid, Baba spoke to Jog as follows:- "Give him (your guest) cups of tea, fully saturated with sugar." Hearing these significant words, Mr. Cholkar was much moved, he was wonderstruck, his eyes were bedewed with tears, and he fell at Baba's Feet again. Mr. Jog was also curious about this direction, regarding the tea-cups to be given to his guest. Baba wanted by His words to create faith and devotion in

Cholkar's mind. He hinted as it were, that He got the sugar-candy as per his vow and that He knew full well his secret determination not to use sugar in his diet. Baba meant to say, "If you spread your palms with devotion before Me, I am immediately with you, day and night. Though, I am here bodily, still I know what you do; beyond the seven seas. Go wherever you will, over the wide world, I am with you. My abode is in your heart and I am within you. Always worship Me, Who is seated in your heart, as well as in the hearts of all beings. Blessed and fortunate indeed, is he who knows Me thus." 4. Why Did The Divine Descend as Rama

On April 14, 2008 falls the holy festival of Rama Navami, the day celebrating the Advent of Lord Rama. Bhagavan Baba has often elaborated on the Sacred Life of Lord Rama, and exhorted one and all to emulate the ideals set by the Lord during that Incarnation. Here is an extract from one such discourse delivered by Bhagavan on March 24, 1991. All objects in the world are liable to change. All living beings must pass some day. But ideals and sacred objectives established in human hearts shine forever. If one has to live up to an ideal, he/she must be prepared to face many ordeals, difficulties, calumnies, trials and tribulations. These ideals have continued up to the present day to glow in the hearts of the people, because they have been upheld in spite of vicissitudes and ordeals. Aeons may come and go, continents may appear and disappear, people may pass away, but ideals and values remain a perennial source of inspiration to the world…. Common people can derive no benefit if the

Formless Absolute remains in Kailasa or Vaikunta. It is not possible to worship the Formless Absolute. Hence, the Rama-Avatar appeared in human form to enable humanity to experience the Formless in a form which is accessible and helpful to them…. Unfortunately, even when the Formless Absolute assumes a form, there are persons, who impelled by their own attitudes, attribute their own human foibles to the Avatar. "When He has the same Form as ours, the same physical features, and eats, talks and moves about like any of us, what is the difference between the Avatar and ourselves?" they ask. Because of this narrow-minded approach, these persons distance themselves from the Divine. An effort must be made to understand the nature of Divinity. "Daivam maanusharoopena (God in Human Form)" declares the scripture.... Why and How Avatars Work The descent of the Avatar means the Divine coming down to the level of the human. No blemish attaches to the Divine as a result of this descent. There is no diminution in His puissance. Here is the example of a child playing on the ground. If the mother feels it is beneath her dignity to bend, and calls upon the child to leap into her arms, the child cannot do so. But out of her love for the child, the mother herself stoops and picks up the baby. By bending down to take the child, does the mother bow to the child? Likewise, the Avatar descends to the level of the human to bless and rescue those who cannot rise to the level of the Divine. The ignorant assumes that because the Divine has descended with a human form, God has lowered Himself to the human level. This is a case of bending and not kneeling down. It is an act of benediction and not

of submission… Similarly, the Avatar does not forgo any of His supreme powers merely because He lives and moves among human beings as a man. Narrow-minded persons view these things differently. This phenomenon could be noticed in several instances in the

case of the Rama-Avatar. In the Ramayana, Rama is depicted as one who, like other ordinary human beings, experienced the pangs of separation from Sita. Why did Rama exhibit such feelings? It is to serve as an example to the common people how individuals should behave in similar circumstances. The Ramayana is a work which holds out ideals for every home and every family. What should be the relations between a father and a son, how should a husband and wife conduct themselves, how should brothers behave towards each other, what should be the relations between the rulers and the citizens, how should sisters-in-law conduct themselves - all these are exemplified in the story of the Rama-Avatar. Sri Rama – An Ideal for Every Man Rama was prepared to honour a boon given by His father to His step-mother

in fulfillment of an old promise. He renounced the throne at the moment of coronation and elected to go to the forest as an exile. Eminently qualified as He was to become the ruler, nevertheless He chose to go to the forest to honour His father's plighted word. This is a glorious example of an ideal life. Today people would set at nought promises given by the father and place their self-interest in the forefront… Rama was prepared to face any ordeals and troubles in upholding this sacred principle. Rama was ever active in fulfilling the wishes and responding to the opinions of the people. Highly sensitive even to the remarks of a petty washerman, Rama sent away Sita to the forest out of a feeling that the washer-man's comment might be an indication of the unspoken feelings of many others among his subjects. Rama stands out as an ideal ruler intensely responsive to the

wishes of the people…Rama demonstrated the ideal relations that should exist between the ruler and the ruled. Lakshmana's Unflinching Devotion Turning to the harmonious relations that existed between the brothers', complying with his stepmother's words,

Rama might don the bark of trees, wear the mantle of an ascetic and leave for the forest, there was no such obligation on Lakshmana's part. But as a younger brother, he felt that it was not proper for him to stay and enjoy life in Ayodhya, when his brother was leaving for the forest. He was ready to renounce his mother and wife and accompany Rama, whom he considered as his life-breath... The behaviour of brothers today in similar situations would be entirely different. They are likely to indulge in litigation over the sharing of property, and lose them all in carrying the dispute up to the Supreme Court…To such brothers, Rama should serve as an example… The Lesson from Ramayana The foremost lesson to be learnt from the Rama-story is how to foster unity and harmony

in a family...The reign of Rama was marked by concern for justice and morality. Today the people are bedeviled by distrust and suspicion at every step. "Why should God do this?" Such questions are asked out of narrow-minded doubts. There will be no room for such doubts if the Infinite Nature of the Divine is properly understood. The petty-minded folk who cannot grasp the Omni-competence of the Divine raise such questions. Their entire life is wasted in this manner. Hence, people should get rid of such pettiness… Strengthen Your Faith to Acquire Bliss If the Name of the Lord is not recited in the proper spirit, of what use is all spiritual practice? Faith is the primary requisite. Chanting the Name endlessly, without faith, is utterly useless. Where there is faith, there is Love. Where there is Love, there is Peace. Where there is Peace, there is Truth. Where there

is Truth, there is Bliss. Where there is Bliss, there is God. If faith is lacking how can Bliss be experienced? Therefore, strengthen your faith... Develop faith in the ideals of Rama. Rama does not mean the son of Dasharatha. The Atma (Self) is Rama, and hence Rama is referred to as Atma-Rama… Everyone must aim at becoming an ideal person... Ideals, not ostentation, should be the watchword. Develop faith in the Self, and lead a Godly life. To read the complete discourse, - Divine Discourse, Rama Navami Day, 1991. 5. CONVERSATIONS WITH SAI Satyopanishad - part 3: Direct Directions from the Divine Dear reader, responding to positive responses from many readers to this section in H2H where we have a dialogue with the Divine, after we completed serializing Dr. John Hislop’s “Conversations with Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba” in January 2008 (click here to find links to the entire series), we started Prof. Anil Kumar’s “Satyopanishad” from the next month. This too is in the “question-answer” format that many devotees prefer, and has answers from Bhagavan on topics as wide-ranging as the origin of evil, the goals of human life, aspects of God – embodied and formless, to price hikes, women’s liberation, vegetarianism and the generation gap of the present times. Published in two parts by the author, these volumes have 270 questions in all, which are neatly grouped under separate chapters. In this issue, we continue with the first chapter called “The India Eternal” from where we stopped in the March issue. CHAPTER 1 - THE INDIA ETERNAL(continued from previous issue) Anil Kumar (AK): Swami! Right now, we are in Kodai Kanal. Tamilnadu is known for its renowned devotees. We often hear about Manikya Vachakar and Tiruvalluvar. We want to hear from You about these two illustrious sons of Tamilnadu. Saint Tiruvalluvar Bhagavan: Manikya Vachakar is the personification of forbearance, forgiveness, patience, and devotion. One day, the son of a very rich man came to him. You know, Manikya Vachakar was selling saris and maintaining his family. This boy, who came to him, was a pampered and spoilt child. Picking up a sari there, the boy asked, "What is the price of this sari?" Manikya Vachakar said, "Twenty rupees, Sir". The boy tore the sari into two halves and said, "What is the price of this half sari?" The sari seller said, "Rupees ten, Sir". The boy tore it further into two

halves and asked, "Now, what is the price of this quarter sari"? The former patiently replied, "Rupees five, Sir". The mischievous boy was very much taken aback by Manikya Vachakar's patience. He then asked, "How is it that you are so patient in spite of my mischief?" Manikya Vachakar smiled and said, "I am a devotee of God and I have full faith in Him. He is responsible for my peace and calmness." In Tamilnadu, there was one devotee by name Tiruvalluvar. He was highly reputed and is known even today for his devotional composition, Tirukkural. In those days, the Pandya king had youngsters serving him as ministers. Tiruvalluvar was one of them. The Pandya king had a great liking for horses. He liked to have a number of horses of different breeds from all parts of the country. He called Tiruvalluvar, gave him some money, and sent him to get new breeds of horses from all places. The latter agreed and proceeded.

On his way, Tiruvalluvar found a temple in a dilapidated condition. He decided to renovate it, and in doing so, he spent all the money he had with him. Having come to know of what he had done, the King became furious. He kept Tiruvalluvar behind bars as a punishment. There, in the prison, Tiruvalluvar composed his famous Tirukkural. The King repented later for his hasty and wrong decision. He requested Tiruvalluvar to return and resume his duties as a minister. However, Tiruvalluvar politely refused to take up any responsibilities in the kingdom. He spent the remaining part of his life wholly in spiritual pursuits. AK: Swami! God is attributeless. He is above the three qualities - sattvika, rajasika, and tamasika. But, we are bound by these three attributes. Then, how can we

realise God? Bhagavan: The Divine has two aspects - He can be experienced as the one with attributes, and also as beyond them. You should know one thing chiefly - God is in the attributes. But, the attributes are not in Him. Attributes or traits cannot function and operate without Divinity in them.

Gold is in the jewellery; but, jewels are not in gold. Pots are made of clay, but not vice versa. Silverware, like a glass or a plate, is made of silver. But, the glass and plate are not in silver. Another example: You know, an electric bulb illumines, and a fan revolves. Radios, TVs, etc. are electrical gadgets, which need electricity for their functioning. But, none of these gadgets are there in electricity. Likewise, God is present in the attributes. They are not present in God. So, in a way, we can say that He has attributes, and at the same time, He is attributeless – that is, saguna and nirguna. Every man has three qualities - sattva, rajas, and tamas. But, the one that dominates the other two decides his/her thinking, feeling and action. But, unless we transcend these three qualities, we cannot experience Divinity in the

true sense. Here is an example: If you want to see your own chest, what should you do? First, remove your coat, then your shirt, and finally even your undershirt, isn't it? So also, to see the chest of Divinity, you should first remove the coat of tamasika quality, the shirt of rajasika quality and the undershirt of sattvika quality. AK: Swami! We pray to you to tell us about the two aspects of God, with form and without it? Bhagavan: It is here that many are confused. Without a form, from where do you get the formless? How is it possible for you to visualise the Formless? Since you have a form, you can only think of God with a form. For example, if a fish is to think of God, it can visualise God only in the form of a bigger fish. So also, if at all a buffalo thinks of God, it can

think of God only as a bigger buffalo. In the same way, man can think of God only as existing in human form, the form of an ideal man. Even the formless aspect of God can be meditated upon basing on the aspect of God with form. You cannot derive the formless without a form. Here is a small example. You are all seated in this hall, in front of Swami today, in Kodai Kanal, and listening to Swami's words. This is an experience with a form. Later, you go home, and after a few days, you begin to reflect on what had happened here. You recall the entire scenario. In fact, has Swami come to your place physically? Would you find this room at your place? Have all of you gone there? No. But this direct experience is pictured mentally, which gives you the indirect experience of being here. What you see here is the sakara (with form), and what you experience there is the nirakara (formless). So, the formless is based

on the aspect with form. One cannot exist without the other. Another example. Here is milk. You want to drink it. How do you drink? Don't you need a cup or a glass? Similarly, to worship God (milk) you need a form (cup). AK: Swami, of these two ways of worship, the aspect with form, and the other, the formless, which is greater? Bhagavan: In my opinion, both are equal. One is not in any way greater than the other. Now you are in Coimbatore. Here the land is plain, without any ups and downs. The level of the land is the same throughout; nobody leveled it. Nobody prepared the ground to be like this. It is basically the design of Coimbatore. But Kodai Kanal is located on the hills. Nobody assembled hills there. It is made that way. Coimbatore and Kodaikanal are different from one other. Each one is full, but in its own way. So also, the two methods of worship, one with form and the other formless, are equally beneficial to the seekers of truth and aspirants of

spiritual enlightenment. AK: Swami! Scriptures declare that God is omnipresent; God is everywhere. Kindly explain this aspect of Divinity? How are we to understand this? Bhagavan: The Bhagavad Gita says, bijam mam sarva bhutanam, which means ‘God is the seed of this entire Creation, of all beings’. For example, you see here a mango seed. You sow it in the ground. The seed, as days pass, germinates. In the process, the seed produces a root, then a stem, a leaf, branches, and flowers gradually. The seed is latent in every part of the plant, as all parts directly or indirectly emerge from it. Finally, in the hard seed of the fruit, also the initial or the original seed is present. So, God is present in the entire Universe. The whole world is a tree, God is the seed, and fruits are the beings or

creatures born of the tree of the world. AK: Swami! When the same Divinity is present in everyone, why should differences exist? Divinity being the same, why are we so different from each other? Bhagavan: Ekam eva Advitiyam

Brahma: ‘God is one without a second’, says the scripture. Then, how do we account for the variety, diversity, differences, and so on? A small example to understand this. Power supply being the same, don't you find the difference in the voltage of the bulbs that illumine? A bulb with a low voltage gives you light of low intensity, and a bulb with a high voltage illumines more brightly. Don't they? But, at the same time, electricity is one and the same. Bulbs are different in their voltage, and this determines the intensity of light. Similarly, our bodies are like those bulbs with the inner current of the same Divinity. AK: Swami! You said that Divinity is in everyone. Then, before we were born where had it been? Does Divinity exist even after our death? Bhagavan: The Divine exists. Divinity is

imperishable, pure and unsullied. It has neither birth nor death. It is eternal and stable. It is beyond time and space. Divinity transcends all physical laws. Now, your question is: where did Divinity exist prior to your birth, and where will it be after your death, while it is in you during this lifetime? You see, there is an electrical wire on the wall, and also holders here and there to which bulbs are fixed. You get light only if a bulb is fixed to a holder and not otherwise. Why? The current passes through the wire that enters the bulb fixed to the holder. If you hold the bulb in your hand, it does not illumine, as there is no power supply. What you have to understand is this. The current has not been newly produced to get into the bulb. It was already there in the wire. If you remove the bulb, what will happen to

the current? It will be there in the wire only. The only difference is that you will not experience its presence as illumination. Similarly, the bulb is the body, the current of Divinity flows into it as the illumination of life. When this bulb of the body is removed, even then, the current of Divinity persists hidden or latent, so much so that Divinity has all along been there before you were born, during your lifetime, and will even be there after your death like the current of electricity. AK: Swami! It is said that God is hrudayavasi, dweller in our heart. Is it the same heart, which is on the left side on our chest? Bhagavan: No, no. That is the physical heart. But the seat of God is the spiritual heart, which is also called hrudaya. It means hr + daya = hrudaya which means, the one filled with compassion.

Today compassion is a matter of fashion. People put on kasayavastra (ochre robes), but they have kasayihrdaya (hearts of butchery). The physical heart is on the left side, while the spiritual heart is on the right side. The spiritual heart is the temple of God. In the Gita, Lord Krishna says, isvarah hruddese arjuna tisthati which means ‘God resides in the altar of your heart’. Knowledge, be it physical, secular, scientific or technological, relates to the head and not to the heart. But love, compassion, truth, sacrifice and forbearance concern the heart. AK: Swami! Can Divinity be probed into? Is it possible to know it by reasoning? Bhagavan: All worldly experiences are bound by time and space. Your senses help you to experience all that is in the outer world. Science and Technology investigate the five elements, make certain combinations and permutations, and provide certain additional conveniences and comforts for mankind to lead a better life. These include electronic gadgets, computers, and so on. A scientist conducts an experiment, but a spiritual aspirant's

experiences of Divinity cannot be conducted in a laboratory. How do you expect to convey anything about Divinity, which is beyond expression? How do you imagine Divinity, which is beyond comprehension? How do you investigate and experiment upon Divinity which transcends all your reasoning and senses? Science is based on experiments, and religion on experience. In science, you analyse; but in religion, you realise. AK: Swami! What should we do to receive God's Grace? Bhagavan: There is no way other than devotion. Your wealth, scholarship, authority and physical personality cannot please God. It is only your devotion that He looks into. Don't you know Guha in the Ramayana? What scholarship had he to please Rama? Nothing. He was not even educated. You also

must have heard of Sabari, an ardent devotee of Lord Rama. How rich was she to be close to Rama? Nothing. She was in rags at that time, the poorest of the poor. What made the bird, Jatayu, receive the special blessings of Rama so as to deserve performance of the last rites at the Divine Hands of Rama? Even Rama's father, Dasaratha, was not as fortunate as this bird Jatayu, because he died when Rama was in the forest, far away from Ayodhya. How about Hanuman, a monkey? By implicit faith in and total surrender to Rama he could be successful not only in the task assigned to him, but also came to be worshipped by the devotees of the Lord, and his worship has been continuing since the days of the Ramavatara. The Mahabharata clearly portrays Draupadi, the queen of the Pandavas, as Lord Krishna's devotee of the highest order, always, in times of success or failure, pleasure or pain, calm or turmoil, anywhere, either on the throne in Hastinapura, or in the forest. The Pandavas are known for their deep devotion and abounding love for Krishna. They are the best examples of equanimity and total surrender to God such that Krishna identified Himself completely

with them by saying that Dharmaja (Yudhisthira) was His head, Arjuna His heart, Bhima His shoulders, and the two youngest brothers, Nakula and Sahadeva, equal to His two feet. This is true devotion. This is the ideal stature of a devotee. In the Bhagavata, you come across the Gopis (the cowherd girls who were rustic, innocent, and unlettered) whose madhura bhakti, total attachment to God, was backed by unconditional love and surrender. Their devotion was noble, pure, nectarine, and exemplary. They saw Krishna in bushes, thorns, leaves, branches, and flowers. Is theirs not tadatmyabhava, total identification? Isn't theirs the advaitabhava, non-dualistic state? They could not bear the pangs of separation from Krishna, even for a split second. This is the level of their devotion. Have you not heard about Tyagaraja, the South Indian saint-singer

and composer, who had put the question: nidhi cala sukhama? ramuni sannidhi seva sukhama? Is it wealth that gives you happiness or proximity to God? Ramadas, Surdas, Kabir, Tulasidas, Jayadev, Tukaram, Mira, and others were the very personifications of devotion. They are remembered to this day. By reading about them, you will not only be the recipient of God's Grace, but even have a claim on God's Grace. You know, the moment you marry, your wife will have a claim on your property. This is due to the mangala sutra, the sacred knot tied at the time of the wedding. Similarly, devotion is bhakti sutra, the knot of devotion, which empowers the devotee to claim from God His Grace. Therefore, for everything, devotion is most important. For most people, it is the proper and noble approach to Divinity. AK: Swami! Why are we not the

recipients of Divine Grace? Bhagavan: It is not proper to feel so. You are wrong if you think so. God's Grace is equally available to all of you. He makes no distinctions of caste, creed, sex, nationality, and so on. You should know that the defect is in you. You have to cleanse the tumbler of your heart. For example, it is raining heavily now. If you want to collect water in a vessel, what you do is to keep it straight. However, if you turn it downwards or put it upside down, is it possible to collect water? The downpour of rain will be of no help at all. Therefore, we have to keep our hearts always pure and ready to receive the rain of Grace. We have to turn it towards the rain of God's Love in order to collect it. Is it not so? AK: Swami! Our fortune is immeasurable, how many people get this opportunity! This is all Your Grace. But, how are we to preserve

this? Bhagavan: Look! Out of the millions of devotees how many are able to be here? Is this proximity possible for everyone? Merit from several past lives had made you fortunate enough to be here. Out of a few thousand in our institutions, how many students are lucky enough to be here? Only a few of you could follow Me to this place, Kodai Kanal. This you will have to preserve and sustain carefully. A small example. Here is a roll of thread, which is the product of much rotating and winding. A time consuming job, really! If they take up this process in haste, and drop it in the middle out of neglect or carelessness, all the thread will lie scattered on the ground. Similarly, your fortune is like this roll of thread, carefully and laboriously wound, like the merit of the good deeds you had done in your past lives. If you neglect this fortune and lose it by any mischance,

you can't get it back. All the effort you have put in will go waste. The thick pad at the centre of this roll is like your faith round which your meritorious deeds are wound. So, never neglect this good luck, nor take it for granted, nor view it as simple and ordinary. Negligence and carelessness are harmful to spiritual aspirants. AK: Swami! How does your Grace affect our destiny and our prarabdha, past karma? Bhagavan: God's Grace and God's Will can change anything. God is Love. His Infinite Compassion makes Him change your prarabdha karma or the karmic effects of your past lives. A devotee can arrest God in the jail of his heart. In this world, there is nothing that you can't achieve with devotion. God's Grace can cancel all your karmic effects or the evil effects of your past life. Nothing untoward can happen to you. A small example. You see many medicines kept for sale in a medical shop. On each of the medicines you find the date of manufacture and of expiry. The medicine will not act with efficiency beyond the date of expiry. It becomes just useless. What God does is

exactly the same thing. He simply stamps on the medicine bottle the date of expiry canceling your prarabdha karma, the suffering you are going through in this life. Right then, your suffering ends. This is how Swami, out of His sheer Grace and Compassion, gives you relief. AK: Swami! Can we be sure of God's Grace if we do sadhana regularly? Bhagavan: Certainly! As sure as anything! Why do you doubt? For example, you have a pet dog. You feed it every day, and you will notice that it will get habituated to come to you exactly at the same time every day to be fed. Is this not true? When regularity makes a dog respond, why not God? You will definitely receive His Grace. AK: Swami! We are here in Your presence because of Your Infinite Grace and Mercy. Your Blessings have brought us

all here. We bask in the sunshine of bliss bestowed on us by Your Divine darshan, sparshan and sambhashan. Do we still need merit from past lives and the samskaras? Bhagavan: The present state of bliss and the merit from past lives are both essential and they should go together. They are closely interrelated. Take this example. Here the soil is sandy. When there are heavy rains, water sinks into the soil or gets absorbed in the soil. The same is the situation with you at present. Therefore, devotion doesn't remain steady. But, suppose there is a flow of river water, what happens when it rains? Water will flow with greater vigour than before. Similarly, your present blessed opportunity of being with Me is like rainwater. If you have good samskaras from your past life like the water flow of a river, the blissful state you are experiencing now will continue with more vigour.

God's Grace is like a shower of rain. Your merit from the past will enable you to contain it. So, I tell you often to retain the good luck, the opportunity, and the privilege given to you. You draw water out of the well in a bucket. But you have to pick up the bucket full of water yourself. On the other hand, if you drop it in the middle, what happens? You can't collect water, can you? However, there is one important thing. If you love God intensely, you can achieve anything. As human effort increases, God's Grace also lends strength and intensity to the effort, which ultimately leads man to success. (To be continued...) – Heart2Heart Team ================================================================= 6, Seven Tense Hours… and the Triumph of Life By Mr. Y. Arvind It was 6.00 am in the morning when the vehicle drove up to the emergency department of SSSIHMS, Whitefield. The patient was smoothly transferred onto a stretcher, brought in, laid on the bed and connected to medical support systems. One look told the clinicians that he was all but gone; all vital signs were at their lowest ebb and there was no response to stimulus. The doctor picked up the patient response sheet, and began writing down the observations. The final score for this patient suffering from a neuro condition was an abysmal ‘3/15’. In clinical terms, he was at the threshold of the Grim Reaper’s call. Turning to the young wife, who had just finished the formalities of admission, the doctor said, “We have to perform

surgery today.” The eyes widened. “This is a high risk condition; we will need your consent to go ahead with the surgery.” “Consent?” “Permission. We need to have your permission to do the operation,”

explained the doctor, simplifying. The eyes vacillated. “Will he….survive?” she asked hesitantly. “We cannot guarantee you that. The chances of survival for any patient in such a condition are less than 2%. If we operate he may survive, if we don’t we will definitely lose him.” Consent to Life The words were delivered with practiced efficiency, equivocal and final. There was no choice; the slimmest chance of life against the certainty of death. She looked at the inert form of her husband who meant everything to her, up at the blinking screens that told her nothing, into the eyes of the doctor and the nurses surrounding them, and then again at her husband. Less than

fifteen minutes ago her husband had been admitted and now … she had to decide. The life or death of her husband lay in her choice… her consent. Sensing her confusion, one of the sisters quickly read out the consent form translating it into Tamil, the language of the couple. The face of the young woman blanched, but she understood that there was, in reality, no choice. Death was certain, but the chance of life remained. Uma, the young wife of Dorai, picked up the pen that lay on the table and initialed the high risk consent form. The clinical staff got into action, and for an hour he received their attention. Intravenous drips were attached, syringe pumps sent calculated doses of inotropes (drugs to support a failing heart) into his blood stream, and

the monitors blinked and beeped telling the professionals what they needed to know. In an hour’s time, surprisingly, his score dramatically improved to 7/15. “We can move him now!” said the doctor. Seven Hours to Save a Man He was taken for a CT scan, and then moved to the Operation Theater. She could only walk silently, her tears coursing down ebony cheeks, as her husband was efficiently hooked up to mobile life support systems, and wheeled out into the vast corridors. The lift doors opened and they crowded in

around the wheeled bed. The hum of the machinery did nothing, but strike at her already taut nerves. The doors opened onto the second floor into a long corridor, lit at intervals. The shadows waxed and waned as her husband moved under

them, inert and silent. They came to a pair of double doors. ”Wait here”, said the staff nurse. Uma watched him disappear behind glass doors. After all the bustle of admission, evaluation, diagnosis and discussion, the silence fell again as a heavy cloak over all of them. There was nothing to do, but wait. Seven interminable hours later when Uma had all, but shed her last tear, the doctor emerged from the theater complex. The anxiety was writ large on the faces of those accompanying Uma. “He has survived the surgery. He is now in the intensive care unit under observation. You

can see him in the evening during visiting hours.” The tired smile on the face of the doctor was worth all the wealth in the world to the young wife and the mother of two. New Neuro Paths One week later Dr. Ravi Dadlani, walked into the neurosurgery ward and approached the bed of a 30 year old male patient who was looking out of the window in a reverie, having survived Glioblastoma Multiforme (GBM) – an aggressive form of brain

tumour. Seeing the doctor he quickly came to attention and sat up on the bed. Dorai suffered from Glioblastoma Multiforme (GBM) “How are you

feeling?” The staff nurse translated. “Much better, thank you,” replied the patien“Are you able to eat well ? Can you move your arms and legs?” “I am able to walk, doctor. ” “Show me.” The patient swung his legs off the bed, laid them firmly on the smooth polished brown granite floor of the ward, and raised himself from the bed, the orderly moved forward, but the man motioned him away. Holding himself erect, he walked to the end of the cubicle, and returned to his bed. The doctor finished making his notes and smiled the terse smile behind which doctors train themselves to hide their satisfaction. “Good, keep up the exercise and medicines, things will improve.” The doctor moved away from the bed and told the staff nurse, “That’s what I

would call a medical miracle. Within six minutes of being extubated (out of the life support systems) in the ICU, he started speaking! He was fully coherent and was even able to recognize his surroundings. I can tell you it is not normal, its is phenomenal.” The wide eyes of the girl told him that she was new. “He had a score of ‘3’ when we admitted him and was almost gone - dead! But now, he is back to ‘15’.” The eyes of the nurse flew to the patient as the import of the words sank in. She dropped her eyes to the file, to the label that identified the patient. “Indeed”, she thought, “He has really returned from the gates of death.” The same afternoon, the couple was seated in conversation with the Physiotherapist Mr. Naveen and Mr. Y Arvind, Sr. Mgr. Public Relations, SSSIHMS, Whitefield. Mr. Naveen acted as the interpreter translating Tamil to English, and vice versa. Uma took on

the role of the narrator, and Dorai supplemented with details, which was remarkable for a man who was in the throes of death less than six days ago. An Urgent Need Delayed Dorai and Uma hail from a village near Salem, in the state of Tamil Nadu, India They hailed from a village near Salem, a city in the north central part of Tamil Nadu, the southern state of India. Dorai was the youngest in his generation having three older brothers, and four older sisters. He was a native of Salem, and worked as a laborer in a power-loom shop. His wife, Uma has two siblings, one older and another younger sister. Her father had come to Bangalore city 35 years ago, and was a handloom craftsman. They lived in a small rented house near Wilson Garden. Having three daughters, he was unable to save up to build a

house of his own. All his problems started with headaches that progressively became more serious. They approached a Government hospital that performed a perfunctory scan for Rs.500, and dismissed the head ache as non-neurological in origin. They also suggested an EEG scan, and ‘ruled out’ the possibilities of any problems. The opinion of the doctors was that the headache was ophthalmic in origin. It is common knowledge that the first symptom of eye related problems is headache. This was about two years ago. In the middle of January 2007, his condition worsened and he was admitted in Salem since he had vomiting, and was symptomatic. After he was stabilized, they approached an ophthalmologist. It was he who diagnosed the problem, as seated in the brain and advised them to approach a specialist. A specialist meant more money, so they began saving up anticipating the bills. But the progress of the disease did not stop. After Deepavali, the festival of lights that comes in the month of October, he started to have problems with the right eye. For a power-loom worker, identifying shades among colors, the thickness of the yarn, the waft and warp, are doors to imagination, but the eyes are the keys to these doors. Once his vision blurred, he could not function optimally.

Apparently, he earned Rs.100 per sari. A sari on an average took 4 hours; so in effect, his monthly income was Rs. 4000. The doctor moved away from the bed and told the staff nurse, “That’s what I would call a medical miracle. Within six minutes of being extubated (out of the life support systems) in the ICU, he started speaking! He was fully coherent and was even able to recognize his surroundings. I can tell you it is not normal, its is phenomenal.” They approached Saravana Hospital, Ponnampete, Salem town, where Dr. Thiruvachelluvar examined Mr. Dorai. He confirmed the final diagnosis as an advanced disease of the brain, and suggested that he be operated upon as soon as possible. Now, Dorai had a sister, whom he had earlier brought to SSSIHMS, Whitefield. He suggested

the name, and the doctor immediately assented. Apparently Dorai was not aware of his ailment when he had brought his sister to SSSIHMS. They had no second thoughts after the doctor himself directed them to SSSIHMS, Whitefield. They came 10 days after Deepavali in October 2007 for the first time, and received an appointment for February 4, 2008. This told Dorai and Uma that there were many more who were also suffering from the same problem and in worse conditions than theirs. They could only wait till their turn came. On February 4, they returned to SSSIHMS and the preliminaries of X-ray and blood tests were done. Dorai was told to come and collect the date of surgery after two days. The couple returned and he collapsed. The nightmare had begun. He started vomiting, and was restless and inert alternately. The agitated relatives, Uma included, took him to St. Philomenas, the nearest hospital, at 3.00 a.m. By then he had stopped responding to all forms of stimulus, even deep pain. The diagnosis on arrival there was that he had gone into a coma, and the situation was very serious. To add insult to injury, they were also informed that it would cost Rs.10,000 per day. They bit the bullet, and immediately brought him to the emergency ward of SSSIHMS in an ambulance at 6.00 a.m. The rest was there for all to see. Dorai has recovered more than 90%

of his faculties, and will have to undergo chemotherapy for six months, after which he will be regularly visiting the Hospital for check-ups. One near miss of the Scythe of the Grim Reaper is more than sufficient for one to view life through different colors. They had spent Rs.30,000 before coming to SSSIHMS, a very large sum in any sense. And the contrast of having the best possible facilities beyond what they had seen earlier brought to them a greater

sense of gratitude. “I am happy for the gift of my life” – Mr. Dorai But Dorai did have a few words to say. “I could have never been able to afford such an expensive surgery. I still have to undergo further treatment, and Baba’s Hospital has sponsored this 45-days extensive chemotherapy sessions in Manipal Hospital. Dorai and Uma - simple, smiling and grateful to God This comes to him under the cutting-edge research initiative “Glioma Genomics Project” being spearheaded by SSSIHMS, Whitefield. [To read more about it from H2H archives, please click

here]. “I only have one request to make, there are many more like me. If the Hospital can attend to their problems immediately, it will be able to save much more lives. I understand that when free medical care is given, there will be many who will want it, the Hospital has its own constraints, but it is only a suggestion from a simple man… I feel so happy for the gift of my life.” The Hospital, practically, cannot solve all the Neuro problems of the world, but surely, does show the way as to how it can be done. And just like the proverbial starfish thrown into the sea by a concerned onlooker, which made a difference to that particular little fish, the Hospital finds fulfillment in bringing hope and happiness in the lives of at least a few suffering souls. “What will you do, now that you have been given a new lease of life?” asked Mr. Naveen, the physiotherapist. “I am waiting for my vision to clear. The doctors tell me it will take a while. Once I get my vision back, I will return to my home town. I want to get back to work as soon as possible…Because of my illness and the resultant pathetic financial situation, the education of my two little ones – aged 5 and 6 – had to be discontinued. I want to put them back in school and start building my life again. I am so grateful.” Life has many lessons to teach, but we must train our minds to willingly receive. Therein lay the wisdom of ancients. It was not said in vain, “history repeats itself because man does not learn from it”. More often than not, we are in situations that do not endear themselves to us. We have a choice to make, to like what we do or do what we like. When destiny

presents an opportunity to make a difference, to improve the lives of others, to put a smile on a careworn face, let us grab it with both hands. Life is worth living if it gives meaning to others lives.----------------------- Buddhism in Japan...Talk by brother Kanzaki in Kobe Center 6.4.2008 Since Buddhism came down to Japan in 538 AD through Silk Road passage, mutual exchange and relationship between India and Japan have been deepened and developed. Omizutori (water-drawing), a spring event of Nigatsudo Hall at Todaiji Temple, Nara City, is held in early February of the lunar calendar to pray for protection against evil and for happiness,

abundant harvests and peace in the new year. This Buddhist ceremony was originated by an Indian priest named Jitchu Kasho in 752 and handed down over the centuries at the old temples. Thus Omizutori has been practiced for some 1200 years. Buddha's birthday Kanbutsue (Hanamatsuri) is celebrated at some Sai Centers in Japan every year. A special tea Amacha (sweet tea) is poured onto the statues of the Buddha by chanting “buddham saranam gaccahmi, dharman saranam gacchami, sangham saranam gacchami” on the day of Kanbutsue. Temple sanctuaries are decorated with many flowers on Kanbutsue, the Buddhist hana-matsuri. The sanctuaries full of flowers are called hana-mido, and statues of Buddha are placed in basins that contain the special tea, amacha. Devotees pour amacha onto the statues of the Buddha. This ritual comes from the legend that a dragon in the heavens poured perfumed warm water onto Buddha when he was a newborn baby. Kobe Sai Center celebrated Buddha’s birthday Kanbutsue (Hanamatsuri) on April 6th, 2008. Bro. Hidetoshi Kanzaki gave the following speech. My most humble and loving Pranaams at the Divine Lotus Feet of our Beloved Bhagawan Baba. Today, we are celebrating Buddha’s birthday Kanbutsue, so that I would like to give

a speech about Buddha and my experience. The refuge for Buddha was only His inner Self and helped him to raise his spirituality and achieved the enlightenment. The refuse for Jesus was a Father in heaven, and the prophet Muhammad had Allah. Even Moses had his own God bestowed Decalogue and prophecy. However, Buddha didn’t rely on anybody and any Gods, and sought himself and reached to the supreme truth. I wonder if we will be able to fulfill the path of spiritual quest without our refuge, beloved Sathya Sai?

If we didn’t meet Sathya Sai, we wouldn’t seek spirituality itself. I wonder if we could reach the truth only by our self-quest? Even if we yearn for the truth and spiritual awakening without our refuge Avatar Sathya Sai, we could reach the truth? Surely, the path of devotion and surrender to God strengthen devotees. Jesus had deep and strong devotion for Father in Heaven and oneness with God, and relied on Divine love, so he could accept suffering on cross. Even if all his disciples betrayed him, and people disdained him and was crucified upon cross and there were nobody to rely on and any place to refuge in this world, Jesus had strong devotion to Father God and relied on Him.

However, even if the kingdom where Buddha used to be King was destroyed, and encountered so many troubles and difficulties, Buddha chose the path of self-realization without relying on transcendental existence. Even if I could have the refuge, Sathya Sai, I am far from Buddha. A weak person like me can not even imagine Buddha’s strength. So that I am overwhelmed with Buddha’s teaching’s universality and theory of the enlightenment and the great mercifulness which were achieved by discrimination power and self-practice, Sadhana. Buddha achieved the enlightenment by inner voice and what

Buddha taught us first was “Right vision”. Surely, when we seek something, observing correctly is very important. If we can not observe the object correctly, thought and action after observing become wrong. I would like to share all of you about my personal experience at Buddha Poornima Festival in Whitefield in 1999. I had an opportunity to have Swami’s blessings on my both eyes and on the place of the third eye. At that time, Swami kindly talked to me, but the divine words I could catch and understood were only these 3 words

“sometimes”, “one side eye” , “very bad”. When Swami bestowed these divine words, I thought Swami was telling me “The way you look is sometimes wrong”. The blessings of these divine words were bestowed on me at right timing on this auspicious day, Buddha Poornima. And then 4 years later, 4 years ago from now on, Swami appeared in my dream and said “Your eyes were almost cured. No problem. Don’t worry.” However, what exactly Swami said was “almost cured”, and actually curing the rest of few % is very difficult. Now I strongly feel whatever I do, achieving completely is the most difficult to do and I will need more efforts as much as I have strived until this

point. I strongly appreciate for having the milestone and guidance, Sathya Sai on the way of self-quest. ================================================ SAI SPIRITUAL SHOWERS OF BLISS. path of morality and righteousness. Extracted from the June, 1989 issue of Sanathana Sarathi. A group of Sai devotees once requested Bhagawan to inaugurate a new temple in their town. But Bhagawan refused to comply with their request on the ground that black market cement was used for constructing the temple. When the devotees pleaded not guilty, Bhagawan revealed to them that the so called Sai devotee who had donated some cement bags for the construction of the temple had illegally saved them from out of the cement allotted to him as a contractor for constructing a dam. Hence Bhagawan's refusal. A Vedic scholar was asked by Bhagawan to get out of His presence when he was seated in the midst of some students and other devotees at Whitefield. When the pundit shoBeing exemplary in the society following the ideals to perfection is the best thing a devotee can offer to God returning

with gratitude. Bhagawan says, “My Life is My Message” and He does it to perfection by practising what He preaches. Dr. Adivi Reddy chronicled some of such incidents from the life of Bhagawan depicting how He would guide devotees who strayed from the wed signs of bewilderment as to why Bhagawan was so harsh to him, he admonished the latter, saying that it was a crime for a Vedic pundit to profess to be a Sai devotee and at the same time to indulge in illegal malpractices by way of lending money to poor and illiterate villagers without proper licence from the Government, and that too, at exhorbitant rates of interest. The third incident relates to a Commercial Tax Officer in Orissa, who once made use of his official jeep to take his family and a few neighbours to visit a cave temple of Shiva in the interior of a dense forest on a 3000 feet high mountain. On their way back the jeep got stuck in a hill stream

and refused to budge an inch. The dark night was gathering fast. An hour's struggle to extricate the jeep was in vain. The officer was terribly scared, because the jungle was known to be infested with wild animals as well as dacoits, and his party consisted mostly of women and children. Being a Sai devotee, he fervently prayed to Bhagavan in utter desperation. Lo and behold! There appeared on the spot four Sathya Sai Seva Dal volunteers who rescued the party by pulling out the jeep, and then vanished in a second. Thus by Bhagawan's grace, the officer and the party reached home safely. However, Bhagawan taught him a lesson not to misuse the Government vehicle for private purposes, by immobilising his jeep and thereby creating panic in him and his party. About a decade ago, a recluse of forty-five summers by name Kalpagiri came to Prasanthi Nilayam. No one could guess that this so called "monk" was a wolf in the garb

of a sheep. Four years earlier, he committed a ghastly murder and to escape from punishment by the due process of law, he made good his escape by donning the saffron robe and wandering in the Himalayas and other places of pilgrimage. As soon as the Omniscient Baba saw Kalpagiri in the Darshan line, He called him inside and told him during the interview: "My dear Kalpagiri! How can the saffron robe or visits to Rhishikesh and other holy places rid you of the sin of murder? Enough of your roaming in the guise of a Sanyasi for the last four years. Go now to the Police station and surrender yourself there. Experience your Karma by receiving the punishment due to you according to the laws of the land. When the death sentence is declared, file your clemency petition to the President. I will save you. You will not be hanged. You have my protection to atone for your heinous sin, through devotion, in this very birth. Come on, this sacred saffron robe does not befit you. Take this

white cloth." Saying so in a tone that combined love and sternness, Bhagawan gave Kalpagiri a white dhoti. Accordingly, Kalpagiri surrendered himself to the Police. The case was taken up. Though he confessed his guilt, the judge awarded him the capital punishment, as the crime was of a heinous nature. In line with Bhagavan's direction, a clemency petition was submitted to the President of the Indian Union. Eventually, Kalpagiri received the President's pardon. Death sentence was commuted to life imprisonment and Kalpagiri became an ardent devotee of Bhagawan, spreading his beneficial influence on the other convicts too. In conclusion, it may be seen from what is stated above that where there is a will, there is a way either to scrupulously abide by the Governmental rules and regulations or to violate them for selfish reasons. Bhagawan's stand on this is

extremely clear. Devotees who get tasted and tested in a mire of activities in the stage called life would often flock to Prasanthi Nilayam to recharge themselves with darshan and blessings of Bhagawan. Many of us have had several trips to this spiritual town often with cherished ambition to have a close coveted darshan with sparshan and sambhashan, if possible. Where do we stand now after making number of visits to Bhagawan? Are we really contented to claim that we are indeed happy without entertaining aspirations for a smile, a loving word, a touch or a coveted interview from Bhagawan? Harry Mansbridge of the

UK had encountered three interesting personalities in Prasanthi Nilayam whose views on the topic would be really enlightening to each one of us. Extracted from the July 1989 issue of Sanathana Sarathi. Friends ask me why do I keep going to India? Is it to be recharged? Is it to be exposed to the cleansing fire of Swami's leelas or is it to melt once again at His feet and to feel the warmth of His all embracing love? It is all these things and more. Each visit is a new experience and this one (in February 1989) was no exception. I suppose it is imagination but His love appears to flow more sweetly each time. Being in the highly charged spiritual environment at Prasanthi Nilayam our senses and sensibilities seem to be bombarded relentlessly. We must continually look at our thoughts and our re actions to `happenings' and say to ourselves `what have I to

learn from this?' One of the boards alongside the Mandir entrance proclaims: `Ask yourself every day, what have I come here for and am I achieving it?' We all long for an interview and one day I had a very humbling experience. I rarely talk to people while we are assembling in the Darshan lines but this particular day, I spoke to three people about possible interviews. The first - an Australian - said that he didn't need an interview as he had received two smiles from Swami and had touched His feet. The second was a Canadian doctor whom I meet every year. I said to him, "I haven't seen you go up for an interview this year." He replied, "No, I haven't had one for four years but I am happy just being here." The third - a member of the U.K. group, who had taken a week to reach the ashram. He wanted to take photographs from outside the Mandir of Swami walking around the darshan lines. I advised him against it as the group might be

called in for an interview. "I don't mind,” he said, "I've had so much grace already" ... three lovely characters who love our Lord. Sometimes I feel I have so far to go that I haven't yet started on the path but then during the interview He shows so much love by gentle taps on the cheek and shoulder He knows that we are trying to practise His teachings and I feel that is the important thing, "to try" - try to change ourselves, our thoughts, our habits and our attitude to life. People's experiences are always interesting to listen to but we must have them ourselves for the full meaning of His power and glory to register. Let us look forward to the day, hopefully soon, when the whole world will be at His Lotus Feet. WITH A VISION THAT GUIDES AND A MISSION THAT TRANSFORMS THE DIVINE WILL...THE WORLD SHOULD

KNOW! THE INSIDE STORY OF HOW BABA’S FREE HOSPITALS CONTINUE TO HELP THOUSANDS During these times when commercial gain seems to be the major motivating force behind almost any sort of activity, it seems strange and difficult to believe that one person would come up with an idea that is original, deeply rooted in compassion, requires intensive effort to translate into reality and is unimaginably difficult to sustain. So often and with such interest, we read and retell the stories of entrepreneurial and political success, but rarely do we dwell on the noble and sacred idea and implementation of an enterprise that is totally targeted at the gain of our poor and needy fellow men, without looking for any self-gain whatsoever. For it is as Bhagavan says, “Love without Duty is Divine”. You do not have to

look far to see why the Sri Sathya Sai Super Speciality Hospital is a dream Hospital. This magnificent edifice came to life in one of the most backward areas of this country with its 346 million people below the poverty line. It was not the affluent societies of the West with their rich trusts and foundations but the Sri Sathya Sai Trust Founded by revered Bhagavan that ventured into such uncharted territory and the result was splendid! Puttaparthi and the region around it is perennially drought prone. Power is scarce. Schools and colleges are few and skilled manpower is hard to come by. Availability of essential commodities, leave alone life saving equipment, their maintenance and upkeep were unimaginable. Not only were the idea and the choice of its location totally unique in that there has never existed a completely Free Tertiary Care Hospital anywhere in the world, but the fact that Bhagavan insisted

on beginning with the Cardiac Surgery Department is noteworthy. No doubt, the University runs entirely free courses right up to MBA, M.Tech & even Ph.D, but then providing free Cardiac Surgery and top level Cardiology is an entirely different matter and cannot be equated or compared with. In fact it is astonishing! Unlike other specialties, Cardiac work involves huge initial capital investment in infrastructure. Blood bank services that can manage the demand; laboratories; microbiology; a reliable gas supply for oxygen and other gases for anaesthesia and ventilation of patients for several days at time; a dedicated laundry; and central sterilisation services; theatres equipped with operating tables; expensive heart-lung machines; anesthesia machines; operating lights; cautery and surgical instruments etc.; several echocardiography machines with TEE probes; cath labs costing over a core of rupees for diagnostic and interventional work;

post-operative recovery ICUs equipped with multiparameter monitors; ventilators; blood gas machines and so much other equipment. Several patients need radiology services, CT scans and stress Thallium tests. Add to the many crores of rupees invested, the personnel needed to run these complicated equipment and you have the perfect recipe for a hospital administrator’s nightmare, especially considering where Puttaparthi is located! Doctors specialized in so many different areas, nurses in three shifts in each unit, technicians to man the equipment with expertise, biomedical and other engineers, besides other technical staff to run generators, air-conditioning equipment and carry out various types of repairs. As if that were not enough the recurring costs are high too. Heart operations are very expensive. The cost of oxygenators for open heart operations, valves, suture material, injections and drugs is very high because like

the equipment, most of these have to be imported. Some believed that the Hospital would start working, but that it would do just run for a while and then stop to recover from the financial crisis it would engender. Others were more generous and thought that it could function only with visiting teams and that eventually it would be mired in problems. Then there were those who called it an “experiment”. None of that ever happened. Even now after 10 years of continuous, unparalleled, 100 % Free service by this Institute, it stands out tall. Not a single rupee has been collected from patients in this Hospital. Top quality medical treatment is available without barter. The Hospital is living proof of a love that knows no mathematics. How true each statement of Swami is! “Love lives by giving & forgiving.” The Hospital is a beacon

of hope. Elegant in structure and humming internally with redeeming activity, with its own permanent staff working hard to satisfy an uninvited but welcome throng of ailing humanity that has known rejection only because they do not possess enough money. For Bhagavan it is inconceivable that someone should be without help if He can assist. Swamiji always feels the pulse of the people. No government, no leader feels as much and also has the capability to translate sympathy into action. Many of us feel for others, but can do little or nothing about another’s need. But in Bhagavan’s case it is different. He sees and His heart goes out to suffering humanity….and He acts. Bhagavan has set new benchmarks for the leaders of the world. One cannot even do so much for ones’ loved ones. Here is Baba accomplishing the unimaginable, the impossible for strangers, for people from afar, for

people who have never heard of Him, for people who may not believe in or practice the ideals and truths He stands for. What greater example of large heartedness, what greater example of unconditional love does the world need? Compassion without frontiers and service without self-gain! It is the same universal love that one reads of in the scriptures and makes you wonder. Only, now it is open to appreciation and study. Swamiji has a way of making difficult things look easy. Many thought this project would lead other trusts and philanthropic organisations to follow suit after Swami had set a precedent -after He had set the trend. No one has been able to replicate this effort even on a smaller scale despite there being so many philanthropic organizations. A decade and 12,000 heart operations and nearly as many Urology and Ophthalmology operations later, no one had even tried.

Bhagavan, seeing the overwhelming need of so many patients flocking to this Hospital, took the gracious step of starting another Hospital this time offering Neuro-surgery and Neurology, besides Cardiac facilities. Dear Reader, so much has happened only due to an amazing degree of Baba's personal involvement and that too without any trace of strain or compromise on His numerous other spiritual and service activities! The Lord’s mission is vast and embraces new frontiers but the kindness and meaning it brings into individual lives is unimaginable. Blessed are we to be His contemporaries and witness first hand His work of Love. ================================================================== WHERE LOVE IS THE THERAPY….. And Faith Is The Remedy - By Sri Y Arvind “How many cases for tomorrow, sir?” asked the Technical Officer while working on a presentation at his notebook computer. Dr. Anil Kumar opened the preoperative ward register. “Well,

since it is a Saturday, we could have only two pumps with the academic sessions.” “Alright, sir, but nothing serious, I hope.” “No, just straight forward pumps" [surgeries involving the heart/lung machine] "but actually,” the Doctor continued, “we have a really good case in the ward, a coronary" [ a generic term for a patient with blocked heart arteries]. The officer raised his hand in mock protest “But not for tomorrow, for Monday.” The officer relaxed and continued working on the presentation. Dr. Anil Kumar focused on the Operation Theater List for the next few days. He had to draw a balance between resource and operation, optimizing the former to maximize the latter. Silence reigned as they worked. The Hospital for One and All “What do you think makes people come here, sir?” the Technical Officer suddenly asked. Dr. Anil Kumar looked up from his work. The question came out of the blue. The doctor’s eyes glanced over at the photograph of Swami on the wall. “Faith,” he replied, “faith brings people to this temple of healing.” “How about desperation and penury...free medical care is for those who cannot afford it elsewhere. Circumstances dictate decisions. Like there are occasions when you changed the operating procedure when you found that the pathology was different from what you anticipated.” “But what if a patient could afford it elsewhere and

still wanted to come here for medical care?” the Doctor asked. Dr. Anil Kumar (right) in conversation with a technical officer “Well, sir, our Hospital caters to one and all alike. We make no distinctions. Every patient has an equal opportunity.” The officer paused and then said slowly, “Is that what you mean?” “Correct,” replied Dr. Anil Kumar, leaning back in his

chair. “But we come into the picture only after the patient comes to us. The decision to come here or go elsewhere is theirs, right?” “That may be so, sir. But in this world, people feel that nothing comes free, and if it is free, they suspect there is a catch. There are some who say that since we are offering free medical care…” He raised his hands and shrugged. “They feel we compromise, we don’t do quality work.” “We don’t have to prove anything to anybody,” said Dr. Anil Kumar. “Our work speaks for itself. Five years here and fifteen in Parthi. Look at our record: free service is not only possible, it is sustainable,” emphasizing the last word. He picked up a case file. “Look at this patient. A professor of pathology from Orissa. The surprising thing is he can afford to have this surgery done anywhere and his own Institution

will do it for him but he comes here. What brought him here as opposed to the other premier institutions in the country?” The officer nodded his head thoughtfully. “So,” continued Dr. Anil Kumar, “We need to find out more about this professor. His name…” he looked at the register, “is Dr. Radheshyam Hota. Why don’t we have a chat with him now?” “It’s late, sir.” The wall clock said 8:00 p.m. “He’ll probably be resting after his dinner.” “I’m going to the pre-operative ward now anyway, so join me in five minutes and I’ll introduce you and you take over from there,” Dr. Anil Kumar instructed while closing the pre-op register with finality. The cardiac ward, also called the preoperative ward, was full of patients of all ages. The older ones were walking up and down the length of the hall, having a post dinner walk, while others lay back on their beds, reading or talking to their relatives. At the far end of the ward was the “kid’s corner” where toys and games for children were kept. It was, naturally, the liveliest part of the ward. What else would you expect from children with nothing to do than to play? Despite being in a hospital, it looked more like playtime at a daycare center. Of course, the parents had their watchful eyes wide open, for these were children not so fortunate

as to be “normal.” Life was truly uncertain; at times to the extreme for these children. Sometimes one feels that here are people who are afraid to be happy. What a paradox. To be happy is the very nature of the human spirit and yet one is denied this greatest of joys. The Playpen at the ward Why do anomalies exist in a perfect world? When God is perfect why is the world imperfect? the officer pondered “There is not anomaly in creation, it is the anomaly of vision,” the words of Sri Sathya Sai Baba echoed in reply. Vision? What

vision? This is reality. How can reality be a vision? “Reality is as real as you want it to be. You are not what you think you are. You are a child of immortality.” Then why is there so much suffering? Why am I blessed to be healthy while there are so many others who are suffering? “You are indeed blessed to be healthy, so that you may serve those who are suffering. This body has been gifted to you to serve others and perform your dharma.” Questions and answers meandered through the mind of the officer as his eyes took in the sights in the ward. From the simple-minded to the most erudite, a doctor is in a class of his own, particularly if he holds the key to the well-being of one’s loved one; in that case, the respect increases manifold. This feeling was most apparent when the pair,

Dr. Anil Kumar and the officer, entered the ward. As if by silent command, the noise in the playpen stopped and the children quickly scrambled onto their beds. Those that were walking about returned to their beds and the ones lying down sat up. There was a hushed feeling of silent respect. The Doctor had come. Dr Hota – Amazing Faith “Dr. Radheshyam Hota. Admitted for coronary artery disease, please,” said Dr. Anil Kumar to the sister at the nursing station. Quickly referring to a list on her desk she directed them to the last cubicle on the left of the ward. They traversed the length of the ward and found Dr. Hota seated on his bed reading a magazine. “Sai Ram, Hota Saab,” Dr. Anil Kumar said cheerfully. “Sai Ram, Dr. Saab,” came the soft reply. “Your case has been posted for Monday,” said Kumar while opening the case file and scanning the contents. “Can you tell me what brings you here?” Being a medical professional, Dr. Hota summarized his condition starting from the first symptoms of cardiac disease to the present situation in succinct terms. It was impressive to watch two professionals in their individual fields in conference. It was a lesson in clinical detachment. Each knew that the issue

was subjective but their entire conversation was objective. No emotional involvement at all. Dr. Hota even took in the risk factor without batting an eyelid. He only smiled and said, “God is there, He will take care.” “Hota Saab, I will leave you now,” said Dr. Anil Kumar at the end of their professional discussion. “One thing that intrigued us was that despite being financially able to have the surgery done in any of the best hospitals in the country, you came here. Why is that?” Dr. Radheshyam Hota from Orissa Dr. Hota replied unhesitatingly, “This is Swami’s Hospital and I know I

will receive the best quality treatment here.” The words rang clear and honest. They had come from a medical professional who had seen the best in the country, who could afford the finest treatment, yet he had chosen to come to Swami’s Hospital because he was convinced that he would receive quality treatment there. Dr. Anil Kumar looked at the officer and nodded. “The officer here would like to know more about you. Spend some time with him, if you don’t mind.” The last few words were to Dr. Hota, who nodded with a smile on his placid face. The Doctor Relates His Stirring Story The officer sat down and listened as Dr. Hota began his long story, and it was an interesting one: he

was fifty-seven-years-old and hailed from Balangir, 360 kilometers from Bhubaneshwar, the capital city of Orissa. Born to a middle class farming community and part of a large family, Dr. Hota had been educated by his parents to become a doctor. He did his MBBS in 1972 from VSS Medical College in Burla, Orissa, and his MD in Pathology and Bacteriology in 1980 from the same college. He was married with one son planning to join TCS after completing his engineering in electronics. A doctor and a professor in pathology, he worked in various hospitals in Orissa during a career spanning three decades and was presently the Blood Bank Officer and Pathology Specialist in Balangir. Disease is ruthless and doesn’t discriminate between the rich and the poor, the educated and the illiterate. The turning point in Dr. Hota’s life came in August, 1994, on the

Rakhi Poornima day [a festival day] when he was posted as the Blood Bank Officer in Balangir. The district of Balangir in Orissa He had a heart attack. Dr. Hota was diagnosed with a 99% block in the LAD. [Left Anterior Descending, an artery supplying blood to the heart.] The clinical diagnosis read as the first anterior wall MI [Class II Ischemic heart disease]. Final diagnosis was: CAD – S/P AWMI: Coronary

Artery Disease, blocks in the arteries supplying blood to the heart, Anterior Wall Myocardial Infarct. When the upper surface of the heart does not receive sufficient blood for a long period of time it stops beating. When it stops, it is a heart attack. Dr. Hota narrated what happened that day. “I was urgently summoned to the hospital to issue blood to a patient. I issued the blood and was about to return home when suddenly I developed severe chest pains. The Medicine Specialist prescribed some medication but the pain did not abate. An important function was to be held over the next few days in which the Governor was to preside and since protocol demanded my presence as the Blood Bank Officer, I wanted to be fit enough to attend the function." “I immediately went to a reputed medical college where the doctor refused to see me as it was not an out-patient day. I was quite taken aback by his attitude.” The doctor,

instead of treating him, referred him to the Emergency Department. “I was desperately waiting for medical attention at Emergency when I had a myocardial infarction [heart-attack]. Thankfully, another doctor arrived and I was promptly given streptokinase and hospitalized for three weeks.” It seemed as if Dr. Hota’s immense faith in Swami pulled him through this rough patch. During the time he was hospitalized one of his colleagues brought him vibhuti from both Shirdi and Parthi. He always kept some vibhuti materialized by Swami close by. During this time he recalled a dream Baba blessed him with when He came in the form of Krishna and took him away from his home and led him into a house where bhajans were being conducted. To him it appeared as if Swami was carrying him away from the pain to a place where there is

eternal peace and happiness After a three-month rest period, Dr. Hota reported for duty. He was advised by the doctors to undergo a coronary angiogram, or CAG, a process where a long catheter is put all the way up to the heart and a radioactive dye is introduced to diagnose the blocks in the blood flow path in the coronary arteries. In those days Orissa was very backward in medical infrastructure and lacked facilities for performing a CAG. Dr. Hota was referred to a private hospital in Hyderabad. Very soon, he left for Hyderabad and was admitted in the hospital. The angiogram done there indicated a 99% block in the Left Anterior Descending artery – the main supply to the left side of the heart – and found 20-30% blockages in other arteries. The doctors told him his condition was serious and advised him to come back within seven days for an

angioplasty. They estimated the surgery would cost him Rs. 1.6 lakhs. .“Though being a doctor, I wasn’t very comfortable with my fellow doctors’ diagnosis. I didn’t want to rush in for the angioplasty. I needed a second opinion, and where else can we turn but to Swami.” Dr. Hota’s faith in Swami was so strong that he immediately came to Puttaparthy for consultation with the doctors in Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Medical Sciences, Prashanti Gram, Swami’s first Super Specialty Hospital, inaugurated in 1991. “During darshan, I got the blessed opportunity to hand over a letter explaining my situation to Swami. The cardiologists at the Hospital went through my angiogram and gave me hope that even with the type of blocks I had, with life-style modifications it would be possible to live a normal life. They assured me that once my turn for angioplasty came, I would be called,” narrated Dr. Hota. After the fearful prognosis by the private hospitals, the visit to Swami’s institute helped Dr. Hota cope with the situation. He went back home a relieved man. He was certain Swami would take

care of him and he would be called when He deemed fit. However, at work it was a difficult period for him. Friends and colleagues ridiculed him for relying on Baba when the private hospital advised immediate surgery. However, Dr. Hota did not buckle under this pressure. He continued to do Swami’s work with his usual gusto. Later, during the same year, when Dr. Hota got a call from the Hospital, it appeared that his faith paid off and in 1995 a PTCA [Percutaneous Transluminal Coronary Angioplasty – a procedure in which the arteries are dilated using an inflatable balloon threaded into the artery] was performed on him. He was discharged post-procedure in a healthy state and continued his customary life with some diet restrictions. Since 2002, Dr. Hota had been coming to Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Medical Sciences, Bangalore, for his

regular checkups. In April this year, during a routine TMT test, Dr. Hota came up with a positive result. An angiogram was subsequently done, which showed multiple blocks in the LAD and other arteries. The doctors decided that he would need to undergo a coronary artery by-pass surgery. In early July, Dr. Hota was admitted to the pre-operative ward. Just before his surgery, he sent a letter to Swami. Sure enough, the surgery went off smoothly, under the expert guidance of Dr. Anil Kumar Mulpur, HOD, CTVS Department. After an uneventful recovery and a successful discharge, Dr. Hota is back at his work as before. Golden Chances in the Good Old Days Unlike many other patients who come to the Hospital first and only then hear about Him, Swami had entered Dr. Hota’s life many

years ago, before the temples of healing came into existence. He was a long-time devotee and an active worker in the Sai movement in Orissa. “I heard about Swami in 1975 when I was posted in a remote part of Orissa. Having heard of Him, I first came to Parthi to participate in the 50th Birthday celebrations,” recalled Dr. Hota. “I vividly remember Swami giving the first aerial darshan in a helicopter that year. Since then I’ve been coming to Baba almost once a year or every other year. I’ve been very fortunate to have had close physical interaction with Him in those good old days, when access to Him was much easier." “One of my cherished interactions dates back to 1976, when I had an intense but subtle desire of obtaining the Divine touch. It was when the Easwaramma High School was being

constructed. One day when Swami had gone to see the progress, I followed Him to the site. After Swami went around, He came and sat in the car. During those days, access to Swami was so close. I was standing very near to the car, with my hands folded in prayer. Suddenly, Swami opened the door, got out of the car, and then caressed my shoulders and gave me padnamaskar. He spoke to me in Telugu, which I couldn’t quite understand. This incident was my most thrilling experience.” Dr. Hota’s job in the Government hospitals ensured that he was constantly on the move and at each place he would take active part in the Sai activities. He served the Sai Organisation in various capacities, as a Convener of the Bhajan Mandali, as a Sevadal Convener, and later on as the District President of the Sai Samitis in Sambalpur, Bolangir, and Gajapati districts

of Orissa. Dr. Hota in a group photo with Swami in 1970s “I also attended a number of World Conferences, and sevadal conferences at Puttaparthi. In 1984, I attended the large-scale medical camp conducted in over 100 villages around Puttaparthi on the eve of the Birthday celebrations that year. These medical camps were generally conducted under the guidance of Dr. Bapi Raju and they used to be inaugurated by Swami in

the Poornachandra Auditorium. It was during these times that Baba distributed thermometers to the doctors,” he said, remembering the special times he had with Baba. One of the cherished moments in his life occurred during this period, when Swami, after a medical camp, gifted him a Parker pen with the advice, “Write your prescriptions with this pen,” and blessed the doctors with a group photograph which Dr. Hota still preserves. Dr. Hota said: “The beautiful thing is that a few

weeks earlier Swami had come in my dream and had given me a box, which when opened had the pictures of Shirdi Sai and Parthi Sai on the inside. I was so moved to find that when I saw the Parker pen case, I was seeing again the same box from my dream.” During his three and a half decades of medical service in Orissa, Dr. Hota organized numerous medical camps and created awareness about Swami. He even authored a few books such as 'First Aid, a Health Guide for the Active Worker' and also a book in Oriya, Pilanka Swasthya, or Children's Health. Dr. Hota with his son before leaving the hospital Where Love Is The Therapy…. “Paropakaaraartham idam shareeram” …“This body is for the service of others,” say the Upanishads. Swami has said many times, “You do My work and I will do yours, and My work is to serve your fellowman. Help ever hurt never, Love all, Serve all.” The Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Medical Sciences embodies this spirit of selfless service. Dr. Hota has lived a full life, performing admirably well in every role destiny has granted him. His opinion about the Hospital is reflected in his words: “All the staff working at Swami's Hospital are so lucky to have received the grace of Swami. I am so very obliged to everyone at the Hospital who has taken care of me. This experience has further reinforced my faith in Swami and I shall endeavor to engage myself in Swami's work with full vigor

from now on.” “Here is where everyone practices Love as therapy. When the doctor smiles, the patient also smiles. Here is where Divinity is watching everything and taking care of everything. Here is where there is no difference between the rich and the poor and all are welcome, from whichever nationality. Divinity is for everybody and Swami’s Hospitals stand as an example to this truth.” Dear Reader, how did you like this story? Would you like more of such patient stories in this section of our magazine? Do you have any suggestions for our 'Healing Touch' section which will help you better? Please let us know . – Heart2Heart Team Prasanthi Bulletin SSSBPT Puttaparthi Live News by Sai Students International Sai Organisation Sri Sathya Sai Central Trust Sai Prashanthi . Sai News FROM PUTTAPARTHI...SANT ASHARAM BABU WITH SATHYA SAI... "Asharam Babu" the renowned saint seeks Blessings of Swami at PuttaprthiToady early morning renowned saint Asharam Babu arrived at Prasanthi Nilayam along with his disciples. He was present in the morning Darshan as well as in the

evening darshan. Bhagavan Baba called Asharamji for interview in the afternoon. Both were alone in the interview room for about an hour.Sant Asha Ram is also a famous speaker on scriptures and religious ideals & has many ashrams in India and he appears everyday in a TV channel.On asked by Bhagavan Baba to deliver a speech to the devotees, Asharamji spoke in Hindi for about an hour on spiritual topics of "Bhakti", Devotion and other spiritual practices.He also said, there is a very nice exercise that you all must practice. Every morning when you get up, visualize Baba's hand in your hand. Hold His hand tightly and pray, "Baba, Baba please let my whole day go on very well with Your Grace. Baba Bless me." Then at night, pray to Him and beg pardon for whatever mistakes you make. Whatever good happens is on account of His Grace and mistakes occur because of our Vasanas.He told the story of how Lord Krishna went to Mathura and met the woman

named Kubja who had a bent back. She was the woman who carried perfumes for His Highness – King Kamsa. Lord Krishna called her Sundari. She wondered whom Krishna was referring to. But the Lord was referring to her only. For the Lord everything is beautiful. He sees the inner beauty and not outer beauty!! Krishna wishes to bless her & asks her to give Him some perfume and then placing His foot on her foot He pulls her chin straight up. With this, her hump vanishes and she becomes a normal woman!!!This Divine Darshan was on September 15, 2004."Every Avatar is an amazing phenomenon - but it is also amazing not to recognize Him!!! : SATHYA SAI BABA =================================================================== FROM PUTTAPARTHI...SWAMY SIVANANDA WITH SATHYA SAI BABA ! =================================================================== Sai Baba - Trip to RishikeshOn the twenty-second of July, (year 1957) when he was just 31 years old, Baba left New Delhi by car for Rishikesh. When he reached Sivanandanagar at 6:30 that evening, Swami Sivananda called a special gathering of the disciples of the Ashram and offered

Baba a hearty welcome.Swami Sadananda (one of the senior disciples) was, prior to his entering the monastery, a professor of history at the Presidency College, Madras. Shiva aspect of Godhead was his favorite subject of study, and Baba had prodded him to explain the significance of the Lingam. Baba explained that it represented the emergence of the Cosmos from the formless as well as the mergence of the Cosmos into the formless!!! "This is a revelation to me" the Sanyasin said.Swami Sivananda (founder of the Ashram) was the very embodiment of equanimity. In the midst of vociferous pleadings and protestations from visitors and

inmates, he was being pushed around by his disciples in a wheeled chair.Speaking of the things that he is accustomed to make and give, Sai Baba discounted all spurious explanations and said that his will is immediately fulfilled. He materializes things to give joy to his devotees, just as a father gives sweets to his little ones, not to advertise his generosity or parenthood.He then materialized by the mere wave of his hand a magnificent Rudraksha garland of 108 beads, a rosary made from a berry. It was of exquisite workmanship, each bead encased in gold, and all were strung in gold with a five faced king-bead in the center. He presented it to Swami Sivananda. He also manifested a large quantity of sacred ash and applied it to the sage's forehead. That evening when the Swami entered the Satsang Hall wearing the unique garland, everyone was awed by its luster and

workmanship and the miracle that brought it forth.Baba's speeches and conversation were so full of rare and deep wisdom that the next day a number of senior monks and neophytes came to see Baba and plied him with questions designed to clarify their doubts. Swami Sadananda told that Baba can roam at will through the regions of the soul, the supersoul, and the oversoul, and can reveal whatever happens anywhere at any time. He also said he is all-powerful and had seen Baba converting a grain of rice into a grain of ivory and transforming that grain of ivory into a hundred and eight elephant figurines, each one carved and clearly recognizable by means of a magnifying glass!Swami Sivananda also had hour-long discussions with Baba every evening and was given fruits and holy ash materialized specially for improving his health. Day by day the Swami became better and better. One day Baba took Ganges water in his hand, and lo, it became sweet and fragrant nectar. He gave it to the Swami to be taken as a cure. It came as a pleasant surprise to many in the Ashram when they saw, on the day Baba departed, Swami Sivananda enthusiastically taking Baba around his hermitage, for on the day Baba reached the Ashram, and for a number of days thereafter, the Swami had been pushed around in a wheel chair!"Every Avatar is an amazing phenomenon - but it is also amazing not to recognize Him!!! : SATHYA SAI BABA ==================================================================CHINNA KATHA- A Little Story from Bhagavan COMPASSION IS A SIGN OF THE GREAT Once when Samartha Ramadas (a great saint from Maharastra who was the preceptor of King

Sivaji) was moving about the countryside with his disciples, those behind him seeing a fine field of juicy sugar cane, entered it and started pulling out the cane, crunching it with great relish. The owner of the field, naturally enraged at their behaviour and at the loss to which they were subjecting him, fell upon them with a stout cane. The Master was sorry that his disciples had broken discipline so objectionably, drawn by the desire of the tongue for the

sweet juice. The next day they reached Emperor Sivaji’s place, where a great welcome awaited the Guru and his followers. Sivaji offered to attend personally to the Guru during his ceremonial bath. When Ramadas undressed, Sivaji was shocked to find broad red marks, indicating that he had been beaten! Such was the sensitive sympathy of the great saint that he received on his back the blows

meant for his pupils. Sivaji sent for the owner of the field of cane. When he stood shivering in fear before the Emperor and his Guru, Ramadas was requested by Sivaji to inflict on him any punishment he liked. But Ramadas accepted the fact that wrong was committed by his disciples and blessed the farmer, granting him a boon that his lands would be tax free forever. - Baba - Illustrations: Ms Vidya, Kuwait -------------------- GLOBAL KANSAI LIGHT READERS CORNER: IN THIS ISSUE WE SHARE WITH YOU EMAILS RECEIVED FROM ALL OVER, IN APPRECIATION OF THE KANSAI LIGHT ISSUES RECEIVED BY THEM. DUE TO SPACE LIMITATION WE ARE REPRODUCING A FEW OF THESE EMAILS .---------------- Sai Ram I got KANSAI LiGHHT news letter forwarded my brother. Please include my e-mail id if possible. I attend South Bethesda Sai Center. Washington DC, USA Regards. Rajan Subramanium --------- Sai Ram I am grateful to you for sharing the kansai light issue. It is truly a light a "Light" that illumines the heart of Sai devotees! The photographs and illustrations are most beautiful. Many

thanks for the wonderful service! With humble pranams S.Subramanian Boston,USA --------- Om Sai Ram, Thank you for this KANSAI LIGHT I will e-mail to others. N.N.Nandani Panama --------- Hari Om I have been enjoying your mails and "KANSAI LIGHT" I have been wondering if we know each other. God bless and take care Sheila Budrani --------- Sai Ram Dear Ram

Chugani KANSAI LIGHT ISSUE Thank you very much for sharing. I enjoy reading them every time. I feel so happy inside while reading them May Sai bless you With Sai Love Mrs Heidi Ellsabeth Hansen Copenhagen, Denmark Europe --------- Sai Ram I just found the previous issues Kansai Light on website archives. Thanks for your help Thanks Mrs Radha Madhavan ................................................................................................................................. Sai Ram Thank you very much for sending me the previous issue "Kansai Light" . After your email, I also searched the messages and found the September,october and december issue from 2007. I am to read the Saibaba's story that you are publishing in each news letter. I would really like to read this from the begining. I only started reading it from this month's issue and I am not sure how many episodes I have missed. Is there any website from where i can download the remaining issues from, or is there any other way for me to get only that part of newsletter? Really appreciate hearing from you regarding

this. Thanks Mrs.Radha Madhavan. --------- Sai Ram, Re: Kansai Light for February -------------------- I am folowing your mails , messages, articles that were posted in many websites and i really like them. I want to give this enjoyment to our group members also, I request to post your articles to our group and "Kansai Light: Saigroupbh Sai Ram Surya Prasad =================================================================== KOBE CENTERS PROGRAMS Kobe Center Place : l.S.S. 2nd Fl. 1-3, Kumochi 5-chome, Chuo-ku, Kobe (Tel: 078-222-1885) Home Page MAP Bhajans Bhajan Practice Study

Circle every Sun 4:00-5:00pmevery Thur 7:30-830pm 1st,5th Sun 2:00-3:40pm 2nd Sun 2:00-3:20pm3rd,4th Sun 2:30-3:40pm every Thur 7:00-7:20pm 2nd Sun 5:30-6:30pm (English)4th Sun 5:30-6:30 (Japanese) 2nd Sun 3:40-3:55 (Gayatri Chanting) Ladies Programme 3rd,5th Sun 5:30-6:30pm Youth Programme 3rd Sun 0:30-2:20pm 2nd Sun in odd months 5:30-6:15pm(Study Circle)1st Sun in even months 0:30-1:50 Seva Aisei-en (Orphanage home): 3rd Sun 9:30-11:30amNarayana Seva: 2nd,4th Sun 10:00-11:30am, 1st, 3rd Thur 9:00-10:00pm Veda Club Veda clup is held on every 4th Sunday after Bhajans. Study Circle in (Japanese) is held on every 2nd Sunday on 1st fl. Subscribe/Un information: (Free copy) To , please send your request to rgcjp To , please type “REMOVE” on the subject line and send to rgcjp ----------------------- SAI CENTERS: KOBE, YOKOHAMA, OSAKA, SAPPORE,HAMAMATSU OKINAWA, CHIBA, NAGOYA, TOKYO & KYOTO.' SAI BHAJAN

GROUPS.: OBIHIRO, SAITAMA, SHIZUOKA, KITAKYUSHU, MORIOKA TAMA, NARA, FUKUOKA, TOHOKU, NAGANO, IWAKUNI, HIROSHIMA, KAGOSHIMA, GUNMA, KANAZAWA, KAGAWA. Note: Sometimes schedules is subject to change. Please contact respective centers and groups for information. ..................................................................................................... In side This issue... =========================================================== 1.Swami's Quotatiom. 8.Be exemplary...Showers of Bliss. 2. Baba's

Story. 9.Divine Will The world should know. 3.Shirdi baba...devotees experience. 10.Where Love is Therary. 4.Why did The Divine descend as RAMA. 11.Sant Ashram Babu. 5.Prof Anil Kumar with Swami. 12.Swami Sivananad with Baba. 6. 7 Tense Hours 13. Chinna Katha. 7.Buddha Poormina in Kobe Sai Center. 14. Kobe Centers Progamms Golobal Kansai Light Readers Corner/ KL 221 40 PAGES Ram ChuganiKobe, Japanrgcjp

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