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Ram ChuganiKobe, Japan--- On Wed, 11/5/08, Ramchand Chugani <rgcjp wrote:

Ramchand Chugani <rgcjpFw: KANSAI LIGHT FOR NOVEMBER ISSUE-35...NEW AMENDED."OMSAIRAM..RAMCHAND GHANSHAMDAS CHUGANI" <rgcjpWednesday, November 5, 2008, 10:53 AM

 

 

 

 

Ram ChuganiKobe, Japan--- On Wed, 11/5/08, Ramchand Chugani <rgcjp wrote:

Ramchand Chugani <rgcjpFw: KANSAI LIGHT FOR NOVEMBER ISSUE-35...NEW AMENDED."OMSAIRAM..RAMCHAND GHANSHAMDAS CHUGANI" <rgcjpWednesday, November 5, 2008, 10:37 AM

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

KANSAI LIGHT FOR NOVEMBER ISSUE 2008 ISSUE-35------

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

KANSAI LIGHT ,FOR NOVEMBER ISSUE-35

News letter of Sri Sathya Sai Organization Japan

address: I.S.S, 2nd Fl, 1-3, Kumochi 5-Chome, Chuo Ku Kobe

Tel: 078-222-1885, Email: rgcjp

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PLEASE PRINT COPY FOR YOUR EASY REFERENCE

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The first step in the Sadhana is the cleanings of the speech. Talk sweet without

anger. Do not boast of your scholarship or attinments. Be humble,eager to serve,

conserve your speech. Practice silence.That will save you from squabbles

frittering thoughts and faction.

Sathya Sai Baba.----------------

 

[This page has lots of Graphics. Allow time for the images to download]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

ACT XX

SCENE 1

A hut is built on the land gifted by Subbamma, and that now becomes the residence of Young Swami. While many adore and worship Baba, some are jealous and have evil intentions towards Him.

 

 

 

 

 

A MAN: It seems that Karnam Subbamma gave a piece of her land to Young [bala] Swami. SECOND PERSON: Subbamma has tremendous devotion for Bala Swami.

 

 

 

 

 

 

THIRD PERSON: Apart from devotion, Subbamma is also a very generous lady. That is why she so readily offered help. YET ANOTHER MAN: It is Easwaramma¡¯s blessing to have given birth to Bala Swami, while it is our good fortune and blessing to be able to listen to His Divine Discourses. FIRST PERSON: Swami taking birth in this village of Puttaparthi is the result of the good merit earned by its inhabitants in previous births. SCENE 2

A plot is hatched to set fire to the hut of Baba. RAMA: Hey, come on!¡­. Come quick! RAJA: Look out and see if someone is coming.

 

 

 

 

 

 

RAMA: Sit down¡­¡­sit down¡­.. GANGA: They call Him God, God. ¡­. They hire bullock carts and come here¡­Deluded, they have become mad¡­..How can man be God? What is all this illusion and miracles!¡­¡­¡­ RAJA: Even if He is not God but has some power, let Him show it now! ¡­.Is it miracle or magic, is He real or fraud?¡­¡­¡­We will soon know! RAMA: Stop talking ¡­¡­. Go and get the torches first; we will then light the torches and set fire to the hut. The hut is torched, and is rapidly getting burnt. People see this and are shocked.

 

 

 

 

 

 

A MAN: Look! Bala Swami¡¯s hut is burning.¡­.. And Swami is inside!! ANOTHER MAN: Hey! Get up!! ¡­.. Bala Swami¡¯s hut is burning!¡­¡­Fire¡­.Fire!¡­.. A THIRD PERSON: Come on! ¡­¡­¡­The hut is burning! ¡­¡­..Bring some water!¡­ FOURTH PERSON: Hey, all of you come! Bala Swami¡¯s hut is on fire!¡­¡­Come! Someone has set fire to it¡­¡­.. Meanwhile, it mysteriously starts raining. But wonder of wonders, the rain is pouring down only over the burning hut and nowhere else! People are astonished. A MAN: Look! It is raining right over there! ¡­.. Rain is pouring down on the burning hut!!¡­¡­ ANOTHER MAN: Indeed!¡­¡­¡­. Really, it is raining!¡­¡­¡­

 

 

 

 

 

 

THIRD PERSON: But it is not raining over us! ¡­¡­¡­ Not even a drop on us!¡­.How amazing! FOURTH PERSON: This is most astonishing! ¡­¡­.. Rainwater is not falling on us but coming down only on the burning hut!!¡­¡­.How strange!¡­.. YET ANOTHER PERSON: There is nothing strange about it¡­..Bala Swami is inside¡­..And Swami is no ordinary person. A LADY: Swami is God! ANOTHER SPECTATOR: That is why it is not a mere hut but a Divine Abode. Meanwhile, the plotters are aghast; evidently, their plans have totally misfired. Slowly, the truth dawns on them.

 

 

 

 

 

 

GANGA: All along we mistakenly believed that everything was an illusion and a fraud¡­¡­.But now, we know the truth¡­. RAJA: The rain is coming down only on the burning hut!¡­..How strange!!¡­. A MAN IN THE CROWD: Bala Swami is no ordinary person. He is God!¡­.He is a God with extra-ordinary powers¡­.Otherwise, how can it rain just on the burning hut and not on us?¡­.. Astounding!¡­¡­ SECOND PERSON: Look! The burning hut is now back to normal! THIRD PERSON: That is not a hut but a temple. That is why such a miracle has happened!¡­.. FOURTH PERSON: That makes sense. After seeing this miracle, can anyone doubt the Divinity of Bala Swami?¡­..There! Looks like Bala Swami is coming!¡­ A LADY: It is all a Leela, a sport of God! Bala Swami is coming! Swami appears on the scene and He is duly hailed. A cheer-leader shouts, ¡°Bala Swami Ki¡± and the crowd responds by shouting ¡°Jai¡± which means victory. The gang that set fire to the hut realise who Swami is, feel remorse, and decide to seek Swami¡¯s pardon. RAMANA: Bala Swami is truly God!¡­¡­ RAMA: Let us go at once to Bala Swami, fall at His Feet, and beg for His forgiveness¡­. THE EVIL GANG: [chorus] Swami, please forgive us! BABA: What for? GANGA : Mistaking You to be a fraud and a magician, we set fire to Your abode¡­ RAJA: We wanted to test Your powers. Swami! Please forgive us!

 

 

 

 

 

 

BABA: You did not do any wrong. It was your ignorance that made you act the way you did¡­.. Ignorance is like darkness¡­. In the matchstick that you used, there is fire as well as light. The same match can be used to light either a fire or a lamp. With the fire you can reduce a hut to ashes whereas with the lamp you can dispel darkness. ¡­Use first your intellect to remove your ignorance¡­ Stop testing. The fault is not yours but that of your ignorance¡­ You may go now¡­ THIEVES: Swami! You are truly God! You are truly God! SCENE 3

Easwaramma is deeply upset by the incident of arson. She is very much worried about the safety of her dear Sathyam. The boy refuses to listen to her; she has no recourse but to pray to her favourite God, Lord Sathyanarayana, who gave her the boy as His gift.

EASWARAMMA: O Lord! You are constantly testing young Sathyam who is totally innocent about the ways of the world¡­..How long am I to bear all this? ¡­Oh God! How long have I to suffer this anguish? ¡­.Treating Sathyam to be Your very Gift, we have named Him after You!¡­ Sobs.

EASWARAMMA: When people worshipped Him as Bala Swami, I saw You in Him¡­.. But¡­¡­But¡­This jealousy and hatred have exceeded all limits! ¡­Lord! Why are You subjecting Sathyam to all these difficult tests?¡­No!¡­.No!¡­No more such tests!¡­.. Please don¡¯t agitate this mother¡¯s heart¡­.Don¡¯t disturb it please! ¡­I can¡¯t bear it¡­.I just can¡¯t bear it!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Swami enters Easwaramma¡¯s house at this juncture and calls out to her.

BABA: Lady of the house¡­..lady of the house¡­. EASWARAMMA: My boy¡­¡­my dear Sathyam¡­¡­my child!¡­ BABA: Is it not true that when a net is thrown into a pond, only fish will be caught and not water? In the same way, acts performed out of ignorance will not harm those who enjoy God¡¯s Grace. Lady, don¡¯t worry!.. EASWARAMMA: My child, ¡­¡­my Sathyam! SCENE 4

The hut being set on fire and its miraculous survival now becomes the talk of the village.

 

 

 

 

 

A LADY: Sister, did you see that extra-ordinary happening? There was no rain anywhere in the village but it just poured over the hut of Bala Swami! ANOTHER LADY: Yes, the rain came down only on the burning hut! THIRD LADY: The rains came to put out the fire because Sathyam is God! FOURTH LADY: How remarkable! In this Kali Age, God is living right here in this very village of ours and right before our eyes! THE FIRST LADY: Venkama¡¯s son Raju is no ordinary person! He is a Great One with extra-ordinary powers. Otherwise, how can it rain non-stop just over the burning hut and nowhere else? SECOND LADY: It seemed as if the Rain God had come down to have the Darshan of Bala Swami! A LADY IN THE GROUP: We should all be proud that such a Noble Soul is residing in our village. Not everyone can have this Divine Spark; it is the cumulative merit of earlier births¡­..This miracle is like what Lord Krishna performed earlier in the Dwapara Age. FIRST LADY: Fortunate indeed are we to be able to witness and be thrilled by the Leelas of Swami! SCENE 5

The scene is Venkama Raju¡¯s house. The subject of discussion is the recent hut-burning incident. KONDAMA RAJU: Such stories are known from the days of the Mahabharatha. Did not the evil Kauravas try to burn the noble Pandavas, when the latter were occupying the palace built of lacquer? What happened then? ¡­.. God¡¯s power prevailed, and evil power took flight!¡­. A similar thing has happened in this Kali Age also. Once more, and in the very same manner, God¡¯s might has triumphed over evil forces. No evil power can ever touch our dear Sathyam, anywhere and at any time¡­¡­¡­ Please believe me. Don¡¯t worry! VENKAMA RAJU: Father, how can you say that?! What if something terrible were to happen?¡­.. KONDAMA RAJU: Venkama, you have not understood Sathyam. That is why you are having such doubts. ¡­¡­ VENKAMA RAJU: We have to punish those wicked people¡­..We have to make sure that such things do not happen again. .. BABA: I have not incarnated in order to punish the wicked but to remove the evil in them, and to show them the sacred path. Even Dharmaraja, who never wavered from Dharma, had enemies. He was named Ajata Shatru [one who has no enemies] but all the Kauravas were his enemies! ¡­¡­¡­.In this Kali Age, evil overshadows good¡­.. Devotion to God alone can invoke the Supreme Power that annihilates evil forces¡­.. Constantly remembering God, promotes devotion.

 

 

 

 

 

 

SCENE 6 MAN: Seshama Raju, Seshama Raju! It seems some evil people set fire to Bala Swami¡¯s abode in Puttaparthi! SESHAMA RAJU: Is that so? MAN: But don¡¯t worry. Swami is safe. Thanks to the Divine Power in Him, He did not face any danger. I will take your leave now. - END OF EPISODE 27 -

------------------ Prof G.V Last episode

 

The last episode described the opening scene of the great Kurukshetra War, and also how Karna, at the very last minute, learnt that he was really the elder brother of the Pandavas. It was painful for him to have to fight against his very own brothers, but that was the choice he made. This month we begin with a few remarks on Karna and then lead to the war itself and what followed.

Loving Sai Ram and greeting from Prashanti Nilayam. If you recall, in the last issue, I ended with a reference to a conversation between Kunti and her eldest son Karna, and the very different ways in which Karna and Kunti looked at life and death.

The Tragic Hero Karna

Karna is perhaps the most tragic of all the characters that appear in the Mahabharata. On occasions, Swami has praised Karna but has also pointed out that for all his noble qualities, Karna committed one fatal blunder. He surrendered himself totally to Duryodhana because he felt that Duryodhana saved his honour in an hour of crisis. It was this loyalty that compelled Karna to refuse even his mother's request to desist from fighting. Swami says that total surrender must only be to God and not to man, whoever that may be; any pledge given to another human must be restricted and conditional when the issue of God becoming a priority arises.

Sanjaya is Blessed to ¡®See¡¯ the Battle from Afar

With war about to break out, Dhritarashtra began to panic, for he knew well what the outcome would be. He cursed his sons for not being reasonable, and he cursed himself too for not exercising parental authority with sufficient force.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sage Vyasa blesses Sanjaya with visions of the battle

 

At that juncture, Sage Vyasa came to Dhritarashtra and consoled him by saying, "The past is past and there is no use in crying over spilt milk. Prepare yourself to accept the outcome bravely, whatever it may be. If you wish, I can bless you with a vision so that you can see what is going on in the battlefield."

Dhritarashtra declined the offer but still wanted some means of obtaining news from the battlefront. Vyasa then blessed Dhritarashtra's companion, Sanjaya, with the capacity to see the happenings on the battlefield and offer reports to his king. Thus, it was that Sanjaya became not only the world's first war correspondent but TV commentator as well!

The Bhagavad Gita, which we all think of as the lessons taught by the Lord to Arjuna and humanity as well, actually begins and ends as a conversation between Dhritarashtra and Sanjaya, with the dialogue on the battlefield between Krishna and Arjuna tucked in between. Sanjaya is not only blessed with remote vision but remote hearing as well; and when Krishna reveals to Arjuna His Cosmic Form, Sanjaya is able to see that too.

The conversation between the blind king and his constant companion begins with Dhritarashtra asking Sanjaya to describe the scene at the battlefront just before the fighting was due to commence. And that is when Sanjaya describes Arjuna asking Krishna to drive the chariot to a central location between the two armies when, seeing the line up of revered elders on the other side, Arjuna's heart sinks yielding to doubt and misery. Krishna waits patiently for the disturbed Arjuna to pour out his heart, and then instructs him in Divine Knowledge. This clears the cobwebs in Arjuna's mind and gone is the confusion. He gets up as instructed and fights with vigour, dedicating his actions to Krishna and seeking no reward. Swami adds:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lord Krishna - the eternal One

¡°Krishna's exposition benefited Arjuna, Sanjaya, Vyasa [who wrote the Mahabharata] and Hanuman [who as the symbol in the flag of Arjuna's chariot, also heard it]. The same Gita fell on the deaf ears of Dhritarashtra too.¡±

This last remark is most significant. These days, there are many who make it a point to read all the seven hundred verses of the Gita every day. Some even take the trouble of memorising all the verses. All this is fine and desirable no doubt, but only up to a point. As Swami has often remarked, what is the use of all this memorising, if one does not put into practice the teachings of even one verse, or at least half a verse?

If one merely chants but does not follow the teachings in real life, then one is no better than a tape recorder! That¡¯s the warning from Swami and I suggest that we should periodically remind ourselves of that warning when we try to cleanse ourselves merely by routine reading or chanting.

Moving on, Swami has also made a few other remarkable revelations concerning the Kurukshetra War. First is the fact that the war was fought in 3141 BC, when Krishna was 86 years old (Krishna, Swami says, was born on July 20, 3227 BC).

The war started on a New Moon day (Amavasya) but Sanjaya started his narration ten days later. He adds: ¡°Some consider this day as the 'Gitajayanti' or the day on which Krishna vouchsafed the message of the Gita to Arjuna. But, this was the day on which Sanjaya narrated the story of the battle to Dhritarashtra. The Gita was actually given by Krishna to Arjuna on the ¡®Karthika Bahula Amavasya¡¯ day.¡±

By the way, some of you might recall that not only has Radio Sai broadcast the entire text of the Gita in Sanskrit with concurrent translation in English, but has also brought out the essence in the form of a simple dialogue between Krishna and Arjuna. In addition, I have sometime ago broadcast an extended series of talks on the essence of the Gita as highlighted by Swami. In view of all this, I shall not, on this present occasion, spend any more time on the Gita.

The Kurukshetra War lasted eighteen days in which initially, fortune seemed to favour the Kauravas, causing much despondency in the Pandava camp. But eventually the tide turned and the Pandavas won, the last act in the Great War being a keenly fought one-to-one mace combat between Bhima and Duryodhana. Bhima finally killed Duryodhana, and it was all over.

Were Lord Krishna¡¯s Actions Fair?

Krishna's role in the war has been the subject of much comment, the feeling in some quarters being that though Krishna did not wield any weapon, He, using questionable tactics, skilfully manipulated many a situation so as to give the Pandavas a tactical advantage.

(In the Rama Avatar, too, scholars have debated endlessly on the correctness of Rama slaying Vali from behind; however, Swami has put to rest all such controversies by giving a deep insight into the Divine purpose and intentions). In fact, in his dying moments, Duryodhana himself levelled such charges of foul play and severely castigated Krishna. Balarama too was chagrined by Krishna's role in the final destruction of Duryodhana. And so the question has often been raised whether some of Krishna's actions were above board or fair? This is an important point and merits some attention.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Krishna reveals His Divine powers by turning the tide of the battle in favour of the Pandavas

There are basically two ways of looking at Krishna's so-called "questionable" tactics. The first is by regarding Krishna as a mere human and the second is by taking into account the fact that Krishna was an Avatar (Divine Incarnation), a Poorna Avatar at that. If Krishna was a mere mortal, then the charges levelled against Him might perhaps have a basis, but if we remember that He was, in fact, God incarnate, then His actions fall totally outside the purview of limited human analysis.

Man is bound by space and time and views things, people and events circumscribed by this limitation, whereas the Blessed Lord is completely beyond the finite boundaries that apply to us ordinary mortals. Thus, His actions can be understood only by Him and not by us, and we simply have no business whatsoever, judging Him by our yardsticks; it is totally meaningless and absolutely stupid.

Indeed this is always the mistake one makes with Avatars. Did not Shirdi Sai frequently baffle his contemporaries as does our own beloved Swami? As the late Mr. Kasturi once remarked, not only every discourse, but even a "casual" remark or for that matter, even a "mere" gesture of Swami has unfathomable meaning. It is pointless either to try and analyse, interpret or understand the actions of the Avatar. Humble and meek acceptance, as Gandhi recommends, is the only way open to us. In this context, it is sobering to remember that even Balarama, an aspect of Narayana, could not understand Krishna's earthly actions.

Post War Carnage

Returning to the story of the war, the casualties were truly staggering. All the Kauravas were killed; and so also all the leading lights on the Kaurava side, including Karna, Drona, etc. Bhishma was felled but he held on to his life as he had been blessed with the boon to shed his mortal coil at a time of his choice.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Abhimanyu, the son of Arjuna, fought bravely at the battle

 

 

 

Bhisma lies on a bed of arrows and waits for the right moment to shed his mortal coil

Bhishma lay on a bed of arrows arranged by Arjuna, and waited for the Sun to come from the southern to the northern sky, as that was a more auspicious time to give up the body.

On the Pandava side too the toll was heavy. Though the Pandavas themselves escaped death, all their offspring were totally annihilated, and the slender hope of the continuance of their lineage rested entirely on the boy growing in the womb of Uttara, the wife of Abhimanyu, who was the son of Arjuna. Later, this boy became King Parikshit, and, facing a death sentence due to a curse, he spent the last seven days listening to a narration of Srimad Bhagavatham which describes the glory, and the incarnations of Narayana (up to that time of course), and the lessons taught by Him on various occasions.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Yudhistra refuses to accept kingship at the end of the war, but relents once Bhisma advises him

Back to the main story. Seeing the carnage, Yudhishtra was completely shaken. The despondency that overtook Arjuna at the start, now made Yudhishtra its target, and overcome with grief, he refused to pick up the reins of kingship that was now his. Sense had to be knocked into his head, just as was required in the case of Arjuna earlier! This time, Krishna gave the job to Bhishma who, for a number of reasons, was reluctant, not the least of which was the fact that there was Krishna right there, who was certainly more qualified than anyone else to advise him. But Krishna insisted and Bhishma yielded.

Bhishma Gives His Profound Teachings

Thus came into existence the Santi Parva, the body of knowledge communicated to Yudhishtra by the venerable Bhishma on diverse matters, both secular and spiritual. It is an unparalleled manual of practical wisdom, especially for those involved with governance. In the course of the dialogue, Yudhishtra asks, "Which is the best dharma of all?" To which Bhishma replies that the best one is the ceaseless contemplation and worship of Lord Narayana. Having said this, Bhishma composed on the spot a flowery hymn in praise of Narayana, containing over a thousand different descriptions of the Lord - this is the famous Vishnu Sahasranamam (which Shirdi Baba asked many to recite daily). The incredible aspect of it is that the first time it was recited was in the physical presence of Narayana Himself!

The Joy of Being the Lord¡¯s Instrument

In passing I might throw in a nice little story concerning our beloved Swami. This happened many years ago in Trayee Brindavan, and I was a witness to it. It was evening, and the post Bhajan period when boys gather around Swami¡¯s jhoola (swing) inside Trayee, waiting for yet another of those memorable sessions to start. As usual, after Swami entered and was seated, there was small talk for sometime, after which Swami said, ¡°Narasimhan, say something to the boys.¡± The remark was addressed to late Mr. V. K. Narasimhan, a distinguished journalist and for long the editor of Sanathana Sarathi, after Kasturi could no longer handle that job.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

¡°Narsimhan, you know, sometimes man listens better to man than to God!¡± - Swami

 

Narasimhan, who was widely read and could speak on practically anything, replied, ¡°Swami, when You are there, what business do I have to speak? It is You who know everything and it is You who should speak. In any case, the boys are waiting for You to speak, not me!¡±

Swami smiled and said, ¡°No Narasimhan, you go ahead and speak.¡± When Narasimhan persisted with his prayer adding that it is God who should speak to man and give advice, not man to man, Swami said, ¡°Narsimhan, you know, sometimes man listens better to man than to God!¡±

Narasimhan was shocked and said, ¡°Swami, how can that ever be?¡± Swami then said, ¡°Narasimhan, don¡¯t you remember? When Bhishma told Krishna that He should advise Yudhishtra, Krishna insisted that it was Bhishma who should speak and not He! And it worked, did it not?¡±

Narasimhan smiled and accepted that he had been vanquished in argument and went on to give yet another scintillating talk! Unfortunately, I don¡¯t remember a word of it, though I remember every word that preceded that talk! In any case, that incident is what is important to Sai Bhagavatham! Sometimes, God uses man as His instrument, even though He could do it all Himself!

Getting back to the bits and pieces of the remaining part of the story, accepting Bhishma's advice, Yudhishtra assumed the rulership of Hastinapura and ruled for many years as a wise king who never deviated from the path of Dharma. Mindful of his responsibilities, he gave shelter to Dhritarashtra and Gandhari though this was not quite liked by some of his younger brothers. And in due course, the Pandavas one by one shed their mortal coils, their mission on earth having been completed.

The story of the Pandavas is an inspiring saga of courage and determination. It also illustrates that having the Lord on one's side does not automatically provide exemption from troubles or difficulties. However, the Lord does help in bearing the difficulties with courage and fortitude.

And finally, referring to the allegorical significance of the great epic, the Mahabharatha, Swami says:

¡°The Mahabharatha is basically the story of the five Vital Airs (the Pancha Praanas) overcoming a hundred obstacles in the path of progress.¡±

Sai, the World¡¯s Third Poorna Avatar

When God descends on earth, He comes as an incarnation or an Avatar. Thus far in human history, He has come only three times in human form with His full compliment of Divine Powers i.e., as a Poorna Avatar. The Rama and the Krishna Avatars were Poorna Avatars. The current Sai Avatar is also a Poorna Avatar. Blessed are we therefore to be born and living at the same time as the Avatar, and even more blessed are we to have His Darshan as also to experience directly His limitless Divine Love.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Rama bore arms and physically destroyed enemies. Krishna too used destructive force when needed, but quite sparingly. The current Avatar, however, has come without any weapons whatsoever. Why? Has not Krishna declared that the wicked would be destroyed when the Avatar descends?

In Rama's time, the enemy, i.e., Ravana, was outside. In Krishna's time, the forces of evil and good were to be found within the same family. But in the present day world, the forces of evil and good are both within the same person. No longer are there pure "good guys" and patently "bad guys".

Thus it is that our Lord Sai has chosen to use Love or Prema as His "weapon". This weapon destroys the wickedness in man, transforms him and raises him to the level of Divinity. As Swami Himself has declared:

¡°In this Kali Age, the wicked have to be reformed and reconstructed through Love and compassion. That is why the Avatar has come unarmed. It has come with the Message of Love.¡±

In one of His Divine Discourses, Swami declared in ringing tones that His mission was unique in that He was involved in making each and every person realise that he or she is God.

Times change, habits change, fashions change but one thing remains constant and that is ¡°God is Love and Love is God¡±. In addition, man too is God; which means, he too must breathe Love and not hate. This is our Dear Lord Sai's constant reminder.

I would like to add one point about the Krishna Avatar. Krishna is worshipped as (a form of) God which is correct, but in the process one tends to lose sight of the human that He was. The Discourses given by Bhagavan Baba during the summer of 1976 (Summer Roses On The Blue Mountain, 1976) are worth reading in this context, for Swami then repeatedly emphasised the human aspect of Krishna. Those discourses are most illuminating to read for they open our eyes to the human aspect of both Shirdi Sai and the current Sai Avatar as well.

Well, this brings to an end my original project to tell you something about the Rama and the Krishna Avatars. As I mentioned right in the beginning, my aim was not to present a scholarly discourse but to make you get acquainted with the essential aspects of these two Avatars, hoping that this would stimulate a deeper study of the earlier Avatars on your part. Having come this far, I perhaps ought to include a few more talks dealing with the current Sri Sathya Sai Avatar. Unfortunately, right now, I have too many deadlines to meet; so I shall reserve for later, the pleasant task of speaking about the incarnation of our own Beloved Swami!

Meanwhile, thanks for being with me during the present series, and I do hope it was of some use to you. As for me, it certainly uplifted me a lot in countless ways.

God be with you all. Hopefully, I shall be back soon, with narrations about the wonderful Sri Sathya Sai Avatar, who is here not only to save humanity but also to fill us with Bliss in so many different ways!

Samasthaa Loka Sukhino Bhavantu. Jai Sai Ram.

(To be Continued...)

 

 

 

 

Previous Articles In The Same Series

 

 

Part - 01

 

Part - 02

 

 

 

Part - 03

 

 

Part - 04

 

Part - 05

 

Part - 06

 

 

Part - 07

¨C Heart2Heart Team

 

 

 

 

 

 

CONVERSATIONS WITH SAISatyopanishad - part 9:Direct Directions from the Divine

 

 

 

 

 

Dear reader, in response to positive feedback to this section where we have a dialogue with the Divine, we continue with Prof. Anil Kumar¡¯s ¡°Satyopanishad¡± after completing the serial Dr. John Hislop¡¯s ¡°Conversations with Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba¡± in January 2008.

This also 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 ¨C 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 the third chapter: Youth.

 

CHAPTER 3 - YOUTH (Continued from the previous issue)

Anil Kumar: Swami! Everywhere we hear people speaking of 'brain drain'. Statistics indicate that every year the number of educated people going abroad is increasing. Is this good?

Bhagawan: This is not good. It is not proper on the part of the young people to leave this country and settle in foreign countries. Here, in Bharat (India), according to tradition, you have five mothers almost equally venerable. These five are the most revered and ranked along with one's own mother. Who are those five mothers?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The first and foremost, of course; is the dehamata, the physical mother. It is this mother who has given you birth, struggled hard serving you and sacrificed everything for your comfort and upbringing. So, she has to be revered.

The second is gomata, the cow. It is the cow that gives you milk and helps to nurture and strengthen your body. You have to be grateful to the cow.

The third is bhumata, Mother Earth. It is on the earth that we live. We cultivate the land and grow grains. All the metal ores we extract and use are treasured in the Earth.

The fourth is Vedamata, Mother Scripture. It is the Vedas that teach you the aim and the goal of life while showing you the spiritual path as well. We should be grateful to Mother Scripture, as we should be to our mothers.

The fifth is desamata, Motherland. Your culture, tradition, and rich heritage are all embodied in this land where you are born. You have to treat your desa, country, as your mother. So it is called desamata, Motherland.

For the simple reason that a woman you meet happens to be more beautiful than your mother, you will not call her 'amma', mother. This message is conveyed in the Ramayana. At the end of the war, after Ravana had died, Lakshmana said to Rama: "O Brother! This Lanka is prosperous and exceedingly beautiful. Our enemies have all died, and we have every right to rule this land. O Lord! Why don't you become its king? Bharata has been already been there for fourteen years as the king of Ayodhya. We can as well ask him to continue his reign there, and we stay here and rule this kingdom." Then Rama replied, "O Lakshmana! Your motherland is greater than heaven itself. Your mother may be ugly and another woman you have seen may be beautiful. Yet, you don't address the beautiful woman as 'amma'."

Whatever may be the country you belong to, it is your Motherland. Everyone must be patriotic. Everyone must love his or her own country. You should serve your country.

Anil Kumar: Swami! What are your comments on brain drain? Many highly educated professionals like engineers, doctors, computer experts plan to go abroad and settle there for better and higher prospects of income and placement in life. This is the cause for worry in many circles, both government and private. What do you feel about this?

Bhagawan: It is most unfortunate that this trend is on the rise. This is not good at any point of time anywhere in the world. You are born in this society. So you grow up, educate yourself, make money, name and fame in this society.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Only through this society can you get your clothing, food and shelter: Have you come up on your own without the society you live in? Could you make a career for yourself without its support? Should you not express your sense of gratitude to it for all it has done for you?

Man should never be an ungrateful creature. The best way to be grateful is to serve. You know, our people put in greater effort, and work more sincerely abroad. While they are here, they don't show the same spirit and zeal in their work. They are not as sincere and industrious here as they are in foreign countries.

In fact, the emoluments they get here by doing their best will be the same as they get abroad, a fact they fail to realise. To some extent, parents also are responsible for this problem of brain drain. They don't properly inculcate in children the values of work, patriotism, sacrifice, love and gratitude.

So, it is your fundamental duty to serve the society in which you are born and brought up. You see many a foreigner coming here. They learn lots of things from this sacred land of your birth, whereas our people forget what they know. Some of our people are even inferior to locals and natives of foreign countries in respect of observing traditions. What for is our education? Is it for the decline of human values? Janani janmabhumi s'ca svargadapi gariyasi. Rama observed 'Mother and motherland are greater than Heaven.'

Anil Kumar: Swami! Modern youth, in the name of the generation gap, are not prepared to pay heed to their elders. Advise and give us Your message.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bhagawan: This is meaningless. What are the changes you notice in the name of the generation gap? The sun rises only in the east and never in the west. There is no change in the laws of nature. Don't you feed the same stomach every day?

Don't you wash the same face every day? Don't you clean the same utensils every day? Don't you wear the same clothes? So, all important things need to be done time and again. In the name of the generation gap you should not neglect doing things that need to be repeated.

You shouldn't turn a deaf ear to the advice of your elders branding them as senile, old hags. No. They are persons with rich experience. They are your well ­wishers. You must listen to them, obey and follow their instructions. The modern generation is not prepared to listen to the elders. It is foolishness and utter ignorance to brush aside all that the elders say. It amounts to pride and egotism. You will ultimately ruin yourself if you don't follow the valuable advice of elders.

Anil Kumar: Swami! We have on one side our parents pulling us towards the world and on the other, the divine teachings we have been fortunate enough to receive from You. We wonder which of the two will dominate and influence us?

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bhagawan: If the ideas of your parents are against God, you should choose God and definitely not your parents. You must clearly explain and appeal to them, and then convince them of the value and importance of the spiritual path. Among the Bal Vikas children, there are a large number who have brought about a change in their parents.

There are many who have been influenced and transformed by the children of the Sri Sathya Sai Primary School, Sri Sathya Sai Higher Secondary School and the students of the Sri Sathya Sai University. There should be a change in the family of the children first, then in the society.

In fact, you are not from your parents, but you are through your parents. Truly, you are from God. If you are convinced of this, your words and actions would be godly.

Take a simple example. You fill a container with sweet milk pudding, payasam. If the container has holes, you will expect the same sweet pudding to come out of these holes. Will you not? Similarly, when you know that you are from God, your words, thoughts and actions will be divine.

Anil Kumar: Swami! We are progressing in Science and Technology. At the same time, our modern youth are not able to face life's problems courageously. They are depressed by the slightest problem. They are not able to bear any suffering with patience, and easily take to drink and drugs. What is Swami's message to our youth?

Bhagawan: Today, many young men and women go to Colleges and Universities for studies. There are many specialisations in every branch of knowledge. This is, on the whole, good. But the pity of it is that we find innate, vital human qualities deteriorating fast and disappearing altogether.

Education is not for living, but it is for life.

Education is not for transmitting information, but it is for transformation.

Education is for elevating the human personality to the mansion of God.

Education should not be instrumental in earning annas, money, but in earning gunas, values.

Education is not for jitam, salary, but it is for jivitam, life.

Without values even if one is highly educated, what is the use? Is there progress without values? Will Science and Technology help you, if you have no values? It is for this reason, that is, the absence of values, that modern youth take to drugs and alcohol.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The youth are not vira, courageous, but bhira, timid. They should be masters, instead they are slaves. They should know "Life is a challenge. Meet it". They have to encounter and overcome all the problems and difficulties in life rather than choose to run away from them and feel frustrated.

Since life is a challenge, you should meet it. Life is full of keen competition in all fields - scientific, technological, physical, ethical, political and spiritual. They should fully equip themselves with the right weapons and be ever ready to face the challenges of life.

A similar thing happened during the Mahabharata war. Arjuna wanted to run away from the battlefield being totally disheartened like a coward. At that time, Lord Krishna instilled in him the needed courage and morale by teaching him the Bhagavad Gita, the Song Celestial. This acted like calcium and glucose injections that gave strength of mind and body to Arjuna.

Life is a sports ground, life is a game, play it. You have to play with sportsmanship and accept victory or defeat, gain or loss, with equanimity. In this world, people may not have everything they want, but there is none without love. So, life is love, share it. God is love, love is God; hence, live in love. Your heart is full of love, but with how many are you sharing this precious gift? Question yourself. Love begets love.

Today this is not happening. This is the main reason for all conflicts, misunderstandings, and differences. Do your duty with all your skill and to the best of your ability. Don't be lazy, building castles in the air. You work such that your dreams come true, "Life is a dream. Realise it!" Nowadays, you plan in a funny way, so very far from reality. Is it life? No.

Yogah karmasu kausalam - ¡®Do your duty sincerely praying to God¡¯. Then, your work will be transformed into worship. Your karma, action, will turn into yoga, spiritual communion. Then, duty and work will become a spiritual discipline on the path of karma yoga. Don't merely dream; don't spend time in meaningless fancies. Know that life is duty.

Anil Kumar: Swami! You seem to be very much upset and annoyed when anything goes wrong in respect of discipline, educational standards and personality development in general. Swami! You come down heavily upon students when you see their slackness in coming up to Your expectations and openly reprimand the guilty in public. It is terrifying to be a witness to this sort of a thing. I get fear stricken when I think of You, Swami, in that mood. How are we to reconcile ourselves to such a situation and take it positively?

Bhagawan: First of all, you should know that Swami is completely selfless. You should also note very clearly that Swami is never angry with anyone: "God is Love, Love is God". I pretend to be angry and unhappy with you only to correct you. Even that apparent anger vanishes very soon like a shower of hail. You cannot call anyone a guru if he accepts and endorses all that you do and say. He is a guru in the true sense of the term if he corrects you and turns you in the right direction as your well wisher.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Suppose this is a workshop. All damaged and spoiled vehicles come here for repair. I must, if I am a mechanic, tighten bolts, nuts, screws, etc. Similarly, I should correct your mistakes, make you free from your faults, see that you are rid of your weaknesses and defects, and finally mould you into ideal citizens of this country. Your mistake must be corrected immediately then and there itself, as and when it is committed.

I should be harsh enough to correct you. You bend iron when it is hot, don't you? But, when it is not hot, no man with all the strength of his muscles will be able to bend it. So, you should be corrected and admonished when you go wrong immediately. If your mistakes are pointed out in public, you don't repeat them.

Take a small example here. Suppose, wearing a lungi (a South Indian informal dress, a long robe wrapped round the waist, down to the feet), you are sweeping your room with a broom. Suddenly your friend comes to see you. What do you do? You will put the broom aside, change your dress and make yourself presentable to your friend.

Why do you do that? After all; you are cleaning your room. Nothing wrong about it! You don't want to be seen in your informal dress. You want to be dressed neatly before you meet him. You care for him. Don't you? So also here, when I point out your mistakes in public, you will be able to correct them forthwith and you will also be careful enough in future not to repeat such mistakes, won't you?

In fact, I don't lose anything if you are spoiled. I don't gain anything if you are good. I don't expect anything from you. I want you to be good and get a good name to your parents, your institution, and your country. This is not for Me, but for your ultimate good.

(To be continued)

 

 

 

 

Now a days, devotees experiences are being published in Sai Leela Magazine under the title "Is Baba Living and Helping Now?" The whole article is compiled by Jyoti Ranjan Raut wherein four-five experiences are given in each issue. I am presenting one of them here as written by Sai Devotee Vishwanath residing in Pune.Once, while watching a serial based on Sai's life on T.V., my wife said, "So many people get experiences of Sai. Why don't we get any?"

The experience we got after that is something we shall never forget, and never again will we say "Sai is not behind us".In 1982, I suddenly had a heart ailment. Investigations revealed a small hole in my heart, present since birth. The doctor decided to see if pills would help instead of an operation. I took the pills for few days, but then stopped them without my family's knowledge, as I got fed up of taking them.In June 2004, the problem recurred. I consulted a doctor who said, my blood pressure was very high and I should be admitted to the hospital

immediately. Angiography revealed a block in an artery carrying blood to the heart. Angioplasty was advised, but I could not do it then due to some problems.One night, more than a month later, in August, I suffered from a severe stomach ache. I prayed to Sai and put some Udi into my mouth. I slept peacefully. At dawn, I dreamt of a person wearing a Lungi and Kurta prostrating in front of somebody. When I asked him who it was, the person got up, looked at me and smiled. I then recognised Baba. He blessed me and vanished without a word.Around noon that day (August 6, 2004), suddenly my condition took a turn for the worse and I became unconscious. With God's grace, my son was at home and a neighbour too had come for a chat. My son got frightened and nobody could think of what to do. He called the hospital Heart Brigade. My body started

turning cold and heavy. My wife prayed desperately to the Gods. Our neighbour Dr. Gujarathi was called. He checked my B.P. which was very high. Seeing my serious condition he immediately stated procedures which are followed after a heart attack. He put a tablet under my tongue and started thumping my chest, but to no avail. My heart stopped beating for few seconds. As a last option, the doctor gave an injection straight into my heart. I became slightly conscious, but due to the heaviness in my chest, the injection could not be removed. At that time the ambulance arrived and I was put on oxygen. The doctor could then somehow remove the injection.When I was taken to the hospital, I saw Baba's face. My B.P. returned to normal. All test reports came normal. Everyone in my family was surprised, since I had suffered so much at home. But, it was all Baba's grace.Dr. Gujarathi feared that the

needle of the injection which he gave me might still be embedded in my heart. He conveyed this to the doctors at the hospital, but X-rays revealed no sign of a needle anywhere. Angioplasty was recommended, but the hole in my heart and my weakness due to this trauma worried my family. Other doctors were consulted, but their opinions differed. This put my family in a dilemma. In the end my family decided to trust Baba with my fate and carry out the Angioplasty. .........Read ----------------

Seva & Nothing but Seva...Sri Sanjay Sahani In 1989 we had accompanied Bhagavan to Kodaikanal. And it was Bhagavan's plan that the adjacent hill should be cut so that a spacious Bhajan hall could be constructed. And so, He instructed all the devotees, students and teachers who were with Him to take to this seva. In the morning, after we had our breakfast, all devotees and students would take up various tools, implements and start doing the service activities. Wherever Swami goes, whether it is Brindavan, or Prashanti Nilayam, or Kodaikanal there are groups of hawkers who sell small photographs and trinkets to make their meager livelihood. So, these hawkers had laid out their wares on the Kodaikanal Lake road, outside 'Sai Shruti.' One day, a police inspector came there and he thought that they were obstructing the traffic and therefore he confiscated all their wares. This event was intimated to Swami. Next morning, the devotees had come for Darshan

and this police inspector was also sitting in some corner. Swami went amidst the devotees. He went up to this gentleman and from a distance we saw there was a brief conversation that took place between them. The next thing that happened was that when he went back, he returned all the wares of these hawkers!!!When we were in Sai Shruti with Swami, these hawkers had made a prayer to Bhagavan through somebody. They prayed: "Swami, when your devotees and students are doing this seva, we are busy in our own work, and are not able to do these service activities. But when the devotees retire for lunch, at that point of time, we are free. If you permit us, we pray for your permission and blessings, that during that interval we may be given the chance to help with the construction, so that this seva activity can continue from morning to evening." Swami was so touched by this prayer of these vendors that not only did He bless them with that

opportunity, but put that as an ideal before all of us, saying "See, look at that feeling with which they have come forward to do this service activity!" Once here in Prashanti Nilayam during NARAYANA SEVA day, we had distributed all the work to the students but there was this group of 8th class students, 13 years olds, who we thought were too young and therefore they were left out. On that eventful morning Swami came out of the interview room while we were all busy with the arrangements at the stadium. When Swami came out of the interview room, He saw these 8th class students seated in the Mandir. And He expressed surprise! "What is this? Do you not know that it is Narayan Seva day today? What are you doing here?" And the boys very vociferously informed Swami "Swami all these senior boys have taken up the work. They have not left any work for us!" And this is what Swami told these small children: "If nothing else go and take

water and serve the Narayanas. And earn some punyam (merit)!" After retirement one gentleman settled down in the ashram and Swami asked him to go to our canteen and serve water to the devotees who come there for meals. And after some time Swami verified his work. "Do the devotees come to you for water, or do you go with your jug, table to table serving the water?" And he said: "Swami, I go to each devotee and serve the water." And Swami was so delighted that he mentioned this in a discourse and said: "See, this is how seva should be done!" So from the youngest to the eldest nobody is unqualified for this!Sri Sanjay Sahani is a former student of Swami's Institute and the principal of the Brindavan Campus in Bangalore. This talk was delivered by him in the Divine Presence on Ugadi Day, 9th of April 2004. --------

 

From Puttaparthi... Swami's Beautiful Response

Once HISLOP asked SWAMI, "Last night, while speaking to the students, Swami said something very puzzling, that another person's sins would pass to oneself through the touch of that person's skin!!!Does Swami mean that if I touch a person, I then commit sin in the same way as he?" BABA replied, "For that reason only, some Swamis will not allow devotees to touch the feet. Since one cannot be sure who is bad and who is good, it is best to refrain from touching." BABA continued & gave an amazingly beautiful answer: "When the tender plant of devotion begins to grow, it must be protected. When a young tree is growing various animals will eat it and may kill it. For this reason a fence is placed around the young tree to protect it. When the tree is grown it needs no protection. The same animals that would have first destroyed it now seek and find shade and shelter beneath its branches.

When devotion is grown strong and intense, it will burn all sins. Until then, the person whose devotion is just new would see bad as bad and good as good. The person grown strong in his devotion may see bad as good and see good only. It is not just physical touch wherein lies the danger, but in mental intimacy also bad influences may flow from one person to the other. Your children are not your children; they are God's children. You should love them, but your bad thoughts should not pass to them. There is body relationship with mother, from whose body you came, and with grandmother from whose body mother came. Sisters and brothers are to be treated with respect. But with other people there is no body relationship. There is always good and bad in dualistic phenomena. Even when there is an Avatar, there must always be bad. Rama's foster-mother was his enemy. Krishna's uncle was his enemy even before he was born. Shirdi Baba

was much abused. Not long ago, there was a man who challenged Swami to some tests. Stories appeared over a broad area, even in other countries. This man had some foreign people in his camp. Some of Swami's devotees urged Him to reply. But to reply would have been shameful. This yogi was eating nails and glass and so on. He created a special tank for a test of water walking. He sold tickets to spectators for up to 100 rupees and more per ticket. On the appointed day he stepped on the water and sank in the water. The police had to put him in a cell to protect him from abuse, and all the money was refunded. Now, people said, what a fool he had been to challenge Swami. His disaster was a result of the foolish challenge. Later, the man wrote to Swami disclaiming any serious intent to challenge, and confessed that he had used Swami's name just to increase ticket sales. The man is gone and now nothing is heard about him. The man

was actually walking on water. But ego and greed arose, and that finished it. Thought, word, and deed must be the same."http://media.radiosai.org/Journals/Vol_04/01MAR06/conversation.htm ------------------- The full glory of His miracles.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I Came With You Into This World

DEC. '84. We were a group of 16 devotees from Australia, my family (Dr SARA PAVAN) and a few members of our Sai Centre. On the very first Darshan itself, Swami glided towards me and said, "Go," even before I could say a word! During the interview I informed Bhagavan that we had come as a group from Sydney, most of us Australians of European decent and prayed to Swami to grant our group an interview and bless us with a discourse in English. We also promised Him that we would not trouble Swami with personal problems. Swami graciously replied, "Tomorrow."The very next morning, Swami asked us to go inside and He followed us into the room. We were beginning to sit on the floor while He closed the door and switched on the fan Himself. With a circular motion of His hand thrice, Bhagavan materialized vibhuti and poured it into the hands of most of us before He sat on His throne. He looked into each one of us

penetratingly, like a divine scanner switched on to probe into the past of each one of us. Then, by His tender looks, He melted away our fears and agitations to make us feel at home with Him, many of us with tears breaching its bounds. In contrast to His apparent formality and 'distance' at Darshan He was very informal and 'intimate' with us in the interview room. There was such stillness in the air and Bhagavan broke the silence with His soft melodious voice. He spoke to us in chaste English without interruption for a very long time, starting with the words: "I came with you when you came into this world ¡­" We were riveted to Bhagavan, and were in heaven and we could have stayed there forever. These words of Bhagavan Baba in DEC. '84 gave us a glimpse of reality."I came with you when you came into this world. I am always within you, above you, below you and around you. I have saved you from many a danger and

you did not recognize Me. Father, mother, son, daughter, husband, wife; Brothers, sisters, nephews, nieces, cousins; Uncles, aunts, grand-parents, grandchildren; I have specially chosen them all for you, So that you will grow together, Experience each other and evolve; But not remain attached together for ever; For, I take them away one by one, As they fulfill their roles in your life. Friends! They will be with you, So long as you have wealth, position and power; but will vanish even before you lose them. I am still waiting for you totally unchanged as I was when you came into the world. Come nearer and nearer to me, serve me and be answerable to me and to me alone."Dr. Sara Pavan is an Anaesthesiologist from Australia, serving at the Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Medical Sciences, Prashanthi Nilayam since 1993.http://media.radiosai.org/Journals/Vol_04/01MAR06/i-came-with.htm-------------------

 

 

 

 

The Master Of The Five Elements

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Professor Anil Kumar has presented this talk as an extra satsang. He has selected important messages Baba has imparted to the students gathered around Him during the afternoon sessions on the verandah at Prashanti Nilayam.Then the sixth: It was a cloudy day. The clouds were all over, and it also started to rain.Bhagavan looked at the clouds and said, "Stop."And He told all the boys, "Don't worry, they are only passing clouds. It won't rain; everything will be perfect."Believe me or not, the rain stopped immediately! When He said 'stop,' that ended the matter. Why? Who did He ask to stop? Maybe the rain god, maybe the clouds to stop their business that's all! Immediately it stopped!It is a matter of knowledge and awareness for all of us to know that Baba is the Master of the five elements. He can control rain. He can control fire. He can control any of the five

elements. Most of you know most of you must have heard this. Well, I'm a witness to that. Many times it so happens that it rains everywhere in Puttaparthi, but not in Prashanti Nilayam. Many times it has happened that rain starts at the end of a discourse, when all devotees have already returned home. When all the devotees have dispersed, when they have all returned to their homes, then the rain will start. It has happened many times, I am a witness.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Many times it so happens that it rains everywhere in Puttaparthi, but not in Prashanti Nilayam.

 

 

So, Bhagavan controls all the elements the five elements. Most of you must have also come to know of a miracle that Indra Devi wrote about in her book. There was a fire everywhere, all over in Los Angeles, California. Indra Devi was conducting yoga classes there and said to her students, "We're helpless now the fire is all around us. Just sit down where you are and chant, 'Sai Ram'."They were all chanting, "Om Sri Sai Ram, Om Sri Sai Ram."What happened? After ten minutes, the fire got extinguished on its own! Many things had happened all around the area, but the building where the class was held was safe and secure. This is proof that Baba is the Master of all the five elements.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Spiritual-----------------

Trip to Kodai Kanal...Students experiences

-----Inline Attachment Follows-----

 

In May 1968, Baba went to the princely state of Jamnagar, in response to the prayers of the Prince, the Jamsaheb and his consort, popularly known as the Rajmata.

Jamnagar forms a part of the present Gujarat State, and is famed for its many holy places such as Dwaraka, the city built by Krishna, and Somnath where the famous Siva Temple was repeatedly raided for its wealth by invading hoards and tribals from Afghanistan.

Swami arrived in Jamnagar from Bombay on 14th May by a chartered plane, and on the following day left for Dwaraka [the city built by Krishna], accompanied by the members of His party, other devotees and the Rajmata [Queen Mother] of the erstwhile Princely State of Nawanagar.

The residents of Dwaraka and Sai devotees from other towns packed every inch of available space in the Krishna Temple, long before Baba arrived. While Baba could easily enter the Temple, the others were pushed, crushed, jostled, and squeezed. Seeing the plight of those who came with Him, Baba came out and drove away.

While returning to Jamnagar in the evening, Baba suddenly said, "Look! The sea is here!" The cars stopped. The party went to the beach where after strolling for some time, everyone sat down on the sand.

Baba then heaped the soft sand to a height of about half a metre in front of Him, putting all into a state of extreme expectancy. He then flattened the heap, and drew a pattern on it. "It is ready', He said, wiping the sand from His hands. He then dug His hands deep into the pile and drew forth a bright golden image of Krishna approximately 25 cm high. It was the image of Krishna playing the flute, the very acme of goldsmith's art and craftsmanship.

"You did not get the Darshan of Krishna in the Temple; have it now!" He said. For devotees, it was a moment of supreme ecstasy. (see photo)

PS: The vibhuti abhishekam (see photo) has a potent inner meaning that Swami wants you to grasp. The vibhuti is the most precious thing in the truly spiritual sense. You know that Siva burnt and reduced to ashes Manmatha, the Lord of Desires or Kama. Manmatha is the one who disturbs and agitates the mind, compounding the confusion that already exists. After destroying Manmatha, Siva adorned Himself with the ash, standing gloriously as the Destroyer of Desires. When desire is annihilated, Love reigns supreme. When there is no desire to warp the mind, Love is seen in its pure form and in full bloom.

- Bhagavan Baba http://media.radiosai.org/journals/archives/issues.htm

 

 

 

 

FROM PUTTAPARTHI...SHOWER OF VIBHUTHI & NECTAR !!! We were in DELHI when my husband was working in the FINANCE Department of the UNION MINISTRY. He was not a believer of BABA at that time like I was. I had kept Swami¡¯s photo in the shrine room & one day I saw VIBHUTHI on the frame of the photo. It appeared on the hair & looked like a white crown!!! I had seen such MIRACLES in the houses of some devotees. That day was my son¡¯s birthday & I felt the invisible presence of the LORD of the UNIVERSE. When I showed it to my husband, he showed no excitement at all & couldn¡¯t believe it! Next day he told his colleagues about the shower of VIBHUTHI & they all came home to see the miracle. My husband was determined to find out how the VIBHUTHI was coming & he called a scientist friend!!! He consulted him & took the photo to him for scientific analysis! The scientist examined the photo but couldn¡¯t arrive at any explanation

as to how the VIBHUTHI was coming on the photo! While this was going on, I was worried to know what to do with the sacred VIBHUTHI. So I wrote to Prof. KASTURI in PUTTAPARTHI who confirmed that the VUBHUTHI was a clear indication of Swami¡¯s presence & advised me to keep the photograph in the shrine room. As the days passed, the shower of VIBHUTHI increased & one fine it stopped & holy NECTAR began to ooze out from the photo!!! The flow increased on the SHIVARATHRI day. We gave the divine PRASADAM to all our friends & neighbors. This divine leela continued for 3 more months. After that we shifted our house & while the photo was transferred to the new house with utmost care, neither the VIBHUTHI nor the NECTAR appeared again!!! (The author Mrs RADHA SREEDHARAN had been called by SATHYA SAI BABA for interviews more than 15 times and her family had experienced SWAMI¡¯s divine love in abundant

measure. Excerpts from her book, ¡®PRECIOUS MOMENTS WITH BHAGWAN SRI SATHYA SAI BABA¡¯ available at the bookstore in PRASANTHI NILAYAM.) GET INSPIRED: THE MOST BENEFICIAL THING THAT CAN HAPPEN TO A PERSON IS THAT HE SHOULD DRAW GOD¡¯S LOVE TO HIMSELF. ¨C SWAMI -------------------

 

I AM IN AFRICA...SAI SPIRITUAL SHOWERS-VOL-1

By Sri.K Suresh...An allumnus of Sathya Sai University.

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A quizzical smile, an intend gaze, a hand gesture, every move of Bhagawan is packed with indepth meaning, and every word He utters is suffused with Divine Wisdom, that would not necessarily be transparent to all. A Bhagawan's student shares with us one such anecdote that throws light into His unfathomable Divine touch, that crosses the realms of human perceptions. Read on for an account by Sri K. Suresh, an alumnus of Sathya Sai University as published in Fragrance - A Tale of Love, souvenir brought out by the School of Business Management - Accounts and Finance, Sri Sathya Sai University.

It was a serene evening in the Mandir during the rainy season of 1990. Along with another brother of mine I was blessed to secure a strategic spot in the front portico. From here we had a clear view of Swami¡¯s throne in the Bhajan Hall. I was reading a book on Swami¡¯s miracles in Africa. I was particularly drawn to an incident where two of the devotees who were driving a car on an express way at speeds over 110 km/s suddenly met with an accident. Their car was thrown out of the express way and into the bushes. The car was totally smashed and there was no chance that its occupants would survive such a crash. The devotees in the car however had taken the Lord¡¯s name on their lips at the critical juncture and had escaped unscathed. I couldn¡¯t but help remark to my Sai Brother ¨C ¡®Look Swami is in Africa also¡¯.

Some moments later Swami came out and paused and looked at me and my brother for a few seconds. I looked at Swami with reverence. Swami asked the students sitting in front of me to make way. A path was made for Swami in the tightly packed veranda. Swami walked straight up to me and then gazing into my eyes, remarked ¨C¡°Dunnapotha! You are talking in the veranda¡±. Then after a small pause He continued, ¡°I am here. I am in Africa. I am everywhere.¡± Saying this, He walked away with a nonchalant gait. Do I have to say anymore? Six years later while I was in search for a job, a Singapore based multinational company hired me and sent me on my first assignment to guess where: West Africa!

Heart to Heart Relationship

During my student days at Swami¡¯s Lotus Feet, I learnt a lot through innumerable such instances. Many times it happened that Swami would refuse to accept a letter from me and I used to feel completely dejected. On one such occasion, Swami did not accept my letter for many days at a stretch. One fine day, He suddenly called me and literally grabbed the letter from my hands. Even without opening the letter, He went on to reveal its contents and concluded with a great revelation, ¡®I need not go through your letter to know its contents. The prayer in your heart reaches me instantaneously, even before you pen down your thoughts.¡¯ To be frank, after this incident I reduced the ¡®written mail¡¯ and instead concentrated on heartfelt prayers. This is what Swami implies when He exhorts us to develop ¡®a heart to heart relationship¡¯ with Him.

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THE Eyes of God

 

 

 

 

 

It was sometime during the hot month of June. The drama unfolded itself in a small street corner in the city of Cuttack, Orissa (a state in eastern India). Do I have to quote the date? It could be any day, and anyplace, where men have a tryst with themselves.

I was returning home from college for a late lunch. I did not have classes in the afternoon, so I thought I could afford to eat a little late that day to save myself from coming back in the grueling heat. As my mind was running away to home for a curd rice and saag bhaji, my favourite in summer, I was looking around in search of a fruit stall to buy a couple of bananas for puja. My wife specifically wanted them, for it was Thursday. The street looked almost deserted, every dog taking a nap in some shade and every puddle in the street simmering under the unrelenting Sun, struggling to hold on to every drop. Typical of human life, I mumbled on. We are in love with life, but hardly bother to add value to living. I discovered a small shop tucked away in a corner near a banyan tree in its last lap of life, not because it was too old to exist, but because men were too greedy for space to let it exist. City streets are now barren, forfeit of trees, in the excuse for expansion. But, are we really expanding?

 

 

 

 

I got down from the cycle rickshaw and went near the shop to buy a few bananas. On my right, a little away from where I stood, was unfolding the first scene of the drama. A blind beggar was sitting in the shade with the tell-tale tin in front of him. A vendor stepped into the shade and against the trunk of the tree, rested his wooden frame on which hung many little novelties. In villages and city side streets, we see these vendors selling a thousand different things, each not more than a rupee or two. They make a cross-like bamboo frame with three or four bars tied across a vertical pole. Then they arrange typical women¡¯s trinkets and cheap jewellery on them. One can find ribbons, balloons, tooth-picks, ear-picks, nail-clippers, hair-dressing items, locks, and a hundred other things hanging from those crossbars. They walk the street, stand in a corner, and ring a hand bell. Customers come to choose whatever they need. These vendors often lead a hand-to-mouth existence. I overheard the conversation that ensued between the two, the blind beggar and the street side vendor. Vendor: Rahim bhayya, kya kuchh mila? (Rahim brother, did you get anything?) Rahim: Kaun¡­ Hari bhayya ? Allahki mehrbani, ek paisa bhi nahin.(Who is it? Brother Hari? By the grace of Allah, not even a paisa.) Hari: Hmmm¡­ to kya khaoge ? (Then what will you eat?) Rahim: Allahki mehrbanise thoda pani milegi to achha hoga.(By the grace of Allah if I get a little water to drink, it would be alright) Hari: Allah karega to panika sath aur kuchh bhi miljayega Rahim bhayya. Aj mujhe do rupayya munafa mila. Isi do rupayyame char puri to hoga. Tum baith raho. Mein abhi char puri lekar aata hun. (If Allah wants, we can get something more besides water. Today I got two rupees as profit. Two rupees can buy four puris. You remain seated here, I will go and fetch four puris.) I kept on standing there pretending; I was afraid to brave the Sun. In fact, I was struck by the piece of great humanity unfolding before me. The street vendor came back with two packets made of leaves, each containing two puris and a little chutney. Hari had brought a tinful of water too. He sat down and passed on one packet to Rahim. Both ate the puris with great relish, drank water from the tin, and fell to their inconsequential daily gossip. They did not talk about the purpose of life, of new technologies, international politics, fashions and films; but of simple living. I left the shade, washed by the lyrics of life, by the quintessential beauty of an inconsequential life. But that was not all. God had something more for me before the end of the day. As I said, it was a Thursday. So after a short post-lunch nap, I washed, and went to a bhajan centre. Those were the early seventies, and bhajans were held in devotees¡¯ homes. It afforded a beautiful get together in homely environment. Now, mandirs (temples) have sprung up everywhere as public gathering places, and organized formality has cruelly replaced informal conviviality. I hailed a rickshaw and arrived at the centre before time. I was standing before the gentleman¡¯s house waiting for a friend. This was when the second part of the drama unfolded. There was a big gate opening to their compound. A garage faced the gate and on the other side of the house was a sprawling balcony. The ground floor hall started under it and spread inside the house. That was the bhajan hall. The lady of the house and a daughter were standing in the balcony, probably looking for a known face. A couple of beggars appeared near the gate and asked for alms. There was a blind woman amidst them. She was middle aged, held a cane and was led by a girl of ten or twelve years, probably her daughter. They chanted a prayer a couple of times. The ladies on the balcony were watching them with some disapproval. When they heard it a fourth time they realized it was a bhajan day and that these people should be disposed off quickly. The lady of the house went inside, got a coin and tossed it to her from her overhead balcony. The coin fell on the hard floor below with a tong and rolled down the street. The blind woman bent down and groped for the precious coin, her little girl helping her. While both of them were frantically searching for the ¡®heaven¡¯s gift¡¯, the two ladies found it quite amusing, and laughed. Finally, they got the quarter-of-a-rupee coin, blessed the giver, and left. I entered the hall and chose a spot at the rear of the congregation. The bhajan started, but I couldn¡¯t concentrate at all. The faces of Rahim, Hari, the old woman, and the ladies on the balcony kept disturbing me. I looked at the life-size standing picture of Bhagavan Baba on the pedestal. Suddenly, his eyes became alive, and in their place I saw another pair of eyes.

 

 

 

 

A few months earlier, during the puja vacation I had been to Prasanthi Nilayam. One day, I was sitting in the second row for darshan. A middle-aged man was sitting in front of me with his sick child, palsied limbs struck by some wasting disease. After some time, Bhagavan came along and stood before him, looking at the father and the child. He waved His hands, poured some Vibhuti into the hands of the father, applied the remaining Vibhuti on the forehead of the boy, and walked away. I had the good fortune of looking into His eyes. I felt the dewy eyes of Bhagavan reflected all the suffering of humanity, and all the compassion of God. It was such a soul-stirring vision. I now saw those eyes, soft and glassy, so delicate and supple, yet they encircled all existence. I couldn¡¯t sing a song that day, for there was another song overflowing my heart. I remembered Wordsworth, ¡°¡­for the vale profound / was overflowing with the sound...¡± ~ Mr. B. K. Misra

Illustrations: Ms. Vidya, Kuwait

 

 

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ZONAL MEETING IN KOBE ON 4TH & 5TH OCTOBER.2008

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A TWO DAY ZONAL MEETING WAS HOSTED BY THE JAPAN SSOJ ON OCT 4TH AND 5TH.

THIS MEETING WAS HEADED BY OUR ZONAL CHAIR BROTHER NARI CHUGANI WHO WAS ALSO ACCOMPANIED BY HIS WIFE SISTER NISHA CHUGANI.

.

TAIWAN WAS REPRESENTED BY SISTER BHAVNA BALANI, NATIONAL CHAIRPERSON AND SISTER MARY AND PAM WHO REPRESENTED THE TAIWAN SSEHV.AND BROTHER SRICHAND KHATRI DEPUTY CENTRAL CO-ORDINATOR IN THE TAIWAN GROUP

 

HONG KONG WAS REPRESENTED BY BROTHER ASHOK SAKHRANI, NATIONAL CHAIRPERSON AND WAS ACCOMPANIED BY SISTER ANJALI DASWANI, ZONAL YOUTH CO-ORDINATOR AND SISTER NISHA SAKHRANI, COORDINATOR OF LADIES WING.

 

JAPAN WAS HEADED BY CENTRAL COORDINATOR BROTHER L P CHABLANI, NATIONAL CHAIRPERSON BROTHER DAYAL SAMNANI CHAIRMAN AND REPRESENTATIVES FROM THE WINGS OF VARIOUS CENTERS AND GROUPS. BROTHER HIRA ESPECIALLY TOOK TIME OFF TO ADDRESS THE MEETING ON OCT 5TH.2008

 

BROTHER RAM.CHUGANI OF CO-FOUNDER WAS PRESENT INSPITE

OF HIS AGE AND HEALTH , PARTICIPATED ON 5TH... HIS PRESENCE WAS INSPIRATION TO ALL DELEGATES.

 

THE ZONAL MEETING FEATURED THE FOLLOWING;

 

PURPOSE OF THE ZONAL CONFERENCE

 

REVIEW OF WORK SINCE THE LAST ZONAL CONFERENCE

 

ZONE STRUCTURE

 

FEATURES OF ZONE 5

 

ZONE 5 LONG TERM OBJECTIVES

 

STRATEGIES

 

EXPANDING SSEHV WORK THRUOUT THE ZONE

 

VIDEO CLIPS AND MATERIALS WERE SHARED BY ALL THE PARTICIPATING DEVOTEES AND A LOT OF INFORMATION OF THE WORK IN THE ZONE WAS APPRECIATED BY ALL PRESENT.

 

JAPAN SSOJ WAS ACKNOWLEDGED BY ALL PRESENT FOR THEIR LOVING AND KIND HOSPITALITY.

 

SAIRAM ...REPORT FROM KOBE CENTER

 

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KOBE CENTERS PROGRAM SCHEDULE

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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: Some schedules are subject to change.

Please contact respective centers and groups for information.

.....................................................................................................

GLOBAL KANSAI LIGHT READERS CORNER.

 

In this issue, we share with you responses received from Readers.

We have received for 'KANSAI LIGHT' Issue. Since this corner of Readers

acknowledgments is limited, we can print few of these letters in every issue.

 

Jai Sai Ram

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Dear Ram Sir,

I must acknowledge that you are doing is a huge seva. I can ever thank you

enough for sending the monthly newsletter along with other mails. It never

fails to give a boost, when I am down and almost always arrives at the right

time! May Babaji's blessings always be with you.

Jeya

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Dear Sir,

Thank you for wonderful sharing and little stories on Swami

Sai Ram

-----------------

Dear Sir,

With love and thanks for kansai Light and other beautiful mails, you

have been sending steadily.

Token of Remembrance.

Love

Bhuwan

________________________

 

Dear Ramchand

Jai Sai Ram,

I have received a copy of "KANSAI LIGHT" today in my mail box. I have read

it and request you to send me regularly.

Keep up the great work , really appreciate it.

Regards,

Krishna Subramaniam

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Dear Sirs,

Thank you for sending "KANSAI LIGHT" AND other messages and lectures.

Thank you, Jai Sai Ram. I can see Baba'S Grace in his words

Regads

Surya Jai

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Sai Ram,

Thank you for your valued time sending me Stories & "KANSAI LIGHT" issue

they are good and pass to my sister. I have been reading your mails.

I also wish to see artcle that happen in Japan, gold vibhuti photo.

Thanks.

Lata

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