Guest guest Posted December 3, 2008 Report Share Posted December 3, 2008 --- On Wed, 12/3/08, Ramchand Chugani <rgcjp wrote: Ramchand Chugani <rgcjpFw: KANSAI LIGHT FOR DECEMBER ISSUE 2008 NO.36"OMSAIRAM..RAMCHAND GHANSHAMDAS CHUGANI" <rgcjpWednesday, December 3, 2008, 5:28 PM KANSAI LIGHT FOR DECEMBER 2008 ISSUE-36 ------------------------ "OMSAIRAM..RAMCHAND GHANSHAMDAS CHUGANI" <rgcjp KANSAI LIGHT ,FOR DECEMBER ISSUE-36 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 --------- PLEASE PRINT COPY FOR YOUR EASY REFERENCE Thought for the Day You can call Me Premaswarupa (the embodiment of Love). Prema is the wealth I have and which I spread among all. I have no other riches. The Grace of the Lord is always flowing like the electric current through the wire. Fix a bulb and the current will illumine your house. The bulb is the Sadhana (spiritual practice) you perform, the home is your heart. Come to Me gladly; dive into the sea and discover its depth. There is no use playing in the shallow waters and lamenting that the sea has no pearls. Dive deep and you will secure your heart's desire. ----------------- ACT XXI : SCENE 1 EASWARAMMA: Sathyam, my child, if Your mother asks You to do something, You will do it, won’t You? SATHYA: I know what you want to ask. EASWARAMMA: You know? SATHYA: Yes... I know everything. EASWARAMMA: Sathyam! SATHYA: Yes, what I say is indeed Sathyam [Truth]! When I am here, neighbours come to you with all their problems… and you become their spokesperson, don’t you? EASWARAMMA: Yes! But son, what am I to do? When they worry so much and carry such a heavy burden in their hearts, how can I say no? So… SATHYA: You carry their problems to Me! And I must give the solutions, isn’t that so? You are becoming their postman! EASWARAMMA: I don’t know about that… If only I could help them a little bit... Poor things, they are so agitated. Sathyam... Sathyam... Please oblige this mother of Yours and provide the solutions to their problems. SATHYA: Yes, I will do so, but… EASWARAMMA: But? What is the meaning of this ‘but’? SATHYA: Will you prepare the dish Bobbatlu for Me? EASWARAMMA: I shall certainly do so, my son! Why only Bobbatlu? I will make whatever You want, my dear son! SATHYA: Poor thing! All these people are troubling you, are they not? Ask them to come to Me, and tell Me directly their problems. Without fail, I shall give them the solutions. EASWARAMMA: So be it. As You say, my son! SATHYA: Lady, don’t forget the Bobbatlu… EASWARAMMA: My son! My Sathyam! I won’t forget; I certainly will not! SCENE 2 The place is vibrant and colourfully decorated; many devotees come to have Swami’s darshan. GROUP: Get down… get down… slowly, get down slowly… (from the cart) GROUP: We have come for Swami’s darshan. GROUP: Careful, you may fall down, get down slowly. There is a general murmur amoung the crowd. (To be continued…) Dear reader, this is the penultimate part of this serial. Yes, it is very short compared to the previous episodes, but that is because we have saved the best for last! Click here to go to Previous issue story > > ------------------- Story from Bro Mahadevan...Shirdi Baba ----------------- Allah Malik Hai (The God is the Lord of all) or lshwar Achcha Karega (God will help).".. Whether the Masters reveal it or not, before these divine personalities, every one stands naked. The life histories of most of these Sadgurus are full of examples of the Masters having knowledge about the Past, Present and future of not only human beings but other species spontaneously without going through a trance or exercising themselves as oculists, hypnotists or Para-psychologists do. Shri Sai Baba of Shirdi used to tell his disciples that he was aware about whatever his disciples do or say even if they are thousands of miles away. No doubt there are thousands of incidents recorded about Shri Sai Baba of Shirdi in different books and journals.The Masters are the precursors of the man of the fifth race to come. They have been carrying on this experiment on different planets not only of our solar system but also on planets in other solar systems. The present research of finding the existence of organic life on planets like Mars, Venus and Moon in particular will be successful as the Masters had earlier experimented on growth and sustenance of ‘organic life forces’ on these planets. Spiritual secrets revealed by the spiritual masters indicate about the generation of ‘organic life forces’ on earth by a spiritual entity called ËœDakshya Prajapati". Till one understands and realizes the 'Prajapati' concept it will be treated as a mythological entity. It is believed that pre-birth and post-death conditions of all human souls have something to do with the Moon, the nearest Astral body to the earth. These aspects cannot be discussed in this article, as the main issue is regarding the role of the Sadgurus or Perfect Masters. The Sadgurus are thus trying to advance the evolution by raising the potential of man-the best of nature creation on this planet. The blue-print of the future human civilization is already with them not only with a meticulously drawn plan to the last details but also a perfect time scheme. As all the astral bodies like the milky-ways, solar systems and planets have a certain periodicity of movement, changes in the solar systems and planets logically should follow certain time principles for the evaluation of both organic and inorganic matters. The ancient Egyptians, the Kabala thinkers, the Chinese Philosophers in the past attempted and some what succeed in understanding these time-cycles of evolution. The ancient Hindu scriptures have dealt with the cycles of time to the last minutes not only with reference to the past but also with reference to trillions of years ahead. Having full knowledge and command on the souls of all living beings, the Sadgurus play a vital role in drawing unto them all their devotees at the time of death and evolve their souls even in the post death condition to higher levels of consciousness. They are the Perfect Masters, the perfect creatures of God anywhere in the universe. Their job is to bring perfection to anything and everything coming in contact with them, whether living or non-living cutting across all reference of time, distance and space. Any one coming into their contact is bound to evolve whether he likes it or does not like it, whether it is to happen immediately or within a certain period of time. They are upholders of the ultimate laws of the nature and the divine principles. They are not limited by a human ego. They only work with a divine purpose. Their self is the divine self of God radiating only compassion and creativity of the highest order. All deities and nature forces known as Devas or Devis in the Hindu pantheon assist them in the performance of their duties. Their wishes are the law of nature and God's command even if invoke in the name of God. Shri Sai always used to invoke blessings say “Allah Malik Hai� (The God is the Lord of all) or “lshwar Achcha Karega� (God will help)."..... .... No need to ask any question to anybody If "Am I right Or Not?" -------------------------- ---------------------- Chief Guest’s Key-note address: The Chief Guest of the Convocation Prof. G.V. Venkataraman began his convocation address by expressing his gratitude to Bhagawan for being conferred the honour of the Chief Guest of the 27th Convocation. Prof. Venkataraman congratulated the grandaunts not for only for their degrees, but also for being the students of Bhagawan. Many years ago Prof. V.K. Gokak declared that this university has the good fortune of having Bhagawan as the Chancellor of the University who is also the Chancellor of the universe. He said, when Bhagawan established the Sri Sathya Sai Arts and Science College in 1968 for women in Anantapur, He made the first move for a Kali Yuga Gurukulam. The seed had sprouted into a sapling with the establishment of Sri Sathya Sai Arts and Science College in the year 1969 in Brindavan. He said that Bhagawan takes care of the minute details of the University right from its management to its finance to examination. While students learn from teachers how to earn a living, Bhagawan teaches the students how to live, the learned speaker said. In the early days at Brindavan, the students rose as early as 4 a.m. and took care of activities like milking the cows, even ploughing the fields, feeding cattle and whitewashing walls. Prof. Venkataraman then narrated an interesting incident of those days when this college was affiliated to Bangalore University wherein a student was awarded 7 gold medals. In the convocation function when the medals were about to be given, the student requested the chancellor of the University that he wanted the medals to be given in his hand as he wanted his Guru to confer the medals. As soon as the convocation function was over, he rushed to Brindavan and offered the medals to Bhagawan so that he could be decorated by Bhagawan for his achievement. He also related an incident which amply showed the love of students for Bhagawan’s physical proximity. When in 1975, the Brindavan college was growing and the hostel was relatively small for the students. So, Bhagawan wanted to build a spacious hostel near the sports ground. All preparations were being made by Col. Joga Rao. A day before the ground breaking ceremony, Bhagawan came to hostel. Then a student gave a letter to Bhagawan. After Bhagawan read the contents of the letter asked the student whether He could ask the warden to read the letter for the benefit of others. The student readily agreed. He had expressed his anguish at being separated from Bhagawan. He had written, “Why was Bhagawan so upset that He was distancing them from Him?†Bhagawan was moved by the sincere prayer of this boy and He immediately changed the plan to construct the hostel at that place. Instead the hostel was built close to His residence. After a few years Bhagawan built a college and hostel in Prasanthi Nilayam when it was considered impossible to have college in such a remote place, but Bhagawan established a University itself. He said, Bhagawan would visit the hostel and institute frequently and discoursed on Atma Vidya (education of the Self). Bhagawan even used to visit the stadium and witness the matches. Once in the course of a volleyball match, Bhagawan said to the teachers and senior students present there that once the server serves the ball, his teammates would at any cost ensure that the ball does not touch the ground on their side. In a similar way, the teachers should maintain that students do not slacken in their efforts. Bhagawan used to take the students along with him to Kodaikanal in the summer months. On an Easwaramma Day, Prof Venkataraman said, Bhagawan had suddenly gone out in his car and came back after one and a half hour. The students thought that Bhagawan had gone for a ride, but Bhagawan revealed to His students that He had gone to distribute blankets to poor people who could not come to the Sai Sruti Ashram when the distribution was done. He said this showed Bhagawan’s care and concern for the poor and needy. The erudite speaker said that the current economic meltdown is due to uninhibited consumerism without any regard to moral values. He said that Bhagawan has been emphasising a lot on moral values in business to MBA students in His talks. He referred to a Bhagawan’s Discourse when Bhagawan said that Mother Yashoda had butter in one hand and a stick on another hand to catch Krishna. Similarly Bhagawan draws students with education. Like Mother Yashoda, He does not have a stick, but imparts Atma Vidya to His students. He also narrated an incident when He took upon Himself the injury the students were to suffer while doing a stunt on lorries. The learned speaker said that such is the concern of Bhagawan for His students. Prof. Venkataraman then related what Bhagawan had told in one of His Discourses during Kodaikanal visit in 2007. “The students as long as they are here, behave well, but when they go out how they would conduct themselves is My concern. This is what worries Me. If they behave well that is enough gratitude for Me.†Does any chancellor bestow so much love? That God is here playing innumerable roles being the revered Chancellor the universe. As Sadguru, He is steering the students to the moral path in His Gurukulam, opined Prof. Venkataraman. He concluded His speech by saying that he did not speak about students because the world knows about it, but wanted to tell the secret behind it. After Prof. Venkataraman’ s speech, Bhagawan delivered His Divine Discourse, the excerpts of which follows: The Divine Benedictory Address Bharat is the motherland of many noble souls who earned great reputation in all the continents of the world. This is the land of many valorous people who could vanquish the enemies in the battlefield. This is the land of many learned people who taught the Vedas and other sacred scriptures to the people of other countries. But, unfortunately, the Bharatiyas today have forgotten the principles of spirituality and are taking to wrong path. (Telugu Poem) Boys and Girls! It is your responsibility to uphold the glory of this country Bharat. This country Bharat is highly reputed and is the land of plenty and prosperity. In spite of many foreign invasions, this country has prospered. The real beauty in this land is observance of forbearance. There is no greater feeling than the feeling that one has towards one’s own mother. This country Bharat is known for women of chastity. Savitri could bring her dead husband back to life. Do you find such chaste women in any other country? This is also the birthplace of Damayanti. Mother Sita came out of blazing fire unscathed to prove her chastity. Today everyone seems to succumb to silly problems. People seem to have forgotten their responsibilities. Just as a mighty elephant submits to the dictates of the mahout, the Bharatiyas are unaware of their own strength and are aping others. Truth and righteousness have been the guiding principles of Bharat. Since these twin principles are forgotten by the Bharatiyas they are suffering. Man should declare that I am a human being not an animal. When he declares that he is a human being, he should have human qualities and not animal qualities. Where there is love, there is no chance for hatred or enmity. The dog loves its puppies and the birds love their young ones, but modern man does not love his fellowmen. Today there is no unity in Bharat. Where there is unity, there is purity, where there is purity, there is divinity. Man should develop faith in the Self. But man today lacks Self-confidence. Self-confidence leads to self-satisfaction, self-satisfaction leads to self-realisation. Human quality is still prevalent in Bharat. In other countries there are so many problems. Today even countries like U.S.A. and Japan are envious of Bharat. Today the food is polluted, water is polluted, even air is polluted. Bharat faces no such pollution problems. Man is verily God. But man is not able to know his true nature. Education leads to only argumentation. Modern education is not conferring the knowledge of the Self. Parents spend lakhs and lakhs to send their children abroad for studies. But they return totally spoiled. There is no need to go abroad. What is available in Bharat is not available elsewhere. The greatness of Bharat is beyond estimation. The kind of fortune that you find is Bharat is not found anywhere. There are many people who invite Bhagavan to foreign land. They are prepared to bring aeroplanes to take Bhagawan with them. I do not want these comforts, I want only devotion. There are no enemies of Bhagawan. Bhagawan loves everyone. But His pure divine love is often misunderstood. If your desires are fulfilled, you are sure to be spoiled. So, Bhagawan is training youngsters here with all limitations. Students have great love for Bhagawan. As Bhagawan leaves this place elsewhere, they bid farewell with tears. He is an intelligent man who helps those who have harmed them. That is true human quality. Whomsoever you meet, consider him as God. God is in human form. Rama, Sita, Hanuman, all were humans. All are divine. Names may be different, but the principle of Atma is the same in all. It is necessary to develop equal-mindedness at this young age. You may think it is difficult, but in reality it is easy. You will not experience in spite of doing Yajnas and rituals. In the outside world, there are only pieces. Peace is within you. You call yourself as humans and behave like an animal. Evil qualities like greed, avarice, hatred are animal qualities. Be a human with fellow human beings. Do not hate anyone. Till this moment, Swami has no hated anyone. Bhagawan is full of love. Bhagawan may be at a distant place, but divine love is drawing people like magnet. He is not angry with anybody. He is always happy. Bhagawan always smiles. Swami wants us to be blissful. Swami has not sent any invitation to anyone, but thousands have gathered here. It is only your love for Bhagawan that has drawn you here. When Bhagawan goes in the streets, shopkeepers come running out of their shops to have His Darshan. On this sacred day, one has to develop love primarily. Very soon the world will be united under one roof. Nobody would say, I am from Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Kerala and so on. Everybody would call themselves a Bharatiya. We do not belong to any party. We have only the party of love. You may go anywhere, you will respected and honoured if you have the party of love. Love is selfless. A true man is one without an iota of selfishness. Every human being has love. There is no greater quality than love. Samasta Lokah Sukhino Bhavantu (May all the beings of all the worlds be happy!). This should be our prayer if we want the world to be peaceful. This is the message of Bhagawan today. Bhagawan concluded His Discourse with the Bhajan, “Hari Bhajana Bina Sukha Santhi Nahin …†The grand convocation function concluded with the singing of National Anthem by all at 6.15 p.m. In the evening at 6.30 pm. students of Sri Sathya Sai University presented a play "Divya Premashrayam" , in the Poornachandra Auditorium. The Drama entails the tenets of His essential teachings to serve the society in the name of the Lord. This presentation interspersed with scenes from the epics and lives of the greats bringing greater effectiveness sending out the message of service to the society. Songs set to melodious music added flavour go the glittering presentation that was watched by Bhagawan, the Chief Guest, the UGC Vice Chairman, The Vice Chancellor, scores of other dignitaries, students and staff from the university and devotees in general. A grand finale to the glittering Convocation of the unique Institution, Sri Sathya Sai University. The Story in detail http://www.sssbpt. org/Pages/ 83-birthday/ reports & images-22-11- 2008.htm --------------------------- .. The joy of Giving; and that of Receiving - from Him! The ultimate salve and salvation for a pining heart Full Text of Bhagawan's 2008 Convocation Discourse Bharat is the motherland of many noble souls who earned great reputation in all the continents of the world. This is the land of many valorous people who could vanquish the enemies in the battlefield. This is the land of many learned people who taught the Vedas and other sacred scriptures to the people of other countries. But, unfortunately, the Bharatiyas today have forgotten the principles of spirituality and are taking to wrong path. - Telugu Poem Boys and Girls! It is your responsibility to uphold the glory of this country Bharat. This country Bharat is highly reputed and is the land of plenty and prosperity. In spite of many foreign invasions, this country has prospered. The real beauty in this land is observance of forbearance. There is no greater feeling than the feeling that one has towards one's own mother. This country Bharat is known for women of chastity. Savitri could bring her dead husband back to life. Do you find such chaste women in any other country? This is also the birthplace of Damayanti. Mother Sita came out of blazing fire unscathed to prove her chastity. Today everyone seems to succumb to silly problems. People seem to have forgotten their responsibilities. Just as a mighty elephant submits to the dictates of the mahout, the Bharatiyas are unaware of their own strength and are aping others. Truth and righteousness have been the guiding principles of Bharat. Since these twin principles are forgotten by the Bharatiyas they are suffering. Man should declare that I am a human being not an animal. When he declares that he is a human being, he should have human qualities and not animal qualities. Where there is love, there is no chance for hatred or enmity. The dog loves its puppies and the birds love their young ones, but modern man does not love his fellowmen. Today there is no unity in Bharat. Where there is unity, there is purity, where there is purity, there is divinity. Man should develop faith in the Self. But man today lacks Self-confidence. Self-confidence leads to self-satisfaction, self-satisfaction leads to self-realisation. Human quality is still prevalent in Bharat. In other countries there are so many problems. Today even countries like U.S.A. and Japan are envious of Bharat. Today the food is polluted, water is polluted, even air is polluted. Bharat faces no such pollution problems. Man is verily God. But man is not able to know his true nature. Education leads to only argumentation. Modern education is not conferring the knowledge of the Self. Parents spend lakhs and lakhs to send their children abroad for studies. But they return totally spoiled.. There is no need to go abroad. What is available in Bharat is not available elsewhere. The greatness of Bharat is beyond estimation. The kind of fortune that you find is Bharat is not found anywhere. There are many people who invite Bhagavan to foreign land. They are prepared to bring aeroplanes to take Bhagawan with them. I do not want these comforts, I want only devotion. There are no enemies of Bhagawan. Bhagawan loves everyone. But His pure divine love is often misunderstood. If your desires are fulfilled, you are sure to be spoiled. So, Bhagawan is training youngsters here with all limitations. Students have great love for Bhagawan. As Bhagawan leaves this place elsewhere, they bid farewell with tears. He is an intelligent man who helps those who have harmed them. That is true human quality. Whomsoever you meet, consider him as God. God is in human form. Rama, Sita, Hanuman, all were humans. All are divine. Names may be different, but the principle of Atma is the same in all. It is necessary to develop equal-mindedness at this young age. You may think it is difficult, but in reality it is easy. You will not experience in spite of doing Yajnas and rituals. In the outside world, there are only pieces. Peace is within you. You call yourself as humans and behave like an animal. Evil qualities like greed, avarice, hatred are animal qualities. Be a human with fellow human beings. Do not hate anyone. Till this moment, Swami has no hated anyone. Bhagawan is full of love. Bhagawan may be at a distant place, but divine love is drawing people like magnet. He is not angry with anybody. He is always happy. Bhagawan always smiles. Swami wants us to be blissful. Swami has not sent any invitation to anyone, but thousands have gathered here. It is only your love for Bhagawan that has drawn you here. When Bhagawan goes in the streets, shopkeepers come running out of their shops to have His Darshan. On this sacred day, one has to develop love primarily. Very soon the world will be united under one roof. Nobody would say, I am from Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Kerala and so on. Everybody would call themselves a Bharatiya. We do not belong to any party. We have only the party of love. You may go anywhere, you will respected and honoured if you have the party of love. Love is selfless. A true man is one without an iota of selfishness. Every human being has love. There is no greater quality than love. Samasta Lokah Sukhino Bhavantu . This should be our prayer if we want the world to be peaceful. This is the message of Bhagawan today. Om Sai Ram ------------------ My Soulmate and I Ms. Priya Mani An alumna of the Sri Sathya Sai University, Anantapur Campus, Ms. Priya Mani came under Bhagavan Baba’s fold as a young girl of eleven years, when she joined the Sri Sathya Sai Primary School for her sixth grade. She later went on to complete her graduation and post graduation in English Language and Literature from the Anantapur Campus, securing a Gold medal in both the courses in the years 2002 and 2004 respectively. She currently lives in Dubai and works as a freelance writer. God - The Strict Task Master Life with Bhagavan is suffused with the profoundest of lessons and the subtlest of transformations. And I have had the rare good fortune of learning life’s lessons from the Divine Master Himself. When I look back on those sepia-tinted lanes of memory, my heart only warms up to the memorable sojourn of the twelve years I have spent at His Lotus Feet - twelve precious years during which Swami taught me lessons that stand me in good stead even today, when I am no longer day after day in His physical presence. The most important lesson that Swami taught me was the priceless gift of loving Him as an intimate Friend and Companion, verily, my Soul mate. Here’s my tale straight from the Workshop of the Divine Potter. “Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba is the Master of this House; a silent listener in every conversation and an unseen guest at every meal.†This poster of Bhagavan hung in our house for many years, and every time I passed by this quotation, I could not help but stop to ponder over the unmistakable incongruity between the quote and Swami’s picture. The photo was of a beatific and benign Bhagavan, His right hand raised in a reassuring abhayahastha (posture of blessing). But those words would always stir in my mind the image of a patriarch, senior to my father in age, and of a sterner make; someone who would, unknown to all of us, partake of the meals my mother prepared, yet disapprove of the light, inconsequential chatter that invariably accompanied our gastronomic sessions; someone whose invisible presence loomed larger than life yet incontestable. The quotation would remind me of the God, to whom my brother and I would pray as tiny tots. I was four years of age then and my brother, merely two and a half years old. My mother would spiff up the two of us after bath, and we would accompany our father to the shrine room, where, despite the pantheistic array of the deities, we would address ourselves to the One Supreme, repeating implicitly after our father - God Almighty, Protect us all. Grant us Sadbuddhi (good intellect). May we eat well. May we not regurgitate what we eat. May we go to school without crying (This clause was for me). May we not fight with each other. May we not throw tantrums nor be provoked by the whimsicalities of temperament. May father not spank us! This was, perhaps, a pre-schooler’s edition of the Sahanavavatu prayer. And we chanted it without fail everyday, feeling quite pleased with ourselves at the completion of the recital. We had this deep, unshakeable belief that God was ‘watching’ over us, and that He would shower His munificence on us in direct proportion to our good conduct. By the same algorithm, if we transgressed the bounds of permissible unruliness, God would be displeased, even angry. The consequences, then, would be dire, something which we wouldn’t even dare to name. One of the most important lessons that I learnt at His Lotus Feet was ‘Love for God’. It was more of a process, a slowly yet sure metamorphosis from Daiva Bheeti to Daiva Preeti – doing/not doing a certain thing out of the Fear of God to doing/not doing the same out of Love for God. The first stemmed from Force (bhayam); the second from the Source (bhaavam). This concept of a puritanical God chaperoned me even when I joined Swami’s school at Puttaparthi as an eleven year old. But now that I was entrusted to His custody, Swami decided to, first, get my basics right. One of the most important lessons that I learnt at His Lotus Feet was ‘Love for God’. It was more of a process, a slowly yet sure metamorphosis from Daiva Bheeti to Daiva Preeti – doing/not doing a certain thing out of the Fear of God to doing/not doing the same out of Love for God. The first stemmed from Force (bhayam); the second from the Source (bhaavam). And in the idyllic environs of Puttaparthi, Swami brought about in me a fundamental attitudinal change – by making me shed my fears and misgivings towards Him and adopting Him as my Best Friend and Confidant. I do not say that Swami is not an austere disciplinarian. But, in my limited perception of His divinity, I was blinding myself to His other facets. Swami, My Best Friend But Swami was already at work, chisel and hammer, on my young, malleable mind. The change crept in gently, even imperceptibly, as I delved into the different types of bhakti (devotion). I must say that our daily curriculum at Sri Sathya Sai Primary School was such that it made us practice the Navavidha Bhakti (nine forms of devotion) in one form or the other – whether it was Shravanam (listening) in the form of excerpts from the Rama Katha Rasa Vahini/Bhagavatha Vahini/Satyam Shivam Sundaram that our teachers undertook to read, as a more peaceful and useful substitute for the noise that a 500 and odd restless audience of children were capable of generating, or Keerthanam (singing) in the form of evening bhajans. The author had the unique opportunity to spend twelve years with a lord who is so near and dear It could even be an assortment of Archanam, Smaranam and Padasevanam (worshipping, remembrance and serving His feet) as in case of the occasional Sunday Laksharchana, wherein we would offer akshata (holy rice) to a photograph of Swami’s feet, simultaneously chanting His name a hundred thousand times and offering manas pooja (mental worship) to His tender feet. If this weren’t enough, exams brought in their wake, fresh increments of devotion. Needless to say, the intensity and fervour of Vishnusmaranam (remembrance of the Lord) increased when the tests approached. And I am sure we must have amused Swami with our childish attempts at Atmanivedana (surrender to the Lord), when, we invariably prefaced our answer sheets with ‘Swami, write for me’. Swami, for us, took on or, rather, began sharing the duties of Lord Ganesha as the Bestower of Success and Triumph in every sort of enterprise, be it academic or otherwise. Starting with supplicating Him for exams, then unit tests, even inter-house competitions to using His name, ‘Sai Ram’, to express emotions as varied as surprise, fear, relief, exhilaration or exasperation, or even by way of greeting - Swami was slowly and steadily ensuring that we called on Him, knowingly or unknowingly, for every little thing. Meanwhile, I was beginning to discover a Friend who had unobtrusively slipped into my life and grew to be at the receiving end of the day to day account of my life. A sort of a role reversal occurred at this stage. To teach me the fundamentals of Sakhyam (friendship), Swami slid down to Shravanam (listening). I must say that Swami had to (as He does even now) put up with a lot of my talking. For, quite without my knowledge, I began to tell Him in my idle/prayerful moments of my hopes, fears, aspirations, and a hundred other things. And as He would have it, I was beginning to get hooked to carry on a constant, incessant chatter with Him – a sort of an internal dialogue. It was more of a monologue, wherein I spoke and Swami had no choice but to listen. A sort of a role reversal occurred at this stage. To teach me the fundamentals of Sakhyam (friendship), Swami slid down to Shravanam (listening). I must say that Swami had to (as He does even now) put up with a lot of my talking. For, quite without my knowledge, I began to tell Him in my idle/prayerful moments of my hopes, fears, aspirations, and a hundred other things. And as He would have it, I was beginning to get hooked to carry on a constant, incessant chatter with Him – a sort of an internal dialogue. It was more of a monologue, wherein I spoke and Swami had no choice but to listen. One moment, it would be Vandanam (obeisance), where I would be all delight and gratitude for Him at having responded to my prayers. At another moment, when I thought He had turned a deaf ear to my pleas, Swami was in for a session of a different kind of Archanam (worship) – wherein after having ventilated my grievances, I would start berating and scolding His photo, then walk away in a huff after the tiff with Him. Tempers cooled, I would return, remorsefully, to my Divine Companion. To me, then, I was sharing my thoughts and feelings with Him as a friend would to another. Not that He needed to be told in order to know. He is privy to every thought, good or bad, the moment it manifests in the mind. Just that my act of telling Him gave me satisfaction and happiness. I wished, I aspired, I prayed. Prayers came in all shapes and sizes. And Swami answered or didn’t answer them. At least that was what I thought. Then came another lesson along the way. I thought my role ended at telling Him things. What I didn’t reflect upon or give thought to much, was the fact that Swami was ‘actually’ listening to everything I had been saying. Bhagavan taught me, in His own inimitable way, that He was not merely listening to whatever I said, but He was also aware of every passing thought and fleeting feeling in my mind. And that, He remembered things which even I had forgotten that I had asked of Him! We May Forget, But The Lord Does Not Ever Here is one such instance. We have the good fortune of hearing Swami discourse in Telugu on festive occasions. But to hear Swami talking to someone on a personal level is an experience in itself. Often Swami switches to the mother tongue of the concerned person. It is a treat to listen to Swami speaking in, what to us, is an unfamiliar language for Swami to use! Wow! The very idea of having a purely personal conversation with Swami in one’s own language! I always thought the experience as sublime joy that defied description. So I hoped that someday I would be a fortunate recipient of the same. Nurturing this ardent desire, even as a twelve-year-old, I often voiced my thoughts aloud to Swami, “Swami, if You were to talk to me someday, in what language would You converse with me?†The very idea of having a purely personal conversation with Swami in one’s own language! I always thought the experience as sublime joy that defied description. So I hoped that someday I would be a fortunate recipient of the same. Nurturing this ardent desire, even as a twelve-year-old, I often voiced my thoughts aloud to Swami, “Swami, if You were to talk to me someday, in what language would You converse with me?†There was the big clause ‘if’. But the mind clung on to the glimmer of a hope that, someday, He would talk to me on His own. I even ensured that I was on my best behavior as far as possible, for that would, perhaps, hasten the glorious occasion. But the most important clause was the medium, the language in which I was to relate to Swami, or rather, the vice versa. After all, it was to be a purely personal conversation. So I undertook to decide for Swami the language in which He was to converse with me! Now I considered it highly unlikely that Swami would talk to me in English. Moreover, I thought, it lacked the personal element. So I ruled it out. I did not comprehend Telugu. It was not my mother tongue either. So I forbade Swami from using the same with me. What about my mother tongue? Since I hailed from Palakkad (located in the south Indian state of Kerala), the language that I spoke had a distinct flavor of both Tamil and Malayalam. Now, wasn’t that a bit too hard on Swami to expect Him to use the dialect that I spoke? But I did not want to be partial to one language at the cost of another. So finally, I zeroed in on Hindi to be the exclusive and lucky language for the impending Cosmic Chat! Moreover, I was better conversant with Hindi than even my mother tongue, having spent a good part of my early childhood at Bhopal. The author is fortunate to offer flowers and even have a word with her beloved Lord A twelve-year-old’s mind can work in such ingenious ways. Mine too, then, was under the influence of my age. Years sped by. I did have numerous occasions of Sameepyam (Physical Proximity of Swami), but Sambhashanam (Conversation with Swami) was something I wanted Swami to initiate. Moreover, I often found myself tongue-tied in His presence unable to muster the courage to talk to Him! My desire lay buried deep in my subconscious, while my conscious mind was busy tackling a horde of academic and extra-curricular priorities. Then, in my final year of college, I had the unique good fortune of offering a bouquet of flowers to Swami on the behalf of our girls’ campus on the occasion of the Annual Sports and Cultural Meet. A batch mate of mine was also selected to offer the card to Him. I went up the steps of Shanti Vedika and walked up to where Swami was seated, throbbing with delight and anticipation. Swami, who was conversing with a guest, swung a sharp 90 degrees in His rotating chair as I approached, and gave me the most radiant, heartwarming smile. I knelt down, placing the bouquet on His lap. I do not know what elapsed in those few timeless seconds… just the Lord and I…. nothing else existed. I only remember Swami telling me “Leke Jao, Leke Jao†(Take it and go). My batch mate then offered the card to Swami as I waited behind. Swami then blessed the two of us with a magnificent abhayahastha. We came down the steps with the bouquet and the card. A little while later, I asked my batch mate as to what Swami told her. She repeated the exact words Swami had used. Swami had told her “Teeskelli po†(Take it and go), but in Telugu. While, He had conveyed the same to me in Hindi! It then struck me like an epiphany, the long cherished desire of an intimate audience I had sought of the Lord, in the very language that I had stipulated, eight years ago. I had forgotten. Swami had not. He had only bided His time to give me the big surprise. “They Try To Please Me By Giving Up Sweets!†“Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba is Omnipresent, Omnipotent and Omniscient†is something I had grown up hearing, ever since I joined Swami’s school. In open-mouthed wonder, my little mind would try to fathom these stupendous attributes of God. The ever-merciful Swami taught me the meaning of these words in His unique way. For, He knew and heard everything, and responded too. But, in His time. Often times, when life begins to resemble the Literature of the Absurd, we feel that God sits watching our plight with total dissociation of sensibility, distancing Himself from the dialogues, monologues and asides of our everyday lives. What we do forget is that He is the Omniscient, albeit unintrusive, narrator of the drama... Often times, when life begins to resemble the Literature of the Absurd, we feel that God sits watching our plight with total dissociation of sensibility, distancing Himself from the dialogues, monologues and asides of our everyday lives. What we do forget is that He is the Omniscient, albeit unobtrusive, narrator of the drama; that the plot, and the sub-plots are already written replete with flashbacks, rising and falling action, catharsis, discovery and denouement. The resolution may take a while in coming such that we begin to doubt the credentials of His play in terms of unity of action. But whether He is staging a play or scripting a Bildungsroman, Swami has a well-knit story in place which He reveals and resolves at the ‘right’ time, verily like a Deus ex Machina. I am reminded of a ‘sweet’ experience, that takes me back to my tenth grade, when I was sitting for darshan in the first line with a couple of students. It was a rain-kissed Onam morning and we were seated for special festival blessings. Given the crowds and the programme, it seemed highly unlikely that Swami would even come our way, let alone bless us. But would our hearts give up that easily? Each of us must have been praying to Swami; so was I, coaxing and begging Swami to ordain the winds of chance in our favor. In a moment of desperation, I decided to bribe Him with the lure of a much-loved sweetmeat. “Please, Swami, please,†I pleaded, “If You bless us today, I will give up eating Gulabjamuns for ever.†Even as the mind was engaged in the calisthenics of cajolery, the resounding panchavadyam heralded Swami’s arrival. The programme commenced. Two hours elapsed in this manner. As our good fortune would have it, Swami did come our way and did bless us. As ever, my human mind forgot about the incident, retaining only the memory of the promise made to Him, and this scene evoked every time someone triggered my tingling taste buds with a succulent bowl of gulabjamuns, and I valiantly resisted. Two years sped by. We were in our twelfth grade diligently preparing for our approaching Board examinations. It was the dry and dismal month of March with Swami away at Brindavan. One night, Swami appeared in my dream. I saw Swami seated on a chair in our school lobby, and we students were seated on the floor facing Him. With an ever so slight gesture of the index finger, Swami pointed to one of the students, asking “What is your favorite sweet?†The student replied, “Swami, sohanpapadi.†Swami then posed the same question to another student, to which the response came ‘Badurshahi’. Swami then asked me, “What is your favorite sweet?†I replied, “Swami, Gulabjamun.†The Lord then remarked to the gentleman seated beside Him, “Do you know how foolish some people are? They try to please Me by giving up sweets.†The dream ended there. I woke up delighted and thrilled beyond words. But this was only just the beginning – the start of a lesson Swami was slowly unfolding to me. Later on, during the day, we were greeted in the dormitory with joyous shouts that Swami had sent prasadam (sweet) for us from Brindavan and that we should go downstairs to collect the same. It was Sohanpapadi! “Wow! What a coincidence. Well, well, all’s sweet that ends sweet,†I said to myself, helping myself to the ambrosial confection. The author is blessed with a Gold Medal from the Divine Chancellor But Swami was in no mood for endings. The next day, He sent prasadam again. This time, it was Badurshahi! This set me thinking. Part One and Two of my dream had found fulfillment. And I was wondering how Bhagavan was going to execute Part Three. Would He dispatch barrelfuls of rosy gulabjamuns to school tomorrow from far-away Brindavan? Inconceivable by all standards of reason! .... God defies all definitions of possibility and probability. When He decides to do something (Sankalpa), He will find the ways and means (Vikalpa) to do it. Time and space cannot limit Him and His will. It is we who need to keep our minds and hearts open to receive that Will and Grace.... Yet, I waited in anticipation for the next day. I did not have to wait for too long. For the very next afternoon, as we were plodding away with our books, our Headmistress Aunty walked in with a huge bowl of gulabjamuns she had prepared exclusively for us, the tenth and twelfth grade students. She said we had been slogging too hard, so she had decided to sweeten our labors with a savory surprise! This incident taught me two lessons. One, God defies all definitions of possibility and probability. When He decides to do something (Sankalpa), He will find the ways and means (Vikalpa) to do it. Time and space cannot limit Him and His will. It is we who need to keep our minds and hearts open to receive that Will and Grace. Two, Swami does not desire our paltry offerings by way of giving up a much-desired food item. He doesn’t even need them. What can we give Him but that which does not belong to Him already? We can only offer ourselves to Him, heart and soul, and let Him do His bidding through us. More importantly, Swami was gently reminding me as ever that He was privy to my every thought, word and deed; that ‘Forgetting’ was a word that simply did not exist in the Divine Dictionary! That I would ‘get’ and ‘forget’, but He only ‘gave’ and ‘forgave’. A sound lesson driven home with ‘sweet’ compliments! My Biggest Lesson – Living in His Presence, Always I can only be grateful to Bhagavan for every one of such lessons that He has painstakingly taught me. Especially, for the most precious lesson that He imparted to me – to live in the constant presence of His Divinity. Today, wherever I go, whatever I do, I know that Swami is there with me, feeling my every pleasure and pain, every happiness and sorrow. And wouldn’t He when He “… sits in the bosom of the world and receives all its pangs in His own heart.†He is the compassionate One, He is there to listen to me, share my little joys and delights, comfort and console me when I need Him, and to guide me on the path He would want me to tread – the True Friend that only He can be. Thank you, Swami. ------------------- The Love of Pure Law Vs. the Law of Pure Love By Mr. Amar Vivek Mr. Amar Vivek joined the Sri Sathya Sai University in 1986 for his Masters in Business Administration. Earlier, he had completed his LLB in Punjab University, Chandigarh. He is currently a lawyer in the High Court of Punjab and Haryana, and also a founder member of Sri Sathya Sai Gramin Jagriti Sewa Sadan, a non-profit organisation committed to rural empowerment and education. August 16, 1988. I can never forget this day in my life. It was the saddest, and at the same time, the happiest day of my life. I had to leave the physical Presence of Bhagavan that day after having completed my post graduation. But Bhagavan made that day etched in gold forever in my heart, as He called me inside the interview room as part of the group of boys leaving that day. Inside the interview room, He spoke to me very lovingly, and then holding my hand, He asked, “What will you give Me in return for your education at Swami’s University?†I was stunned; obviously not prepared for such a straight question. But I did manage to find my voice and blurted out, “Whatever You say, Bhagavan.†He then looked piercingly into my eyes, overwhelming my whole inner being. And then, the Divine conversation continued. “Do you promise you will give Me whatever I ask?†I firmly replied, “Yes, Bhagavan.†Then, issued from the Divine lips a commandment: “Do not bring a bad name to Sai - that is all I want from you. I do not want someone to tell Me that My ex-student is not living up to My Teachings and Example.†You can imagine what effect these parting words from Bhagavan had on me – and it continues to influence me till this day. Many are the times when His exhortation comes to my mind, and prompts me to listen to the voice of my conscience. It propels me to try for the highest standards of ethical behaviour. And just the feeling that He knows my every breath, word and action fills me energy and inspiration. What better encouragement does a man need on entering the complex and sometimes traumatic world of law, where you have to deal with criminals and a multitude of cases of human tragedy? There have been many instances which strenuously have tested my mettle, and I passed through them only by listening to my inner golden voice. The Bright Light of Truth While practicing as a lawyer in the High Court of Punjab and Haryana at Chandigarh, I handled an extremely tough case in 1999. A corrupt policeman had illegally obtained the house of a poor school teacher. Without relying on The Divine, I could not have been able to withstand the tough fight I had to endure, as the police officer was bent upon harming me and even my family. The former lawyer of my client had advised him to make false claims; but, keeping Swami’s words in mind, I told him that he must not lie in the court, and furthermore, we would win our case based on truth, and not on exaggeration and falsehood. The case took a long time and a large number of witnesses had to be examined. Finally, after many years, the arguments were concluded, and the Ld. Judge was to pronounce his judgment. I was quite nervous over the impending decision of the case, as it had been rather emotionally draining. While I was at home, looking at the picture of Bhagavan in my room, I could feel His reassuring Presence around me. I started to remember the moments when it seemed that the Lord was, in fact, looking after me, as we continued to stick to truth and righteousness. I had handled the case selflessly and fearlessly, relying only on my inner strength and conviction. I had an intuitive feeling that surely, we would be successful in this case as we never deviated from righteousness. As I ruminated over the events that had unfolded in the previous few days, I recalled how at a critical juncture during the case, a crucial document came to my office from nowhere. A gentleman, whom I did not know, had walked in and handed it to me. His name, he said, was ‘Rishi’ (meaning ‘sage’) and I felt it was surely The Divine at work. Again, I recollected how when I had cross-examined the police officer, surprisingly, he answered one question after another against himself! I had surely prayed to Bhagavan before commencing, and had never expected such a dramatic turn of events, because the officer, otherwise, was a strong willed man. And then, I was also buoyed up by the name of the Ld. Judge, who was to deliver the judgment. He was Sri Sant Prakash (which meant ‘light of the saint’). I felt I didn’t have to worry as Light is bound to flow out of a Saint! And finally, it was on a day, none other than Thursday, May 17, 2001, that the verdict of this much awaited case, came in our favour! We were ecstatic, as all the long years of patient adherence to values had finally triumphed over falsehood, forgery and manipulation. Willing Help On another occasion, an elderly lady had asked for my help. Let us call her Savitha (for reasons of privacy), who had lost her husband and a grown up son, in a tragic road accident. She had then become entangled in a property dispute with her sister-in-law, who was claiming the rights to the house where Savitha lived. Utterly desperate in her pitiable situation, she showed me a few blank signed papers from her husband and mother-in-law, and asked if I could use them for making a will, which would testify that she had succeeded to the properties left by her husband. At that point I was shaken. Should I help her by creating forged documents, or should I stick to the righteous path? It was truly a dilemma, as I could, at a stroke, save her from an unjust situation, but it also meant taking recourse to falsehood. I asked her to wait for a while, and I went inside my office to be myself for a few minutes. I prayed intensely to Bhagavan, and searched in my inner being for the right path. My emotions were influencing me to help her out at all costs, as she was a defenseless victim. After a short while, the voice of my conscience spoke aloud. The path I had to take was clear. I went to my client and told her I could not use those papers for scribing a document such as a will, but I could certainly produce those papers before the court, so as to convince the Judges her bonafide as a truthful lady, provided she does not misuse them under any circumstances. I also told her that by sticking to Truth, it may so happen that she might not win the property dispute, but she would be a winner in her own eyes, and that God will surely take care of her. She readily agreed to my suggestion, and the courage and conviction we derived from this small episode gave us the confidence to adopt only honest means. Then matters took a curious turn, when Savitha’s sister-in-law, produced a purported will on behalf of the late mother-in-law, bequeathing all the properties to her daughter and the sister-in-law! We were taken aback when we saw the very same scheme played out in front of us that we had rejected as unethical and against our principles. The will had allegedly been executed only a few days before the lady’s death, and during those days she was fighting a battle against cancer. To reach the truth of what had happened, and to establish our suspicions was an arduous and difficult task. It so happened that a gentleman named Mr. Janardhan (name changed), a practicing advocate, had appeared as a witness in the case. He was alleged to have drafted the said will. In his testimony before the court, he clearly recorded that he had no information that the will was authored by the old mother-in-law of Mrs. Savitha. He said that he had been called to their house by the sister-in-law of Savitha, and upon reaching there he found the old lady lying on the bed. It was the sister-in-law who then forwarded him the papers – purported to be the will of her mother. He simply signed it without knowing its contents or without checking if it was executed by her or not. The case is still on in the court and the verdict after Mr. Janardhan’s testimony is awaited in the coming months, but intuitively I know, truth alone will triumph. In fact, this belief itself is a victory for me and my client. A Just Witness I also recollect how merely by undertaking a journey by train to Puttaparthi, I was rescued from a dire situation when someone laid false charges against me. I had conducted a case against a lawyer, who had molested a lady editor of a newspaper. Fired by a sense of indignation, I fought the case relentlessly against the lawyer, and as a result, his anticipatory bail application was dismissed. This greatly antagonized the lawyer and he drew up a clever plan to ruin me. He filed a false complaint against me in Saharanpur, UP, alleging serious and demeaning charges pertaining to my character and conduct. The incident cooked up by him, referred to June 14, and the clever strategy about this date was that in the month of June, the High Court remained closed due to summer vacations. Thus, I could not have proved in my defense that on the date of incident, I was present in the court, arguing some case or the other. However, on June 13, that year, I had boarded the Karnataka Express from New Delhi to Dharmavaram en route to Puttaparthi. And just think of it, the passenger next to me in the train that day was none other than the then Chief Justice of Punjab and Haryana High Court, Chandigarh who was also traveling to Puttaparthi! After returning to Chandigarh, I was served with the nasty court summons of the complaint against me, and rather shocked, I fervently prayed to Bhagavan. Through His inspiration, I straightaway rushed to the chambers of the Hon’ble Chief Justice, and explained everything to him. He immediately rang up his counterpart in the UP High Court and offered to stand as a personal witness in my favour, as he was present with me in train from June 13 to 15. The Chief Justice of UP High Court, made sure that the false case against me stood closed, and thus I was left totally unscathed, with His Grace. The journey to Sai, is no doubt sure to lead one to the assured destination of Sai Himself. But that train journey to Puttaparthi was a special one, as it proved to make me safe beyond any harm! It was a Masterly planned reservation, to rescue a humble worker who tried to follow the path of Truth to the best of his ability. Settling in Good Time I recently conducted a few cases for a personality from the movie world. Her opposite party was a “high socialite†in Chandigarh. With prayers to Bhagavan, I was able to bring the gentleman to the negotiating table, and both parties mutually worked out a settlement. The outstanding twenty cases, which were being bitterly fought over, were closed in a few days. The lady client was very satisfied with this outcome, and after a few days, the person from the opposite party too came to my house and thanked me for bringing to an end the bitter litigation. He placed a sum of Rs. 75,000/- on my table and left. My conscience immediately began to rankle. I thought I should return the money to the person without more ado. But then, a higher impulse gripped me. I thought why not pass this money onto my client, who had suffered huge losses to her assets during the case. I immediately called her in Mumbai, and after I explained to her everything, she gladly accepted the amount. I also asked her to send an acknowledgment receipt of this amount to the opposite party. Later, she called me to say that until then she had never believed that a lawyer would ever pass on money in such a situation. It was only because of my behavioral value systems, and the confidence to listen to my conscience, that I have gained from the noble training given at the Sri Sathya Sai University that I was able to act in such a manner. “Honesty in personal and professional life is the first policyâ€, was an important lesson that we were taught at our cherished Alma Mater, and over the years it has become a deep rooted conviction in my soul. We only need to have the courage and conviction to practice it in real life. Bhagavan, in His abundant Grace, gives us many moments when we need to be attuned to Him in those tricky situations of morally grey areas. It is very easy to fall into the traps laid by other people’s minds - and our own! But His Love always binds us as long as we follow His Words, to the last letter. A few days before I passed out of the Sri Sathya Sai University, Swami revealed the true meaning of my degrees – LLB and MBA. He said it referred to ‘Live and Love Baba’ and ‘Mind on Baba Always’. Now I know what it really means. When we really live by His ideals, we have truly loved Him. Moreover, His Loving Gaze is always fixed, continuously on us, wherever we are, and whatever we are doing. It only requires a little effort on our part to look inside us, and see the Lord looking at us! His Glance never fails us. Illustrations: Ms. Lyn Kriegler Elliott, New Zealand Dear Reader, did you find this article inspiring? Do you have such experiences in our daily life that you would like to share?------------------- 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 --------------------------- Sai Ram Ram sama Here is Photo of Swami’s Birthday. Sumitomo Jhothi Veda Bhajan MC Opening speech Youth song Cake cutting Juula song Drama by Balvicas Closing speech Prema dara Arthi SATHYA SAI BABA'S BIRTHDAY CELEBRATIONS' Your Life is My MessageAum Sri Sai Ram With the divine blessings of Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba, the centers and Groups of Kansai will be celebrating His Divine 83rd Birthday based on te theme is "Your life is My message-Love in action." and in order it out, Prayers and Seva has been arranged in Kobe Sai Center from 7am- and a culrural Orogram will follow in the evening in Osaka. 23rd November 2008 Morning Program: At the Indian Social Society- 7am~Bhajans & Seva ----------------- *7am~8.30am Omkaram, Suprabhatam and Bhajans at ISS Prayer Hall *8.30am on wards Seva: Arranging food and packing for 650 homeless people and distributing them in Kobe and Osaka Area. Evening Cultural Program: 14-30~17.30 At the Chuo Kumin Kaiken, Osaka OSAKA, CHUO-kUMIN CENTER, CHUO-KU,KYUTARO MACHI 1-2-27 TEL.06-6267-0201 PROGRAM ----------------------- *Jyoti, Veda (Namakam) Ganesha Bhajans. *Opening Address *Birthday Song by Kobe Youth & Cake cutting Ceremony *Swami's Birthday Video Presentation *Jhoola Devotional Songs *A Drama Presentations prepared by the Children of Bal-Vikas on Ramanaya *A Short Poem *Bhajans and Aarthi ............................................................................................................................... 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. ..................................................................................................... Inside This issue... 1. Quotation...2.Baba's story...3. Shirdi Baba's... 4. Chief Guest Prof G.V...5.Fultext Bhagavans's conv address 6. Swami & Me.my soulmate..7. The Law of pure law & Law of pure love 8. My Soul mate and I ...9. Just keep planti 10. Baba's Birthday in Kobe & Osaka & Photos -------------------------. . Sai Ram Thank you for posting many messages of Swami & Kansai Light, Best Regards Vishwanathan India -------------------Dear Bro Ram I must thank you for all the articles you send which i think will benefit the public including Kansai Light Love Ravi Kuala Lumpur ------------- Dear Sai Brother Ramchand Thank you very much for sending this beautiful Kansai Light Letter. I read it fully and thoroughly enjoyed. May Sai Bless you and help further is spreading his awareness !! Om Sai Ram gordhan Oman ---------------- Dear Ramchand Sai Ram Many thanks for sharing most wonderful and amazing stories and also Kansai Light Thank you Infinite Sai Love Sai Sister Berit saimoon108 -------------- Dear Mr Chugani It was so nice of you that you remember me and send me the latest issue of most beautiful New Letter Kansai Light November issue 2008. I thoroughly enjoyed your Newsletter. With Best Regards Sincerely yours, Prof Venkata R.Neralla...Ontario Canada ------------- ... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You are posting as a guest. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.