God is the only Director – Baba - Sri Sathya Sai Books & Publication ...

AUGUST 2009

S a n a t h a n a S a r a t h iDevoted to the Moral and Spiritual Uplift of Humanity throughSATHYA DHARMA SANTHI PREMA AHIMSAVol.: 52 Issue No. 8 Date of Publication: 1st AugustAUGUST 2009© Sri Sathya SaiSadhana Trust, Publications DivisionPrasanthi NilayamPrinted and Published byK.S. RAJANon behalf of the owner,Sri Sathya SaiSadhana Trust, Publications DivisionPrasanthi Nilayam 515 134,Anantapur District (A.P.),Printed at M/s Rajhans Enterprises,136, 4th Main Road, Industrial Town, RajajiNagar, Bangalore - 560 044, Karnataka.Published at Prasanthi Nilayam 515 134.E-mail: subscriptions@sssbpt.orgeditor@sssbpt.orgFor Audio Visual / Book Orders: orders@sssbpt.orgISD Code : 0091STD Code : 08555Telephone : 287375Sri Sathya Sai Central Trust Telefax : 287390General enquiry : 287164Sri Sathya Sai University -Administrative Office : 287191 / 287239Sri Sathya Sai HigherSecondary School : 287522Sri Sathya SaiPrimary School : 287237SSSIHMS, Prasanthigram,Puttaparthi : 287388SSSIHMS, Whitefield,Bangalore : 080 28411500Annual Subscriptionacceptable for 1, 2 or 3 years.English Inland (India):Rs 75/- (12 issues)Overseas: Rs 850/-or U.S. $19 or U.K. £13 or ¤13 orCAN $22, AUS $26Telugu Inland Rs 60/- (12 issues)Overseas: Rs 550/- or £9 or US $13 or¤9, CAN $15 or AUS $17Note: Please do not send currency notesin postal covers. For the Attention of“Sanathana Sarathi” Subscribers.The month and year of expiry of yoursubscription is indicated next to thesubscription number on the mailingwrapper. Three asterisk marks (***)appearing after your subscription numberindicate that you should renew yoursubscription immediately. Please quoteyour present subscription numberwhile renewing the subscription. Allsubscriptions and other correspondenceshould be addressed to The Convener,Sri Sathya Sai Sadhana Trust, PublicationsDivision, Prasanthi Nilayam – 515 134.Anantapur district, Andhra Pradesh, India.EditorG.L. ANANDCover Page Photograph: Mahabharata scene asportrayed in Bhajan Mandir, Prasanthi Nilayam.“Those who have love for Godare endowed with morality.Morality is the very life-breathof man. Without morality, he islifeless. The whole Jati (humanrace) will be doomed withoutNeeti (morality).”C O N T E N T STranscend the Senses andBody Attachment .......................................... 226Bhagavan’s Discourse on 6th July 2009Guru Purnima at Prasanthi Nilayam .............. 232A ReportStudents should Set Ideals for Others ........... 234Bhagavan’s Discourse in University AuditoriumCelebrations at Prasanthi Nilayam ................. 241A ReportThe Master and Disciples ............................... 248Chinna KathaThe Unread Letter ......................................... 250Effulgence of Divine GloryInternational Orthopaedic Conference ......... 251A ReportNews from Sai Centres .................................. 252Official Websites of Prasanthi NilayamSri Sathya Sai Central Trust: www.srisathyasai.org.inSri Sathya Sai Sadhana Trust, Publications Division: www.sssbpt.orgRadio Sai Global Harmony: www.radiosai.orgBal Vikas Wing of Sri Sathya Sai Organisation, India: http://sssbalvikas.org/

B H A G A V A N’ S D I S C O U R S E O N 6 T H J U L Y 2 0 0 9TRANSCEND THE SENSES ANDBODY ATTACHMENTGurur-Brahma Gurur-Vishnu Gurur Devo Maheswara;Guru Sakshat Param Brahma ...(Guru is Brahma, Guru is Vishnu, Guru is Maheswara. Guru isverily the Supreme Brahman.)(Sanskrit Verse)S O C I E T Y W I L L P R O T E C T Y O U W H E N Y O U P R O T E C T I TTHOUGH THE NAMES AND FORMSof God like Brahma, Vishnu,Maheswara are different, the divinepower is one only. All are one, be alike toeveryone. You think that Brahma is the creator,Vishnu is the sustainer and Maheswara is theannihilator of the universe. But it is not reallyso. It is the same God who is responsible forall these functions but you give Him the namesBrahma, Vishnu, Maheswara and imagine thatthey are three different gods performing threedifferent functions.Society is a Part of Divine PrinciplePhysical forms of people may appear to bedifferent but the same divinity is immanent inall. You go by names and imagine that peopleare different from each other. But the real nameof all is Atma. The Atma that is immanent in allis one only.Religions are many but goal is one.Clothes are many but yarn is one.Beings are many but Atma is one.Castes are many but humanity is one.(Telugu Poem)Man should observe three principles inlife – Daiva Preeti, Papa Bheeti and SanghaNeeti (love for God, fear of sin and moralityin society). He should realise that he is Jiva(individual soul) as well as Deva (God) andsociety is also an aspect of this divine principle.There are many subtle truths relatedto the principle of the Atma. These arecontained in the Bhagavadgita and theUpanishads. The main truth propoundedin the Upanishads is, “Oh man! Knowthyself. When you know yourself, youwill know everything.” Therefore, oneshould make efforts to know oneself.Then you will understand that you areneither the mind nor the intellect nor thesenses nor the subconscious mind.226 August 2009

First you have concentration, then contemplationand thereafter meditation. Therefore, you musthave the practice of concentration before youdo meditation. Meditation comes only aftercontemplation. Do not think that you will go intomeditation the moment you sit with closed eyes.People do this type of artificial meditation butthis is not meditation in the real sense of theterm. Meditation is that in which you completelytranscend your senses and body attachment andforget yourself.Lack of fear of sin in man is the root cause ofabsence of morality in society. One bereft ofmorality is not a human being at all. So, foreverything morality is very important. Godloves all. If man has love in him, there will becertainly unity in society. People indulge insinful deeds in spite of knowing that God cangive them punishment. They have no fear ofsin. If everybody has fear of sin, then therewill be morality in society. If man lacks fearof sin, then there can be no morality insociety. Man today has limitlessego and he acts in an arbitrarymanner. Everybody shouldenquire, “If I do this, what willhappen? Whether I should doit or not?” You should see toit that you do not see what isevil, do not do what is evil anddo not speak what is evil. Youhave to reap the consequencesof your actions if not today, atleast tomorrow. You may thinkthat God has forgiven you foryour sins but you will have tosuffer the consequences of youractions some time or the other.It is also possible that results ofall your evil deeds may come toyou all at once.If you want society to progressand prosper, you should alwayskeep the welfare of society inview. There is no use of anythingif there is no morality. A personwho lacks morality cannot becalled a human being. He isverily an animal. To tell lies,to do injustice to others and toindulge in wicked deeds is verybad. Lead your life keeping inview the three principles given byGod – Daiva Preeti, Papa Bheeti and SanghaNeeti. In fact, Bhakti, Jnana and Vairagyaare meant to develop these three principles.One who lacks Neeti (morality) is worse thana Koti (monkey). Monkey is better than sucha person. Those who conduct themselveswithout morality will never be respected insociety. One who has morality will be respectedby all. People will talk high of him, saying, “Heis a good man. Do not put hurdles inAugust 2009 227

his way.” One without morality will be lookeddown upon as worse than a dog. Therefore,you should always diligently follow moralprinciples. Body is meant to perform gooddeeds. When you put this body to proper use,you will have a good mind. When you have agood mind, you can earn the love of God. Theessence of Bhakti (devotion), Jnana (wisdom)and Vairagya (renunciation) is Daiva Preeti,Papa Bheeti and Sangha Neeti. They are likethe three blades of a fan. You get cool breezeonly when all the three blades rotate smoothly.You will not get the required benefi t even if oneof the blades is not in proper condition. In thisworld, people ask, “Why should we love God?”You should love God so that you have fear ofsin and morality in society. Develop more andmore love for God. A devotee always aspiresfor the love of God. To attain love of God,morality and fear of sin are very essential foreveryone.Be Good, Do Good, See GoodOne should enquire what is good, whatis bad, what is sin and what is merit. Afterknowing this, one should make efforts todo only that which is good. Be Good, DoGood, See Good. This is the way to God.If you lack these three, there is no use ofperforming any rituals, worship and chanting.Sravanam (listening), Kirtanam (singing),Vishnusmaranam (contemplating on Vishnu),Padasevanam (serving His Lotus Feet),Vandanam (salutation), Archanam (worship),Dasyam (servitude), Sneham (friendship),Atmanivedanam (self-surrender) are the ninepaths of devotion. Out of these, hearing is thefi rst and foremost. You should enquire whatyou are hearing is good or bad. When youyourself think that what you are hearingis bad, then how can you put the same intopractice? Today many people achieve successby resorting to untruth, injustice and evil ways.You may think that you are not going to reapthe consequences of your sins immediately andwho knows what may happen at a later date.Do not have such a misconception becausethe results may come this very moment orin the next. Therefore, every thought of manshould be sacred; his every action should besacred. One may have devotion but his actionsmay not be good. Therefore, it is necessary toperform good actions. You should make yourmind pure by performing sacred actions. Purityis very essential. It will lead to the realisationof the Atma. People really do not know whatis meant by the Atma. As there are numerousforms, you give names to them for identifi cation.Nobody can say Atma has this or that form.Nirgunam, Niranjanam, Sanathana Niketanam,Nitya, Shuddha, Buddha, Mukta, NirmalaSwarupinam (It is attributeless, unsullied, fi nalabode, eternal, pure, enlightened, free andembodiment of sacredness). With reference tothe Atma, nobody has the right to say this isright and that is wrong because except yourheart, nobody can know what is right and whatis wrong.When you realise the principle of the Atma,you will know that the same Atma is presentin all. If there are a hundred pots full of water,you will fi nd the refl ection of the moon in all ofthem. Body is like a pot; it is bound to perishone day or the other. When the pot breaks,what happens to the moon? The moon doesexist but you cannot see its refl ection becausethe pot containing water is broken. Atma ispresent in each and every human being. Youyourself are the witness of the Atma. Similarly,you are the witness of your mind and goodqualities are the witness of your body.228 August 2009

Man should observe three principles in life – DaivaPreeti, Papa Bheeti and Sangha Neeti (love forGod, fear of sin and morality in society). He shouldrealise that he is Jiva (individual soul) as well asDeva (God) and society is also an aspect of thisdivine principle. Lack of fear of sin in man is theroot cause of absence of morality in society. Onebereft of morality is not a human being at all. So, foreverything morality is very important. God loves all.If man has love in him, there will be certainly unityin society. People indulge in sinful deeds in spite ofknowing that God can give them punishment. Theyhave no fear of sin. If everybody has fear of sin, thenthere will be morality is society.There can be no Morality withoutCharacterWe say, there should be morality in society.But there can be no morality without character.Therefore, you should uphold your respect andhonour in society by developing character.But today the situation is such thatnobody cares about having agood name in society. The onlydifference that you observe insociety is whether one is richor poor. But money comes andgoes. Morality comes and grows.It is not desirable to crave formoney and ephemeral worldlygains. You cannot say when youwill lose your money. You willsay, “I kept the money under mypillow. But I do not know who hasstolen it.” You cannot say whenthe money will come and whenit will go. But there is no comingand going for the Atma. It is theeternal witness. Therefore, youshould have faith in the Atma.One who has faith in the Atmawill not be subjected to injusticeand impropriety.People listen to manydiscourses about devotion andfaith. But what they hear fromone ear goes out from their otherear. You should not be attachedto anything that comes andgoes. You say, “My mind, myBuddhi (intellect), my Indriyas(senses), my Antahkarana(inner instrument).” Then howcan you identify yourself withthem? You are not the mind; youare not Buddhi. It is Buddhi thatdiscriminates. There is a book inyour hand and you say, “This is my book.” Butthe same book may go into somebody else’shand in the very next moment. In the sameway, money comes and goes. But it is moralitythat comes and grows. Money has a formand that is why it comes and goes. ButAugust 2009 229

morality has no form. Man should developmorality for the progress of society andwelfare of the world. Many politicians promiseto promote goodness in society. But they onlysay and do nothing. They make all efforts toget votes but they do nothing for society. Onewho wants to transform society should havea pure heart. When your heart is pure, theneverything will become good. But fi rst andforemost is love for God. Only then can therebe morality in society. If you want morality insociety, fi rst you will have to be good. Societyis formed by individuals. Individuals shouldpromote unity. Only then can they have purity.Purity cannot be attained by reading books orthrough Mantra (incantation), Yantra (mysticdiagram) and Tantra (esoteric doctrine).Love will Drive Away your EvilQualitiesYou sit for meditation. What do you do? Youjust close your eyes and sit. But what is yourmind doing? It is wandering in all directions.This is no meditation at all. When your mindbecomes steady without any wavering, thenonly can it be called meditation. First youhave concentration, then contemplation andthereafter meditation. Therefore, you musthave the practice of concentration before youdo meditation. Meditation comes only aftercontemplation. Do not think that you will gointo meditation the moment you sit with closedeyes. People do this type of artifi cial meditationbut this is not meditation in the real senseof the term. Meditation is that in which youcompletely transcend your senses and bodyattachment and forget yourself. Only then willyou attain the steadiness of mind.Suppose a father has three sons. Thoughall of them want to earn money, yet each ofthem may have his own way of thinking.We say, there should be moralityin society. But there can beno morality without character.Therefore, you should uphold yourrespect and honour in society bydeveloping character. But todaythe situation is such that nobodycares about having a good namein society. The only difference thatyou observe in society is whetherone is rich or poor. But moneycomes and goes. Morality comesand grows. It is not desirable tocrave for money and ephemeralworldly gains.One of them may go into business, the secondmay set up a shop and the third may take up ajob. Money can be earned by all these means.Means are different but the aim of all the threeis the same. It is the type of means that willearn you merit or sin. However, unknowinglyalso you may commit some sins. Whateversins you may commit, they will always hauntyou and you will never be able to escape fromtheir consequences. (At this point of time, therewas a heavy shower of rain.)Some time ago in Orissa, many houseswere washed away due to fl oods. People werefear-stricken. From here, I sent a message tothem that they should not worry; I would buildnew houses for them. Later, many of themcame here by special trains to express theirgratitude to Swami for providing new houses tothem. I spent crores of rupees on building thehouses and providing all help to them. I do notwant any money. I want only your love.230 August 2009

Be happy. Develop morality and love. Whenyou develop love, love itself will drive away allyour demonic qualities.Nobody can Escape the Consequencesof his ActionsHanuman went to Lanka in search of Sita.Considering him as an ordinary monkey,Ravana questioned him using derogatorywords, “Who are you? How dare you enterLanka?” Using the same disparaging words ofRavana, Hanuman said to him, “I have comeat the command of my master who has cutthe nose and ears of your younger sister.” Atthis, Ravana was furious and asked Hanuman,“How dare you address me in this derogatorymanner? Nobody has so far dared to do so.”Then Hanuman said, “All are demons here.So, they have not talked to you in this manner.But I am the servant of Rama. So, I have theright to talk to you in this manner.” Ravanathen ordered, “Set his tail on fi re since tailis very important for a monkey.” Hanumanstarted contemplating on the name of Ramabecause it was only the name of Rama thatcould protect him. Meanwhile, all the demonscame and surrounded Hanuman as his tailwas wrapped in clothes, dipped in oil and seton fi re. With his burning tail, Hanuman startedjumping from one house to the other, therebysetting the entire Lanka on fi re. Beautifuland palatial buildings studded with preciousstones went up in fl ames within no time. Allthe inhabitants of Lanka were fear-strickenand started asking each other, “Where can wego now when all the houses are set on fi re?”Mandodari also came and sat outside as hermansion along with all valuables was reducedto ashes. All the residents of Lanka came toMandodari and said, “Mother! Manypeople of Lanka have lost their lives due to thesins committed by your husband. Therefore,you should advise your husband to follow thecorrect path so that all are protected.”Whatever actions you perform, you willhave to reap their consequences accordingly.Therefore, you should develop morality andimbibe human qualities. You should have lovefor God so as to develop human qualities andmorality. When there is morality in society,all will be protected and no harm will come tosociety.Everyone has to face the consequences ofhis actions, whoever he may be.No one can know what lies ahead for himin future.But this much is sure that everybody has toreap the consequences of his actions.(Telugu Poem)When the food becomes stale, there is nouse keeping it any longer because it will becomemore and more stale. You may hide sins fromsociety but you cannot hide anything from God.Therefore, do not try to hide anything. If youcan do good to others, do it. Otherwise, keepquiet. At least, do not harm anybody. Causeno harm to anyone by your thoughts, wordsor deeds. The consequences of your actionswill come to you sooner than later. There maybe some delay but you cannot escape theseconsequences.Everything is God’s PropertyThere are many subtle truths related to theprinciple of the Atma. These are contained inthe Bhagavadgita and the Upanishads. Themain truth propounded in the Upanishadsis, “Oh man! Know thyself. When you knowyourself, you will know everything.” Therefore,Continued on page 240 ...August 2009 231

Guru Purnimaat Prasanthi NilayamAHUGE GATHERING OF DEVOTEESthronged Prasanthi Nilayam from allparts of the world to pay homage totheir Sadguru Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Babaon the holy festival of Guru Purnima. Manydevotees from overseas countries came ingroups and paid their homage to Bhagavanthrough music and cultural programmes.Bhagavan showered His benedictions on thedevotees and blessed them with two nectarineDiscourses.Bhagavan’s Divine DiscourseThe celebrations had a glorious start withan illuminating Discourse of Bhagavan on theeve of Guru Purnima, on 6th July 2009. On thisday, Bhagavan came to Sai Kulwant Hall at 5.40p.m. and showered the bliss of His Darshan onthe devotees in jam-packed hall. After Darshan,Bhagavan gave His Discourse, exhorting thedevotees to observe three cardinal principles– Daiva Preeti, Papa Bheeti and SanghaNeeti (love for God, fear of sin and moralityin society) to redeem their life. Bhagavanobserved that without love for God, man wouldhave no fear of sin and consequently therewould be no morality in society. Therefore,fi rst and foremost man should develop love forGod. (Full text of Bhagavan’s Discourse hasbeen given elsewhere in this issue.)Sai Yuga Swarna Yuga: A DramaAfter the Discourse of Bhagavan, Sai Youthand Bal Vikas children of Tamil Nadu stageda very absorbing drama. The opening scenedepicted Lord Krishna telling SageOn the eve of Guru Purnima, on 6th July 2009,Bal Vikas children and Sai Youth of Tamil Nadupresented an excellent drama in Sai KulwantHall. The picture shows a scene from the drama.Vyasa that he should not worry about the illsof Kali Yuga since many sages and apostleswould be born in this Age and He Himself wouldalso reincarnate to uplift and redeem mankind.Subsequent scenes depicted the coming ofsaints, sages, apostles and prophets on earthto show mankind the path of redemption. Theyincluded Zoroaster, Lao Tse, Buddha, Jesus,Mohammad, Adi Sankara, Ramanujacharya,Madhwacharya, Guru Nanak, Kabir, Chaitanya,Mira, Purandaradasa and Kanakadasa, manyof whom predicted the Advent of Sri Sathya SaiBaba as the Avatar of Kali Yuga. The song anddance in the concluding scene depicted thejoyous celebration of the Advent of Sai Avatarushering in Sai Yuga as Swarna Yuga (GoldenAge). Embellished with sweet thematic lyricsand scintillating dances of children, the dramanot only explained the teachings of all the faithsof the world but also depicted their essentialunity as taught by Bhagavan Sri SathyaSai Baba. Appropriate commentary,232 August 2009

meaningful dialogues, excellent costumesand make-up, perfect choreography, superbdirection and fabulous sets added to thevalue of the drama. At the end of the drama,Bhagavan blessed the cast and posed forgroup photos with them. After the distributionof Prasadam, Arati was offered to Bhagavan at7.30 p.m., marking the conclusion of the day’sprogramme.Felicitation of Senior FunctionariesOn the auspicious day of Guru Purnima,on 7th July 2009, Bhagavan fi lled the heartsof hundreds of thousands yearning devoteesin Sai Kulwant Hall with bliss when He blessedthem with His Divine Darshan at 10.00 a.m.Sacred Vedic chants, blowing of conches andsweet Nadaswaram notes welcomed Bhagavanwhen He came to the hall in a sparkling yellowrobe. After completing His Darshan round,Bhagavan came to the verandah wherehuge cakes were placed amidst fabulousdecorations. Bhagavan graciously lightedcandles on the cakes and performed the cakecutting ceremony.On this holy day of Guru Purnima, Bhagavanfelicitated four senior functionaries who servedin Bhagavan’s institutions with total dedication.They were: Sri A.V. Appa Rao, Controller ofFinance, Accounts and Stores, Sri SathyaSai Institute of Higher Medical Sciences,Prasanthi Nilayam; Prof. M. Nanjundaiah,Controller of Examinations, Sri Sathya SaiUniversity; Sri A.V. Sathyanarayana Murthy,Senior Engineer, Sri Sathya Sai Instituteof Higher Medical Sciences and Prof. A.V.Lakshminarasimham, Registrar, Sri SathyaSai University. At the outset, Sri Anil Kumar, afaculty member of the university, paid glowingtributes to these functionaries by way ofintroduction and called upon Sri AppaOn the auspicious day of Guru Purnima,Bhagavan felicitated four retiring functionariesand showered His blessings on them.Rao and Prof. Nanjundaiah along with theirwives as well as Prof. Lakshminarasimham andSri Sathyanarayana Murthy to be seated onthe dais. All of them were thereafter garlandedamidst a loud applause of devotees.Two speakers addressed the gathering onthis occasion. The fi rst speaker was Dr. A.N.Safaya, Director, Sri Sathya Sai Institute ofHigher Medical Sciences, Prasanthigram.Thanking Sri Appa Rao for the valuablehelp he rendered at the initial stages of thehospital, Dr. Safaya stated that Sri AppaRao not only managed the accounts of thehospital without even a single blemish but alsocompiled the book of rules which became astandard reference for other hospitals also.He also praised Sri Sathyanarayana Murthyfor maintaining the air conditioning system ofthe hospital with exemplary promptness andeffi ciency. The next speaker, Prof. VishwanathPandit, Vice Chancellor, Sri Sathya SaiUniversity, praised Prof. Lakshminarasimhamas a reputed teacher, a distinguished scientistand an able administrator who held thepost of Registrar of the university with greatresponsibility, fi rmness and humility. Prof.Continued on page 249 ...August 2009 233

B H A G A V A N’ S D I S C O U R S E I N U N I V E R S I T Y A U D I T O R I U MSTUDENTS SHOULD SET IDEALSFOR OTHERSF O C U S Y O U R M I N D O N T H E P R I N C I P L E O F T H E A T M ASINCE ANCIENT TIMES, WOMEN HAVEbeen performing their duties, servingtheir husbands, praying to God andobserving high moral principles in their life.In this country Bharat, honour is consideredmore valuable than life itself. But, today, in thename of freedom, people are imitating westernculture. In Bharatiya culture, decent dress,vermilion mark on the forehead and properhairstyle are very important for women. Butwomen today have given up their dress codeand have started wearing pant and shirt likemen after getting their hair cut. This is totallyagainst Bharatiya culture. Since ancient times,Bharatiya culture has been held in high esteemand it has been a source of joy for all. But sucha sacred culture is being forgotten today. Notonly men and women but students are alsoaffected by this modern trend. Students aresupposed to conduct themselves with dignityand honour, secure high marks and make theirparents happy. Not only to their parents, theyshould give happiness to society also.God has no FormWhat are the reasons for the ills of modernsociety? The reasons are man’s lack of lovefor God, fear of sin and morality in society.You may forget God but God will never forgetyou because God is in you. It is very diffi cultto know God. No one can say what isGod and where He is. You think that Godhas a form but, in reality, He has none. If youquestion God, “Who are You? What is Yourname?” He will reply, “Aham Brahmasmi (Iam Brahman). It is because of your delusionthat you ask Me who I am. I am Brahma (God)and you are in Bhrama (delusion). As youidentify yourself with the external form, youare unable to realise the truth contained in theaxiom, Daivam Manusha Rupena (God is inthe form of a human being).” You attach greatDestroy all your evil qualities suchas pride, ego and wickedness. Whenyou drive away all these evil qualities,you will become a pure human being.Wherefrom does humanness come? Itcomes from your heart. Here, the heartis not referred to the physical heart butthe spiritual heart which is free from allblemishes. Like fragrant air, your purityshould spread everywhere. You shouldshare with others the pure thoughtsand pure feelings that emanate fromyou. Whatever you do, it should behelpful to others. Help Ever, Hurt Never.234 August 2009

The principle of love is present in all. When peopledevelop love, then there will be no conflicts in theworld. Therefore, you should develop love. Neverresort to untruth under any circumstances. If youfollow untruth, you will never be able to developlove. Therefore, always adhere to truth. Developlove at all times. You can develop love only byfollowing truth and righteousness. These twoqualities are most essential for man. This is theessence of all Upanishads.importance to the body but, in fact, this bodyis only like a bag, which contains many subtleorgans like mind, intellect, subconscious mindand ego. All these organs are present in you.You think that these are all associated withthe body but in fact it is not so. Though theyare within the body, they do not belong to thebody. However, when all these leave the body,it cannot remain even for a moment; it becomesuseless and is burnt on a pyre. Therefore, donot put your faith in the body.All of you worship Krishna,Vishnu, Siva and many otherdeities. Where have these formscome from? They are only thecreation of artists like RaviVarma. Whatever pictures suchartists make, you consider themas pictures of God. When yousee the picture of Krishna, youconsider it as the form of Krishna.No, no, it is only a symbolicrepresentation of Krishna. Whois Krishna? Krishna is divinityin human form. Whicheverform you attribute to divinity,contemplate on that form. Whenyou worship that form, your mindmay waver quite a bit in thebeginning. One-pointed focusingof the mind on a particular formis called concentration. Whenyou practise concentration,the wavering of the mind maysomewhat reduce. That isthe state of contemplation. Incontemplation also, there issome wavering of the mind.When the mind becomes totallysteady, then only can you callit meditation. Gradually, you forget yourself.That is the state of Samadhi (superconsciousstate) in which you transcend all forms. Thenyou will experience the attributeless Atma.If you merely sit with closed eyes, it is notmeditation.See your Reflection in All BeingsGod is one and He is the only reality. There isno second. When you think of Him as Krishna,He will manifest before you in the form ofAugust 2009 235

Krishna. When you think of Him as Vishnu, Hewill manifest as Vishnu. But all these forms areyour own imagination. They do not correspondto the reality. It is all your mind’s work. Youthink God will manifest before you when youundertake spiritual practices like worship,rituals, Yajnas and Yagas (sacrifi cial practices).It is only your imagination. Your mind is thecause of this imagination. You should continueyour Sadhana till you transcend the mind.Mind is always indulging in imagination. Youshould go beyond the mind. You should focusonly on the Atma. It has no form. You shouldunderstand that the formless and attributelessAtma is the only truth. It pervades the wholeuniverse.The creation emerges from truth andmerges into truth,Is there a place in the cosmos where truthdoes not exist?Visualise this pure and unsullied truth.(Telugu Poem)Wherever you see, truth is present there.Divinity is the life force that is immanent in allbeings including insects, birds and animals.Therefore, whomsoever you come across,you should offer your salutations to him. Whatdoes it mean? It is not the person to whom youoffer your salutations but to the Atmic principlepresent in him. Hence, even if you come acrossa mad person, you should offer your salutationsto the Atma present in him. Except God,there is no other entity in the world. EkamevaAdviteeyam Brahma (God is one without asecond). Ekatma Sarva Bhutantaratma (oneAtma dwells in all beings). When you fi ll athousand pots with water, the refl ection of thesun is seen in all of them. Does it mean thatthere are different suns in all the pots? No. Thesun is only one. All bodies are like pots. Itis the same Atma that is refl ected in allof them. Everything is reaction, refl ection andresound. You hear the echo of your voice.You see your own refl ection in a mirror. Youshould therefore see your own refl ection in allbeings. If you love someone, it means you areloving yourself. If you hate someone, it meansyou hate yourself. You think everything thathappens is done by God. In fact, you yourselfare the cause of everything. If you hate or lovesomeone, God has nothing to do with that. Godis always steady, pure, selfl ess, changelessand attributeless. It is your ignorance if youimagine that God has attributes. Therefore,do not attribute any particular form to God toworship Him. Focus your mind on the principleof the Atma present in you and consider it asyour God.Morality is the very Life-breath of ManWhen you put a step forward, there is Godin it. When you look at something, there isGod in it. It is the same current that makesthe bulb shine, fan rotate and mike function.God is the divine force that makes everythingfunction. When you put off the main switch, allthe electrical gadgets stop functioning. God islike the main switch. When you forget God, itamounts to forgetting everything. Therefore,always love God. Kill the demons of your evilqualities. Strive for the progress of society. Whocan develop society? Only those who havegood qualities can develop society. Those whohave love for God are endowed with morality.Morality is the very life-breath of man. Withoutmorality, he is lifeless. The whole Jati (humanrace) will be doomed without Neeti (morality).What is Jati? People think, Jati is community.But it is not so. Jati denotes human race. Thisis its real meaning. Jati does not refer to anyparticular caste. It refers to humanity as awhole. You say, “I am a Brahmin, you area Vaisya, he is a Kshatriya, you are a236 August 2009

Sudra”. This division of peopleinto various castes is your owncreation. It is not given by God.What God has given is only onething and that is love. When youdevelop love in you, then youwill love everyone. When youdon’t have love in you, you willhate others and become distantfrom them. But this is not good.Love All, Serve All. You willachieve great progress whenyou preserve this truth in yourheart. Those who perform gooddeeds, help others and do notcause any harm to the poor, onlysuch people are truly endowedwith morality. It is not good if yourespect a few and ignore others.Consider All as OneThe entire universe is thecreation of God and every beingis the embodiment of divinity,including small insects. Do notobserve any difference betweenCheema (ant) and Brahma.Thyagaraja propoundedthe same truth, “CheemaloBrahmalo Siva KesavaadulaloPrema Meera Velasi UndeBirudhu Vahinchina RamaNannu Brovara” (Oh Rama! InYour pure and unsullied formof love, You indwell all beingsfrom an ant to Brahma as alsoin Siva and Kesava. Please be my protectortoo). Therefore, God is present in every being.Do not hate or deride anybody. Do not quarrelwith anybody. When you lead your life in sucha manner, you will be able to realise your Self.You say, “I, I, I”. What does ‘I’ mean? It meansego. So long as you have ego, you willWhen you fill a thousand pots with water, thereflection of the sun is seen in all of them. Does itmean that there are different suns in all the pots?No. The sun is only one. All bodies are like pots.It is the same Atma that is reflected in all of them.Everything is reaction, reflection and resound. Youhear the echo of your voice. You see your ownreflection in a mirror. You should therefore see yourown reflection in all beings. If you love someone, itmeans you are loving yourself. If you hate someone,it means you hate yourself.not be able to understand your reality. Whenyou cut the ‘I’ from the middle, it becomes cross(†). Cross symbolises cutting of ego. When youcut your ego, you rise to the level of divinity. Ifyou have the feeling of ‘I, mine and thine’, it willdevelop duality in you. Duality is not correct.The Upanishads do not approve of it. AllAugust 2009 237

the Upanishads teach oneness of the principleof Atma. The principle of Atma is without anydifferences. Body has been given to you tolead your life in this world and to dischargeyour duty. Duty is God. Perform your duty.After marriage, you have a wife. Wife has to betreated as wife. But in the realm of the Atma,all are females. You say, “He is my son, heis my son-in-law.” This relationship is of yourown making. Truly speaking, nobody is yourson and nobody is your son-in-law. It is youwho create differences but in reality there areno differences. Therefore, consider all as one.The Ramayana also states this principle ofoneness.Welcome to all for Rama’s wedding;together we shall witness the joyousscene.Many have gathered already,decked up in all their fi nery.With necklaces the ladies are adornedof jewels pure and gleaming.Rama shall tie the knot todayto beauteous Sita, oh what a fi ne matchthey make!Father Janaka has made ready bounteousfeasts.All learned sages are assembled withVasishtha presiding.Oh, what a multitude has assembledto rejoice, hearts with joy overfl owing!(Telugu Poem)Who is Rama? One who pleases everyoneis Rama. When you get happiness fromthe Atma within you, you become Rama.Sita symbolises the Atma and Rama, theParamatma (God). Therefore, the marriageof Sita and Rama symbolises the union ofJiva (individual soul) and Deva (God). Whenthe marriage of Sita and Rama took place,all the people of Ayodhya came to seethis marriage. After the performance of themarriage of Sita with Rama, Viswamitra wentto his dwelling place. Not only did his nameViswamitra denote friend of universe, heactually was so. He imparted knowledge toeveryone.So many of you have gathered in this hall.What is the purpose for which you have comehere? You have come to see this form. Anynumber of people may come here but theirvision is focused only on this form. Whateveryou do, do it for the sake of attaining God’slove. In this regard, I wrote a song: SathyaDharmamu Santhi Premalato Nee NityaJivana Yatra Saginchu (Perform the journey ofyour life adhering to the principles of Sathya,Dharma, Santhi, Prema). Truth is permanent.Truth is one, not two. Similarly, Dharma isone; it is the image of Sathya. When Sathyaand Dharma come together, peace manifeststhere. Peace is not something available outsidein the bazaar. Outside you get only pieces.When you have peace, you do not hate or hurtanybody. Then only you develop love.The principle of love is present in all. Whenpeople develop love, then there will be noconfl icts in the world. Therefore, you shoulddevelop love. Never resort to untruth underany circumstances. If you follow untruth, youwill never be able to develop love. Therefore,always adhere to truth. Develop love at alltimes. You can develop love only by followingtruth and righteousness. These two qualitiesare most essential for man. This is theessence of all Upanishads. All the Upanishadsteach the same truth in different ways. Thesum and substance of all the teachings of theUpanishads is that the principle of divinity isone. Ekameva Adviteeyam Brahma (God isone without a second). God is one, not two. Itis due to your delusion that you see duality.You should never give scope to such238 August 2009

delusion. You will have true devotion whenyou do not have even a trace of delusion.Man is Important, not MoneyMany beggars come to a rich man. Someask for food, some for clothes, some for moneyand some for house. They are all beggars. Inthe same way, if you beg this and that fromGod, you become beggars. You should notbeg anything from God. God is in fact in youonly. He will give you whatever you require.You need not beg anything. Today everybodyin this world has become a beggar. Politiciansbeg for votes. They give notes for votes. Theywin elections by buying votes. This world is allthe drama of beggars. Society is ruined andpolluted because of such beggars.Today there is pollution, pollution, pollutioneverywhere. There is pollution in water, pollutionin food and pollution even in air. If you want tobuy milk, that also is polluted. So, everythinghas become polluted today. Nowhere there isanything pure. Even pure water is not there. Ithas also become polluted. You are aware thatthe river Ganga comes down from Rishikesh.In our country Bharat, the Ganga is revered asmother. But people are polluting such a sacredriver also. If a Brahmin stands in the Gangato perform worship, he may fi nd even humanlimbs fl owing with water. Similarly, everythingis being polluted. Students should develop puremind to get rid of this pollution. Then only willthey become the emancipators of the country.Pure mind is that which is without any doubts,unsullied, steady and selfl ess.What is the use of merely acquiring somany degrees? There are so many who aresitting unemployed in their houses after gettingdegrees. In what way are they benefi ted bytheir degrees? The subjects they have studiedin their degrees are totally unrelated to theirday-to-day life. They strive hard to earnWhichever form you attribute to divinity,contemplate on that form. When youworship that form, your mind may waverquite a bit in the beginning. One-pointedfocusing of the mind on a particularform is called concentration. When youpractise concentration, the waveringof the mind may somewhat reduce.That is the state of contemplation.In contemplation also, there is somewavering of the mind. When the mindbecomes totally steady, then only canyou call it meditation. Gradually, youforget yourself. That is the state ofSamadhi (superconscious state) in whichyou transcend all forms. Then you willexperience the attributeless Atma.money with the help of these degrees. They donot make any efforts for anything higher in life.Wherever you go, money is being consideredall important. If you want to travel by bus, youneed money. If you want to have coffee, forthat also you need money. Even for water, youneed money. If you want to go to a temple,even then you need money. All this worldhas become a playfi eld of money. But whatis important is man and not money. You willattain everything if you protect humanness. Allproblems arise if you lack humanness. You areyourselves responsible for all these problems.Humility and Obedience are the Hallmarksof a StudentIt will be good if our students put into practicewhat they have learnt in this university and seta high ideal for others. All of you should leadyour lives with humility and obedience.August 2009 239

Destroy all your evil qualities such as pride,ego and wickedness. When you drive awayall these evil qualities, you will become a purehuman being. Wherefrom does humannesscome? It comes from your heart. Here, theheart is not referred to the physical heart but thespiritual heart which is free from all blemishes.Like fragrant air, your purity should spreadeverywhere. You should share with others thepure thoughts and pure feelings that emanatefrom you. Whatever you do, it should be helpfulto others. Help Ever, Hurt Never. If you imbibethese two qualities, everything will becomegood for you. Then only will you become astudent in the real sense of the term.Students today indulge in hurting others.It is not good if you do not help others. Youare not a student at all if you do not develophumility and obedience. These are veryessential for students. But today educatedpeople have become highly egoistic. Theyare proud of their Ph.D. degrees. What doesPh.D. mean? The letter ‘p’ stands for person,... Continued from page 231one should make efforts to know oneself.Then you will understand that you are neitherthe body nor the mind nor the intellect nor thesenses nor the subconscious mind. You say,“She is my wife, he is my son, he is my sonin-law,she is my daughter.” All these worldlyrelationships are merely your illusion. They donot really belong to you. They belong to God.Everything is God’s property. Nobody has anyright over anything. People unnecessarily fi ghtwith each other and waste their time. Timewaste is life waste. You should understand thatby wasting time you are really wasting your life.When you develop this understanding, thenonly will you be able to know the reality.‘h’ for help and ‘d’ for divinity. Hence, onewith Ph.D. degree is the person who helpsothers and attains divinity. On the contrary, ifhe does not help others, then the letter ‘p’ willdenote that he is a Papi (sinner). Howsoeverhigh education you may acquire, you shouldalways remain humble and modest and shouldrespect your parents. Even if your parentsare too poor to provide two square meals toyou in the house, you should still love them.Your mother brings you up bearing so manydiffi culties. If you forget such a mother, it isa great sin. Your father also looks after youand helps you in every way. Therefore, neverforget and forsake your parents. Love them tillyour last breath. That is the true quality of astudent. Serve your parents and satisfy them.You will fi nd fulfi lment in life only when yourparents are satisfi ed.– From Bhagavan’s Divine Discourse inthe auditorium of Sri Sathya Sai University,Prasanthi Nilayam on 4th June 2009.First and foremost, develop love forGod. Secondly, have fear of sin. Thirdly,protect morality in society. When you protectsociety, society will protect you. Today whatyou have to understand is the principle ofBrahman. God has no name and form. He isattributeless, unsullied, fi nal abode, eternal,pure, enlightened, free and embodiment ofsacredness.Many children have come from Chennai.They are going to make a presentation. Letus now see that. I will talk to you tomorrowagain.– From Bhagavan’s Divine Discourse inSai Kulwant Hall, Prasanthi Nilayam on theeve of Guru Purnima, on 6th July 2009.194 240 August 2009

PILGRIMAGE OF DEVOTEES OFGODAVARI DISTRICTSMORE THAN TWO THOUSANDdevotees including 950 Girijans(tribals) came on a pilgrimageto Prasanthi Nilayam from East and WestGodavari districts of Andhra Pradesh on 27th,28th and 29th June 2009 to express theirgratitude to Bhagavan for providing drinkingwater to the people of this region and forbringing about transformation in the villagesand tribal areas through Sri Sathya Sai VillageIntegrated Programme launched by Sri SathyaSai Seva Organisation of Andhra Pradesh inthe villages of these districts.Tribal Dances by Youth and Bal VikasChildrenOn 27th June 2009, a group of thesedevotees and Bal Vikas students presentedexcellent dances in Sai Kulwant Hall in theDivine Presence of Bhagavan. The programmestarted at 4.30 p.m. after Bhagavan’s Darshanin Sai Kulwant Hall. At the outset, Dr. BhaskarRao, an ardent devotee of Bhagavan fromthis region, dwelt upon various measuresbeing undertaken by the Sai Organisationfor the welfare of Girijans and developmentof villages. Dr. Rao stated that out of 432villages of this region, the Sai Organisationhad adopted 44 villages in the fi rst phase andSeva Dal volunteers of the Sai Organisationwere working untiringly for the all-rounddevelopment of these villages. After thespeech of Dr. Rao, various groups of SevaDal volunteers carrying name plates ofGroups of youth from East and West Godavaridistricts of Andhra Pradesh showcased thecultural heritage of Girijans by performing anarray of tribal dances on 27th June 2009.the villages served by them came before thedais and offered their salutations to Bhagavan.This was followed by an array of tribal dancesby various groups of youth to showcase therich cultural heritage of the Girijans inhabitingthese two districts. Besides, Girijan Bal Vikaschildren performed thrilling dances to thetune of sweet songs describing the glory ofBhagavan as the Avatar of Kali Yuga whohas incarnated as the saviour of mankind andredeemer of the noble. At the conclusion ofthese excellent dances, Bhagavan blessed thedancers, posed for group photos with them anddistributed clothes to them. After distribution ofPrasadam, the programme came to a closewith Arati to Bhagavan at 6.20 p.m.Uppongipoindi Godavari: A MusicalDance DramaOn 28th June 2009, Sai Youth and BalVikas students of these two districts presenteda musical dance drama entitled “UppongipoindiGodavari” (ebullient Godavari) in theDivine Presence of Bhagavan. ThroughAugust 2009 241

The drama “Uppongipoindi Godavari”, studdedwith exhilarating dances of children, highlightedthe transformation brought about in the lives ofvillagers by the humanitarian work of Bhagavan.powerful dialogues, devotion-fi lled songs,thrilling music and exhilarating dances of theyouth and children in their colourful costumes,the drama highlighted the teachings andglory of Bhagavan who has not only broughtabout transformation in the lives of villagersand tribals by providing drinking water tomore than 400 villages of these two districts,but has also touched the lives of poor andneedy by providing medical, educational andsocial welfare facilities in these villages. Thedrama commenced at 5.35 p.m. with thetheme song “Uppongipoindi Godavari” andcame to a conclusion at 6.25 p.m. with anexcellent portrayal of Bhagavan’s teachingsand glory through a Burra Katha (a folk artform of Andhra Pradesh). This was followedby Bhajans by the Bal Vikas children of thesetwo districts. At the end of the programme,Bhagavan blessed the participants, posed forgroup photos with them and distributed clothesto them. He also materialised a gold ring forone of the organisers. After distribution ofPrasadam, Arati was offered to Bhagavan at6.55 p.m. which marked the conclusion of thisexcellent programme.Integrated Village Service CentresOn 29th June 2009, Bhagavan came to SaiKulwant Hall at 4.50 p.m. After Bhagavanwas seated on the dais, two devotees, a ladyand a gent, representing the Girijans of theregion expressed gratitude to Bhagavan for themeasures undertaken by the Sai Organisationunder His guidance for the upliftment of poorGirijans. While the gent devotee expressedhis views in a short speech, the lady devoteesang a sweet song to express her feelings ofdevotion and gratitude to Bhagavan. Bhagavanshowered His grace on the lady singer andmaterialised a gold chain for her amidst a loudapplause of devotees.This was followed by a speech by Sri P.Vardhana Rao, Education Wing Coordinatorfor East Godavari district, who briefl y listedout the services being rendered by the SaiOrganisation for the all-round development ofthe villages adopted by it. Stating that the SaiOrganisation had constructed four IntegratedVillage Service Centres in this region, SriRao prayed to Bhagavan to give the keysof these centres to the designated personswho had done appreciable work for thewelfare of Girijans. Bhagavan then graciouslyhanded over the keys of these centres tothese fortunate devotees and showered Hisblessings on them. Bhajans led by universitystudents followed this. Meanwhile, Prasadamblessed by Bhagavan was distributed to theentire congregation in Sai Kulwant Hall. Theprogramme which started at 5.00 p.m. afterBhagavan’s Darshan in Sai Kulwant Hall cameto a close at 6.00 p.m. with Arati to Bhagavan.ASHADI EKADASI ATPRASANTHI NILAYAMDevotion-fi lled music and culturalprogrammes for four days, from 1st to 4thJuly 2009, marked the celebration of AshadiEkadasi at Prasanthi Nilayam. More than242 August 2009

2,000 devotees came from various partsof Maharashtra and Goa to celebrate thismost sacred festival of these States in closeproximity with Bhagavan.Veda Chanting by Maharashtra and GoaYouthOn the morning of 1st July 2009, the fi rstday of these celebrations, Bhagavan waswelcomed with Poornakumbham amidst Vedachanting by the youth and Bal Vikas childrenof Maharashtra when He came to Sai KulwantHall at 9.00 a.m. Clad in the traditional dressBal Vikas children and youth of Maharashtra andGoa offered traditional welcome to Bhagavanwith Poornakumbham and Veda chanting on themorning of 1st July 2009.of Vedic Pandits, a group of these youth andchildren led Bhagavan to Sai Kulwant Hall ina grand procession. At 9.15 a.m., Bhagavanlighted the sacred lamp on the dais to mark theinauguration of Ashadi Ekadasi celebrations.For nearly one hour, Bhagavan listened to thechanting of Vedic hymns by the youth, bothboys and girls, of Maharashtra and Goa whowere seated in front of the dais. The perfectionin rhythm and intonation of these Vedic chantsby the youth earned the admiration ofone and all and suffused the entire milieu withsacred vibrations. At 10.00 a.m., Arati wasoffered to Bhagavan to mark the conclusionof this excellent demonstration of Vedachanting.Vocal Devotional Music ConcertOn the evening of 1st July 2009, devoteesin Sai Kulwant Hall had a sumptuous musicalfeast of devotional music when Smt. KalapiniKomkali, a veteran Hindustani classical singer,presented her devotional music concert in theDivine Presence of Bhagavan. Daughter anddisciple of celebrated Hindustani classicalsinger, Pandit Kumar Gandharva, Smt.Komkali not only inherited Gwalior Gayaki(style of singing) from her illustrious father buthis musical genius also, which she exhibitedin the concert presented by her. The concertwas a beautiful medley of the compositions ofMira, Kabir, Gorakhnath and Tukaram, and allthe songs she sang were those sung by herillustrious father Pandit Kumar Gandharva, asshe announced in the beginning. The concertwhich started at 5.10 p.m. after Bhagavan’sDarshan in Sai Kulwant Hall kept the audiencespellbound for nearly one hour and came to aclose at 6.05 p.m. At the end of the concert,Bhagavan blessed the artiste, gave a silk Sarito her and materialised a gold chain for her.He also distributed clothes to the artistes whoprovided instrumental support to her. Aftera brief session of Bhajans, the programmeconcluded with Arati to Bhagavan at 6.30 p.m.An Odyssey into RhythmThis excellent programme of innovativeIndian classical ensemble comprising a uniqueblending of tabla, instrumental and vocal musicwas presented by renowned tabla maestroPandit Suresh Talwalkar on 2nd July 2009in the Divine Presence of Bhagavan.August 2009 243

Elaborate lighting and sound system on a highstage in Sai Kulwant Hall was set up for thisunique presentation which began at 5.40 p.m.after Bhagavan’s Darshan in Sai Kulwant Hall.The singers sang three compositions perfectlyblended with instrumental music which createdan enthralling effect on the audience. At theconclusion of this musical concert, Bhagavanblessed Sri Talwalkar and his accompanyingartistes and posed for group photos with them.All the artistes were also honoured with shawlsand clothes were distributed to them. After thedistribution of Prasadam, the programme cameto a close with Arati to Bhagavan at 6.45 p.m.Maharashtra Bhakti GathaOn the holy day of Ashadi Ekadasi, i.e.,3rd July 2009, the Bal Vikas students and exstudentsof Maharashtra and Goa presenteda colourful and devotion-fi lled programme“Maharashtra Bhakti Gatha” (saga of devotionof Maharashtra) in Sai Kulwant Hall whichwas befi ttingly decorated on this occasion.Bhagavan’s arrival was heralded by blowing ofconches by a group of Maharashtra youth whenHe came to the hall at 5.15 p.m. On coming tothe dais, Bhagavan graciously inaugurated theprogramme by lighting the sacred lamp at 5.30p.m.The programme began at 5.45 p.m. with asong in praise of Lord Vitthal and a dance byBal Vikas children. The hall reverberated withsacred chants of “Jai Jai Vitthal, Jai Hari Vitthal”when the traditional palanquin was brought tothe performing area of the hall amidst singingand dancing by the Varkaris (pilgrims) and BalVikas children. What followed this was a galaxyof dances by Bal Vikas children and singing ofMarathi Abhangs by the singers on the stagesuffusing the entire milieu with devotionalfervour which is the distinctive feature of thesacred land of Maharashtra, thanks tothe galaxy of its illustrious saints likeDevotional fervour marked the programme“Maharashtra Bhakti Gatha” which was presentedin Sai Kulwant Hall on 3rd July 2009, on theauspicious day of Ashadi Ekadasi.Tukaram, Ramdas, Gyaneshwar, Namdev,Gora Kumbhar, Sakku Bai and many others.At this stage, children dressed as these saintsentered the performing area. In conclusion,Bhagavan’s visit to Pandharpur, the sacredabode of Lord Vitthal which is visited by alldevotees on the day of Ashadi Ekadasi, washighlighted and a Bal Vikas student showed toBhagavan the pictures of that visit.Referring to Bhagavan’s visits toDharmakshetra, Mumbai, the Bal Vikas childasked Bhagavan if those moments couldcome alive again. Bhagavan was obviouslypleased with this beautiful way of invitingHim to Dharmakshetra, called the child nearHim and materialised a gold chain for him. Atthis golden moment, the programme cameto a happy conclusion with offer of Arati toBhagavan at 6.50 p.m. Prasadam blessed byBhagavan was distributed to all in the end.Sant Gajanan Maharaj: A Dance DramaOn 4th July 2009, the Bal Vikas children ofNavi Mumbai portrayed the life story of SantGajanan Maharaj, a great saint of Maharashtra,by staging the dance drama of the same namein Sai Kulwant Hall as part of Ashadi Ekadasicelebrations. Commencing at 4.25 p.m.244 August 2009

programme of devotional music which startedwith chanting of Om three times followed bythe recitation of “Ganapati Prarthana” (prayerto Lord Ganesh) in Sanskrit by the entire group.What followed this was an exquisite feastfor the soul in the form of devotional songsA scene from the drama “Sant GajananMaharaj” presented by the Bal Vikas childrenof Navi Mumbai on 4th July 2009.after Bhagavan’s Darshan in Sai Kulwant Hall,the drama presented various episodes fromthe life of this great saint who fi rst appearedas a young lad at Sheogaon in Maharashtra in1878, spent the next 32 years of his life sojournin spreading the message of unity, kindnessand devotion, chanting the Mantra “Gani GanaGanath Bothey” constantly and ultimatelymerged in Lord Vitthal at Pandharpur. Excellentchoreography, appropriate costumes,elaborate props, excellent stage managementand brilliant dances of children contributed tothe success of the presentation. Bhagavansat through the entire presentation, blessedthe cast at the end of the drama and posedfor group photos with them. After distributionof Prasadam, the programme came to a closeat 5.25 p.m. with Arati to Bhagavan.MUSICAL PRESENTATIONS BYDEVOTEES OF BRAZIL ANDINDONESIAOn the evening of 8th July 2009, devoteesfrom two overseas countries offered theirmusical homage to Bhagavan. First, thedevotees from Brazil presented theirThe devotional music programme presentedby the devotees of Brazil on 8th July 2009 wasvirtually a feast for the soul.in Portuguese including two Hindi Bhajans“Manasa Bhajare Guru Charanam” and “HaraHara Sai Maheswara”, which were renderedwith total perfection of tune and rhythm.After this excellent vocal music presentationby the Brazilian devotees, a group of Indonesiandevotees presented a unique programme ofinstrumental music, using musical instrumentsmade of bamboo. Although they rendered onlyA marvellous display of musical talent bythe devotees of Indonesia on their musicalinstruments made of bamboo. The presentationwas made on 8th July 2009.August 2009 245

three pieces, yet they won the hearts of one andall by the marvellous display of their musicaltalent. The programme that started at 5.20p.m. after Bhagavan’s Darshan in Sai KulwantHall came to a close with Arati to Bhagavan at6.15 p.m. Prasadam blessed by Bhagavan wasdistributed to the entire assembly of devoteesin Sai Kulwant Hall in the end.DEVOTIONAL MUSIC BYAFRICAN DEVOTEESAs part of Guru Purnima celebrationsat Prasanthi Nilayam, Sai Africa AdultChoir represented by Nigeria presented anenrapturing programme of devotional musicon 9th July 2009 in the Divine Presence ofBhagavan. Though this was the fi rst musicalpresentation of this choir before Bhagavansince its foundation in 2008, the choirSai Africa Adult Choir won accolades bytheir fi rst presentation at Prasanthi Nilayamon 9th July 2009.won unbounded grace of Bhagavan andadmiration of the audience in Sai KulwantHall. The choir comprising 25 gents and 14ladies sang devotional songs drawn from fi veAfrican countries, viz., Nigeria, Ghana, CongoBrazaville, South Africa and Zaire in variousAfrican languages. Besides, they sang oneEnglish song and two Hindi Bhajans. The fi rstBhajan was “Narayana Sai Narayana” whichwas led by a lady singer while the second“Guru Baba, Guru Baba” was led by a gentsinger, both of whom showed total perfectionin tune and rhythm. The programme whichstarted at 5.30 p.m. after Bhagavan’s Darshanin Sai Kulwant Hall came to a close at 6.45 p.m.with Arati to Bhagavan. Bhagavan sat throughthe entire presentation, showered His profuselove and blessings on the singers in the end,distributed clothes to them, gave mementoesto them with His Divine Hands, provided therare opportunity of Padanamaskar to all andposed for group photos with them. He alsomaterialised a gold ring for the conductor ofthe choir.PILGRIMAGE OF DEVOTEES OFMEDAK DISTRICTMore than 2,000 devotees came fromMedak district of Andhra Pradesh to PrasanthiNilayam on a pilgrimage from 17th to 19th July2009 to express their gratitude to Bhagavanfor showering His Divine benedictions on thepeople of this district through various cultural,spiritual and service-oriented programmesorganised by the Sai Organisation of thisdistrict. The Sai Organisation of this districtmade two presentations in Sai Kulwant Hall topay their homage to Bhagavan.The fi rst presentation was made on 17thJuly 2009. The programme began at 5.30 p.m.after Bhagavan’s Darshan in Sai Kulwant Hall.At the outset, Sai Organisation of this districtorganised distribution of various implementsto deserving benefi ciaries to provide meansof employment to them. These items includedagricultural implements, wet grinders, sewingmachines, kits and stalls for selling variousitems, iron boxes, water purifi ers, phone boxes,cycles, etc. The total number of benefi ciarieswas 85. As their names were announced, theycame one by one, offered their obeisance246 August 2009

On 17th July, the Sai Organisation of Medakdistrict distributed implements to selectedbenefi ciaries and presented a programme ofdevotional music.to Bhagavan and received the item earmarkedfor them.After this, ladies and gents singers of thedistrict presented a bouquet of devotionalsongs at the Lotus Feet of Bhagavanwhich was appropriately named “HridayaKusumanjali” (offering of fl ower of heart). Allthe songs were rendered with heart full ofdevotional feelings both by ladies and gentssingers and immersed the entire gathering indevotional fervour. The entire programme waswell rehearsed, well planned and well renderedwhich kept the audience spellbound for morethan one hour. At the end of the programme,Bhagavan showered His blessings on thesingers and distributed clothes to them. Healso materialised a gold chain for a child. Afterthe distribution of Prasadam, the programmecame to a close with Arati to Bhagavan at 6.45p.m.Devudunnadu: A Musical Dance DramaOn 18th July 2009, the Bal Vikas childrenand youth of Medak district presented a musicaldance drama “Devudunnadu” (God is NowHere) which not only depicted the existenceof God on earth but also gave a clarion callthat He is present in human form at PrasanthiNilayam. Commencing at 5.35 p.m. with a songand dance of Bal Vikas children as invocationto Lord Ganesh, the drama portrayed the storyof a youth who denied the existence of God andwas ultimately transformed when he came toknow the divine glory of Bhagavan Sri SathyaSai Baba. Embellished with immortal poemscomposed by Bhagavan, the drama was anA scene from the musical dance drama“Devudunnadu” presented by the youth andBal Vikas children of Medak district on 18thJuly 2009.uplifting, elevating and illuminating experience.Thrilling music, scintillating dance of thechildren and excellent choreography added tothe value of the drama. At the conclusion ofthe drama, Bhagavan showered His blessingson the cast, posed for group photos with them,gave them the rare gift of Padanamaskar alongwith clothes and mementoes with His DivineHands and made them blissful by conversingwith them. After Bhajans and distribution ofPrasadam, the programme came to a closewith Arati to Bhagavan.Giving and forgiving – by these alone can we fill our life with love. By getting and forgetting,selfishness grows. Forgetting the favours taken from others is the prime reason for growingselfishness. Hence, in order to develop love in us, we should go on giving and forgiving.– BabaAugust 2009 247

Chinna KathaThe Master and DisciplesEVERYDAY, DISCIPLES OFRamakrishna Paramahamsa wentto Kolkata from Dakshineswar byboat to purchase provisions and fruits. Oneday, it was the turn of Brahmananda. He satin a corner of the boat, contemplating on hisGuru. A city dweller recognised Brahmanandaas the disciple of Ramakrishna. Pointinghis fi nger at him, he started telling the othertravellers in the boat, “Look here! He and hisGuru have no work to do. This Ramakrishnais spoiling all the youth of Kolkata.” In this wayhe criticised his Guru. Poor Brahmananda feltvery sad because he had to hear the criticismof his Guru. But he had no courage to refutethe statement of the person who mockedat his Guru. As he was gentle by nature, heremained silent shedding tears. On returning tothe Ashram in the evening, he reported to hisGuru what happened in the boat. RamakrishnaParamahamsa angrily said, “It is a great sinto remain silent on hearing the criticism of theGuru. Is this your devotion for your Guru?”Vivekananda was hearing all this. Nextday, it was the turn of Vivekananda to go toKolkata. When he got into the boat, a personin the boat started criticising Ramakrishna andhis disciples, as usual. At once Vivekanandagot up, went to that person and said to him ina threatening tone, “I will not tolerate if you sayone word more against our Guru. I will throwyou into the river. Be careful.”At this, there was a great commotion in theboat. The boatman turned to the person whocriticised Ramakrishna and said, “Sir, I praydon’t say anything more.” Pointing towardsVivekananda, he added, “This man is capableof doing what he has said.” All became silentand remained seated where they were. Onreaching the Ashram, Vivekananda toldRamakrishna Paramahamsa chidedBrahmananda, “What! You kept quiet when yourGuru was being criticised in public!”“If you say one word more against our Guru,I will throw you into the river”, threatenedVivekananda.248 August 2009

his Guru all that had happened in the boat.Ramakrishna Paramahamsa became angryand said, “Fie on you! What is this? You wearochre clothes and at the same time you are fullof anger and resentment. It is unbecoming ofyou.”Vivekananda could not understand themeaning of what his Guru said. He approachedhis Guru with humility and obedience and said,“Swami! Yesterday, you told Brahmanandathat it is a sin to remain silent on hearing thecriticism of Guru. Isn’t it so? But today whyare you talking in this manner when I haveopposed the person who criticised my Guru?Kindly clear my doubt.”Ramakrishna said smilingly, “My dear! It isnot possible to give the same type of teaching toeveryone. The teaching should be suitable forthe person for whom it is meant. Brahmanandaby nature is very gentle and mild. He needsto have some manliness. Teaching shouldbe imparted in accordance with the situation.That is why I chided him yesterday. You are bynature a very high-spirited person. You needsuch a teaching which will make you sereneand sober.”Vivekananda understood the inner meaningof his Guru’s teachings.... Continued from page 233Pandit further stated that Sri Sathya SaiUniversity had a unique record of holding theexaminations and declaring the results on time,the credit for which went to Prof. Nanjundaiah.He also praised Prof. Nanjundaiah forintroducing the semester system and gradingsystem, which other universities were stilltrying to evolve. At the conclusion of thisgrand felicitation function, Bhagavan offeredsilverware to all the four functionaries. He alsogave silk Saris to Smt. Nanjundaiah and Smt.Appa Rao. Prasadam blessed by Bhagavanwas then distributed. The morning functioncame to a close with Arati to Bhagavan at11.30 a.m.Bhagavan’s Guru Purnima MessageOn the evening of 7th July 2009, Bhagavanblessed the huge congregation of devoteeswith His blissful Darshan and DivineDiscourse. After coming to the dais in SaiKulwant Hall, Bhagavan invited Smt. and Prof.Nanjundaiah, Smt. and Sri Appa Rao, Prof.Lakshminarasimham and Sri SathyanarayanaMurthy to be seated on the dais. Soonafter this, Bhagavan materialised a gold coineach for Smt. Nanjundaiah and Smt. AppaRao. In His Discourse, Bhagavan praised thework done by these functionaries with totaldevotion, remarkable effi ciency and exemplaryselfl essness. Showering His blessings on all ofthem, Bhagavan added that all Sai institutionshad earned a great name and fame at nationaland international levels due to the dedicatedwork of functionaries like them. Bhagavanemphasised that students should serve theirparents and please them; only then couldthey earn respect in society. Women, He said,should take proper care of their children andbring them up in an ideal way. Laying greatemphasis on the importance of emulating theideals set by elders, Bhagavan exhorted thestudents to follow the path shown by them tocome up in life.After Bhagavan’s Discourse, there was abrief session of Bhajans. Meanwhile, Prasadamblessed by Bhagavan was distributed to all.The programme came to a close with offer ofArati to Bhagavan at 7.50 p.m.August 2009 249

Effulgence of Divine Glory“YOUR LETTER HAS NOTreached me yet, but I haveread it already. You posted itto Madras, not knowing that Ihave come back here. I was near you whenyou wrote it. Your mother must now be verymuch better; is it not?” This is what Babawrote to a devotee, some years back. He isSarvantaryami (indweller of all); He is in allplaces, at all times.Our letter may not reach Him. Even whenit reaches Him, He need not open it andread the contents! One day, I happened tobe in His room when the post came. WhenHe dropped on the fl oor one letter unreadand unopened, some newly-arrived personmuttered, “Swami, You have not read thatletter. It may be some tale of misery.” Babasmiled and said, “No, no. It is a tale of joy.He says that a son has been born to him.But he is worried that the baby was bornwith frontal teeth.” Then, He told us the wholestory with the envelope in His hand.“A Vaisya couple from a village in Telanganahad come on a pilgrimage to Puttaparthi a yearago. They prayed that they may be blessedwith progeny. I gave the man an apple andasked him to share it with his wife. He tookit in his hand and examined it. Finding somemarks on the skin, indicating that it might havebeen bitten by a rat or so, he asked Me whatit was, evidently nervous about eating it. I toldhim that they both could eat it. “Only, the babywill have two frontal teeth at birth. Don’t worry,N. Kasturi“Sanathana Sarathi” June 1960 250 August 2009THE UNREAD LETTERI said.” He has now written that the child hasbeen born and, (here, Swami tore open theenvelope, took out the letter and turning overthe lines showed us the very sentence) he hasasked Me whether any Santhi ritual has to beperformed to alleviate what he fears to be acalamity!”Looking at that sentence, we stood amazed,in the resplendent Presence of Bhagavan.Baba is Sarvajna, Sarvasakshi, Sarvantaryami(omniscient, eternal witness, indweller of all).

SRI SATHYA SAI INTERNATIONALOrthopaedic Conference was heldat Sri Sathya Sai Institute of HigherMedical Sciences, Puttaparthi from 10th to12th July 2009. Bhagavan Sri Sathya SaiBaba was offered traditional welcome withPoornakumbham amidst Veda chantingwhen He came to the Institute at about 4.00p.m. on 10th July 2009 to inaugurate theconference. Soon after His arrival, He cameto the conference hall and inaugurated theconference by lighting the sacred lamp.Bhagavan then saw the exhibits displayed inthe gallery of the Orthopaedic Department.The exhibition contained 52 posters, whichdepicted the statistics of the department,several case reports of those who receivedoperative care in the department and also theactivities of other departments in the hospital.Arati was offered to Bhagavan when He leftthe hospital at 4.45 p.m.The proceedings of the conference attendedby more than 150 delegates commenced at5 p.m. on 10th July. The faculty consisted ofthree very eminent orthopaedic surgeons fromabroad, Dr. Leo Whiteside of U.S.A., Dr. IanLearmonth and Dr. John Skinner of U.K., fi vevery highly reputed orthopaedic surgeonsfrom India and three from SSSIHMS. Dr. R.Varadachari, Chairman of the Department,introduced the faculty, followed by inauguraladdress by Dr. A. N. Safaya, Director of thehospital. Besides the topics discussed in theconference on “Advances in Arthroplasty”which was the theme of the conference, Dr.Narendranath Reddy, Chairman, Sri SathyaSai International Medical Committee,Bhagavan lighted the lamp to inaugurate SriSathya Sai International Orthopaedic Conferenceon 10th July 2009.spoke on “Sai Ideal Healthcare and Sai GlobalHealth Mission”.A state-of-the-art live surgery – “CementlessTotal Knee Replacement”, which is the fi rst ofits kind in India (symmetric porous condylarknee), was performed on 11th July by Dr.Leo Whiteside. Dr. Ian Learmonth performedthe “metal on metal” Cementless Total HipReplacement (ceramic on metal) on 12th July.On the afternoon of 11th July, all thedelegates assembled in a special enclosurein Sai Kulwant Hall. Bhagavan went into theirrows and showered His blessings on them.Bhagavan also spoke to all faculty members.The conference came to an end at 1.30 p.m. on12th July when a ceremonial function was heldand the Orthopaedic Department honoured allthe 11 members of the faculty.All the delegates and faculty members weredeeply touched by the love and compassion ofBhagavan and also by the serene atmosphereprevailing in the Ashram. – BabaAugust 2009 251

S R I L A N K ASRI SATHYA SAI ORGANISATIONin Sri Lanka carried out a massiveservice project to alleviate thesuffering of those housed in refugee camps inthe north and east areas of the island. Thereare fi ve refugee camps in these locations withapproximately 2,20,000 people, mostly from theMannar, Killinochi and Mullaithivu districts. ByBhagavan’s grace, access was granted to theSai medical teams to serve these people. Twomedical camps were conducted over six days,Sri Sathya Sai Seva Organisation of Sri Lankaprovided medical aid to more than 5,000patients through two medical camps held byit in the refugee camps in the north and eastareas of the island.during which approximately 5,000 patientswere seen. The fi rst medical camp was heldfrom 29th to 31st May 2009 and the secondfrom 6th to 8th June 2009. Approximately,40 volunteers including doctors, nurses,pharmacists, fi rst aid practitioners, volunteersand youth took part in these camps. Saivolunteers constructed a 20-bed temporaryhospital with a tarpaulin roof to care forthe sick. In addition, mobile clinics were heldto help patients who could not get to the mainhospital. Patients with complicated or seriousillnesses were referred to nearby generalhospitals. Free medicine and nutritionalsupplements were dispensed as needed.Patients received follow-up care, and patienteducation was provided at the medical camp.Fruit, infant milk powder, biscuits and sweetswere distributed to thousands of children.Many patients required special medicines forailments such as heart disease or epilepsy.Sai volunteers collected such prescriptions,purchased the medicines and distributed themto the patients. For several months, the VavuniaSai Centre has also been distributing essentialfood items for hundreds of expectant mothersand small children. Sai Seva volunteers andSai Youth stayed at the Vavunia Sai Children’sHome for the duration of the project. The SaiCentre of Vavunia lovingly provided mealsand a place to rest after a long day’s work todoctors and other volunteers.O M A NOn 9th and 16th April 2009, the SeventhSai Open Essay Writing and Poster MakingCompetition with the theme ‘Spreading theLight through Human Values’ was held incooperation with the Ministry of Education. Theobjective of the competition was to spur youngminds to contemplate on the human valuesof truth, peace, love, right conduct and nonviolence.The event took place at the IndianSchools of Al-Ghubra, Sohar, Salalah andNizwa. Around 3,100 students from 200 OmanGovernment, Omani Bi-lingual, Internationaland Special Education schools registeredto participate in this annual event.252 August 2009

“Spreading the Light through Human Values” wasthe topic of the essay writing and poster makingcompetition organised by the Sai Organisationof Oman in cooperation with the Ministry ofEducation on 9th and 16th April 2009. More than3,000 students took part in this annual event ofthe Sai Organisation.Senior officials from the Ministry of Educationinaugurated the event at the different locationswhich was attended by senior offi cials from theMinistry of Education, principals, teachers andguests from large corporations. More than 200Sai volunteers provided help in conducting theevent.B R A Z I LThe 12th Latin American Sri SathyaSai Youth Conference, attended by 210participants from various countries in Centraland South America, took place in Mendes,Rio de Janeiro, from 9th-12th April 2009.The venue was a previous monastery and aseminary college, sacred Christian symbols ofwhich further added to the spiritual atmosphereof the meeting. The theme of the conferencewas ‘The Moment is Now’. Topics coveredincluded ‘Sai Leadership’, ‘Mind, Body andAtma’, ‘Loving God in Our Daily Lives’ and‘Your Life is My Message’. The conferenceincluded workshops, devotional singing,More than 200 participants from variouscountries in Central and South Americaattended the 12th Latin American Sri SathyaSai Youth Conference held in Mendes, Rio deJaneiro from 9th to 12th April 2009.speeches by youth and elders, short plays andvideos. National Youth Coordinators reportedon key projects, such as Sai Youth support forSri Sathya Sai Education in Human Valuesin schools and communities, medical campsand other projects in their respective regions.Sri Sathya Sai World Youth Conference heldat Prasanthi Nilayam in July 2007 was theinspirational model for this zonal conference.A total of 13 task groups were formed, witheach group responsible for specifi c activities,such as service, Bhajans, multimedia, Vedachanting, cultural programmes and otheractivities.G R E E C EFor the past 10 years, Sri Sathya SaiOrganisation of Greece has been organisingan annual spring celebration at the Institutionfor Chronic Illnesses in Agia Barbara, inthe Aigaleo area of Athens. This year, thisevent was held on 17th May 2009. Many Saivolunteers participated in hosting the event.They brought home-made delicacies, fruitjuices, balloons, fl owers and artworkAugust 2009 253

for the chronically ill and a home for thedisabled.S E R B I ASri Sathya Sai Organisation of Serbiaorganised a national retreat in the alpine townof Divcibare, in which 62 people from Serbia,Slovenia and Croatia participated. The themeVolunteers of Sri Sathya Sai Organisation ofGreece visited the Institution for Chronic Illnessesin Athens on 17th May 2009 to serve the patients.drawn by SSEHV children. Patients wereescorted to the reception area where tableswere decorated with fl owers and balloons.Some volunteers decorated patient roomswith Swami’s quotes and fl owers, while otherscared for patients by feeding them, changingsoiled or wet clothes and entertaining them.The volunteers visited about 50 patients whocould not move from their rooms. With gratitudeto Bhagavan, all patients enjoyed the warmthand love of the volunteers.On 4th April 2009, volunteers of SriSathya Sai Organisation of Greece visitedfamilies and distributed food and clothingat St. George’s shelter in Athens. On 11thApril 2009, volunteers visited the homelessin Perama, Athens, and distributed food andclothing. A paediatrician visited 11 families andexamined 14 children and adults. Used laptopcomputers in perfect condition were donatedto two children who excelled academically, aswell as to an unemployed person. In addition,Sai volunteers continued their weekly privatemath tutoring for children and their regularlyscheduled visits to several institutionsSri Sathya Sai Organisation of Serbiaorganised a national retreat in which 62persons from Serbia, Slovenia and Croatiatook part. The theme of the retreat was “MotherEarth, Father Heaven.”was “Mother Earth, Father Heaven,” whichaimed at raising awareness about our planetand our divine origin. Presentations were madeon ‘Mother Earth’, ‘Gratitude’ and ‘The Maleand Female Principle’. Workshops on ‘LoveMy Uncertainty’ and ‘Self-Realisation’ werealso held. Two plays entitled ‘The Meaning ofLife’ and ‘Vragomet’ were enacted.– Sri Sathya Sai World FoundationB H A R A TAssam: A new Sai Centre has been built inGogamukh on a plot of land donated by alocal devotee. Gogamukh in the district ofDhemaji is in the extreme north-east of Assambordering the State of Arunachal Pradesh. Itis a fl ood prone area and is mainly inhabitedby plain tribal communities. On 6th June 2009,the devotees of Lakhimpur, Bihpuria,254 August 2009

Naharlagun, Itanagar and that of the hostSamithi, Gogamukh assembled in the newlybuiltSai Centre premises and conducted aYajna (sacrifi cial ritual) and Laksharchana(reciting the name of Bhagavan one lakhtimes). On this occasion, a Bhajan session wasalso conducted. The devotees of Lakhimpurand Harmoty offered 102 mosquito nets to thedeserving poor families. The devotees alsodecided to construct fi ve pucca wells in fi vedifferent suitable places during Bhagavan’s85th Birthday celebrations.Delhi: The love of Swami fl ows to His belovedchildren in Arjun Park village in Najafgarharea of West Delhi which is a below povertyline colony. Free medical camps are held ona fortnightly basis by the Sai Organisationdoctors of various faculties, which havebenefi ted nearly 2,000 people of this village.Free clean drinking water is also being providedto 25 families of this village under Sri SathyaSai Village Integrated Programme (SSSVIP).A high capacity water fi lter was installed inthis village which gives 1,000 litres of cleandrinking water to these families.Matiyala village in Dwaraka area isanother village adopted under SSSVIP wherefourteen poor families are being providedminimum ration required by them like wheat,rice, sugar, etc., every month. This activity isgoing on since January 2009. A bus fi tted withcomplete dental equipment visits this villageas often as required. All procedures like fi lling,removing, medication, etc., are provided tothe patients. Most of the senior citizens of thevillage have been checked and operated uponfor cataract / glaucoma. This is a properlyarranged programme. Patients are taken to avery specialised eye hospital and treatment isgiven.Himachal Pradesh: A State-level Sri SathyaSai Bal Vikas Training Programme washeld at Anand Vilas, Shimla from 12th to 14thApril 2009. More than 300 Bal Vikas Gurusfrom all parts of Himachal Pradesh participatedin it. The participants evinced keen interest inthe new innovations and teaching techniquesdemonstrated during the meeting sessions.These participants later organised Sri SathyaSai Education Awareness Programme inthe month of May 2009 for one week in theirrespective areas.In Himachal Pradesh, medical campsare organised usually at centres of villagecomplexes. Doctors go from village to village,and many a time from door to door to providemedical services to needy people. In themonths of May and June 2009, 14 medicalcamps were held in different districts in theremote villages like Indora, Chhota Bengel,Rajpur, Pippliwala, Amboa, Shiva Sanog, Nog,Kiaraea, etc. In these camps, 4,700 patientswere checked up and free medicines weredistributed as per the prescription given bythe doctors. Besides, 173 cataract operationswere conducted successfully and 183 animalswere treated at three veterinary camps. Thevillagers from far-fl ung villages who couldnot bring their animals at the camp site wereprovided this facility at their doorstep. Bhajansinging and Narayana Seva formed regularfeatures of all medical camps.Jammu and Kashmir: Cleaning of varioustemples and religious places is being donethroughout the year in a scheduled manner. Aspecial feature of this year was the cleaningof Mata Khir Bhawani Temple at Tula Mula,Srinagar on 24th May 2009. The whole templepremises along with holy Kund (tank) wascleaned by the Seva Dal volunteers of the SaiOrganisation. Besides cleaning, NarayanaSeva was organised and Prasadam inthe form of Khir (sweet rice pudding)August 2009 255

was served to the visiting devotees on thisoccasion.Kerala: Malappuram district has adopted 25Adivasi (tribal) children – 13 boys and 12 girlsin May 2009. On 1st June 2009, they wereSai Organisation of Malappuram district adopted25 Adivasi (tribal) children in May 2009. Thephoto shows the children in front of their hostel.taken to the school for the fi rst time. Theyare staying now in two hostels run by the SaiOrganisation of the district. This project washighly appreciated and widely covered in thepress.The techno group of the Sai Organisationhas taken up the care of cows attached tovarious temples. Under the guidance of thisgroup, the temples have started growinggrass scientifi cally. Sabarimala, Guruvayoorand Ettumanoor temples are covered underthis scheme at present.Rajasthan: Sri Sathya Sai Seva Organisationof Rajasthan organised Sanathana Sarathigolden jubilee “Journey with Sai” and “ManavaSeva Madhava Seva” exhibition from 21st to27th June 2009 at Prasanthi Vidya Mandir, Kotawhich was nicely decorated with lights. Theexhibition highlighted the work of Bhagavanfor mankind and His visits to variousplaces in India and East Africa. Additionally,it depicted Bhagavan’s teachings of universallove and education in human values. It wasinaugurated at 7 p.m. on 21st June 2009 bySri K.M. Tandon, Vice President of ShriramFertilisers and Chemicals. Sai devotees of Kotaalong with their family members were presenton this occasion. It was kept open for generalpublic from 6 to 9 p.m. everyday. Newspapersand local TV channels covered the same.The exhibition was divided into 18 sections,which included Journey with Sai, SarvaDharma Mandir, Unity is Divinity, Creator andCreation, Sri Sathya Sai Seva Organisation,Our Great Indian Culture, etc. A specialcounter was set up for the sale of Sai literatureand subscription for Sanathana Sarathi inHindi and English. Seva Dal volunteers gavetheir services in all the 18 sections and offeredheartful thanks to Bhagavan Baba for givingthem this opportunity. Arati was performedeveryday after 9 p.m. Many intellectuals andeminent citizens of Kota visited the exhibitionand expressed their strong desire to haveDarshan of Bhagavan. Nearly 2,000 visitorswere benefi ted from this exhibition. Devoteesof Kota felt it a great blessing of Bhagavan forSanathana Sarathi golden jubilee “Journeywith Sai” and “Manava Seva Madhava Seva”exhibition was held at Kota, Rajasthan from 21stto 27th June 2009.256 August 2009

choosing them for the work of organising thisunique exhibition.Tamil Nadu: A free diabetes awareness andscreening camp was organised by Sri SathyaSai Trust, Tamil Nadu at Sai Sruthi, Kodaikanalon 13th and 14th June 2009. A 32-member teamof diabetologists, ophthalmologists, dieticians,diabetes educators, technicians, nursing staffand pharmacists rendered this service with theactive support of Seva Dal volunteers, bothladies and gents. A total of 715 persons werescreened, out of which 13 were found to benew cases of diabetes. Medicines were issuedfree of cost.A meeting of former Bal Vikas studentswas held on 14th June 2009 to review theactivities conducted by them. Smt. VidyaSrinivasan addressed the participants. JusticeV. Ramasubramanian, sitting judge of MadrasHigh Court, who is former Bal Vikas student,gave an inspiring speech on this occasion.Chennai Metro West District provided apure drinking water plant to village Vengadunear Chennai under Sri Sathya Sai VillageIntegrated Programme. The plant was installedon 21st June 2009.Sri Sathya Sai General Hospital, Prasanthi NilayamEmail: hrmgh@sssihms.org.in, Phone 08555-287256, Fax: 08555-289409Applications are invited for the following post:Junior Consultant in the Department of Paediatrics:Qualification: MD / DNB + 3 years of experience in the Department of Paediatrics.Pay on par with Central Government scales based on qualification and experience. Apply to theMedical Superintendent, Sri Sathya Sai General Hospital, Prasanthi Nilayam, with full Bio-dataand a photograph immediately.Medical SuperintendentSSSGH, PSN

REGD. WITH REGISTRAR OF NEWSPAPERS R.NO.10774/58REGN.NO. HDP/002/2009-2011Licenced to post without prepayment No. HDP/002/2009-11God is the only DirectorYou should think that man is anordinary being in the drama of worldcreated by God. Every man is anactor and has a role to play. God isthe only director. He will give all theinstructions. Every person should actwithin his role and limits. He shouldnot overact. That is why we shouldknow that each one of us is an actorin the drama of God. There is nothingthat cannot be achieved with God’sgrace. There is no place without God.We fail to see Him because we do nothave the eyes of love.– BabaAnnual Subscription English (Inland) Rs 75(12 issues). Overseas Rs 850 or US $19 orUK £13 or ¤13, CAN $22, AUS $26Acceptable for 1, 2 or 3 years.Printed and Published by K.S. RAJAN on behalf of the owner Sri Sathya Sai Sadhana Trust, Publications DivisionPrasanthi Nilayam 515 134, Anantapur District (A.P.) and printed at M/s Rajhans Enterprises, 136, 4th Main Road,Industrial Town, Rajaji Nagar, Bangalore - 560 044, Karnataka and published at Prasanthi Nilayam – 515 134.Editor: G.L. ANAND