Issue 270 - March 27, 2022 | | Sairam Dear Brothers and Sisters, Sadguru Sri Madhusudan Sai's beautiful definition of God is – "God is the embodiment of selflessness." Therefore, if we have to find God, we have to traverse the path of selflessness. In front of our very eyes, we have all seen the greatest example in Sri Madhusudan who walked on this royal route of selflessness, and fearlessness too; and he ascended to Sadguru Sri Madhusudan Sai!
Sairam Bhuvana Santhanam | | ātmano mokshārtam (Emancipation of one's self) | | Excerpt from Divine Discourse | | Who is a true hero in this world?
As youth, if you really want to help yourself and want to be a good friend to yourself, then take upon the path of sacrifice and service to attain immortality. During youth, the senses are active and strong, the mind is sharp, intellect is pure and heart is full of love and compassion. This time is termed to be the best time while as human beings. This is the best time to undertake any activity. So, one must make the best use of the given opportunity. Let it not be led into animal ways. 'Serve to Lead' – is not just a statement. 'To serve' is the essence of all life. Everyone is born only to serve. If we do anything other than serving in this life, then we aren't leading this life correctly. This is the way we must think all the time– 'If I have anything more than what I require or what I need, it must be used for service to others.' Today 50% of the world's population is young population. If these 50% can change themselves for the better, taking to this path of service and sacrifice, the other half of the world can also be changed and be made better. Some courageous human, in order to know the truth – what ātman (Supreme Spirit) is, turns his vision inwards, that person alone can be called as a hero. A man who is not a slave to his/her mind and senses, but he/she has mastered over them, is a true hero. He is a hero who can stand alone, stand courageous against all odds and oppositions, and take to the path of sacrifice. Such a person is capable of leading the world. The very first quality of hero is 'courage'. Courage to follow God and the ultimate Truth. The one who has such 'dhairya' (self-control) alone is dhīra (courageous). Our children, students and devotees should think 'love and service' to be their two feet on which they can walk and reach God. One and only way to understand everything is to engage and work with śraddhā (great sincerity, faith, and interest). If you listen, contemplate, and later practise with śraddhā, that is when you will benefit from these programmes and occasions. Many children have come from various parts of the world – some are new, some are old, some know these things, others do not know. To all of them, be attentive. Listen with great attention. Go back and contemplate in your own rooms, in your own houses what you have heard today and make your own points. An excerpt from Divine Discourse delivered by Sadguru Sri Madhusudan Sai on November 19, 2019. | | The Game of Life By Monica Bustamante Wagner Editor, Chile The day I deeply understood what 'being a pure instrument' meant, I started experiencing a hard time in my life. Probably it was one of the hardest times in my life, where the problems I faced were completely overwhelming me. That morning, I went to the beach to take a walk and see if I could clear the clutter in my mind. The weather was a bit dull – drizzling, sticky-humid and cold. Since morning it was so gloomy, that the beach was nearly empty. I sat down on the sand, burying my head inside the hoodie, and closed my eyes to complain to Swami: Why would He send this test to me? Why couldn't He just miraculously make all my problems go away? I felt sorry for myself, sobbed, and of course, I still argued with Swami. After some time, I was completely exhausted. I closed my eyes, took a deep breath, and decided I would do my best to calm down. I straightened my spine, as if to meditate, even though I knew it would be impossible, but after those efforts, by Divine Grace, I understood what a victim I'd been in my thoughts.
Instead of bickering with Swami, I told Him inside, still with my eyes closed, "So be it, Swami. If You want to send me this test, it's okay. I'll go through it, whatever happens, even if the results are devastating. I only ask You to be with me, holding my hand through the process." Just at that exact moment, I felt a hand on my knee. A supportive, caring touch. My heart started pumping so fast and I opened my eyes to see that it was a stray dog. So, it hadn't been a hand on my knee, but a paw. Of course, now I started crying again, but they weren't painful sobs—they were tears of gratitude to Swami because, at that moment, I was sitting right next to a Divine being. For me, the timing had been such a miracle, and realising that, I just couldn't stop wailing, so the poor dog stared at me like: 'Humans are so weird. What in the world is happening to this one?' The dog wouldn't remove its paw from my knee, though. He just continued to stare at me. That incident transformed me. Unbeknownst to him, the dog had been the purest instrument which came to my rescue. He had come at the exact right moment (not before, when I still hadn't surrendered), and the dog did the exact right thing, which was as simple as laying one of his paws on my knee. What happened then, made me realise the importance of being a pure instrument of God. The importance of following my intuition – is to be of service. And when I go with that flow, amazing synchronicities happen… although not always, I suppose. Surely, there are many times when, knowingly or unknowingly, I must have been a worthy instrument to God. But later on, the situation has left me scratching my head, thinking, 'Humans are so weird. But hey, I say, it's all part of the game of life. | | To help reach Sri Sathya Sai Baba's human values-based education to the world, and to resuscitate the humanness of humanity, the Sri Sathya Sai University for Human Excellence launched a unique, first-of-its-kind Institute of Human Values, to offer tailor-made courses totally free of any charges, curated by experts from around the world. The Vision of the Institute is to make better humans in their personal and professional spheres, by making them more sensitive towards society's needs and exploring ways of their contribution to society in a meaningful and selfless manner, thereby creating a sense of global citizenship and responsibility.
The courses will help an individual balance the inside and outside, while progressively being a better human being, that will ultimately help him or her unravel the true meaning and purpose in life.
Learning from the heart is spiritual awakening, Baba would say. The Institute of Human Values is the first step to help lead the world into the beautiful awareness of its heart – a heart that operates from the universal human values of Sathya, Dharma, Shanti, Prema and Ahimsa.
| | The aim and focus of adhyātma (pertaining to the body) is to calm the mind. The tendency of the mind is always to fall down similar to pushing a boulder on a steep mountain where a little negligence can cause the boulder to roll down in no time. Continuous efforts are needed to keep progressing or to maintain stability in life. Who can be attain permanent happiness? एको वशी सर्वभूतान्तरात्मा एकं रूपं बहुधा यः करोति । तमात्मस्थं ये'नुपश्यन्ति धीरास्तेषां सुखं शाश्वतं नेतरेषाम् ॥ eko vaśī sarvabhūtāntarātmā ekaṃ rūpaṃ bahudhā yaḥ karoti | tamātmasthaṃ ye'nupaśyanti dhīrāsteṣāṃ sukhaṃ śāśvataṃ netareṣām || (That) One (Supreme) controller, the soul of all beings, who makes His one single form manifold – those wise men who perceive Him as existing in their hearts, to them belongs eternal happiness, and to none else. Only through controlling the mind and letting it in the hands of the Divine can one stay equanimous and happy at all times. In episode 50, Sadguru Sri Madhusudan Sai reveals the secrets to permanent happiness as declared in the ancient scriptures of India. | | INSPIRATIONAL QUOTE FOR THE WEEK | | "Kindness is the only service that will stand the storm of life and not wash out."
– Abraham Lincoln | | jagat hitāya (Welfare of the World) | | After two and a half years of hiatus from almost all the sevā activities or even human interaction, the Toronto youth resumed langar sevā (a communal free kitchen) with the Sikh Seva Society of Toronto. While the sevā is carried out daily in the cities of Brampton and Mississauga, the Sai youth take part every Sunday where individuals from any caste, creed, or religion can participate by picking up a set number of food packets and delivering it to people who have requested. The vegetarian food packets consist usually of rice, curry, sweet dish, protein bar, fruit, and juice box.
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