Issue 271 - 03 April, 2022 | | ātmano mokshārtam (Emancipation of one's self) | | Sairam Dear Brothers and Sisters, While speaking to a group of devotees recently, Sadguru Sri Madhusudan Sai answered a query. A devotee asked, 'What should we do to allow God to reveal Himself to us?' Sadguru answered, "Invite God into your life, and into your heart. But is God interested in you? He will be interested in you, only if you are pure. And if you are pure, He will reveal Himself immediately. What is this purity? The moment the cover or veil of 'I' and 'mine' is removed, God will reveal Himself. God does not come from anywhere; He is right there; He is always present at all times. Life will be very easy thereafter - no worries, no fears; positivity will reign."
Sairam Bhuvana Santhanam | | How can we realise that we are truly Divine, and it is indeed our true nature?
Answer: To love everyone is truly being God. And the one who loves everyone, cannot but serve everyone because love is service. Therefore, if you want to realise your own Divinity, the shortest path is to love and to translate all that love into service. Simply love everyone and serve everyone. You will become so pure that you will become God by these very acts. Only purest of the heart can know God.
Nobody else can. Therefore, purifying one's heart through selfless love and selfless service is the shortest and surest path to God. This is the only way to purify your intellect, your mind, and realise the truth that lies within. Just having a pure heart is enough. Develop more and more love for each other considering each other as nothing but Divinity and develop this vision of oneness.
An excerpt from the book 'Spirituality 101' authored by Sadguru Sri Madhusudan Sai, Pg no. 70. | | The Call from Within
By Inbbavathie Ravi Accounts and Administrative Officer, Sai Ananda Foundation, Malaysia
I was first introduced to Swami when I was 12 years old. My parents, who were also new to Swami's Divine fold themselves, took my siblings and me to a Sai centre in Ipoh, my hometown. Swami's entry into our lives was effortless. Bhajans quickly became a part of our Friday evenings and often trips to Puttaparthi to receive Swami's Darshan quickly followed. I spent all of my teenage years with consistent involvement in Sai activities but looking back, my faith, or my belief in Swami, was not a personal one at that time. My relationship with Swami was the one my immediate family members and I shared collectively. We are a very strong unit, the five of us, so when they started praying to Swami, I did too. When they told me that Swami is God, He became my God too, without a question. To me, however, Swami, in all His glory, was confined within the four walls at the Sai Centre, and our altar at home. Aside from the bhajans and prayers that I went to with my family, I never really made an extra effort to get to know Swami.
On the other hand, I was sharp and sensitive enough from a very young age to recognise that my childhood was not exactly ordinary. I always got what I wanted, and I can recall many instances where situations and circumstances seem to align themselves to keep me happy. These instances happened so frequently that there was no way they could be mistaken for coincidences or sheer luck. My mother had noticed this even before I did, and I remember telling her once that I always feel like there is someone near me who has my back unconditionally. Whoever this being is, my comfort and happiness is their priority.
Fast forward a few years later, I left home and my country to further my studies abroad. It was during this time that I felt a very gentle prompt from within to look for a Sai Centre near my accommodation. During the time I spent away from my home and family, Swami was a very welcomed familiarity in a foreign country to me. This was when my faith in Swami grew leaps and bounds. I confided in Him, I shared everything with Him. Over the next few years, Swami slowly revealed to me that this unseen force, whose presence I have felt for as long as I can remember is in fact, Swami Himself. This, to me, is the most precious moment of my journey with Sai. I may have felt ready to seek Swami only when I was older, but once I was ready in my own time, Swami showed me that He has always been there for me from the very beginning and will always be by my side. It was years later when I understood that I have always been able to feel His love and protectiveness over me, long before I even knew of Him.
Today, I am working as an Accounts and Administrative Officer at Sai Ananda Foundation, Malaysia. This role that I am in now is also another gift from Swami. I pray that I will continue to feel His presence in my life as strongly as ever, and it is my sincerest wish that I will always remember to offer my gratitude to Swami for always having my back no matter what. | | 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 | | "What you are is God's gift to you, what you become is your gift to God."
– Hans Urs Von Balthasar | | jagat hitāya (Welfare of the World) | | In the month of March, 100 families within the area of Batu caves and its vicinity benefitted from the dry rations which included five kilograms of rice, one kilogram of oil, three packets of masala powder, sugar, milk powder, biscuits, dry noodles, a packet of tea leaves and condensed milk. On top of this distribution, the daily feeding lunch programme went in well and 80 needy individuals benefitted from it. | | | | | | |
