Issue 185 - July 12, 2020 | | Mind is the cause of bondage and liberation, and if one can master this mind, one can become not just a mastermind but the master Himself, says Sadguru Sri Madhusudan Sai. In this series of talks, 'Master the Mind', primarily given to the Ashram residents of Sathya Sai Grama, Sadguru Sri Madhusudan Sai guides us step by step, to take up a 30 day sadhana to understand, analyse, master and finally merge the mind into the divine self. | | INNER VIEW By Sri Madhusudan Naidu
Bhakti will give you Jnana
A teacher, who was an ardent devotee of Mother Lalitha and had been constantly praying for Her grace to attain the highest, the ultimate wisdom to see divinity in everything and everyone.
As he made some Naivedyam (food offering) and brought for Swami for His dinner, Swami told him the story of Adi Sankara when as a child the saint was given the responsibility of offering the Naivedyam ─ a bowl of milk, by his father Shivaguru, to the Divine Mother at their temple.
"The little Sankara offered the bowl of milk to the Goddess, while his father attended to some important task away in the town. Sankara waited for the Goddess to actually drink the milk, unaware of the formalities of such rituals. Innocently and patiently he waited long for the Mother to drink the milk, but how could a Statue consume the offering? However, little Sankara was adamant that She drank, or else, his father might be displeased that the worship wasn't complete. Pleased by his innocent devotion, the Mother manifested out of the Statue and drank all the milk. Sankara was satisfied but then a new dilemma caught hold of his little being that now no milk was left to give away as Prasadam (partaking of the leftover sacred offering by other devotees), father might be upset with him and even doubt that he drank away all the Prasadam that was to be given to many! His cries did not go in vain as the compassionate Mother Goddess filled the empty bowl with Her own breast milk, drinking which little Sankara became the wise Adi Sankaracharya, the Realised One."
Swami finally gave away the moral of the story, "It's the Bhakti or devotion, of Sankara that bestowed Jnana or wisdom on him. That's the simplest and easiest path. Karma Marga ─ path of action, may bring doer ship and thereby attachments, Jnana Marga ─ path of wisdom, may bring ego of having known more than others, but Bhakti Marga ─ brings humility and that makes you eligible for the ultimate wisdom." | | Annapoorna COVID-19 Crisis Support | | In times of COVID–19 lockdown, many families have lost their means of livelihood. Annapoorna Trust supports those needy families by supplying them with Food Essentials. | | Pavagada
June 26 and June 28, 2020 : Sri Sathya Sai Annapoorna Trust in collaboration with Sri Ramakrishna Sevashrama distributed Food Kits to 600 cooks at Pavagada | | Hubbali - Karnataka
June 25, 2020: Distribution of SaiSure packets and Chocolates at the school of specially-abled children in Hubbali. | | Hennur - Karnataka
June 29, 2020 : Grocery kits, SaiSure packets were given to children at Rays of Hope orphanage.
The Annapoorna Team decided to help 20 needy kids in Rays of Hope orphanage, Hennur. They distributed grocery kits which would cater to their food needs for 15 days, SaiSure packets and money for milk which would last for 10 days. | | June 21, 2020 : Daily essentials for 40 families in Jamshedpur Thanks to the information from two girls (known to a few Annapoorna volunteers in Jamshedpur) who are currently living in Dom Tola and Kurmi Tola in Parsudih area on the outskirts of Jamshedpur, the Annapoorna Team in Jamshedpur reached out to 40 needy families with daily essentials. These 40 families' sole bread winners lost their jobs due to the current uncertain COVID-19 pandemic. | | Coimbatore and Tirupur June 23, 2020 : Relief for 500 needy families in Coimbatore and Tirupur
Annapoorna Team in Coimbatore has distributed groceries to families of about 500 children belonging to National Child Labour Control and Rehabilitation in Coimbatore and Tirupur districts in Tamil Nadu state. This has helped needy families affected by the loss of regular wages due to the COVID-19 pandemic. | | Nagapattinam - Tamilnadu June 16 and 17, 2020 : Event launched by Nagapattinam MLA Tamimun Ansari to provide orphan and mentally challenged children with SaiSure | | Thinnakonam - Tamilnadu
June 17, 2020 : Grocery kits were distributed to needy students' families in Thinnakonam, Tiruchirapalli | | Krishnagiri District - Tamilnadu June 14, 2020: Grocery kits were distributed to 20 needy families in Peyanur village, Krishnagiri District. | | Achievements Of Aarogya Vahini Trust Month Of June 2020 | | The Aarogya Vahini Team, with its humble offerings, has tried to reach the cyclone affected areas to help those who are struggling to make both ends meet. | | - CHUNAKHALI, June 8, 2020 – The Aarogya Vahini Team initiated two community kitchens for serving cooked food twice a day to 600 villagers.
- KAKDWIP, June 13, 2020 – Aarogya Vahini Team in collaboration with Annapoorna Team offered 500 kg of rice, 200 kg of potatoes, 50 kg of dal, 50 kg of soya chunks and 50 litres of cooking oil
- HASNABAD, June 19, 2020 – Aarogya Vahini Team reached out to Hasnabad and distributed dry rations to the people who are facing hunger due to the cyclone and COVID-19 crises.
- KALIARA, June 20, 2020 – A medical camp was conducted at Kaliara, a remote village in the district of Hoogly.
- KALIDASPUR, GOSABA, June 21, 2020 – The Arogya Vahini Team reached the remotest belts of the coastal periphery, Kalidaspur, after travelling three and a half hours by boat.
| | Middle East Seva Activities - June 2020 | | The nationwide lockdown had indeed slowed down Seva activities in Middle East during the previous few months. Nevertheless, the need to engage in Seva is actually much more essential during these times as many people had either lost jobs or were affected with COVID, with no one to help. So, it was an inner call for the volunteers in the Middle East to jump into action. | | 22 volunteers collectively served up to 442 meals in the month of June 2020. With the rising desert temperatures and the number of unemployed increasing, now is the time when help is needed the most. | | | | | | |
