SAI ARABIA April 2015 1

EDITORIAL Everyone in the Sai Fold has a story to tell and a Sai experience to share. Whenever and wherever devotees meet, the conversation always veers towards our beloved Swami. In the grand desert cities of Arabia we are the torchbearers of His message for humanity. We have to live our lives as He directed and embody His message as living examples. It is only then that we will fulfil His clarion call for His followers; namely, “My life is my message, your lives should also become my message”. Our Sai Centres are thriving with His infinite grace. A lot of activities are conducted, and we work together we understand the import of His exhortation, “Service with unity leads to divinity‟. Every day spent in Sai activities is an enriching experience; be they Seva activities, study circles, bhajans, or Bal Vikas. New ideas spring up, sudden realisations dawn, one comes across divine miracles or sometimes one becomes suffused with love. The results of these efforts may not be apparent, but they are continuously manifesting at a subtle level. The process is soft and gentle, may appear unseen and unheard but like the invisible morning dew which brings into blossom the fairest of roses; they will play their vital roles in the blossoming of our Sai‟s Golden age Among the many activities conducted in our centres over the last few months, the numerous sessions of study circles on the topics of „Love‟ and „Service‟, merit special mention. Most people who participated in these study sessions had many of their doubts clarified. They enjoined in their psyche, the importance of love as the basic undercurrent of any activity which could be described as true service. The study sessions yielded several different and unique insights from devotees enabling the participants to truly understand the explanation that a diamond can be viewed from many different angles and each angle provides us a unique hue filled with grandness and beauty. These study circles prepared the deck for what was verily the crest jewel among all spiritual activities conducted in our region, namely the Pre-World Conference on Love and Service held in Dubai on April 3 and 4. Delegates from all countries in the region participated actively in the spiritual feast and they felt richer in mind and spirit yearning for even more in the times to come. A summary of the Pre-World Conference is enshrined in this issue. In the realm of spiritual discussions, airing one‟s thoughts or experiences and penning those are both commendable. They are like distinct and separate fragrances enjoyed in a garden, containing a variety of beautiful and fragrant flowers. Exchanging spiritual ideas and thoughts when we meet are an important part of Satsang or divine company. But writing them down creates a multiplier effect. The thoughts are preserved for posterity and reach a much wider audience. This is the fifth edition of Sai Arabia. Many insightful articles written by devotees are a treat to read and ruminate over. Over a period of time these precious collections of articles penned by devotees from our region will provide a wealth of information and certainly earn their sweet and rightful place in the vast ocean of Sai literature. Heartfelt thanks to all devotees who contributed the articles in a true spirit of sadhana. Invoking the infinite grace of our beloved Bhagawan, we dedicate the fifth issue of this e- magazine at His lotus feet. Prakash Ramanandan Nair, Bahrain

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Contents Page Editorial

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When Prashanti Nilayam came to Dubai: Pre-World Conference on Love and Service

5

Swami and His Students Journey of Love I am a Mirror

14 15

Spiritual Questions The Proper Study of Mankind is Man Speaking Softly and Sweetly: A few Reflections Spiritual Journey

16 18 19

Study Circle Review Anger Management

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Poem Swami and Me

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Sai Bhajan Bina Sukh Shanti Nahin Loving Music by way of Music Aao Aao Sainatha Shirdi Sai Dwarakamai Bhava in Bhajan Singing

22 23 24 25

Sai Experiences Swami‟s Love towards His Devotees The Omnipresent, Omniscient Swami Swami and Me My Journey towards Bhagavan Who am I? Start the day with Love Ask only Swami Pathway to Confidence Why am I here? Our Beloved‟s Love for all beings Lessons learned on April 24, 2014 Sai Divyanubhutulu

26 27 27 28 29 29 30 30 31 32 33 34

Practical Spirituality Maintaining Silence is a Step in Sadhana Cultivating Love Moving Temple Meditation: The Path Love Selfless service: The True Spiritual Sadhana Human Values and Love Attitude Determines Your Altitude

35 36 36 37 38 39 39 40

Round-up of Spiritual Activities Bahrain Dubai

41 43 3

When Dubai became Prashanti Nilayam Pre-World Conference on Love and Selfless Service After months of intense preparations in the different countries of our region in the form of study circles and country-level workshops, and in Dubai in the form of arrangements for the Pre-World Conference, the grand day was finally here. On the day before the Pre-World Conference in Dubai, the city and the region were blanketed in sand. Visibility was less than 100 feet. We heard that flights to Dubai were getting delayed by more than a few hours and we wondered how delegates would arrive in time for the PWC. We should not have wondered, because Swami willed blue skies and sunshine for the PWC and when April 3 dawned, it was a beautiful day, with blue skies and sunshine. 350 delegates from nine countries made it to the meeting. Abu Dhabi, Bahrain, Dubai, Kuwait, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Sharjah, Ruwais and Qatar. As delegates walked into the Dubai American Academy, the venue of the PWC, they were greeted with a beautiful altar, with Swami‟s chair and robe in all its glory. Bro Sanjay Anand, Regional Seva Convener, later remarked that the altar reminded him of Sai Kulwant Hall and that for two days the auditorium had the feel of Prashanti Nilayam. The Pre-World Conference started with a procession by SSE boys from Dubai chanting the vedam and walking up to Swami‟s altar. Bro Suresh Menon, our Deputy Regional Central Coordinator, presented a passionate and heartfelt introduction, in which he described the journey taken by all centres in the region that brought us to this interesting juncture. He introduced the theme of the meeting and introduced our distinguished visitors.

SSE Students of Dubai chanting the Vedam

Bro. Suresh Menon, Deputy Regional Coordinator

We were treated to a stirring talk by Shri GB Choithram, Zone Chair, Zone 9B. Shri GB Choithram started off with a declaration “Swami willed this, hence we are all here”. He narrated the story behind the building of the Sathya Sai Mandir, how Swami instructed Shri GB Uncle to go to the ruler of Dubai when the local CID questioned the activities of the Sai devotees and how the ruler permitted him to go ahead with regular activities. Shri GB Choithram used these incidents to remind the delegates that we should all be grateful to Swami, to always remember that He is God, to be convinced that nothing happens without His will, and to always love Him from the bottom of our hearts. Dr. Narendranath Reddy, Chairman, Prashanti Council, then took to the stage. Here‟s a summary of his inspiring and thought-provoking talk: th

 This PWC was the 6 PWC that Dr. Reddy was attending. These PWCs will lead to the World Conference on

Love and Selfless Service to be conducted in Prashanti Nilayam on November 25, 26 and 27.

Dr. Narendranath Reddy, Chairman, Prashanti Council

Shri G.B. Choithram Zone Chair, Zone 9B, Middle East & Gulf 4

When Dubai became Prashanti Nilayam Pre-World Conference on Love and Selfless Service  We have all come together in unity, we are chosen and we are blessed to be here. We have all been called

by Him, let‟s use this opportunity to know and understand His teachings.  Jesus asked us to love our neighbours as ourselves, St Paul said that faith was important but that love was

the greater virtue, and Swami says that the best way to love God is to love all.  Swami exemplified love to all living beings. A student once told Swami that he wanted to get Swami a

mosquito net to keep the mosquitoes away from Swami who then admonished the boy saying that he was being selfish! While he himself wanted prasadam from Swami, he wasn‟t allowing the mosquitoes to feast on Swami and thus get prasadam!  Swami also exemplified unconditional love for “all”. Dr Reddy described Swami‟s love for His deer and His

elephant Sai Geetha. Swami remarked that Sai Geetha had shown so much love for Swami and that there was no rebirth for the blessed elephant. Swami exhibited concern even for inanimate objects. Once as Swami walked in the garden, he was hurt by a stone. When volunteers offered to throw the stone away, Swami asked them to leave it there saying “That stone has been waiting for me for a long time, let it be here”.  How should we love? By giving priority to Swami all the time. How intense is our love? We cry for others, do

we cry for Him? Has he not assured us that He will manifest Himself if we pray intensely for just 11 seconds?  How one-pointed is our love? Once we have discovered Mt. Everest, why should we settle for mere hillocks?

We‟ve been lucky enough to discover Bhagavan Baba, why go elsewhere?  Love for love‟s sake is the purest form of love. Why aren‟t we reaching Divine Love? Because of several

obstacles such as:  The disease of finding faults in others  The impurities of anger, greed, jealousy and ego that block our love. Of these ego and jealousy are particularly bad, and spiritual ego is the worst.

 How can we nurture our love?  By listening to the leelas of God, by reliving Sai experiences  By Satsang. Dr. Reddy narrated the humorous experience of Swami once leaving his car and moving into

the bus with students while on a road trip to Kodaikanal. Along the way, people stood on the roadside and kept throwing flowers on the car thinking that Swami was inside the car, while ignoring the bus in which Swami was actually seated. Swami jocularly remarked to the students in the bus “See, My company makes the car receive flowers, while in your company, God is ignored!”

 How can we know that we have reached the state of Divine Love?  We will feel peace in our hearts. Our hearts will become Prashanti Nilayam.  We will feel equanimity, we will not be agitated by life‟s ups and downs.  Our attitude will be one of contentment with life, that all that happens is God‟s prasadam.

The delegates were then treated to one of several videos prepared by the Dubai team depicting Swami‟s love, Brother Leonardo Gutter, Member, Prashanti Council, then presented a stirring, humorous and touching talk about his experiences with Swami.

Bro. Leonardo Gutter, Member, Prashanti Council

A section of the audience 5

 “Why are we here?” asked Bro Leonardo. Because we are alive, because we have travelled through thousands of lives to be here today, because we are looking for a deeper meaning to life, because we asked for help and He has lead us to Him.

 We have to clean the grimy window in order to see God, how can we do that?  By seeing all as one, there‟s no “I”, no “we”, just one.  By starting the day with love, by starting the day seeing Swami next to us. Visualize Swami as having

been next to you all night, wake up with Him, greet Him, have breakfast with Swami, go to work with Him, return home with Him. At night visualize Swami next to you.  Reflect on how lucky we are;during His time on earth, we are lucky to know Him and to be Sai devotees.  Swami said “Yes” to us and brought us to Him, now it‟s our turn to say “YES” to Swami. Sign a contract with Swami, commit to Swami.

 How to ask Swami? Ask with intensity, keep asking, don‟t give up – either Swami will get tired of your asking and will give you what you want, or you will get tired and accept His will. Bro Leonardo narrated an incident in which he lost his bag containing his passport, money and credit cards in Miami Airport. He searched for the bag all over, but could not find it. In desperation he went into the men‟s room and prayed intensely to Swami; when he came out he met a woman who handed over his bag to him and then disappeared.

 Be loving, be good, be good all the time, until you become like Mother Theresa or Mahatma Gandhi. Be good to everyone you meet, because everyone is Swami disguised as your wife, your neighbor, your friend, your employer.

 How should we increase our love?  By viewing the faults of others as tiny and by viewing our own faults as big.  By feeling His presence all the time

This was followed by talks by speakers from the region. Brother Anand Kumar of Qatar spoke on the subject “Love is the Source”:

 He first quoted Swami‟s answer to the question “What is Love?” Swami asserts that love is the very basis of creation, that everything is based on love, we are born in love, sustained in love and ultimately merge in love.

 Swami has explained that love is eternal, it is not something that enters our lives midway; it is the very atmic principle that is with us all the time.

 Swami often explained the differences between “Divine” love and “Worldly” love. Divine Love is pure, unchanging, selfless love towards all living beings, it is love for love‟s sake, given with no expectation of reward. Divine love fills humans with enduring bliss. Worldly love, on the other hand, is temporary, it always has a tinge of expectation, it involves a sense of duality, it is not always selfless. Indeed, Swami explains that relationships such as that between family members and friends are worldly love, they are „attachments‟.

 Love is all powerful. Swami says that the power of love far exceeds that of even an atom bomb, it enables, it energizes, it empowers.

 Love destroys evil; it is the most powerful weapon to destroy the forces of evil.

Bro. Anand Kumar, Qatar 6

 Love transforms; when the switch of Divine Love is turned on, love manifests in every limb and part of the body. Our words will be filled with love, our actions will be saturated with love.

 Love unifies, because love reveals the God in all. Love binds one person to another. The highest love makes us aware of the Lord in every one.

 Bro. Anand Kumar‟s most important message was Swami‟s declaration that He split Himself from Himself to love Himself; this means that as He is love, we are all love, that love is the source and love is also the goal. Bro. Raj Raghupathy, Regional Spiritual Convener, next spoke on the topic “Love is the Path”.

 Why did Swami come down to us as an avatar, he asked. To transform us? To lead us to realize that we are God? To re-establish Dharma? Yes, but in Swami‟s own words, He came “to tell you of this Path of Love, this Dharma of Love, this Duty of Love, this Obligation to Love.” In other words, Swami‟s mission has been to show us the path of love. Love is the source, Swami has declared; but it is also the path to the goal, which is also love!

 He addressed three questions in his presentation. Where does this path of love lead? Why should we tread this path of love? How should we tread this path?

Bro. Raj Raghupathy, Regional Spiritual Convener

 Where does this path of love lead? Surely, the path of love takes us back to our source, our creator, God. Indeed, Swami laments that people are not taking to this path which leads us to God-realization! “Love is the path to Self-realization” explains Swami. It is a path, a process that tells us that He is love, that we are love and that the path to Him is also love.

 Why should we tread this path of love? We should tread this path of love, if we want to experience divinity. Swami says that it is not possible to experience divinity without developing love. We should follow the path of love, because love is an energy, it sustains, it strengthens. It is a means of realizing bliss. Love is a means of attaining God, because Swami states very emphatically that “God cannot be attained by any other means”. Thus, we have to follow the path of love, because it is the path to God.

 How should we tread this path? Raj Raghupathy highlighted several of Swami‟s injunctions on how we should conduct ourselves on this path of love. One is to expand our love, from the limited circle of our family to our country and to the whole world. After all, has not Swami declared that “There only one caste - The caste of humanity” Secondly, Swami wants us to eliminate the enemies of man – greed, anger, ego, jealousy, hatred – only then will love reign supreme. The third code of conduct on this path of love is to develop the feeling of oneness, as God is in all. Our hearts can be filled with love only when we see God in all. Swami wants us to love all. Also, we should also reduce our desires; Swami asks “If the head is already stuffed with worldly desires, how is it possible to fill it with sacred feelings?”

 Perhaps most importantly, Swami instructs us to manifest love as selfless service.  The presentation ended with Swami‟s beautiful teaching: “Love without expecting anything in return. Love more and more people. Love them more and more intensely. Transform the love into service. Transform the service into worship.” 7

Bro. Sai gopal, our Regional Education Convener, then took to the stage to speak about “Love is the Goal”.

 Bro Sai gopal started off with Swami‟s declaration: “Love is your ultimate goal. Only love can sanctify your life. Hence, develop love more and more. Love alone will protect you”. We are all on a pilgrimage, Swami says, whether we know it or not. And it is a pilgrimage to self-realization. The goal is to merge with the Lord, and merger with the Lord is merger in that ocean of love. That is our goal.

 How does Swami teach us to reach that goal of love? By praying to God for His love. “Lead your lives spreading the message of love. Love is the goal of your life” says Swami.

Bro. Sai gopal, Regional Education Convener

 The Vedas instruct us to discover the path, direction, and goal as described in them, and then to tread the path, follow the direction, and reach the goal. How can we realize the direction and reach the goal? Swami gives us practical instructions - Love and Selfless Service. But this journey on the path of love to the goal of love is not without its obstacles. To overcome these, Bro Sai gopal explained that Swami has given us tickets on the direct, express train! This express train is basically Love All Serve All, Help Ever Hurt Never!

 Selfless love and selfless service are intertwined, explained Sai gopal. He quoted Swami: “Selfless Service cannot exist without Love. Love enables us to go past the ego, overcome the dualistic feeling of one who serves and the one being served. Selfless service with firm faith that God is in every being will help expand love and take us closer to Him.”

 The lucid presentation ended with these powerful words of Swami: “Love should direct you God-ward in every action that you do. There is no greater path or goal than this”.

 After a sumptuous lunch lovingly served by our sisters and brothers of Dubai, the delegates returned to listen to Bro. Sathyanarayanan of Abu Dhabi who shared his experience and learning of Love and Selfless Service.

 Brother Sathyanarayanan started off his talk with the declaration that if one word could sum up the essence of Swami‟s life and teachings, that word would be … Love.

Bro. Sathyanarayanan, Abu Dhabi 8

 Swami says that His methods do not involve the use of force, that He never forces anyone to do or not do anything. Swami‟s tool is love. Bro Sathya narrated his own experience of visiting Swami several times during his childhood but then later questioning the need to visit Swami; much later after moving to the Gulf, when he developed a deep yearning to visit Swami he was either unable to do so or when he did visit Parthi, he got to sit only in the last row! He prayed to Swami with fervor and was blessed to get Swami‟s padanamaskar and blessings. This started his process of transformation and practicing Swami‟s teachings

 Brother Sathya shared an experience during a Parthi Yatra when vibhuti materialized in a devotee‟s room. He was given a small packet of that vibhuti to distribute to the visitors to the medical camp; he felt a loving urge to share that small amount of vibhuti to all visitors who attended the camp that day. To his surprise he found that each time he opened the tiny packet, it contained enough vibhuti to be given to as many as 60 visitors. This confirmed to him the importance of good thoughts filled with love.

 During a water-distribution seva activity in Parthi, he wondered whether service to the needy actually does reach Swami. He visualized Swami Himself receiving the water in the form of the person. When he returned home he noticed water dripping out of the lips of Swami‟s photo in his altar. This showed him that loving service does indeed reach Swami.

 Brother Sathya concluded saying that purity of mind and thought and loving selfless service leads to self-realization which is actually God-realization which is an experience of pure bliss and pure love. Delegates were then invited to pose questions to a panel consisting of Dr. Reddy, Bro. Leonardo and Shri GB Uncle. A few of the questions and answers (Q & A) are mentioned here: Q: There‟s so much killing and destruction in the world; what can we as Sai devotees do? A: This question was once posed to Swami; He answered “Sir, that is my business, you do your business!” What is our business? To develop righteousness in our hearts; if we all did this, it would lead to peace in the world. We cannot change the world, but we can transform ourselves and be examples of peace. Q: How can we convert worldly love into divine love? A: Worldly love is due to attachments, due to a feeling of duality. Look at people as divine embodiments. Try to spiritualize everything; don‟t split your work into spiritual versus worldly activities, do every act as worship. Q: Can you comment on the feeling that being simple and humble is seen by others as being weak? A: Do not be concerned with what others think, be concerned about what Swami expects of us. Be humble and loving. Restraint is a higher strength; reacting is easy but inferior. Q: How should we stay on the path of love when we get criticized for everything we do? A: Realize that the world is full of pain and is transient. Where do we search for peace and love in this world? Inside us. Peace and love are within us, we should search for these within us. We then moved on to very interesting Group Discussion sessions that were planned with a view to involve all delegates and to give them all an opportunity to share their insightsand experiences. Delegates were assigned to three groups, Sathyam, Shivam and Sundaram. Sathyam focused “Love in Action” and was moderated by Bro Santhanam Krishnamachari (Sharjah) and Brother Allakky Srinivas (Abu Dhabi). Shivam deliberated on “Selfless Service in Action” and was moderated by Bro. Saurabh Saksena (Oman) and Bro. Sridhar Subrmonian (Bahrain). Sundaram, moderated by Bro. L.R. Krishnan (Kuwait) and Bro. K. Neelakantan (Qatar) addressed the topic “Expressing Love through Selfless Service”. These six moderators had spent the previous months planning appropriate questions and discussion points, and approached the sessions with great sincerity and enthusiasm. These sessions, held in three different halls in the school complex, were scenes of animated and interactive discussions. Brothers Santhanam and Srinivas moderated the discussion on “Love in Action”. After an animated discussion on day one, Bro Santhanam presented the main messages from the discussion, in the form of questions and answers on day two.

 How should we practice Love in Action? By starting the day with love, filling the day with love, ending the day with love as this is the way to God. And by seeing Swami in all of creation. 9

 How can we attain the Lord through Love? Swami shares the secret: “Love, and you will be loved in return. Promote love, look upon all with Love and hate will never be your lot. If you want to attain the Lord, cultivate Love. This is the one lesson I teach always and that is My secret too”. He also says “Love all; revere all; help all to the best of your ability. The words that you utter will be as holy as the scriptures. This Sadhana will lead you to realization”

 How to action Love? Through Bhakti? Gnana? Yoga? Seva? Baba explains that once we fill our heart with Prema, it really does not matter what path we adopt. It will become possible for us to reach the destination. He also points out that one path leads to the other and all paths lead to the same destination.

 How will we know that we have cultivated love in action? Love makes us humble; it makes us bend and bow when we see greatness and glory.

 How can we practice love in action with someone we love belittles our beloved Swami? If we cannot convince them of Baba‟s divinity, it‟s better to stay away from negative company. Satsang is very important. Also it is better to not focus on their negativity but to focus on their merits.

 How should we continue to love Bhagavan despite life‟s tragedies? By taking everything in life as Bhagavan‟s prasadam

 What is the relevance of forgiveness in love? By forgiving and forgetting, we become move loving. Increase your love quotient, so forgiving becomes easy.

Group Discussion sessions in progress

Brothers Saurabh and Sridhar presented several stories and scenarios in their group discussion on “Selfless Service in Action”. After a very interactive and articulate discussion on day 1, Brother Saurabh summarized the highlights of the discussion.

 Swami has stated that “Seva is not for reshaping the world. You may or may not. It does not matter….” What matters is how it transforms us. How has Seva transformed you? Several responses were presented. Seva has led to Sympathy being changed to Empathy (feeling of oneness with the recipient of the Seva), a feeling of contentment, deeper compassion. Seva has led to control of ego and also a feeling of equanimity.

 What is “self”-less Seva? Why should Seva be selfless? Seva = Self-Evoked Voluntary Action! When seva is done selflessly, it becomes a spiritual sadhana; it helps earn God‟s grace; each act of selfless seva is a step towards God-realization.

 Can we actually give our best when we are detached? Attachment is expectation of rewards, Detachment is renouncing the fruits of actions. We should be attached to detachment! We are not expected to be free from the action, only from self-identification with action. Seva should not be done mechanically, but with full cooperation of the mind, happily, intelligently and reverentially. 10

 What are the qualities of a good “instrument” of God? INSTRUMENT stands for: Implicit obedience to the Master‟s words; No expectation of returns; Spontaneous; Truth; Rendering seva with love; Unity in thoughts, words and deeds; Must be a team player; Equanimity; No ego; To have enthusiasm with discrimination.

 What is the relevance of your role in Seva in the Sai Organization? Seva Dals are the chosen ones; being a Seva Dal member helps to stay connected with Swami; Seva is for self-transformation; the attitude behind the seva is important.

 How to find the time to perform Seva in our busy schedules? Time is God. If you can‟t find time, you won‟t find God. Let‟s remember that the opportunity to perform seva is a gift from God; never miss any opportunity to serve. Seva requires the sacrifice of comforts and personal interests. We can make time by cutting down on TV and social media; we should not differentiate between worldly work and spiritual work. Give priority to God.

 Brother Saurabh summarized a few “take-heart” messages:  Seva can be directed towards the removal of physical distress, the alleviation of mental agony, and the    

fulfillment of spiritual yearning. Always have at the back of your mind the real purpose of life. Having any role is more important than having an important role. Make yourself worthy so that God can use you. If we put our needs first and the other person‟s needs later, then it is “strategy”, not Seva.

Brothers Krishnan and Neelakantan led the discussion in the group that deliberated on “Expressing Love through Selfless Service”. After excellent deliberations, Bro Neelakantan presented the take-home messages from this discussion.

 What is the connection between Love and Selfless Service? Only when you feel selfless love can you perform selfless service. Love in action is selfless service.

 How can we “see” God in the person we serve? By taking Swami as our role model, by performing service without expectation of the fruits of action, by constant integrated awareness.

 Swami says, “When you see a person doing service to oth­ers with love, you have to respect him or her. If there is no love in the heart, there is no use in doing any­thing whatsoever.” What does “love in the heart” mean? It means realizing that God who is Love, resides in our heart and in the hearts of others.

 Our scriptures are full of exemplars of selfless service. How did these role models express their love? Their purpose in life was to serve others, they had a vision of God in everything they did. Their devotion and love for God, was also expressed as love for man.

 What spiritual benefits can we accrue from selfless service? It helps eliminate the six vices (anger, greed, selfishness, ego etc). And it provide a state of equanimity.

 What is the difference between service and selfless service? How can we practice constant selfless service every day with love in our lives? Service is individual and personal goal-oriented while selfless service is done with total surrender and without expectation. We can practice selfless service by keeping in mind that we are not the doers but instruments in the hands of Swami. Delegates were then treated to delightful and soul-stirring programs by SSE children and Youth from Dubai. The SSE children enacted a drama that beautifully depicted the inspiring life of Adi Shankaracharya. Dubai Youth enacted a very touching drama of a young boy who realizes that importance of service that his father performed, but only after his father‟s demise. These two programs were enacted with great vigour and talent.

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Performances by SSE Children and Youth Members of Dubai

On Day 2 of the conference, the Youth Wing of Region 94, led by Bro. Chetan Raman, Regional Youth Convener took to the stage to present a fascinating saga of Lord Hanuman as one of the greatest exemplars of love and selfless service. This was enabled through several mellifluously rendered devotional songs by our very talented youth and also a series of vignettes that depicted Hanuman‟s dedication, devotion, love and service.

Bro. Chetan Raman, Regional Youth Convener

Skit on Hanuman, Exemplar of Love and Selfless Service

Dr. Reddy then presented another fascinating talk, filled with important, poignant messages.

 Swami‟s omnipotence is incredible. Once when Swami hummed a rare song by Thyagaraja, a devotee asked in surprise “Swami, who taught You this song?”. Swami replied “Who do you think taught Thyagaraja?” On another occasion Dr. Reddy‟s father asked Swami “Swami, You eat so little; perhaps like rishis You derive Your energy from the five elements?” Swami replied “No! The five elements derive their energy from me?”

 Rama naama is important, but Rama “kaarya” is more important. Because Swami manifests wherever His work is done. His work is His message. This is indeed a unique avatar where God has given His name to His mission during His lifetime.

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 Service is basically Love in Action. How should we serve, how should we give? With humility, with faith; give what‟s good for the needy, give in plenty, Quality is more important than quantity.

 What attitude should we have while we serve? We should have conviction that we are serving God. Has not Jesus said “When you serve the least of your brothers, you serve me”? We should serve with an attitude of gratitude. Once after a short stay at Horsley Hills, Swami went to the buffalo that carried water up the hill every day and said to the buffalo “Thank you, you did a good job”.

 The biggest obstacles to selfless service are ego and the expectation of rewards. We should not have the feeling of even serving as an “instrument” or an “assistant” of Swami. Baba once appreciated a series of books and the writer said “Swami, after all I was only an instrument”. Swami replied “I don‟t need an instrument!”. On another occasion, after watching a play Swami asked a devotee “Who is the director of the play?” and got the reply “Swami, You are!” To which Swami asked “Then who are you?” and the devotee said “Your assistant”. Baba smiled and quipped “But I don‟t need an assistant”. Then Bro. Leonardo Gutter in his inimitable humourous style gave the delegates several interesting insights.

 This conference is just an excuse for Swami to bring us all together to receive His love, and to also to receive inspiration and motivation, and to go deeper into His messages of love.

 We have to become Sai, which means we have to be loving. We should bring love into all our thoughts, words, actions, interactions, bhajans and study circles.

 The Sai Organization is like a grand school, in which He is the headmaster and we are all students. The Sai Organization is also like a mental asylum which houses all of us crazy people, crazy because we don‟t know that we are God.

 See all as Sai disguised as other people.  We need to do is to watch our ego and to surrender with faith, without fear. Surrender, let Him take over.  Swami wants us to practice “Constant Integrated Awareness”. Bro Leonardo said that we can do this by feeling His presence all the time, knowing that He is holding our hands, living with us.

 Swami has left His physical body, but has not gone anywhere, He has no limits. His physical body was but an instrument that He used for a while. He is constantly present here and everywhere. It is up to us to open our eyes to see Him. Live in this dream called life, knowing that it is but a dream. Bro. Rajaraman, our Regional Central Coordinator, highlighted the series of study circles that built up to this Pre -World Conference and the great significance of this event and the presence of the distinguished speakers from Prashanti Council.

Bro. Rajaraman, Regional Central Coordinator

Most good things come to an end, as the saying goes, and this sumptuous spiritual feast also had to come to an end. Brother Sanjay Anand, our Regional Seva Convener presented the vote of thanks. He expressed deep gratitude to Bhagavan Baba for blessing us with this blissful experience. He thanked Shri GB Uncle for taking the lead in organizing the conference, for the wonderful hospitality and his attention to detail. He also highlighted the immense contributions Brother Rajaraman, Regional Central Coordinator and Brother Suresh Menon, our Deputy Regional Central Coordinator for leading the teams that took care of transport, stage management, audiovisuals, food and hospitality so efficiently. Bro Sanjay profusely thanked Dr. Narendranath Reddy and Bro Leonardo Gutter for their wonderful inspiring presentations. The delegates dispersed reluctantly, as they had experienced Prashanti Nilayam in Dubai! Swami had clearly manifested Himself through the speakers and singers and actors, and through the Dubai Seva Dal who made this a unique spiritual experience. 13

Swami and His Students Journey of Love

competition into harmony.

They were very turbulent times. Troubled and confused as a teenager, I struggled a lot with what appeared to be the world around me. Anger, arrogance, paranoia, distraction and meaningless competitions were the daily routine. Scoring high grades in exams gave happiness but not for long. I felt no sense of direction or steady purpose and started longing for an identity that would lead me to a life filled with spiritual understanding. That was when, our most beloved Bhagavan, walked into our lives. I heard about the Divine Mother through one of my uncles who had just returned from a trip to Puttaparthi. The more I heard and read about Swami, the closer I wanted to be and study in his distinguished university. This became my only prayer. Thus I took one step towards Him, He took 10 towards me, held my hand and the beautiful journey began. The campus was reverberating with a magical harmony which cannot be explained but can only be experienced. Could it be because it was the first campus opened by the Lord himself to empower women or was it because of the dignified professors and lecturers who had sacrificed their coveted positions and dedicated their lives to carry out His divine mission, everybody reaches out to care for each other, teachers showing us their motherly affection, fatherly discipline, their commitment to duty and their willingness to enrich our knowledge irrespective of the time it was requested for, every moment had a valuable lesson to learn from. Wonderstruck by this new world around me, little did I notice the transformation I was going through. Transformation of anger into serenity, arrogance into humility, paranoia into courage, distraction into focus,

What miracle Swami could‟ve possibly performed for me to come to this understanding? The answer is that all of our desires with their longing, gratification and frustration stems from a single origin – “ignorance”. Our ignorance is resulting from the delusion. The delusion is all about our identity crisis, wrongly associating ourselves to the body, mind and the ego associated with it. The transformation that came along was the destruction of the delusion and associating ourselves with the correct identity which is the “Atma”, the very embodiment of “Love”. And Swami not only reminds us of the fact that we are the very embodiment of unconditional love, but also gives us the opportunity to experience it in His own meticulous ways. There is true fulfilment in that love. He also taught us that if we look deep into our own selves, into the world and into others, we will find something essential that we all have in common - the soul‟s inherent capacity to love. This is beyond the differences in nationality, religion, gender, appearance and race. This is the wisdom of our own divinity when we understand beyond the ever changing body and mind. When we realize and access this love within ourselves we can see our harmony with God, with each other, accomplish things in a way that we could really do wonders for ourselves and for the world. He had practically shown us this capacity within all of us. When we harmonize that with the principles of our lives we can be empowered by His grace to make extraordinary changes in everything we do. -Sis. Deepa Seshadri, Dubai

A devotee once said to Swami: 'Swami, there is one way to wipe off poverty in India'. 'What is that?' Swami enquired. 'If you can by your divine power convert the water of Indian Ocean into petrol, that is enough', said the devotee. Swami said 'But….' The devotee enquired ' Why but, Swami?' Swami quipped: 'Then what if someone throws a lighted matchstick into it?’ (From Sri Sathya Sai Books and Publications Trust Website)

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I am a Mirror Swami says “My life is my message” and He truly displays this every moment. Every gesture - a wave of the hand, a nod of the head – and every word conveys to us what He expects. It was during my early days at Prashanti Nilayam, when Swami graciously agreed to grant an interview to my class. We were all very excited as this meant a very close and personal interaction with Swami compared to what we had earlier. The day arrived and we all gathered in the small interview room in Prashanti Mandir. Swami‟s chair was placed in a corner and all of us sat waiting for Swami. Every inch of space in the room was occupied and there was no space for anyone to move. Swami arrived from the inner chambers and sat in His chair. For the next 90 minutes, we were drenched in Swami‟s words of wisdom, humour and miracles, like the gopis of Brindavan, After the interview got over, Swami decided to go out of the room into the Mandir portico. We twisted and turned to create a narrow path with just enough space for Swami to walk through and fortunately for me, Swami chose the path where I was seated. As Swami walked past us, He placed His hands on students‟ shoulders for “support”. Students were also bending forward and touching Swami‟s feet, taking “paada namaskaram”. Since the path was narrow and we were already cramped for space, I decided not to take paada namaskaram. Swami walked next to me, His hand grazing against my shoulder – at that point, suddenly, I wanted to take paada namaskaram. So, I asked “Swami, paada namaskaram?” But Swami just walked past me. After walking a couple of steps, He turned back, looked at me at said “Teesuko” (take). I managed to bend down and touched my forehead to His Lotus feet. When I got up, Swami looked into my eyes and said softly “I am a mirror”. While recalling the incidents of the interview later in the day, I understood the meaning of Swami‟s message. I had initially hesitated to, or rather decided not to, take paada namaskaram and only later prayed to Swami for it. Swami too reflected my hesitation by initially “ignoring” my request and then permitting me to touch His feet. To reinforce the lesson, He also clearly conveyed the message that He is a mirror. Swami says that a mirror reflects a small image of us if we stand far away from it. As we come closer to the mirror, our image starts getting larger. He reflects our thoughts, words and deeds – the closer we want Swami to be to us, the closer that we should try to get to Him. And here closeness does not mean just physical proximity. It also means the “closeness” with which we follow Swami‟s teachings. If we hesitate and think God is different from us and far away from us, Swami will reflect a similar feeling. Swami gives a wonderful example through the story of “Gajendra Moksham”. When Gajendra, the King of elephants was trapped by the crocodile, he first shouted to “Vaikunta vaasa” Vishnu to rescue him. In the absence of any reaction, he realized his mistake and prayed to “Atma Nivasi” Narayana who appeared immediately and saved him. Swami says that Vishnu appeared immediately when Gajendra realized that Narayana was in fact dwelling within him. Similarly, we too should not place God at a distance but consider Him as an indweller. The day we realise this and adhere to it, the mirror will disappear and we will be one with the divine. Such realisation is not easy to come by and may take years of practice. If we follow Swami‟s teachings in thoughts, words and deeds, the Divine Mirror will benevolently reflect our love and yearning for Him.

- Bro. Srinivas Rao, Saudi Arabia

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Spiritual Questions The Proper Study of Mankind is Man

What do we mean by the statement „The Proper Study of Mankind is Man?‟ Every human being has latent tendencies as mentioned by sage Manu, the original author of the Dharmasastra (the Code of Conduct for all mankind). In order to study mankind we have to understand man as an actor on the stage in the drama of life called world, with varied roles in different locations and situations - at home, in the family, outside in the society, as a citizen of a country and as a member of mankind. This drama of life with its ever unfolding continual changing roles for the individuals, society and the nations is a well-designed game of the divine master. A great similarity exists between the functioning of the impermanent individual or body, and the functioning of the nature and the world to keep existence - animate and inanimate all in perfect harmony. God is the eternal permanent witness but difficulties arise because man fails to realize that the attributes of the divine also relate to him. Proper Study of Mankind “The proper study of mankind is man”, is one of the most profound statements made by our Bhagavan, to give an important message of oneness to mankind. The full potency of this statement was not first understood until Bhagavan Himself explained it. Bhagavan said, “Suppose you were walking in a forest and a thorn pricks your leg, what would you do?” The devotee said that he would remove the thorn from his leg. And then Bhagavan asked, "How would you do it?" The devotee was rather confused and said "Swami, obviously with my hand." Then Swami explained "Why would you do it? The hand removes the thorn instantly from the leg because the moment the thorn pricks the leg, the hand also feels the pain. The legs and the hand are all parts of one body and every part of the body feels the pain and do not feel different from each other. Though each organ has a specific function to perform - all functions and activities, are related to a common objective, namely that of keeping the body alive. “ The human body is an example of supreme sacrifice. When an organ needs extra energy or assistance in the form of oxygen and blood then the heart immediately responds and begins to pump faster to meet the higher energy demand. All organs co-operate with each other and operate all the time to maintain the balance, protection and harmony whether one is awake or asleep. The billions of cells in the body can be compared to the billions of people in the world. Compare the society to the tissue of which the cell is the part. If the cell is affected, then the tissue and organs are affected. Multiple tissues come together to make an organ. All organs come together to make the gross body. Every member must therefore adopt the human body as a model for his functioning in society based on concern for each other - just as the human body becomes sensitive to the pain in the limb. While the body is bound to perish, God is the in- dweller of the Deha in the form of the eternal Atma. The spirit of love and sacrifice can be fostered in a society where wisdom, scientific achievements, and power and position are not usurped for narrow selfish interests. A tree is a simple example to the contrary. It receives sunlight and water and gives fruits, shade and protection to others. When it has lived its full life, it offers itself as fuel or for other purposes. Paropakarartham Idam Shariram “This body must therefore be utilized in the service of man.”

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Mother Nature is God Swami says that we should not treat Mother Nature as an inanimate thing. She is alive and is the reflection of God; we have to protect her. Baba had also warned that indiscriminate exploitation of mineral resources amounts to getting to the bowels of Mother Earth and destroying them. Without our knowledge, nature‟s fury will ultimately cause terrible damage to humanity. The Hierarchical Relationship Bhagavan mentions that we must conduct ourselves with the feeling of oneness in the 4-tier hierarchy of Vyashti-individual, Samashthi-society, Shrishti-nature and Parameshthi-God. For this purpose, association with good company is essential.. We must make God the centre of our thoughts, words, or deeds and develop Atma Tatwa for the refinement of the heart. And practice Daiva Preethi, Papa Bheethi, Sangha Neethii. or „Love of God, Fear of Sin, and Morality in Society.‟ Shunning excessive desires and developing Ekatmabhava While individuals must put a ceiling on desires and help society and nature to be in harmony, it is important for society to define limits for the development and exploitation of science and technology beyond which it can affect society. It has an obligation to be sensitive to the suffering in poor countries or parts thereof, on account of killer diseases, disasters and other miseries. Rich countries often dump hazardous waste in poor countries regardless of the consequences they have on the health and without realizing that they themselves cannot escape from consequences of either individual or collective karmic injunctions. The individual, the society and the world - all the three are inextricably inter-connected and have to co-exist. The individual's welfare is dependent on the state of the nation. He should strive to develop the sense of Ekathmabhava (spiritual unity of all beings) and utilise his efforts for promoting the interests of the community and the country. Service to society should become the constant concern of the individual. There is no greater quality in man than selfless love, which expresses itself in service to others. Such selfless love is the source of real bliss and his very nature. - Bro. N. Subramanian, Abu Dhabi

Shri Kasturi was with Baba at Benares and was consumed by the desire to receive a Mantra from Swami. Having mentioned this to Baba, he bathed himself in the sacred waters of the Ganges and fasted all morning to receive it. But the morning hours passed. Noon came, but no Mantra! He confessed that by this time he shed tears of disappointment. Then horror of horrors, lunch time came, and he was seated right next to Swami. 'Kasturi, why aren't you eating?' asked Baba, assuming innocence. 'The Mantra...' said the miserable Kasturi. 'What is the purpose of the Mantra?' Swami asked. 'To get closer to the Lord,' Kasturi replied. Baba looked down at Kasturi's arm and then at His own. They were almost touching. 'Well,' Swami smiled and asked, 'How much closer do you want to get?” 17

Speaking Softly and Sweetly: A Few Reflections

“The tongue is liable for four big errors: uttering falsehood, scandalising, finding fault with others, and exces­ sive articulation. These have to be avoided if there is to be peace for the individual as well as for society. The bond of brotherhood will be tightened if people speak less and speak sweetly.” (Sathya Sai Speaks, Volume I) What is the meaning of speaking sweetly and softly? The Bhagavad Gita says “Anudvegekaram Vakyam”:, Speech that does not create pain anger or grief to others. What is the right way to speak the truth? The Shastras say: Sathyam Bruyaath,priyam bruyaath, na bruyaath Sathyam apriyam i.e. speak the truth, speak it pleasingly, never speak the truth which is unpalatable. How to ensure soft and sweet speech? Speak in a calm and pleasing manner, so as to bring about positive emotions or happy smiles on the faces of the people involved. Speech arises out of the thought process. If the thought is good the speech will be good. Such speech results in positive action. “Unity of thought word and speech should reflect purity in thought word and deed”. Why should we speak softly? Swami said, “You cannot always oblige, but you can always speak obligingly”. Harsh speech releases negative vibrations into the surroundings. Even if one is correct, harshly spoken words will most probably be rejected and resented by the receiver. He may react even more harshly. Thus the very purpose of communication is defeated and may elicit a totally unwanted and unanticipated result. Even a disagreement should be communicated in a very diplomatic and soft manner. Physical injury heals over a period of time. But words spoken in a vile and defiling manner can leave a festering scar which can last a lifetime. Where should the habit of soft speech commence? This process should definitely begin at home when their children are very young and impressionable. If parents consciously practise the soft and loving speech at home, the children are bound to follow suit. When there is harmony in the home, there is peace in society. This harmonious habit then cascades to societies, nations and ultimately the world. How is the human value Love connected to soft speech? When people are deeply in love you will find them speaking softly and whispering into each other‟s ears. They do not have to shout to make themselves heard. This means the distance between their hearts is almost nonexistent. In fact if the love is very deep even speech may not be necessary, gestures, nods and smiles are enough. One often experienced this type of communication between Swami and his students. Why do people shout and scream at each other? When people shout at each other they are emphasising that though the physical distance between the persons involved is very small, the distance between their hearts is very large. The voice is directly proportional to the distance between their hearts; (which indicates an absence of love!), and they feel that they have to shout at each other to be heard. Let me conclude with a quotation from the holy bible: “A wholesome tongue is a tree of life: but perverseness therein is a breach in the spirit.”

- Bro. Prakash Ramanandan Nair, Bahrain

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Spiritual Journey

Blessed indeed is the aspirant who has started his spiritual journey. Before the onset of this journey, aspirants generally have a number of perplexing inner queries and undergo a period of utter confusion. The fundamental among these inner queries is “Who am I?” and “What is the purpose of this life?”. This perhaps is the first step. One has to conduct much spiritual study and analysis to get a satisfactory explanation for these confusing inner queries. Then comes help from a real Guru who provides answers to these intricate questions. Again, lucky are those who can get the help of an able spiritual Guru who can steer the spiritual journey of a serious aspirant. Having undertaken the first step, some aspirants are quite satisfied in just getting answers to these questions. Whereas a few of these enthusiastic seekers further explore the realm of spirituality, determine their spiritual goal and begin their spiritual journey by proceeding with to the next step of undertaking the spiritual Sadhana. At this juncture, it is very useful to get the guidance of the Guru to make the journey smooth. Again, not everyone is lucky enough to get such assistance from a true spiritual Guru. Lucky are those who get such a Guru, who initiate the disciples into spirituality, provide the necessary guidance and constantly monitor the spiritual progress. For example, Swami Vivekananda was lucky to get a Guru in Ramakrishna Paramahamsa who maintained that when a true spiritual seeker is mature enough and ready to get the guidance spiritually, the Guru himself will come seeking the disciple, like a honeybee goes in search of honey in the flowers. Similarly, Paramahamsa Yogananda, the great saint and spiritual ambassador who took Indian spirituality to the West during 1920s, his Guru Sri.Yukthewarji was in fact waiting eagerly for his arrival to initiate him and provide guidance. This may happen so in the case of some enlightened and spiritually-realised beings. But in the case of normal seekers, the beginning could be a period of confusion and a struggle before spiritual clarity emerges and the spiritual journey begins. Again here, some seekers take the Sadhana very seriously and put in the necessary efforts whereas some are just happy to begin the journey and remain complacent. Here, we may recall what our Swami repeatedly said that we should not be satisfied with singing bhajans alone, as this is only first step in the spiritual journey and that we need to move on to the next steps in pursuit of God realisation or attainment of Moksha. From this, we can imagine how involved is this spiritual journey, looking at how many aspirants with perseverance continue the journey while moving on to the next mile. Types of Sadhana There is no single prescription for all the Spiritual seekers when it comes to Sadhana Prakriya or practical means. We have many ways oriented to Bhakti Yoga, Jnana Yoga or Karma Yoga as explained in the Bhagavad Geeta. Depending on the attitude and approach of the Sadhaka, any of these paths can be adopted and all these will lead the sadhaka to the goal with equal efficacy. Interested spiritual seekers may read the „Sadhana Panchakam‟ in which Sri Adi Shankaracharya provides 40 steps as a means to achieve the end goal of Moksha. In these 5 verses, Shankara unfolds the entire teaching of the Vedanta. This set of 5 verses provides the means for the end goal of Moksha. However, as our Swami said a number of times, the simplest way to be in communion with the Almighty in this Kali Yuga is continuous Namasmarana. Blessed are those who are in spiritual union with God by incessantly chanting the divine name! - Bro. Subramanya Sastry, Saudi Arabia

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Study Circle Review Anger Management

In a study circle on the topic „Anger and its Management‟ we discussed (i) the reasons for anger, (ii) the impact of anger and (iii) Swami‟s tips on „Anger Management.‟ Some pertinent questions for discussions were: 

What should be the correct response when somebody criticizes us?

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What are the simple tips that Bhagavan gives us for exercising control over anger?

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How does reduction of talk lead to fundamental discrimination?

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How long does it take for the blood that gets heated up during bouts of anger, to cool down? What other problems set in during this period?

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How does Bhagavan quantify the strength that we lose when we get angry?

Anger is the devil that rears its head during the most unexpected, unwanted circumstances and which later makes us remorseful with feelings of regret. This study circle made me reflect upon this devil with which I had a never ending but ever challenging relationship in my life. Swami has spoken at length about the ill effects of anger and the intense need to control one‟s anger. He says, “In our daily lives, we know that when we become angry, our nerves become weak and feeble and we lose grip over ourselves. Even a moment of anger takes away our strength that we gather by eating good food for three months. Anger not only debilitates us and takes away the merit of our good deeds, but also enfeebles our condition.” (Summer Showers -1972). One story which was discussed „The father and the angry boy.‟ This was a story of a bad-tempered boy whose father advised him to hammer nails into the compound wall which stood front of his house whenever he got angry. Angry as always he hammered a lot of nails into the wall. Gradually his anger came under control. Then there came a day of no anger and no nail hammered into the wall. The father was pleased as the boy had learnt to control his anger very well. Later on he told his son to remove each nail whenever a situation arose that he could control his anger effortlessly in spite of any provocation. He slowly removed the nails one by one and the day came when there were no nails on the fence. The child was very happy to show his father the wall without any nails. Father appreciated him over his mastery over anger but showed him the scars that remained on the wall. Swami describes these scars as the after effects of verbal anger which leave indelible scars in our hearts. Why is anger caused? Anger is caused by weakness, not of the body but the mind. The discussion gave us a lot of insights on the causes of anger such as unfulfilled desires, expectations, insults, criticisms, and misuse of sense organs. The session concluded with Swami‟s tips on Anger Management as summarised below: - Continued

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Anger Management             

Drink a cup of cold water slowly so that it will wash away the toxins produced when you are angry. Stop reacting to the situation right away; instead act wisely, calmly and thoughtfully. Never let your tongue react immediately spewing out a torrent of angry words. In domestic issues better go and lie down as it is difficult to argue in that posture. Go for a brisk walk; it will divert your anger. The moment you become aware that anger is rising up, laugh out loudly, if possible. Just leave the place where ever you are and go somewhere else. Stand in front of a mirror and examine your furious face. It is surely make you feel disgusted at your ugly face and you will be able to control it. Inquire into the cause of anger; is it justified? Remember that someone is going to be harmed in this process - you will be committing a sin. Take some time to think things over. If you make some effort to control anger, the effort will strengthen your body and purify your mind. Anger is like car‟s red tail light that comes on as a warning when the car stops. In the same way, before you explode into anger, your eyes become red; you lips began to quier, and whole body become hot. Heed the warning signals act appropriately.

This study circle session marked a significant milestone in my life and led me towards inner transformation.

- Sis. Usha Manoj, Bahrain

Swami and Me

Poem Doors undone, to greet you in—to feel at ease from whirl; Heat outside, when unbearable, I seek your abode to curl. When loud I shriek “There’s no way out!” your shoulder I chance upon; And here unwind my sorrows all, to feel at peace again. With tears of laughter, bubbling over, I spy you join along, No matter how silly a jest I’ve got, you smile for I have smiled; Moments memorable, with you I have shared, to earn the lessons in life, Flipping through those memories with you, I laugh and cry as times. Life slides on, a smoother pace, with you beside my path, Through barren paths I cling onto you, to lend me a helping hand. Solitary walks turn a dream—for you colour it all the way; Traversing along, my bond gets strong - Truly I’m blessed. - Sis. Vidya K. Murkoth, Abu Dhabi

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Sai Bhajan Bina Sukh Shanti Nahin Aao Aao Sainatha ... Swami entered my life as early as 1982 when I was just 6 years old. I had the opportunity to attend Bal Vikas with my elder sister. The Shlokas and bhajans we learnt at such a tender age had a great impact not only on us but on our entire family. My elder sister had the good fortune of performing Mangala Harathi to Swami and I was blessed to render devotional songs in His divine presence during His visit to Abbotsbury in Chennai. This became a stepping stone to our ascent into the Sai mansion. It was in the year 1990 that we came into the fold of Sai organization at His abode “Sundaram” in Chennai. The pure devotion of the bhakthas, their perfect discipline and the sweet melody of bhajans greatly appealed to us. This inspired my elder sister and with Bhagavan‟s grace, she joined the Sri Sathya Sai institute of Higher Learning, Anantapur, in 1992. We had ample opportunities to attend bhajans and nagar sankeerthans. Our passion for music helped us to learn Sai bhajans from the Sundaram bhajan cassettes and other sources. Every bhajan of Bhagavan is uniquely beautiful and captivating. The foremost and the one bhajan which is really dear to my heart is….. Aao Aao Sainatha Aao Aao hey Jaganatha Darshan Key liye taras rahe hain Nayan hamare O Sai Darsha dikhao Daya key sagar Aao Shankar hey Parameshwar This song became dear to me mainly because my beloved mother used to sing it frequently due to the intense connection it helped us to establish with Bhagavan, the solace it gave and of course the tune. This Bhajan appeals me for two reasons - the profound words and the mellifluous tune. It is a loving call from the depth of the devotee‟s heart to Sainatha, who is the master of this universe, to come and reside in his heart. When Sai Jaganatha is enthroned in our heart, where is the need for any fear or anxiety? Swami has assured us “Wherever MY glory is sung, I manifest there”. This song glorifies the Lord by addressing Him as Jaganatha, Shankara, Parameshwara and Dayasagara. The line “Darshan key liye taras rahe hain nayan hamare O Sai” expresses the anguish of the devotee yearning for the Lord‟s darshan. The devotee‟s eyes long for a glimpse of the Lord and he cries “darsha dikhao daya key sagar” meaning “Please give me your darshan O ocean of compassion”. In the third speed the bhajan rises in a crescendo and produces intense vibrations and ends on a note of peace and bliss. As it is sung with love and devotion to Bhagavan, we can actually feel His presence during the flow of the song. “Darsa dikhao daya key sagar” During 1990 and thereafter, the crowd used to swell in Puttaparthi and Sai Kulwant Hall would be filled with devotees. The darshan token would normally not afford us with a seat near Swami. We would be seated behind and sometimes outside the hall awaiting a glimpse of Swami‟s orange robe. At that time, we would silently sing this bhajan. Swami would hear the anguish in our hearts and the next day He would bless us with a delightful close darshan. We once experienced a miracle during a visit to a relative‟s house in Bangalore. It was a pleasant day and we set out in a tourist bus. In the late hours of evening, all of a sudden, dark clouds gathered and a heavy downpour followed. We desperately searched for our bus and realized that we had missed it. It was quite late in the night when we hired an auto and the driver reluctantly agreed to take us. The streets were flooded with water and we had to wade through it under pitch darkness. We were new to Bangalore and the driver missed the main road and took us through a narrow lane. He couldn‟t locate the way, got restless and asked us to hire another auto. The road was totally deserted and no one was to be seen. Desperately, we prayed to Sai Bhagavan to come to our rescue. Wonder of wonders! We saw a man standing in the middle of the road braving the rain and floods. He stopped the vehicle and asked us where we were heading and described a clear route to our destination; by the time we turned to thank him for his kindness, he was nowhere to be seen! Who could be that savior other than our loving SAI MA!! Now, married and settled in Muscat, my husband and I continue to place at Bhagavan‟s Lotus Feet our humblest offerings. My sincere and heartfelt gratitude to members of our Sai group in Oman, to have given me this golden opportunity to share my intense and emotional acquaintance with our dear Lord Bhagavan BABA.

- Sis. Radha Anand, Oman 22

Loving Swami by way of Music touch Your tender feet right now."

“If Music be the food of love, play on” said William Shakespeare in Twelfth Night. The hero Orsino muses that an excess of music might cure his obsession with love for Olivia, just the way that eating too much remove's one's appetite for food. Similarly for me music satiates that hunger for love, in the way that eating to your stomach's content removes your hunger for food. Why was I hungry for Love? Swami is the object of my love. It was not until Swami‟s Mahasamadhi that it dawned on me that Swami is my one and only love. I felt bad about it but was consoled when I realized that Swami has now become more omnipresent and I continued speaking to Swami and confessed my love for Him. And often he seemed to reciprocate On the 27th July 2012, just three hours after I returned to Oman following a fruitful vacation in India I began missing India, particularly Puttaparthi so much that I longed to experience Swami's physical form intensely. I cried and couldn't rest and felt that only good music could provide some solace. So I unpacked all the bags to find the Bhavanjali 5 that I bought in Parthi. I slipped the CD into the CD player and the beautiful narration began followed by soulstirring bhajans. I could totally relate to the bhajan „Daya Karo Hey Karunamurthi‟ sung by Shri Ravi Kumar. I went on listening. How did music satisfy that hunger for Love?

When the bhajan Karunamayi Janani Maa began playing, I stopped what I was doing, sat down and closed my eyes. As I listened to the bhajan, I could totally relate to the feel of the bhajan and every time the singer sang the word 'Maa', the feeling was so scintillating that my heart cried out “Maa” to Swami. A beautiful scene flashed across my closed eyes and every line took me closer to Swami. This was a “gifted” visualization, because I did not make any effort to visualize. It just unfolded and all I did was to close my eyes. The setting is tSai Kulwant Hall, Swami is seated on the dais,I am seated in a corner, somewhere close to the first pillar on the ladies side. I can see Swami very clearly. The bhajan plays in the background. KarunamayiJanani Maa Prema Swaroopini Maa Hridaya Nivasini Sai Maa Abhaya Pradayini Sai Maa Gana Vinodini Maa Sai Maa, Sai Maa Karunamayi Janani Maa; "Swami! Please show mercy on me! I am not able to take this. I just want to look into Your eyes and say that I love you soooo much, though I know that what I have to say has already reached You. " Prema Swaroopini Maa: "Maa, Your love attracts me so much and I just want to run up to You. I am not able to contain myself. How I wish I can

Hridaya Nivasini Sai Maa: After all this pleading He did not seem to do anything, so I cry, "You reside in my heart and still You act like You don't know what my heart wishes to do and say." I cry more as my pining intensifies and I can't bear it any longer. It seems likes Swami under­ stands this and it was at that point of time, Swami's eyes and my eyes meet and He gestures in a beautiful and cute manner to come up to Him. I then walk to Him, I run to Him. Abhaya Pradayini Sai Maa: I run up to Him, cling to His feet and say,"Swamiii!!! I love You soooo much". I then look deeper into His eyes that assure me of love, peace and fearlessness forever. I break down, when Swami pats my cheeks, to bring me back to my senses and signals me to take paadanamaskar. I should say those soft lo­ tus feet are heaven, I need nothing else.

Gana Vinodini Maa Sai Maa, Sai Maa: As I finish taking padanamaskar, Swami, in His beau­ tiful, very sweet and loving voice tells me, "I love you so much. I love you so much and, I love you so much, My child!" With that, the “gifted” visualization comes to an end but it feels so real. I can feel my eyes wet with tears that got converted to tears of happiness, gratitude and bliss from tears of sorrowful pining and loss. Since then, the bhajan Karunamayi Janani Maa has become one of my favourites and a bhajan I wouldn't mind listening to a gazillion times. My day is never complete without listening to this bhajan at least ten times. Karunamayi Janani Maa has become a part of me, a prayer in itself, a meditation. Every time I listen to it or sing it, I hear Swami‟s voice. This is when I am reminded of a few lines I heard a long time ago: "At times I catch the echo of Thy voice In my song. Then, my madness grows with joy and I sing again, Not to hear my voice, but, To catch the echo of Thy voice In my song." This is exactly what I feel every time I listen to this bhajan. And thus, music and bhajans have satiated my hunger for Love. Music is not just a vehicle for the description of God's glory but it also elevates and produces a feeling of ecstasy.

- Sis. Sreenidhi Sivakumar, Oman 23

Shirdi Sayi Dwarka Mayi …..

Shirdi Sai Dwaraka Mayi Prasanthi Vasi Sairam Sairam Sairam Ek Naam Sundara Naam Allah Iswar Sairam Parthipuri Ke Hey Bhagwan Daya Karo Daya Karo Daya Karo Hey Bhagwan Daya Karo Kripa Karo Raksha Karo Hey Bhagwan Sairam Sairam Ek Naam Sundara Naam The meaning of this bhajan is O lord Sai of Shirdi, O lord Sai of Prashanti Nilayam. You are known by one beautiful name "Sairam". You are Allah, You are Iswara, You are the lord of Parthi. Please have mercy on us .Please be kind to us. Please protect us. This bhajan has deep meaning, and creates a yearning to be with Sai all the time. When I chant His divine name in this bhajan it makes me feel closer to Swami. My son, who will soon be three years old, is also very fond of this bhajan and sings this bhajan very nicely, making this bhajan even more special to me! - Sis Nisha Ramamurthy, Saudi Arabia

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Bhava in Bhajan Singing Bhava is the emotional aspect of music. It brings forth the Bhakti or the yearning of the singer. The experience of the ecstasy is conveyed through the song and the impact of this on the singer as well as the listener is inexplicable. Bhava refers to intense love for the Lord expressed through the sweetness of music. Hence there should be a proper harmony of one's feelings and emotions coupled with raga and tala. There are six types of Bhava as revealed by Swami. Shantha Bhava Loving God with a feeling of equanimity of mind

Sakhya Bhava Loving God as a friend

Dasya Bhava Loving God as one's Master and dedicating oneself to His service

Praising the Lord, unperturbed by ups and downs, bearing all the vagaries of fortune as His play. In the Mahabharata, Bhishma is fortified with his attitude. He was calm and composed even when Krishna was advancing towards him to kill him, and looking at Krishna with intense Bhakti Bhava.

Arjuna trusted Krishna as his most intimate friend and confided in Him as a comrade. This too is an attitude that will attach us to divinity and sublimate the lower impulses .

This is the path of Hanuman in the Ramayana. He served the Lord as a faithful unquestioning servant. He had no wish or will of his own. His prayer was to always be a fit instrument for the purposes of his Master.

Vatsalya Bhava Loving God as one's child and assuming the role of a mother.

Anuraga Bhava Loving God as one's Beloved

Madhura Bhava

This is exemplified best and in the purest form in the Gopis. They installed the Lord in their hearts, rid themselves of all earthly attachments and lived only in His contemplation, all thoughts, words and deeds being dedicated to Him.

Radha was overpowered by this Bhava. She saw, heard, tasted, sought and gained only that sweetness at all times and at all places. She made no distinction between Nature and Nature's God.

Yashoda, the foster Mother of Krishna can be taken as the ideal example for this type of Bhava. Though she had a series of experiences of Krishna's divinity, she prefers to serve Him as His mother and adore Him as her son.

- Sis. Mahalakshmi, Dubai

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Sai Experiences Swami‟s Love towards His Devotees

During 1978-79 when I was in Shimoga, Karnataka, I was on the lookout for places where Sai activities were in progress as I wanted to participate in Swami‟s work.On a Thursday evening, with Swami‟s grace, I located a bhajan mandir and began participating in Swami‟s activities. One fine Sunday, there was a group wedding celebration (Samuhika Kalyanam) for which Shri N.Kasturi, the first editor of the magazine Sanathana Sarathi, was the special invitee. For this celebration, couples from poor families from remote villages were selected and their parents and relatives were invited. Volunteers were given the tasks of decorating kalyana pandals for each couple, preparing delicious food items for lunch and all the mandatory items required. I was in charge of cutting vegetables and looking after the open kitchen activities. During this seva, Shri Kasturi visited. Seeing me at work he smiled and patted my shoulder. I also got the opportunity to have his padanamaskaram at the end of the celebrations. My respect to Swami and Shri Kasturi are one and the same since Shri Kasturi was so close to Swami. In this way, I got Swami‟s first padanamaskaram through Shri Kasturi. During 1979-1981, I was working in Mumbai where I spent my Sundays and holidays in Bhajans, service activities etc at Sathya Deep (Dharma-kshetra) in Andheri. During this period, Swami visited Mumbai to inaugurate the stadium. I was with a group of Seva Dals in charge of crowd-control at the entrance of the mandir. The crowd was in thousands that day and it was a difficult task to control them. As Swami gave darshan to the gathering I had a deep feeling in my heart to have Swami‟s close darshan for the first time in my life. Just then, lo and behold. Swami came walking all the way from the stadium to the entry point of the mandir where I stood. Thus Swami fulfilled my inner desire to have His first physical darshan. My joy knew no bounds In 1990, Swami‟s 65th birthday celebrations along with a World Conference and several inaugurations took place at Prasanthi Nilayam; I was blessed to participate for 13 days as a Seva Dal volunteer. I was excited about this opportunity as it meant doing service directly in His divine presence. I decided that whatever work was allotted to me I would do it with a lot of sincerity. Swami blessed us in abundance as I was given duty along with a few other Seva Dals at the inauguration of the Shiva statue and the Ganga waterfall. Since the time given was very little and Swami was to arrive soon after inaugurating the Hanuman statue on the hill, we completed the cleaning work and made a smooth path for Swami. I made a colourful rangoli at the center place of the ribbon-cutting area. When Swami arrived, he walked straight towards the ribbon and stood at the center of the rangoli. He took the scissor from the plate I was holding, looked at me and the rangoli at His feet and smiled. Then He cut the ribbon and inaugurated the Shiva statue and the Ganga waterfall. Immediately after the inauguration we were given volunteer duty at Hill View Stadium which was to be Inaugurated by Swami along with the then Prime Minister, Shri P. V. Narasimha Rao. The entire flower decoration of the Hill View Stadium and its surroundings, seating arrangements for VIPs, readying the team for musical and instrumental presentations and arrangement of Swami‟s chair were all to be managed by us. We were immensely lucky to have His darshan at very close proximity for all the three days. What else does a person need in his life time than this great darshan of Swami, that too during his first visit to Puttaparthi? If we pray to Swami for something, Swami provides a hundred times more than we expect. We get immersed in his divine motherly love which is supreme and beyond human comprehension. Since the 65th birthday celebrations, I have participated as a Seva Dal volunteer in Prasanthi Nilayam almost every year, continuously for 17 years. I have been blessed with the opportunity to perform day and night seva at almost every location in Prashanti Nilayam including Swami‟s residence and Sai Kulwant Hall during darshan time! All these opportunities were due to His infinite grace and His immeasurable love for His devotees.

- Bro. Govinda Rao Ratnala, Abu Dhabi

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The Omnipresent, Omniscient Swami We have experienced several incidents of our beloved Bhagwan‟s omnipresence and omniscience. Here is a recent incident that happened during the Narvarathri celebrations in Bahrain in 2014. It was the day of the sacred Saraswathi pooja. Our Bhajan convener asked me to sing my favorite Bhajan, “Jagadheeswari Jaya Maatha Bhavani”, by our Bhajan convener. As the harmonist was from a different samithi, he was not familiar with the tune and style with which I used to sing this specific song. We tried to work out the scale and the song but both of us uncomfortable. A Sai sister tried to help, but she sang a completely different version and the harmonist and I got even more confused. Consequently, the fear took over. The harmonist was contemplating switching from Harmonium to Tabla to give me and the song a slip! I, on the contrary, was contemplating switching from “Jagadheeswari” to “Om Jaya Jagadheesa Hare” as both bhajans have “Jagadhees” in common! At that juncture we remembered Swami‟s Maha Vaakhya “Why Fear, When I Am Here” and decided not to create a revolution by conducting a bhajan session with just a tabla and no harmonium and two Arathi songs, that too right in the middle of the bhajans. We looked at Swami‟s picture and prayed intensely, noticed His mysterious smile, but failed to understand the significance. We decided to leave the results to Swami and went ahead; the song came out well with Bhava. Both of us were satisfied and thanked each other and Swami for rescuing us. The next day was Vijaya Dasami and I was preparing for a brief talk fand was referring to the Radio Sai site. I have never looked at the detailed program schedule of Radio Sai and incidentally for the first time, I looked at it, was taken aback and pleasantly surprised. That day‟s Bhajan tutor song was none other than “Jagadheeswari Jaya Maatha Bhavani”. Immediately I realized the significance of the mysterious smile on Swami‟s face the previous day. After all He had been listening to us while we were discussing the song and not only saved us by supporting us during the Bhajan but decided to give us the correct tune through Radio Sai the very next day. This reinforced my faith in the omnipresence and omniscience of our beloved Swami and in His Maha Vaakhya and commitment “ Why Fear, When I am Here”. With this reassurance let us live a life according to His other Maha Vaakhyas as well “Life is a challenge – Meet it”. “Life is a dream – Realize it”. “Life is a game – Play it”. “Life is Love – Enjoy it”. Let us also follow His Maha Vaakhya - “Start the day with Love, Spend the day with Love, Fill the day with Love and end the day with Love”.

Swami and Me Date; 10th Aug. Year: 2010. Location: Sai Kulwant Hall, Time: 5.10 pm. These dimensions of time and location will be forever locked in my memory, as I had the most blissful opportunity to have a conversation with GOD. Parthi Yatra is always special in many ways, as we are switched off from the outside world, immersed in Seva, Vedam, Bhajans and Satsang from morning till night. We just don‟t seem to miss TV, radio, newspapers and somehow we are filled with tremendous energy to be involved in doing good, listening to good in the company of spiritually -elevated people. During these Parthi Yatras one gets an opportunity to be seated in the first darshan row of the group by rotation. On this auspicious day in 2010, I was not originally meant to be seated in the first row. At the very last minute, a few minutes before Swami‟s arrival, a dear brother from Bahrain lovingly insisted that I take his place in the first row. I took his place and as Swami came for Darshan amidst chanting of Purusha suktam (incidentally this was the first Suktam I taught myself and my favourite Suktam). I was chanting and praying fervently, and I happened to carry an invite for my father‟s 80th birthday in the Vedam book. Swami‟s wheel-chair stopped a few feet in front of me and somehow magically His eyes lovingly turned towards me and He spoke very softly. I was not certain whether it was meant for me, at the same time I did not want to invite the displeasure of Seva Dals by jumping forward. Then I realized He was speaking to me and I went closer. For some reason He asked me in Hindi, “Kitne log aye ho?” While I I had a reasonable idea of the number, I stammered and replied in English “Nine hundred, Swami”. Swami smiled; perhaps He knew that the number was wrong, All this while I was enjoying the fragrance of Vibhuti and I then gathered courage and asked Swami whether I could have Padanamaskar, He smiled and sweetly indicated that I could. I was delighted and enjoyed the grace and blessings of Swami. This was the most wonderful experience of my life. That evening I told my wife that I had had a conversation with God! I am indebted to the loving brother from Bahrain without whose gesture, I wouldn‟t have had the opportunity to receive the blessing of the Lord. The experience completely transformed me and reinforced my faith in the power of prayers.

- Bro. Prakash, Dubai

With His reassurance of His omnipresence and His commitment that He will take care of us, let us all participate in continuing His work by “Loving All and Serving All”. - Bro.

Sriram Ananthanarayan, Bahrain 27

My Journey Towards Sai Bhagavan My journey towards Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba began when I got married in 1985. When I saw my wedding invitation card printed by my In-laws, I was amused to see my name mentioned as “Sai Geetha” with the photo of Swami printed on the front side of the invitation card. Though I had heard a lot about Sri Sathya Sai Baba and His miracles, I was not fully aware of Him in those days. I understood later that my In-laws had posted the very first marriage invitation card to Swami. Swami appeared in a dream to my father-in-law the day after our wedding day and enquired in Tamil, “Kalyanam nanna nadanthutha?” which translates as “Did the wedding go well?” I landed in Dubai for the first time on 23rd November 1985, on Swami‟s birthday. I had to return to India in the year 1987 due to the sudden demise of my father. I was feeling very depressed due to my father‟s death and my sister-in-law suggested a trip to Puttaparthi. My husband also liked the idea as he had not visited Puttaparthi. When we went to have the darshan of Swami, we heard that He had gone to Brindavan, and would return only after a week. We were disappointed. However, we decided to stay back in the ashram for three days as per our original plan. We visited the Samadhi of Swami‟s parents, His birth place, Kalpaka vriksham etc and returned without having the Darshan of Swami. I got another opportunity to have the darshan of Swami during our visit to Bangalore in 1990. Again fate played a mischief as my then six-month-old son fell sick and I again missed darshan. However, my mother, husband and brother-in-law went to the ashram and were blessed to have darshan of Bhagavan. My husband was very pleased. When our son grew up, we enrolled him in the Bal Vikas classes. We also used to accompany our son to the Easwaramma Day programs conducted every year in Dubai. In 2002, I happened to get acquainted with a Sai devotee family living in the building next to ours. I started attending Sai bhajans at their house on Thursdays. Many Sai devotees would also attend bhajans and I was fortunate to hear from them about many miracles of Swami which boosted my faith in Him. My intensity to have darshan of Bhagawan increased day-by-day and finally, it seemed, He heard my prayer. I was blessed to visit Parthi in 2002 and had a gratifying Darshan of Swami. Thereafter, I visited Puttaparthi several times.

The year 2009 was a turning point in my spiritual journey towards Sai Bhagavan. With His blessings, I received an opportunity to be a part of the Sai Pilgrimage. I was blessed to have the padanamaskaram of Bhagavan and receive vibhuthi prasadam from His holy hands. I could still see very vividly in my mind the scene of Bhagavan slowly walking towards me and staring at my tearful eyes for a few seconds. His compassionate look was like magic as my attitude towards life completely changed. I tried to adopt Swami‟s advices in my daily life, be it at home or in the office. My love and devotion to Swami increased. I began to get involved in the activities in the Sai Mandir in Dubai and became a member of the Shakti Wing, the women‟s Seva team. I had also received Bhagavan‟s darshan at close proximity during my second Sai Pilgrimage in 2010. We miss Bhagavan‟s physical presence. Whenever my inner mind asks Him, “Why did you go away leaving us alone?” He spontaneously replies with a beautiful smile, “Bangaru, I have not gone anywhere. I am always here. You come and go. You can always find me in your inner heart. For that you have to develop purity, selfless love and do selfless service. Transform yourself and be a part of My Mission”. My journey will continue further until I transform to the stage “Be Sai and see Sai in everyone and everywhere”.

- Sis. Geetha Veeraraghavan, Dubai 28

Who Am I ? The question “Who Am I” used to often come up in my mind. I once prayed to Swami in my heart and asked him, “Please tell me who I am”, but he didn‟t respond. This question just wouldn‟t go away and I felt sad about not getting a proper answer from my own Baba who had created me. With a heavy heart one day I prayed to Swami and went to sleep. That night, Swami blessed me with a dream. In the dream, Swami took me to a wonderful garden. This place seemed very familiar to me. I saw many beautiful golden flowers, the leaves and the fragrance of the flowers were wonderful. This familiar place had transformed to a beautiful and divine place now. I was walking with Swami through the garden feeling intensely happy that I was walking with the Lord of the Universe. Suddenly Swami stopped and sat down on a chair. In front of us were four colorful balloons. The first balloon had the word “Daughter” printed on it, the second balloon had “Friend”, and the third balloon had “Wife”, while the fourth balloon had the word “Mother”. I was excited to see the colorful balloons and I asked Swami “Swami, did you bring these balloons for me?” and Swami answered “Yes, my dear, just for you.” After a while Swami asked me to release the balloons one by one into the air. I hesitated because I loved the balloons. Swami said “You love balloons because I brought these for you, right? Then don‟t you love your Swami?” Tears rolled down my cheeks and I said “Swami, I love you only”. Swami then said, “I will now tell you something which will answer your question”. “You were born in this world as a daughter to your parents,” Swami explained, “then you were a good friend to your friends, and later when you got married you became a wife and when you had kids you became a mother. You have been acting perfectly in all these roles. But do you want to know who you really are? Look, once you release the four balloons what would remain here?” I looked around in confusion and said, “Swami, only you and me.” Swami then said, “I wanted to teach you that you and I are one. You are divine like me and when you offer all your acts to me your whole life becomes divine.”

Start the Day with Love

I started realizing that our dear sweet Swami is always listening and responding to us. I strongly feel that when we leave our ego, admit our mistakes and sincerely follow the path of love for others, our Swami is really happy and makes us feel the bliss. For almost over a month, I was not well as my blood pressure was constantly high and the doctor advised me to start medications immediately. However, I was not at all keen on taking medication for this. I requested him to give me some more time before starting the medication, as I wanted to control the blood pressure through diet and some exercise. My doctor agreed and advised me to report to him after taking blood pressure readings for three consecutive weeks. In the meanwhile, I had some differences of opinion with a friend and had an argument. Following this, I was very upset and disturbed. That night, I contemplated having a conversation with Swami and decided that everyone is right in their own ways. We have to accept them as they are. The next day, I sent a message to my friend conveying my apologies and I explained that we should all have love for all. My friend responded positively and I felt very peaceful and happy. The very same day I had my appointment with my doctor. I was very sure that he would advise me to start the medication which was very much against my heart‟s earnest desire. When I entered the clinic, checked my weight, blood pressure, pulse rate and sugar levels were checked. I was waiting for the doctor‟s response. These are the words he uttered, which are still lingering in my mind, "Masha Allah....No Medicine. Your readings are good and you have reduced weight. It is a good improvement and continue the same diet you were following and be happy”. I literally jumped out of the seat and asked him, “No medicine... no medicine.. sure ?” and he started laughing seeing my expression of joy. In my mind, I started saying, “Sairam..Sairam.. Thank you Swami”. I narrated this incident to my same friend. Swami made me realize that when we do good deeds without any ego or expectation, good results will follow.

“You and I are one”; what a profound answer. Swami chooses you to be with him and he decides what you have to do. It‟s the good karma of my parents that today I am in Swami‟s fold and that he makes me work as a small drop in His big ocean of divine work.

Swami keeps showing His presence in our everyday life. We just need to keep ourselves open to receive and feel His Divine Grace.

- Sis. Rama Suresh, Saudi Arabia

Thank you Swami for everything. We love you!

- Sis. Sangeetha Bhanumurthy, Kuwait

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Ask Only Swami Ask only Swami... Stretch your hands only before Swami and HE will give you everything!!!! You don't have to approach anybody else! I was once interacting with a Sai brother from Salem in Tamilnadu. He mentioned to me that his brother‟s daughter, a mother of two children, was facing some difficulties in her marriage. Her husband, the only earning member of the family, was addicted to alcohol and could not live without it even for a day. Unable to bear the difficult situation, she parted ways from her husband and started living with her parent‟s. The children however continued to stay with their father. On her behalf, I prayed to Bhagavan and also placed a prayer request at the local bhajan centre after the weekly Bhajans. Accordingly the prayer was offered during one of the Thursday Bhajan sessions. The following week, this Sai Brother from Salem rang me up and told me that his his niece‟s husband visited her, apologized and promised to stop drinking alcohol; he requested his wife to come back home as he and their children were now leading a happy and peaceful life. My Sai brother was thrilled on this miracle of Bhagavan. On another occasion I received a call from a Sai sister from Parthi saying that her uncle had all of a sudden, developed problems in walking and was bedridden. She requested me to pray for her uncle. A prayer request was placed at the Lotus Feet of Bhagavan that Thursday at after bhajans, and with Swami‟s Divine grace her uncle became alright. Today he is walking well. I would like to share another incident. At a restaurant where I have lunch every day, an employee of the restaurant told me about his sister who couldn‟t walk and was bedridden and asked if a prayer request could be made on Thursday. I did this and a few days later I got a call from the person in the restaurant saying that his sister was fine with good health and he thanked Swami and the devotees for their prayer. A couple of years ago I received a text message from a friend seeking financial aid for his mother‟s surgery. At that time, I was short of money and so prayed Swami to help me overcome this situation. A neighbor who is a computer service engineer dropped in for a visit, and I shared the situation with him. He offered me some money that he had earned by way of servicing laptops and requested me to give the same to my friend for his mother‟s surgery. I offered my sincere thanks to our Bhagavan for helping us in the form of this person. - Bro.Rajakumar

Apparasu, Oman

My Pathway to Confidence I came like a pebble, rolled and gathered momentum. Initially, after coming to Swami‟s fold in the year 2000 in Muscat, I would attend bhajans and was quite happy doing whatever came my way. Gradually an inner joy seemed to take over and I began to make resolutions and belief statements; one such statement was “Never Say NO To Swami‟s Work”. In 2007, I was attending a bhajan session in a local Sai center. The coordinator approached me and asked if I could play the role of Sri Krishna in a drama scheduled to be staged for Swami‟s 82 nd birthday programme. I had never acted in a drama before but I was bound by my internal resolution: “Never Say No to Swami‟s Work”. Initially, due to a lack of confidence, I tried to reason out all sorts of excuses, hoping to be rejected. But the coordinator would not let me off and was persistent. Practice sessions commenced and the play was finally staged. When my turn came, I was mentally, with eyes shut, holding Swami‟s feet and telling myself, “Here I Go, Swami, You take Charge”. The play was well received and appreciated by the audience. The next year, another play was staged. Here I got the opportunity to do the role of a devotee coming to the aid of an egoistic person at the time of his loss of wealth. My role included encouraging dialogues such as “Swami does not call the qualified, He qualifies the called….” There was thunderous applause from audience after every such dialogue. Though these statements were told as a part of my role in the drama, the purpose was becoming clearer as time progressed. Once again by mentally holding on to Swami‟s feet, this role was enacted. In 2010, in yet another play I got the opportunity to perform the role of a village school master. My inner voice kept prodding me to develop self-confidence. It was asking me to perform my role with full understanding that Swami will take care. I could then feel that there was a change, an internal change, was happening within me, prompting me to take those initial steps with confidence. All this was possible because of the opportunities and Love that one gets from Swami and from members of the Sai family. I am ever indebted to the wonderful Sai organization that Swami has given us.

- Bro. Santosh, Oman 30

Why Am I Here? I have always wondered whether we were sent to a foreign country by Him or by our own free will. My contention is that even if we think that we have come here on our own, His unseen hands would surely have helped us. For example, the immigration process might get derailed on the slightest pretext if we were not meant to go abroad. Although it is futile to attempt to understand His plans, I am convinced that we are replanted by Him in foreign lands. I myself did not harbour a yearning to come to the Gulf. When I saw a few relatives living a good life in India after working in the Gulf, I decided to consider moving to the Gulf. It seems logical to think that as He wanted me to move here, He instilled that interest in me, and I was then subsequently „brought‟ here. Now the question is, why me? Why not my good old friends from similar backgrounds who stayed back in India? Was it merely to earn more money and live a comfortable life? I can state emphatically that I have been relocated to do His work, to play a small role which He ordained for me in His grand plan. But how could I have done my bit by myself? From where would I draw inspiration? How could I obtain the skills and attitude without becoming a part of His organization and without working in accordance with the guidelines given by Him? Here‟s a relevant quote from Sathya Sai Speaks: “Society for man is like water for fish: if society rejects or neglects him, he cannot survive. What a single individual cannot accomplish, a well-knit group or society can achieve. A man walking alone may feel tired and miserable at the end of five miles; but, walking with ten others as a group he would find the five miles a jaunt; he will arrive refreshed and strong.” Thus, after making me a member of His organization, and allowing me to participate in the service activities and thereby allowing me to enjoy HIS blessings, I would be right in assuming that He wants me to do more, much more. This understanding has led me to realize that I should take up more and more responsibility in His organization and work towards contributing my small bit to His mission, while at the same time evolving spiritually and transforming myself. But can I not contribute without assuming a position of responsibility? Yes, sure I can, but as I would then not be bound by the requirements associated with that role and thereby not being answerable to anybody I may develop the tendency to delay or defer my contribution. Then I would not be doing what He wants me to do and then I would not qualify to be called a Seva Dal volunteer. A Seva Dal volunteer should be ever ready to attend the call of the duty of service. After having understood that I am here to do Sai service, the question that keeps nagging me is, “How will I manage my other duties?” This process of questioning has left me pondering and has pushed me to reconsider the priorities in my life. I have realized that I should develop a sense of bonding with the activities of HIS organization, which will help me develop a clear perception of the priority of the duty that I have towards His organization. Come what may, I should not push to second place the duties demanded by the responsibilities that I have assumed, unless there is an urgent professional or office-related or personal work. I certainly feel that with a little effort, I can ensure that my duties in the Sai Organization are not relegated to the second level of priorities. Finally, I am happy to note that my thoughts have now started developing along the right lines, just the way He would want …. Thank you, dear Swami. - Bro. Sanjeev Menon, Kuwait (Bro Sanjeev Menon served as Chairman, SSSSO Kuwait during 2013-14 - Editor)

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“What about the animals? They need help too. My love embraces the animal kingdom as well as the human kingdom and so should yours………. ..it should not just be limited to human beings.”

Our Beloved‟s Selfless Love For All Beings Swami had two pet elephants, Sai Geeta and Sathya Geeta. We know about Sai Geeta's unconditional love for Swami. . Whenever Swami went out, she was seen crying. Once Swami was back to Parthi, she would very happy. She received the special gift of love from Swami. After Sai Geeta merged with Swami, Sathya Geeta came to Swami‟s residence. She was also very cute like Sai Geeta and was also very attached to our Beloved Swami. During March 15th to 30th 2011, we were in Parthi for Seva. After giving special darshan for first batch Seva Dals, Swami went for his medical check-up. A day later, Swami got admitted to the Super Specialty Hospital. We heard the news that Swami went in an ambulance. We were speechless. We went near Swami„s residence and with eyes full of tears, prayed to Bhagavan to get back to Prashanti Nilayam soon. In front of Swami‟s residence, Sathya Geeta was waiting for Swami to come back. Her mahout told her, “Come we will go to our place now and once Swami is back, we will come and have darshan”. Sathya Geeta was adamant. She did not budge from the place. I cried loudly seeing Sathya Geeta„s love towards Swami! .She was only a calf that time. Sathya Geeta also reached Swami‟s charan after Swami left His physical body. She could not bear the loss her beloved Swami! I will always remember the love that Sai Geeta and Sathya Geeta had for Swami and Swami‟s love for them. Their love and devotion towards Swami are lessons for us.

- Sis Jeyanthi, Saudi Arabia

Why should you argue that animals, beasts and birds are bad? Each is treading its own dharma. They have greater cooperation and mutual love than even men. Each has to be judged from the point of view of the equipment and the opportunity. Man can live better if he learns from animals. He is degrading himself even lower. When the Lord incarnates, He has as one of His tasks the protection of sadhus, or beings with quiet innocent nature. Among animals are countless sadhus,remember”. (from Questions and Answers: Sai Baba and John Hislop) 32

Lessons Learned on April 24, 2014

During Mahasamadhi Aradhana Mahostav 2014, we decided to stage a skit. And right from the beginning, we faced a series of challenges. The time was short and we couldn‟t find anyone to write the script. Then started my inner conversation with Swami - please rescue us Swami, I murmured. Within a matter of days, a student of Swami‟s school who came to Kuwait for his vacation agreed to write the script and handed over the same a day later. We liked the script and decided to go forward with selecting the seven characters that the script demanded. Then sprouted another challenge. Members were reluctant to come forward to act, as they were concerned about the lack of sufficient time for rehearsals. On the other hand, the program coordinator was rightfully very concerned and I could not see a way forward. Our Friday bhajans came up and I offered the script at the Lotus Feet of Bhagavan and sat through the bhajans praying intensely. Please rescue, Swami, please solve this problem. After the bhajans, I collected the script from the altar and approached the members again; lo and behold, the same members who had earlier declined, now readily agreed. I remembered Swami‟s assurance “If you take one step towards me…..” The next nine days were an unforgettable journey for us all; we experienced Swami‟s unseen hand, gently pushing and supporting us at every step. Somehow Swami provided the words that improved the script, bringing out His messages with clarity. We had very little time for rehearsals and our actors had to find time among their other professional and personal commitments.. For only 3 rehearsals did we have all the actors present at the same place and the same time! We kept forgetting our dialogues and this added to our nervousness. Finally the D Day arrived. We were tense, but we decided to just surrender to Him. We prayed intensely and as our skit was announced, we trooped on to the stage. The next 25 minutes were a mix of excitement and enjoyment. We did not feel that we were acting; instead we felt that we were just witnessing something being enacted by others. We forgot ourselves, but not our dialogues! Our moves, our gestures and our dialogues just flowed flawlessly as though we were puppets being put through the paces by the Divine Puppeteer. And the amazing thing was that none of us had ever acted on stage before!

When the program concluded, we listened to the positive feedback from our brothers and sisters and realized that we had done justice to our job. But here‟s something interesting. The skit we had enacted was based on the theme - “Prayer and God‟s grace are needed to attain success, not human effort alone”. If I felt that we had succeeded presenting a good skit only based on our hard work and efforts, I would not have learned anything from the experience. I was totally convinced that it was Swami‟s abundant grace and love that brought out the inherent talents and strengths in our members. I realized that when we pray intensely and surrender to Him, He makes things happen. - Bro. Sudhir Sahoo, Kuwait

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Sai Divaaynubhutulu Was I Reborn? Way back in 1983, when I was a 5 month old baby, my native place Tanuku in Andhra Pradesh was completely flooded. I was crying continuously for no reason. My parents took me to hospital, several tests were performed, all of which were normal. But I continued to cry. The doctor advised that the only solution for this was to remove fluid from my hip bone and send it to Bombay. Doctor cautioned my parents that it was risky test. He asked my parents to sign a No Objection Certificate (NOC) if they wanted the test to be done. My grandparents, parents and aunts were crying. Suddenly, all of them noticed that Swami came to me carrying a doctor‟s bag, caressed me with his hand on my back, smiled at everyone and went directly into the doctors‟ room. After some time, all of them saw Swami coming back to me; He caressed me again and gave padanamaskaarams to my mother and my aunt and left. Everyone thought it was just a dream. When the doctor came to us the next morning, my said that he was ready to sign the NOC, he said to my father‟s utter surprise “The test is not required right now. Let us wait for few more days and then decide”. I was given antibiotics and I was fine after that. When my mom narrated this incident to me, I wondered “Was I reborn that day?” Aksharabhyasam (When I wrote my First Words Ever) My mother was sitting in the 7th row in Prashanti Nilayam, waiting for Swami‟s darshan. She had with her a slate and a piece of chalk as she wanted Swami to perform my Aksharabhyasam. She was disappointed that Swami may not do this as she was seated in 7th row and Swami would not be coming to our side. Swami came towards the gents‟ side and slowly started walking towards the ladies‟ side. Suddenly a foreigner, who was sitting in the 1st row, turned back and signalled to my mother to send me to her. My mother was confused and she ignored her. But again she signalled and my mom sent me with the slate and chalk piece in my hand. As soon as I went to the first row, Swami came, took me in his arms and made me write my first words “OM” on the slate. He also caressed my cheeks and lowered me down and smiled at my mother and left. And that is how Swami started my education. Do not fear when I am here I was working for a bank in Hyderabad until 2008. I received an offer letter from my employer in Saudi Arabia to work for a bank in Saudi Arabia. I am a good mimicry artist and a singer of cinema songs. With Swami‟s grace, I have given few performances as well. I rarely sang Swami‟s bhajans. It was on 8th June 2008, I had a dream where I saw Swami in Shivam, Hyderabad telling me while giving Padanamaskaram “Do you think I will leave you? Don‟t fear. I will never leave you. Do not leave your Art” and then again on 12th June 2008 I got a dream where I was crying and hugged Swami. He said again “Don‟t worry I will not leave you”. I landed in Riyadh in June 2008. Three months later I was giving a mimicry and singing performance in the Malayalam and Tamil Association of Riyadh. One person there asked me whether I was a Sai Devotee, and if I would be interested to join the samithi and sing bhajans. It was indeed a pleasant surprise that a Sai samithi existed in a country like Saudi Arabia. Later, I understood the essence of my dreams and with no hesitation accepted his offer happily and became a member of the Sai Family in Riyadh. Is this not Swami‟s Grace? I feel our Samithi is blessed by Swami and His omnipresence is there in our Samithi.

- Bro. Sai Vijay Krishna, Saudi Arabia

Why Fear when I am here ? Let your faith in Me be strong. I shall guide you and guard you. -Sai Baba 34

Practical Spirituality Maintaining Silence is a Step in Sadhana “You feel the presence of God when silence reigns. In the excitement and confusion of the marketplace, you cannot hear His Footfall. He is Shabdabrahma, resounding when all is filled with silence. That is why I insist on silence, the practice of low speech and minimum sound. Talk low, talk little, talk in whispers, sweet and true. When you want to place a heavy thing on the ground, place it with care, do not drop it from a height and make noise. Do not drop your bed from a height; bend and place it slowly.Examine each act of yours and see that you execute it with minimum noise. Transact all dealings with minimum speech. Do not shout to a person standing far; go near him or beckon to him to approach you.” - Divine Discourse, Dassara, 1966

“We need to find God, and he cannot be found in noise and restlessness. God is the friend of silence. See how

nature - trees, flowers, grass- grows in silence; see the stars, the moon and the sun, how they move in silence... We need silence to be able to touch souls.” - Mother Teresa “Silence is a source of great strength”- Lao Tzu “Silence is a true friend who never betrays”- Confucius “Speak only if it improves upon the silence” - Mahatma Gandhi Noble Silence Buddhism preaches the concept of “Noble Silence” Listening takes place not just through the ears, but with all the senses. Sometimes the best way to prepare ourselves to hear in a new and better way is to be still and silent. When we quiet our “motor minds”, and our “motor mouths” we find that we are better able to open our hearts. The ancient practice of Noble Silence helps us begin the process of hearing in a new way; this is a timeless and wise practice that helps us be more sensitive and perceptive. Noble Silence traditionally begins with a vow to keep silent for a specific period of time. It can be an hour, a day, a week, or a month. There are practitioners who have maintained Noble Silence for years. There is even a practice of lifetime silence in India called 'Maun.' The famous master Meher Baba was a Mauni Baba, a silent holy man. He used a small blackboard to spell out his succinct messages, like 'Don't worry, be happy,' long before the reggae song was written. Practising Noble Silence If you want to try a period of Noble Silence, remember that it is a rest for all of the senses. Turn off the radio, the phone, the television. Enjoy a break from the news. Turn off the thoughts in your head. Stay quiet. Take refuge in the inner calm and peace of the quiet mind. Don't write, don't read, don't surf the Net. Keep still. Listen to the sounds around you. What do you hear? What do you see? Open your eyes open your ears, open your heart. Think of the ancient Christian exercise. Be still. Listen to the inner voice, and know God. This is how we learn to cultivate higher levels of hearing, perception, and vision. For someone deeply trapped in a prison of thought, how good it can feel to meet a mind that hears, a heart that reassures. It's as if a listening mind is, in and of itself, an invitation to another mind to listen too. How much it can mean when we accept the invitation and hear the world anew!

-Sis. K. Vidya gopal, Bahrain

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Cultivating Love The word Love is used commonly and casually today and also is the most misunderstood word of all times. We tend to use the word Love in a very narrow frame of reference, most often confusing this with infatuation. Saying I love something or someone is said with a sense of selfishness by separating the individual and the object. In such a scenario the loss of the object or separation from the object results in misery. So, can the affection of a mother for a child be called “Love”, the love for husband, wife, parents, siblings, friends? Or can the affection of a child for a toy, the passion of a person for a sport be described as “Love”? Swami says that the Love of mother for a child is Vatsalya, the love between friends is Anuraga, between husband and wife it is Moha, love for material objects, is Iccha or desire. Swami explains that none of these is actually Prema or Love. A desire, affection or a passion for something temporary can never be Love. Love cannot ever be described or defined and it has to be carefully cultivated. How can we cultivate Love? Swami says that the first and most important quality that we must develop is that of Kshama or Forbearance for as Swami says Forbearance is Love. Let us discuss this a little bit more. Kshama is one of the ten Yamas or restraints according to our scriptures. It means patience and tolerance. We expect everyone to adjust to our wishes and thoughts. Can we be compassionate to others‟ ideas, be patient with our neighbours, our own family, our colleagues? With Kshama, we are able to face insults and praise equally well. Our hearts must be suffused with forbearance. This is a quality that keeps us unperturbed and unruffled in times of adversity. The expansion of this quality in all our transactions and interactions will help us cultivate the ability to love All. The second quality to develop is Ceiling on our Desires. As we move away from worldly desires and focus on divine thoughts, Love in the heart will grow. Excessive material desires can cloud love in our hearts. Lesser material desires leads to more contentment. More contentment leads to better forbearance. The third quality to understand is “Yad Bhavam Tat Bhavati”. Your reaction to the world should be as you expect the reaction from the world. We desire the whole world to love us and understand us. Let us be more understanding and let us love the world. Let us understand the world and love the world without expectations … that is the true love. The fourth quality is to “be in Satsang”. Swami says “you may pray under a tree that yields a bitter fruit. It can‟t give you a sweet fruit. But you can graft a branch of a sweet fruit tree to this tree, the resultant fruit will be sweet.” This grafting process is Satsang. Being in the company of the good, you will be good. With good thoughts and good actions, the outcome can only be

pure, unalloyed Love for God and his creations. Reacting to criticism adversely, having a sense of unhealthy competition, unnecessary fear of the unknown, unceasing desires, being selfish are all obstacles in our realizing God within us. When we develop good thoughts, keep ourselves away from Raaga and Dhwesha, we spread the fragrance of love around us. -Bro. Sridhar Subramonian, Bahrain

Moving Temple Swami says, “This body is a valueless iron safe; like the precious jewels kept in an iron safe, there is the Divine inside the body”. In His divine discourses, Swami always placed emphasis on the need for taking care of our body. Instead of improving the outer look with the help of cosmetics, Swami urges us to keep our body healthy and mind pure. He reminds us that a weak and unhealthy body will not be able to do any noble work. A presenter at Radio Sai once talked about two friends who support each other all the time. One friend is able to move around while the other one always sit in a given place. Even though both these friends are in continuous contact, the “moving friend” does a lot of activities while the “sitting friend” does not. At the end of the day, whatever the moving friend brings to the sitting friend counts. The speaker then explained that our “Atma” is like the sitting friend while “our body” is like the “moving friend”. Our body changes with time, while the Atma remains unchanged. And what the body brings to the Atma has great importance in our daily life. Thus our body is the temple and the deity within is the Atma; and it is our duty to care for our body, the temple, the “moving” temple. Swami compares our body to a “limited company”, and advises us to maintain crucial parameters such as blood pressure, temperature and sugar levels within limits. Devotees want to please the Lord in different ways, but Swami warns us about doing anything that is harmful to the body. Once Swami displayed his unhappiness about a devotee conducting long fasts. But how should we care for the body which houses the treasure of the Atma? Swami has always emphasized the importance of curbing excessive eating and excessive talking. Swami has also explained that worry leads to fear. He gives us the example of Abraham Lincoln who developed supreme self-confidence. Gaining self-confidence will reduce our worries, and this is an important part of taking care of our body. Let us try our best to keep our bodies ticking not just by increasing the standard of living, but by improving the standard of our life. (Sources: Summer Showers in Brindavan1990; Radio Sai) - Bro. Rajeev Alasseri, Kuwait 36

Meditation: The Path In the Nine Point Code of Conduct, Bhagavan Baba has placed Daily meditation and Prayer as the first point for those who wish to have the glimpse of the Divine within. I think back to my childhood when in our Bal Vikas classes, our Guru would get us to sit for meditation for ten minutes which seemed like a year! We would sit there slapping mosquitoes while keeping a half-open eye on the clock, waiting for the ten „long‟ minutes to end. But slowly the fixed time and place helped us dive within, more quickly. Patience and tenacity are required to establish this habit. Initially it may have seemed like a punishment but with practise I realised the wonders of meditation. Meditation is difficult at first but with regular practice it becomes an integral part of our daily life. With practice, meditation becomes joyful and effective. And eventually it even becomes an indispensable part of each day.

Whenever and wherever you put yourself in touch with God, that is the State of Meditation

How can we measure progress in meditation? Swami answers with a question: “Do you love more, do you talk less, and do you serve others more earnestly? These are the signs of success in Dhyana”. He explains, “Your progress must be authenticated by your character and behavior. When constant meditation is practiced, there cannot be only one posture, or one prescribed method of concentration. We can meditate while we walk, while we drive, or during other quiet times. The inner subjective state is important and not the outer circumstances”. Swami goes on to say, “Through meditation, we must discern the real from the unreal, the passing from the permanent, the valuable from the worthless. The reality is GOD within each person. The goal of meditation must be to realize that joyful vision.” Swami states that Jyoti Meditation is one of the most effective methods of meditation. He goes on to give us some practice tips for meditating. “There are some pre-requisites for meditation. The place should be a little elevated from the ground; that is an inch or two high. Place a mat or a cotton cloth on the elevated platform. Upon this seat one should sit, adopting the Padmasana pose. The right foot must be above the left and the left foot above the right. The fingers of the hand must be in close touch with one another and the hands should be placed in front. The eyes must be either half-open or fully closed. Then by means of mental massage, the neck, the shoulders, the hands, the chest, the teeth, the stomach, the fingers, the back, the thighs, the knees, the calves and the feet should be relaxed. After this, one has to meditate on one's own favorite Name and Form, with Om added. When this is being done, there should be no mental wanderings; one must be stable and quiet. No thought of past events, no trace of anger or hatred and no memory of sorrow should be allowed to interfere. Even if they intrude, they should not be considered at all; to counteract them, one must entertain thoughts which will feed one's enthusiasm for Dhyanam. First of all, sleep has to be subdued. This is very necessary. In order to keep the hours unchanged, one may set the alarm clock for 4 a.m. as the best time for Dhyanam is the quiet hours before dawn, between 3 and 5 a.m. and rise. Even then, if sleep continues to bother, its effect can be overcome by means of a bath in cold water. Not that it is essential to bathe; it is needed only when sleep gives much trouble. If in this manner the Dhyanam path is rigorously followed, it is possible for one to win the Grace of the Lord very quickly. Through Dhyana, people reach the Divine experience of realizing the Atma within themselves.” (Dhyana Vahini)

- Sis. Anuradha Mani, Kuwait 37

Love Love is the basis of God‟s creation. Our dear Swami always begins every discourse addressing us as Embodiments of Love. All of us know how significant it is to love one and all, yet many of us fail to share this love with others in our lives. I am one of them. We expect our children and spouse to be loving, but are we a fountain of unconditional love? I think most of us find it difficult to love people who according to us, do not deserve our love. Our Study Circle Coordinator once requested me to make a presentation on Love in the study circle; he gave me Swami‟s discourses on Love. I thanked him for this seva opportunity and thanked Swami for choosing me as His instrument, and vowed to do my best. That night, as I was assimilating the day‟s events, I asked myself why I was chosen by Swami for this particular topic. I felt Swami telling me “Come on, how long are you going to remain in the first step of bhajan singing and performing rituals? Without pure love in your heart, all this is mere waste of time!” I was just totally shaken. This was really like a trigger inside me. I blamed myself for not learning to love and accept everyone, and I tried to stop blaming people and situations for my inability to do so. I decided to make a beginning in loving and accepting everyone without any bias or judgment. When Swami highlights a problem for us, He also gives us a solution. That is when the technique of Phyllis Krystal cited in the book “Cutting the ties that bind” by Phyllis Krystal, came to me as a wonderful tool. The technique is quite simple. As soon as we wake up, we should offer the following prayer to Swami with all sincerity. “Swami, Think Through Me, Feel Through Me, Speak Through Me, Act Through Me and Love Through Me.” This prayer was a magic mantra for me. I could feel that this prayer was really helping me to expand my love to every one without any judgment and criticism. I continued offering this prayer religiously, putting my heart and soul into it. Soon, I could realise the impact this prayer had in me. I started becoming more and more loving and accepting, first with myself and towards my family members next; this then extended to people with whom I interact on a daily basis. Of course, there were really testing times at the home front when I was provoked, I was teased and taunted, but most of the time I could manage to be in a state of balance. Gradually, I experienced that my family members started reciprocating my feelings. As Swami says, “Everything is reaction, reflection and resound”. The change I felt in others was actually the change that happened inside me. I felt very happy and grateful to Swami for using me as his instrument in his mission and for helping me to cleanse myself. My dear Sai Brothers and Sisters, to love without judgment, to love without criticism, to love without any bias, and to even love the people who have wronged us, is a huge step towards our journey to Swami. If our heart is devoid of love, then every other sadhana becomes futile. I have shared with you all a very beautiful tool which has been helping me shed my layers of negativity. Whenever you interact with a person, who is very difficult to handle, just send love to them internally. Do this and see for yourself the results that happen. Yes, there may be times when this does not work for some unknown reason. Still, you must carry on giving the person all the love – the love of Swami. Love is God and when your basis of engagement in the world is unselfish love, you attain divinity. This paves way for liberation from the cycle of birth and death. What can be more motivating to hold on tightly to LOVE? My Dears, let us start practising Swami‟s teachings on love from this minute.

- Sis. Harini Shankar, Saudi Arabia

The relationship between you and God is Love alone. Nothing else can be called Love. All other things that come in between are passing clouds; they are just attachments. 38

Selfless Service: The True Spiritual Sadhana

towards the boys, rescued the dog, took it home, provided it with food and a place to rest. I shared my love by talking to it and patting it. The next day I took it to the veterinary hospital and ensured that it During this period, I have also realized that I am una- was in good health, free of any ble to follow any spiritual Sadhana, be it daily medita- infections. For the next three days tion and prayer or reading Sai Literature or attending I was totally engaged with the dog, taking care of it, bhajans with sufficient consistency. I realized that I giving it much needed love. My daughter meanwhile lack the kind of mental control, perseverance and will spread the news about the dog (from India through power that is needed for spiritual practices like medi- social media) and one family came forward to adopt tation, prayer and study of Sai literature. I even the dog. wondered whether I have lost my path. After a couple of days when I visited the family that This thought was haunting me for quite some time. had adopted the dog, I found the dog in safe hands Last week, while I was driving back home, I saw a few and well taken care of by that kind family. It rushed boys handling a dog which seemed to have been ei- towards me with excitement, wagging its tail ther abandoned by its owner or had lost its way home. vigorously and licking me expressing her love and I knew that if left alone, the dog would either undergo gratitude. The joy that I experienced at that moment torture at the hands of those boys or might be killed by was something totally incomparable with anything I the authorities. A lot of „intellectual‟ thoughts flashed had experienced before. through my mind. Should I ignore the poor creature or I thanked Swami for showing me the right way of should I take the trouble of rescuing it? My family is in spiritual practice; “selfless service stemming from the India, and I live alone in Kuwait; I wondered whether I heart”. I realized that selfless service is being comwould be able to take care of the dog if I took it home. passionate to all His creations, love flowing naturally from the heart, expressed in selfless actions with no But some strong compassionate feeling within me concern for one‟s convenience or comforts. was forcing me to act on the situation. It was then that I was reminded of Swami‟s assurance that He is - Bro. Vaidyanathan, Kuwait always with us. I did not hesitate. I turned my car I have been associated with Kuwait Sai Centre for 22 22 years now. Though I have not been strictly following Swami‟s nine point Code of Conduct, I have tried to stay within the boundaries set by Swami with regard to my conduct.

Human Values and Love Lesson #4 When we make love the basis of our life, To understand how love is the basis of values and vir- it washes out all the bad tendencies. tues and should be the guide of all our thoughts, words and actions we need to learn lessons that will help us When we make Love the basis of our life: We see no evil, we see what is good. imbibe human values and fill our hearts with Love. We hear no evil, we hear what is good. We speak no evil, speak what is good. Lesson #1: The heart must be filled with Love. We think no evil, we think what is good. A heart bereft of love becomes a repository of evil tendencies. So, we need to the fill our heart with love. We do no evil, we do what is good. We know this is the way to God. Lesson #2: To fill our heart with love we must begin by sowing good thoughts. Lesson #5: When bad tendencies dissipate, Pure Love finds expression. Swami says; 'Sow a thought, Reap an action; Swami says love is my form and so is yours. We beSow an action, Reap a habit; come cognizant of our true nature. Sow a habit, Reap a character; Sow a character, Reap a destiny; Summary You are verily the makers of your destiny Hence, the harbinger of a noble destiny is the seeds of Fill your heart with Love. Sow good thoughts and reap a Divine destiny. good thoughts. Know the five human values. Lesson #3: We can sow good thoughts only when Love is the sustenance for all the four. we have internalized the five human values and un- Make love the basis of your life. derstood that Love sustains the other four values. Love washes out bad tendencies. Pure Love finds expression. Love in Thought is Truth. Love in Action is Right Conduct. - Bro. Mohan Rao, Abu Dhabi Love in Feeling is Peace. Love in Understanding is Non-Violence. 39

Attitude Determines Your Altitude What is altitude? For a person doing business, his altitude is becoming the richest of them all. For a person working in a government office, his altitude is reaching the top position in his office. For a sportsman his altitude may be to win gold medals in all the events he participates in the Olympics. For students happiness may be in getting high marks in our studies and for some of us may be getting latest gadgets. But, do you think they will be happy if they get what they wish? No, not at all! These are all wishes for the worldly things; the wish list will never end, it will only grow. What our Swami meant by reaching our altitude means achieving inner happiness or permanent happiness. The person having inner happiness will be the happiest person in the world. Our aim is to attain this altitude of inner happiness. Our attitude is the main factor that decides our inner happiness. What is attitude? Attitude is the EYE of our soul! Our attitude determines how we view life. If our attitude is negative, we will see life negatively. If our attitude is positive, we will see life positively. If we have a thankful attitude, we will see things you encounter as gifts to be thankful for. “We may not be able to change the world we see around us but we can change the way we see the world within us!” A virtuous person can accomplish anything. A virtuous person is one who has the quality of doing what is right and avoiding what is wrong. A person who loves his neighbor is said to be virtuous person. A person, who tells the truth, is friendly and happy is said to have virtuous qualities. Thus, virtues of a person constitute his attitude. Good conduct should be the real basis for life. If we fill a coloured bottle with the water of Ganges, it would appear coloured. If the bottle is red, the water would seem red while if the bottle is blue the water too would appear blue. Where does the colour come from? From the water or the bottle? The water is intrinsically pure; the colour is therefore due to the bottle holding the water. The human being is like a bottle. If evil attitudes dominate, the body indulges in bad actions; if good attitudes prevail, the body performs good actions. The body is not responsible for the actions; the attitude is responsible for your actions. Nothing can stop the person with the right mental attitude from achieving his goal; any human being can alter his life by altering his attitudes. Bhagavan Baba has said: “If there is righteousness in the heart, there will be beauty in the character. If there is beauty in the character, there will be harmony in the home. When there is harmony in the home, there will be order in the nation. When there is order in the nation, there will be peace in the world.” Swami also says that “if wealth is lost nothing is lost; if health is lost something is lost; and if character is lost everything is lost.‟ Lord Krishna described ways to develop good attitude and reach inner happiness: Always speak the truth. Make sure all your actions, words, and deeds follow Dharmic path. Our Swami has given us 3 steps to find out whether we are following dharmic path: Whatever you do should be truthful; It should give you happiness. It should not hurt anyone. Let us all develop good attitudes and reach higher altitudes and achieve the inner happiness as desired by our beloved Swami.

- Sai Dharsini, Abu Dhabi 40

Round-up of Spiritual Wing Activities - Bahrain

Bhagavan‟s Birthday Celebrations Bhagavan‟s Birthday Celebration was the culmination of 89 days of devotion and service rendered by devotees and active workers. Various activities including blood donation, Medical Seva, Narayana Seva, distribution of dry rations etc were offered lovingly. Spiritual sadhanas included Sat Charitra Parayana, Gayathri and Hanuman Chalisa chanting, Sahasranaman chanting, Paduka Puja, Laksharchana and Samarpan programs. On November 23, 2014, SSE children chanted vedic mantras and also participated in a choir. A video highlighting Bhagavan‟s mission was shown. Special bhajans were held and the devotees celebrated the day with a lot of enthusiasm and fervor.

Laksharchana being performed

Christmas was celebrated with SSE children on December 19, 2014. The program featured skits presented by SSE children, talks by Gurus on the significance of Christmas, Bhajans and Christmas carols sung by SSE children and most importantly the arrival of Santa giving sweets and chocolates to the delighted children.

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Mahashivaratri was celebrated on February 17, 2015. The celebrations started with a Shiva pooja and Abhishekam followed by Bhajans.

Study Circles on Love and Selfless Service Study Circles were held leading to the National Conference on Love and Selfless Service. The Study Circles were based on the compendia on Love and Selfless Service based on Bhagavan‟s discourses. These sessions were well attended by active workers and parents of SSE children.

National Conference on Love and Selfless Service Study Circles were held leading to the National Conference on Love and Selfless Service. The Study Circles were based on the compendia on Love and Selfless Service based on Bhagavan‟s discourses. These Study Circles were well attended by active workers and parents of SSE children. - Bro. Sridhar Subramonian, Bahrain

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Round-up of Spiritual Wing Activities – Dubai Bhagavan‟s Birthday Celebrations Bhagavan‟s birthday celebration started on Avatar Declaration Day, October 20, 2014. Activities included Vedam Chanting, Vishnu Sahasranamam, Lalitha Sahasranamam, Paduka Pooja and Hanuman chalisa conducted at the residences of devotees on a daily basis, culminating on Bhagavan‟s birthday on November 23, 2014. Bhagavan‟s birthday was celebrated with great gaiety and enthusiasm. The day began with customary Omkaram and Suprabatham. Later, birthday cake was cut by EHV children. There was a daylong parayanam of Tapovanam, followed by special bhajans, marking the end of the birthday celebrations. Exhibition: During the birthday celebrations, an exhibition was arranged to showcase the life of Bhagavan. This included Swami‟s birth, an incident in His school life, Swami‟s declaration that He is the reincarnation of Shiridi Sai, Kalpa vriksham, Water projects, Educational institutions and Sai Kulwant Hall .

Swami declaring that He was Shiridi Sai

Mirpuri College of Music

Model of Sai Kulwant Hall

Model of Sathya Sai University

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Arathi being performed during Maha Shivarathri

Special Study Circles on Love and Selfless Service As part of birthday celebrations, several study circle sessions on the theme of Love and Service were conducted and presented by our active workers. The response to this activity was overwhelming and participation by the devotees was very encouraging. At the end of the study circle sessions, a workshop was conducted on a separate day, which summed up the key discussions of the study circle sessions, helping the devotees rejuvenate spiritually.

Interactive Workshops for Sai Sisters and Brothers

- Bro. Vasudev, Dubai 44

God’s love can be won only through the cultivation and exercise of Love. He yields Grace only when His commands are followed, commands to Love all, Serve all…. Baba 45