FROM PUTTAPARTHI...A THRILLING EXPERIENCE !!!

The manner in which James Sinclair of America became a devotee of Sai makes a thrilling story. Sinclair had never heard of Baba but he had a deep yearning for God in his heart; that was enough. For the rest of the story, we turn to Sinclair himself:

 

I will tell you of an event that at that time seemed shocking but would take 30 years to become fully clear. It has to be kept in mind that neither I nor my wife at that time had any understanding or inclination towards Eastern tradition or philosophies.

 

In 1964, just a short while after our marriage, my wife and I accepted an invitation to stay at a friend's woodland cottage. As we were going to sleep, I saw an old man standing over my bed in the moonlight. My feeling was not one of fear but rather like one has while a mother is looking at her son. The old man then turned and walked across the room and through the wall!

 

Just then, my wife said in a loud voice, "Jim, are you awake?" She screamed since she was watching the old man as he walked through the wall. We had never seen anything like that in our life and were shaken by the experience.

I began to meditate twice a day. I had an interesting experience. My meditation was on the light from a candle. Every time I started my meditation looking at the candle flame, I saw a little fellow in the flame wearing an orange robe with a great shock of black hair. Then I would transcend thought.

I also began to have the same dream every single night. It went on for years. I saw myself walking up a hill, led by three men in the darkness of night. One was an old man in white. One looked somewhat like Jesus Christ. The one in the middle had an orange robe. This dream occurred night after night for years.

At that time, I had no knowledge of Shirdi Sai Baba or Sathya Sai Baba. For that matter I had no idea of any Avatar and did not know what the word meant.

I was walking from the lavatory in the night. You know how you get a feeling someone is there. I did. I turned around and there He was. I hadn't the slightest idea who He was. This handsome figure dressed in a long orange robe, with a shock of hair you wouldn't believe, was in my hallway, looking at me silently. I nearly jumped out of my skin. As fast I had seen Him, He was gone. Well, it happened a second time.

Not too much later, I was in my meditation room, and this same figure was standing when I came out of meditation. I rubbed my eyes. He was still there. He motioned as if I was to do something with His Feet. I knelt down and touched His Feet. As I looked up, He was no longer there.

Off I went to the fort of spiritual knowledge in New York City, Samuel Weiser's bookstore. I approached the clerk. He asked if he could help me. I said, 'I certainly hope so.' I described my visitor, of course without giving details of the visit. I wanted to know if there was any book about someone who looked like the description of my visitor. He said, 'One moment. I will be right back.' He returned and handed a packet of whitish grey powder and a book titled "Holy Man and the Psychiatrist" written by a doctor [this book is by Dr. Sandweiss].

The salesman told me that he himself was a devotee of Sri Sathya Sai Baba. Was I in for a surprise when I recognized that the recurring dream had been of Shirdi Sai, Sathya Sai, and Prema Sai walking up the hill night after night for many years? The figure in the flame was also Him.

On my 1st visit to Prashanti Nilayam, which is a story in itself, I was granted an Interview with Baba. As I entered the room, He said, "All I have given you, and you have never been happy one moment in your life. I came to you twice. Would you do something for Swami?" My answer was, of course, yes.

Swami went on, "BE HAPPY".

In the 1994 Interview, Swami said to my wife and myself, "I came to you 30 years ago". He said it right out of the blue. 1964 was the year when we had the experience in the woodland cabin with the figure of the old man in white. That was indeed 30 years ago.

PS: Mr. James D. Sinclair, a reputed businessman, made a very big mark for himself in the field of mineral prospecting. After having acquired his degree from the University of Pennsylvania, Wharton School of Business, Mr. Sinclair, in the year 1975, set up the Sinclair group of companies for which he became the President and the CEO.

 

Thereafter, he established, in 1981, the James D. Sinclair Financial Research Institute, where he became the Chairman and the CEO.

 

Later on his interest increased in the field of television and telecommunications, wherein he became the founding partner of the company Cross Country Cable TV. Then became the Chairman and the Executive Officer of the Tanzanian American Development Corporation.

 

http://media.radiosai.org/Journals/Vol_03/03MAR01/coverstory_hsctm.htm

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FROM PUTTAPARTHI...PASSING THE BALL GAME !!!

PASSING THE BALL GAME!!!

 

Many of us would have played this game when we were children. Even in company outings, this game is played. Let us understand the game first.

 

A group of 15 – 20 people stand in a circle & the game gets initiated by the facilitator throwing a ball to someone in the group. Simultaneously the MUSIC also starts. People should keep throwing the ball to one another as the music plays on. One should not hold on to the ball longer than necessary.

 

When the music stops, the person who is 'caught' holding the ball is out! While the facilitator is observing the game, there is another person, a co-facilitator who has his back to the audience, responsible for playing the music as well as stopping it. The idea is that he should not be witnessing the game & should stop the music irrespective of who has the ball at that moment.

 

In case of any doubt, the facilitator's decision is final & is abiding. If the ball has not left your hands when the music stops, you're out of the game and you must cool your heels outside!

 

Similarly, when the time comes to leave this Illusory World, if we are caught holding on to something, we've to come again to return what we had taken without permission! Or if we're caught with attachments or desires, then we're sent back & God says, "OK, I shall give you another chance to fulfill all your desires. Please finish all that & come back to me once & for all!!!"

 

While the gross body has been reduced to ashes the ATMA along with the SUBTLE MIND is free. It's this subtle mind that carries our attachments, unfulfilled desires, bondage, our debts etc…

 

Hence we need to return back for yet another birth to SETTLE ALL THE ACCOUNTS! It's pay back time. We're not allowed to take anything with us just like a TENANT who lives in a house is not allowed to take anything that belongs to the HOUSE-OWNER!

 

We should pass the ball & keep nothing. No worries about family, friends, relatives, and foes (Why should we worry? GOD will provide & look after them)…no debts…no desires…no materialistic attachments…no craving for the senses…Otherwise another birth…Immunization…Back to school & college…exam pressure…tension…Interviews…Disappointments… work…salary…repossession…police…defaults…marriage…children…children's' marriage…then grand children…more desires…recession…war…terrorist attacks…disasters…diseases …Inflation…so on.

 

It's said that once Sage Vyasa explained that Draupadi had in a previous lifetime prayed to Lord Shiva to grant her a husband with 5 desired qualities. Lord Shiva, pleased with her devotion, tells her that it is very difficult to get a husband with all 5 qualities that she desired. But she sticks to her ground and asks for the same. Then Lord Shiva had no other choice but to grant her wish. Hence she gets married to 5 brothers each who represent a given quality in yet another birth!!!

 

That's why it is said, "Don't ask GOD for anything at all. HE knows best & let him give us what he wants & what he thinks is best for us."

 

This doesn't mean however that we cannot enjoy the materialistic comforts in life. Doesn't mean we can't explore the exquisite beauty of this World. Doesn't mean we can't make pots & pots of money. GOD has given everything for our happiness only. BUT ALL BELONGS TO HIM!

 

In the end, one's mind has to become desire less and detached when offered to the UNIVERSE.

 

PS: The body is a house given to us for rent. The owner is God. HE also has provided for everything & everyone that we may need to lead a happy & contended life. We can live there as long as HE wills.

 

All the time we need to keep thanking HIM & paying HIM the rent of FAITH or DEVOTION & SERVICE. With these 2 wings only, we can fly away & merge with the UNIVERSE once we leave this body. Only this can redeem our life!

 

In case we don't pay HIM the rent, HE sends down 'gentle' reminders first in the form of some problems or difficulties in life. If we still don't pay up, then the intensity or the height of the hurdle is raised! As the default continues, then the trouble becomes severe in the form of physical ailments. It's also said that our mistakes & follies in life affects the 'progeny'…

 

SAI RAM…

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FROM PUTTAPARTHI...EVERYTHING COMES BACK !!!

EVERYTHING COME BACK!!!

 

Dear Sir,

What does being 'good' mean? I might be good to different people in different ways. I might feel what I am doing is 'good' for self, for family and for the society at large. But that might not be entirely true. By being good to someone, my action might affect probably someone else negatively. Am I right?

 

If I am doing good, I must get only good in return is it not? Of course I am not doing 'good' for this purpose. It is in my nature to be so. There is no quid pro quo involved. But the agony and the anguish when one feels when negative things happen to him in spite of doing only good things to others….the hurt one passes through, that's when one asks oneself  'why should all these negative things happen to me when I am doing so much good to others ..'

This is purely a hypothetical scenario.

 

How to deal with it? How does spirituality help in such situations? How and with whom could one seek solace?

Regards

 

Response from the moderator

 

Usually Spirituality doesn't deal with 'hypothetical' scenarios. These are personal experiences that people cherish & keep learning out of that. However, we shall attempt to respond.

 

First, 'Expectation is the root cause for misery!' Why expect something when we do something 'good'? (The thought keeps coming to us)

Second, 'All good deeds come back to us 100 fold' and so does 'not so good deeds'! This is a Universal truth!

The problem is it doesn't happen in 'our time frame' nor does it happen 'the way we want it!' Hence we interpret it as, 'I haven't got any rewards'!

Duty without expectation of reward is the essence of the Bhagavad Gita.

Let us look at some examples to drive home the point.

 

1. On one occasion, during Sankranthi festival celebrations, Krishna was offered freshly harvested sugarcane by the Gopis. As there were no machines those days, to squeeze the juice out of the sugarcane, Krishna had to cut it. While doing so, he inadvertently cut his little finger.

 

Seeing blood on his finger, Sathyabhama, in her characteristic pride, ordered the Gopis to go inside the house to fetch some cloth to bandage the finger. Draupadi, who was also there, however, out of her love and concern, for Krishna, immediately tore off a piece of cloth from the end of her new sari and bandaged the Lord's finger!!!

Years later, when Dushasana brought Draupadi to the court of the Kauravas with the intention of humiliating her in public, she appealed to Krishna for his Divine intervention and to save her honor. Krishna sent her an endless sari with the same little finger that was bandaged then!!! Did Draupadi ever imagine that her good deed would come back to her like this but it did at the right time when she needed it most!!!

 

2. Once Duryodhan wandered around the halls of the palace made by Maya and got confused. So skillful was Maya's artistry that where there was no water it gave the impression of water and where there was water one thought it was floor.

 

Doors turned out to be solid walls and walls were the doors. Amazed, Duryodhana once hit a wall when he thought he was walking through the door and once jumped into a pond when he thought he was treading on the floor!

 

The same Draupadi laughed at him then and to add insult to his injury, she said "Son of a blind man can only be blind man."

 

This laid the foundation for more & more misery for her & the Pandavas. What followed was the treacherous dice game. Her bad deed also came back to her with full force! But then her faith & devotion to Lord Krishna was so strong which saved her.

 

3. When Yudishthira decided to conduct the Rajasuya Yajna, Shishupala insulted Krishna as a cowherd and worthless to be honored as a king. He kept hurling abuse after abuse on Krishna, sin after sin.

 

Krishna waited till Shishupala crossed 100 sins and only after that HIS Sudarshana Chakra zoomed past to cut off Shishupala's head! He was patient & smiling till then! This is quite symbolic; 'For everything there is a right time'.

 

That's why SWAMI always says, "Watch out not only for your ACTIONS or DEEDS but also THOUGHTS & WORDS!!!

 

4. Mother Theresa hung a copy of this poem on a wall of the orphanage she founded in Calcutta. (A few stanzas given below)

 

People are often unreasonable, illogical, and self-centered;
forgive them anyway.

If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives;
Be kind anyway.

The good you do today, people will often forget tomorrow;
do good anyway.

You see, in the final analysis it is between you and God;
it was never between you and them anyway.

OM SAI RAM

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FROM PUTTAPARTHI...IT IS NOT ENOUGH !!!

IT IS NOT ENOUGH!!!

During a pilgrimage Adi Shankaracharya wanted to offer the holy water of the river Ganges to a famous Shivalingam many 100s of miles away. After walking many miles and for many days with the pot of water, his group of pilgrims was nearing the temple when they saw a donkey lying on the road dying of thirst.

The pilgrims were only too eager to pour their holy offerings, which they had so carefully and lovingly carried, for their beloved Deity. No one wanted to waste their precious offering on a useless animal like a donkey. The noble Shankaracharya who saw this, poured the entire pot of water into the donkey's mouth. He considered the act greater than offering the water on the Lingam.

It is said that Lord Shiva was so pleased with him that He granted him DARSHAN.

Let us look at another story;

One cold evening a little 6 year old boy was standing in front of a store window. The little boy had no shoes and his clothes were mere rags. A young woman passing by saw the little boy and took the child by the hand and led him into the store.

There she bought him a pair of new shoes and a complete suit of warm clothes. They came back outside on to the street and the woman said to the child: "Now you can go home and have a very happy holiday."

The little boy asked, "Are you God, Madam?"

She smiled at him and replied, "No son, I am just one of His children"

The little boy then said, "I knew you had to be some relation!!!"

Once VIBHEESHAN approached HANUMAN & said, "How fortunate you're! Every day you do SRI RAMA smaran & you have fully earned HIS grace. I've also been doing SRI RAMA smaran for a long time but I've not been blessed with the opportunity of having his DARSHAN constantly like you have got."

Hanuman explained, "No doubt that you're doing smaran of LORD RAMA. But did you ever participate in SERVICE? How can you earn SRI RAMA's grace without doing that? It is now a full 10 months since DEVI SITA has been in LANKA but did you ever console her & try to alleviate her sufferings? Did you meet her even once? Did you ever think of some way to relieve her agony? If you had done any of this, it would have amounted to SERVICE to the LORD."

PS: It's not enough if we remember god; it's not enough to go to places of worship; it's not enough to keep fast; it's not enough if we chant hymns & bhajans; it's not enough if we do pooja & other rituals;

When we serve others, we're not doing it for them; we're doing it for the god in us who's equally present in others.

Only the blind will be indifferent to the dismal condition of others; only the deaf will be unaffected by the sobs of others.  Our heart must melt in compassion when the eye sees another person suffering.  That is the sign of Spirituality!!! 

Hands that serve are holier than the lips that pray!!! The more you give, the more you would get!!!

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FROM PUTTAPARTHI...NOT YET!!! THE TEA CUP!!!

A reader's question…

Sir,

If god stands in front of me I would ask him a question: You are god!

For all of our sufferings in this Janma, why do you make us responsible for the acts (good or bad) we have done in previous janma? We don't know how we were & what we were in the previous janma.

 

If we do any good or bad thing, let us suffer in this janma itself, so that every human being will get a chance to rectify their mistake or continue to do more good if they are punished or rewarded immediately.

Regards,

SARALA GOPINATH

 

This is HIS response through HIS instrument…

 

Why make this talk about Karma so complicated…We're what we are because of the past. We would be what we would be because of the present! Read on…

NOT YET!!! THE TEA CUP!!!

A couple vacationing in Europe went strolling down a little street and saw a quaint little gift shop with a beautiful teacup in the window. The lady collected teacups and she wanted this one for her collection, so she went inside to buy the teacup, and as she picked up the teacup, it suddenly spoke!!!

"I want you to know that I have not always looked like this. It took the process of pain to bring me to this point. You see, there was a time when I was just clay and the Master came and he pounded me and he squeezed me and he kneaded me and I screamed: "STOP THAT!" But he just smiled and said, "Not yet".

Then he took me and put me on the shelf and I went round and round and round and round... and while I was spinning and getting dizzier and dizzier I screamed again and I said, "Please get me off this thing... please get me off!!!" And the Master was looking at me and he was smiling, as he said, "Not yet".

Then he took me and walked toward the oven and shut the door and turned up the heat and I could see him through the window of the oven and it was getting hotter and hotter and I thought, "He's going to burn me to death!"

And I started pounding on the inside of the oven and I said, "Master, let me out, let me out, let me out!", and I could see that he was smiling as he said "Not yet". Then he opened the door and I was fresh and free and he took me out of the oven and he put me on the table and then he got some paint and a paintbrush.

He started dabbing me and making swirls all over me and I started to gag and I said: "Master, stop it... stop it... stop it please... you're making me gag". He just smiled as he said "not yet".

Then very gently he picked me up again and he started walking toward the oven and I said, "Master, NO!! Not again, pleeeease!!" He opened the oven door and he slipped me inside and he shut the door and this time he turned the heat up twice as hot as before and I thought, "He's going to kill me!!", and I looked through the window of the oven and I started to pound on it, saying, "Master... Master, please let me out... please let me out... let me out!"

I could see that he was smiling but I also noticed a tear trickle down his cheek as I watched him mouth the words, "Not yet!"

Just as I thought I was about to die, the door opened and he reached in ever so gently and took me out, fresh and free and he went and placed me on a high shelf and he said: "There, I have created what I intended. Would you like to see yourself?" I said, "Yes". He handed me a mirror and I looked and I looked again and I said, "Is that really me? It can't be! That's not me; I'm just a lump of clay. Am I so beautiful?"

He said, "Yes, that is you, but it took the process of pain to bring you to this place.

·        You see, had I not worked on you when you were clay, then you would have dried up.

·        If I had not subjected you to the stress of the wheel you would have crumbled.

·        If I had not put you into the heat of the oven you would have cracked.

·        If I had not painted you there would be no color in your life.

·        But, it was the second oven that gave you the strength to endure.

And I, the teacup, heard myself saying, "Master, forgive me, I did not trust you. I thought you were going to harm me, I did not know you had a glorious future and a hope for me. I was too shortsighted, but I want to thank you. I want to thank you for the suffering. I want to thank you for the process of pain.

So just trust him!!! All that happens is for our good & let us simply surrender to the supreme universe & become his worthy instruments!!!

God offers Himself to His devotees in exactly the same manner in which the devotees offer themselves to Him. If you constantly cry out, "O God, O most loving God," He responds by saying, "O MY devotee, my dearest devotee." God has no thought other than that of His devotee. If the devotee always thinks of God, then God too will always be thinking of the devotee. No one can come between the two. - SWAMI

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FROM PUTTAPARTHI...IT'S ME...LORD SHIVA !!!

IT'S ME…LORD SHIVA!!!

 

There were serpentine queues in every SHIVA temple on the eve of SHIVARATHRI. Seeing all this, PARVATHI asked LORD SHIVA, "Just look at those thousands of devotees thronging your temple to have your DARSHAN. Many of them stay awake during the night; keep fast, sing Bhajans and so on. You must be really please with their devotion."

 

The LORD always likes to test his devotees to check if the devotion is strong enough. Just like how we feel the nail and try to move it after it is hit on a wall to hang a picture frame!

 

The LORD said to his consort, "Poor devotees! They're braving the crowds unmindful of the pull and the push waiting to have my glimpse. They don't realize that I'm their 'indweller'! Anyway, let us go down & give them our darshan." PARVATHI agreed to this suggestion and both of them decide to go & give darshan in their original form itself! So they picked out a temple that had the maximum crowd and started moving along with the crowd smiling at them & blessing them.

 

The people started laughing at SHIVA & PARVATHI & said, "What a beautiful costume you people are wearing? From which drama troupe have you come? Are you both going to give a play here in this temple?" they asked.

 

SHIVA said, "It's me…LORD SHIVA! We're real. We thought we would come and give you live darshan so that you don't have to put up with hours & hours of waiting just to have my glimpse inside the temple."

 

The crowd roared in laughter & seemed to enjoy the show. "Fantastic piece of make up. Is that snake for real?' somebody asked. Another asked PARVATHI, "WOW! Look at those jewels. If they're real, they should be worth a few crores!!!" People continued to push their way through the queue to get inside the Sanctum Sanctorum.

 

PARVATHI said to the people, "We can perform whatever miracle you want us to do because we're really what we claim to be. What proof do you want?"

 

To that somebody said, "Turn this temple into GOLD. In fact anything that is metallic should turn into GOLD. Can you do that?" Everyone joined the chorus. Yes, yes. Turn this temple into GOLD. The people started mocking them & ridiculing them.

 

SHIVA just smiled & the next moment the entire temple complex was glittering with GOLD!!! "Is this real?" some people asked. People who had coins in their hands realized that even the coins had turned into GOLD. There happened to be a GOLDSMITH there who shouted excitedly, "Hey! This is all real. No doubt at all. IT IS ALL SOLID GOLD!!!"

 

Then pandemonium broke loose. People started running all over the place trying to take whatever was loose outside the temple compound.

PARVATHI asked SHIVA, "Instead of taking our blessings and considering it their fortune to have seen us and getting liberated from this cycle of birth & death, why are they all running here and there?"

 

SHIVA told her, "They're not only taking the GOLD that's there but also getting whatever metallic objects they can lay their hands on, like vessels, coins, tools & so on. Then they would ask us to turn them into GOLD as well!!! Having said that, SHIVA & PARVATHI just vanished and all the GOLD came back to its' earlier original metallic form leaving everyone shell shocked trying to figure out what had happened!!!

 

PS: During RAMAYANA that happened in 'TRETA YUGA' only a few recognized LORD RAMA as GOD! Same in the case of KRISHNA AVATAR during DWAAPARA YUGA! There were people who abused SHIRDI SAI BABA in his life time and SATHYA SAI BABA as well.

 

We don't know whether we were there during RAMA AVATAR nor do we know whether we lived during KRISHNA AVATAR's time. We also don't know whether we were alive during ADI SHANKARA or SRI RAGHAVENDRA or SHIRDI SAI BABA's time. (To name a few)

 

But today the WORLD has RECOGNIZED & EXPERIENCED the presence of a POORNA AVATAR in SATHYA SAI BABA in PUTTAPARTHI!!! The tens of millions who've been going there for the last 68 years have clearly understood that the SECRET OF LIBERATION ITSELF IS PRESENT THERE.

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FROM PUTTAPARTHI...VIBHUTHI RESPONSE...

DEAR SAIRAM,

I THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR THE BLESSINGS DELIVERED. I JUST GOT THE VIBHUTI AND BABA'S PHOTO. I CONSIDER MYSELF TO BE VERY VERY LUCKY TO HAVE RECEIVED IT BY TODAY''S POST AS TODAY IS MY HUSBAND'S BIRTHDAY. I AM SURE THAT BY BABA'S BLESSINGS AND YOUR PRAYERS, MY HUSBAND WILL GET A VERY GOOD JOB SOON.

THANK YOU VERY MUCH ONCE AGAIN.

WITH RESPECTS,

MEERA

CHENNAI

OM SRI SAIRAM

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FROM PUTTAPARTHI...POWERFUL MESSAGES !!!

Mr G S Srirangarajan was a former student and currently a faculty member in the School of Business Management, Accounting and Finance of Sri Sathya Sai University. He spoke in the Divine Presence in Prasanthi Nilayam on August 23, 2007

1. This happened in the Brindavan Campus college auditorium. Swami had just completed delivering His Discourse on the valedictory day of the Summer Course. Towards the end, He had materialized a beautiful diamond swan, which He related to the mythological story of Nala and Damyanti.

But what was more joyous was that, Swami came walking across the auditorium, between every row of chairs, holding the diamond swan in His hand for all to see. What compassion and love - the Lord walking across every row of chairs in an auditorium. But would He waste this opportunity without giving one of His roars?

Impossible. As He came closer to where we all were seated, He stood for a while at one point. All of us craned our necks to catch a glimpse of that beautiful swan. Well, this was the right moment for Bhagavan.

He withdrew the swan and as we all suddenly turned towards Him, He said, "That is only creation - who is the creator? You all are interested only in the creation, not the creator." Wow! That was like a lightning from the blue!

Immediately, our mind did a summersault and went inwards to appreciate and feast on this wonderful statement made by Bhagavan. Do we all not get caught in this pretty trap of His? Bhagavan compares this to an aircraft and the pilot. He says that when a plane flies across the sky, we get so enamored by its majesty, that we forget that there is a pilot who is inside the cockpit driving the aircraft. Bhagavan is the Cosmic Pilot who is driving the entire Universe.

Again and again, Swami propels our mind to turn inwards and again and again we bring it out and let it loose among the temptations of this attractive world. How painful must this task be for Him? As Bhagavan Himself says, "I alone know the agony of teaching you every step of the dance."

2. This was right here at one corner of the Mandir verandah. It was 5.15 pm and the flute recital had just begun. It was those days when before evening Bhajans, there would a 15 minutes flute recital inside the Bhajan Hall. One of my brothers was seated at the corner. Swami came walking towards him. The student folded his hands and knelt down.

Swami asked him, "Where is this sound coming from?"

Pointing to the speaker above, the student replied, "Swami the speaker is up here."

Bhagavan smiled and said in a voice that all of us could hear – for the message was meant for all of us – "The speaker is outside here, but the actual player is inside."

Saying so, He smiled and went further. The message was loud and clear. The real doer is within, and the body is just the instrument.

3. Bhagavan was talking about the Mahabharata and the episode where Lord Krishna reveals to Karna the truth that he was actually the brother of the Pandavas. We had heard Swami narrating this story before and hence we were anticipating further details from the Mahabharata story. But most stunningly, Bhagavan gave a sudden twist to the story and said,

"Understand that after Karna realized that the Pandavas were his brothers, he felt so sorry that he was fighting and causing them pain for so long. He was filled with uncontrollable grief."

My dear ones, one day you too will realize that there is only One Self and that all the others around you are none other than your own reflections – reflections of the one Divine Self. At that moment, you too will feel immeasurable pain for having hated and caused harm to so many of your own reflections. Therefore, to avoid such a situation, realize now and at this moment that there only one Divine self everywhere."

http://media.radiosai.org/Journals/Vol_05/01OCT07/07-Srirangarajan.htm

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FROM PUTTAPARTHI...THE LONG LEASH !!!

THE LONG LEASH!!!

"In a vast slush green field, a cow is tied to a peg, with a rope of about 100 meter long. The fate of the cow is now fixed. However it can choose to graze in a circular area of 100-meter diameter. Within this big circular piece of land, it can graze, take rest & be happy.

By a foolish act, if the cow chooses to go round, round very often, the length of the rope gets reduced, and it cannot even enjoy the allotted area of grazing!!!

On the contrary, if the cow uses its own strength to stretch as much as possible from the very peg to which it is tied down, it can reach out to a much larger area without any limitation. In rare cases if it uses its' brute strength, it can even uproot the peg but that's an exception!

Thus many options are available for the cow. The cow's specific choice of the option and the effects of such option becomes its' fate. By using its intelligence and making efforts, it can overcome the so called fate, or the limitations enforced upon it." 

Similarly in life we should neither get entangled nor entangle others!!!

Another analogy is that of a Man holding his pet Dog at the end of a leash. The Man is holding the leash tightly & within that diameter the dog stretches & does everything. By holding the leash tightly, the man is not only protecting his dog but also other smaller animals & of course the human beings! At times, he lets the dog loose especially in the night for his protection!

Just like that, imagine that we're all tied to a very long leash that is held by GOD. HE lets us do whatever we want, lets us decide from various options as long as it's within that huge circle! If things are not going according to HIS plan, in case we stray from the path, he simply gives a tug at the rope. It's like a reminder for us not to forget HIM! All along HE has the control.

PS: When you see a plane flying in the sky, would you refuse to believe that it is flown by a pilot, just because you do not see him from where you are? You must go into the plane to see the pilot; you cannot deny his existence, standing on the ground below. You have to guess that the plane must have a pilot. So too seeing the Universe, you have to guess the existence of God, not deny Him because you are not able to see him!!! - SWAMI

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FROM PUTTAPARTHI...EVERYTHING IS FOR YOUR GOOD !!!

It was one of those pleasant afternoons when Bhagavan was seated in the portico in front of the parched millions who thirst for a mere glance, a mere word, a mere smile or just a mere sight of His countenance, but it made a difference to my life and the lives of many who were close enough to follow and gather with eager hands the pearls of wisdom that were showered by Bhagavan.

"Will you do anything that I will ask of you?" demanded the Lord.

"Yes, I will." came the reply.

"Anything, you mean?"

"Yes, anything that you command."

"Well... Then eat two fish tomorrow and come," ordered the Lord.

I was speechless....

"Will you do that? Tell me now." Bhagavan insisted on an answer while that familiar mischievous smile played on His lips.

I was thinking while all the eyes, human and divine, were riveted to my face, waiting for a reply.

I thought...if I say "Yes, I will do", with the courage (if not the faith) the Lord might scold me for not having followed His teachings .

On the other hand, if I say "I won't", I might be reprimanded for lack of faith in the Lord's command.

I was in a fix!! .

A few moments passed...My heart skipped a few beats even as I was evaluating the pros and cons of the decision I was going to make. There was pin-drop silence... to be broken only by the divine reproach

"You do not have any faith. Will Swami ever ask you to do such things? You must reply with firm faith that Swami will never ask such things of anyone."

Academic education was over at the divine feet. It was time to pray for further guidance. My heart searched for every opportunity to present its plight and beseech His grace. Finally, I succeeded when He chose to stop by me while gliding during the Darshan.

"What grade did you get in the exams?" enquired the Baba.

With a twinkle in my eyes I raised myself to reach Him and reply, "Swami!'O' Grade (Outstanding)'

"I know ...I know, Sir!" said the Lord with a smile. "Swami! It is Your Grace." I submitted.

"Yes! Grace. You have got the grade due to grace", revealed the Lord.

"What ever happens is for your good."

This was the 5^th time I heard Him say during the interview that He granted to our family. He beckoned us yet again for a family photograph...

I rushed with my little camera to capture that timeless moment, when to my ill fate I realized that the flash had failed. Well...I tried again and again but all in vain. The Lord willingly waited with the other family members to be captured on that thin film of silver. However, the heartless camera that had worked perfectly well till then, refused to oblige.

Swami, who was a silent witness to this wreck, took pity on my plight, " So sorry." He commanded me to beckon the boy with the camera sitting outside the interview room. I carried out the command and there we were having a group photo that now included me too. After this brief photo session, Swami said,

"See! Your camera did not work. Even that was for your own good. Now all of you could be together in the photograph. So you see whatever happens is for your good."

Swami! Bless us that whatever might happen we should always have faith in you," prayed my younger brother.

The Almighty replied, "Yes! You must have firm faith; however, clouds of doubts will come, which is but natural. Still, you must persist, wait for the winds to blow them away and you shall see the sun again. The sun is always there. It is only that the clouds hamper your vision.

Doubts are but passing clouds and they bring the testing times along. Only if you pass the test will they promote you to the higher standard. Is it not so?"

What you are is God's gift to you and what you become is your gift to God."

By Sri Madhusudhan Rao Naidu, Former student of Baba's Institute.

http://media.radiosai.org/Journals/Vol_03/11NOV01/unto-thee.htm

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FROM PUTTAPARTHI...HOLY COW !!!

SPIRITUAL QUOTIENT

 

HOLY COW!!!

 

There was a miserly person but quite a rich man who had written a will that after his death all his wealth including his bank balance, Investments, Properties etc…should be given away to charities & he had also specified the name of the charitable organizations.

 

In spite of this, people continued to call him a miser & never mixed with him at all. They only had negative things to say about him!

 

So he went to a saintly person & asked him to enlighten him. He said, "Sir, I'm giving away everything I have to charity including my body organs but still people don't respect me at all!!! Why?"

 

The saintly person told him that he is reminded of an analogy and explained thus: "Once a very disappointed pig asked a cow as to why people worshipped it so much? Both of us donate a lot. While you give only milk, I donate my body to the humans after my death! Can you please explain this anomaly?"

 

The cow replied, "I donate while I'm alive and I'm very useful to all the human beings during my lifetime while you become useful only after your death & that also only to some section of the population!"

 

From then on the miserly person got transformed & started donating generously to the poor & the under privileged even while he was 'alive'!!!

 

PS: Hopefully this should give some clarity to the following question that came to us:

 

"When  I  walk  down  the road  every  day,  I  see  many people  who  beg,  who  are  not  quite  sane,  who are  sick,  who  are  suffering  and  who  are  needy.

 

Whereas  I  live  with  some  comfort  or  marginal  luxury.  Often,  I  ask myself a  question  -  why  should  I  spend  like  this,  when  there  are  many  people  who  do  not  even  have  basic  needs.  Do  I  deserve  this  or  do  I  need  this  luxury  /  comfort.  

 

The truth  is  that  I  like  the  comfort  too,  but  I  also  grieve  for  those  who suffer.  I  do  not  seem  to  have  clarity  in  my  thinking  on   this  subject.  

 

Any reading or guidance available on this please?"

Doing good to others is the drug and avoiding harm to others 'even in thoughts' is the regimen that must accompany the treatment. This is the cure for the disease of suffering from joy and grief, honor and dishonor, prosperity and adversity, and the dual throng that bothers man and deprives him of equanimity. - SWAMI

In the physical world there may seem to be many injustices and God may seem to be unfair; but spiritually speaking, there are no "innocent victims" - every action good or bad has its outcome in this life or the next.

Hence one has to be very careful of one's thoughts, words and deeds.

It is said, "You reap what you sow. If you sow the seed of bitter lime, how can you, later, expect to reap sweet mangoes? Whatever food we eat, we get the belch of that only!!!"

Even the mighty Pandavas had to face the consequences of their actions and so did Sita.

Lord Ganesha broke His tusk and used it for recording Vyasa's dictation of the Mahabharatha. The Mahabharatha was sure to benefit mankind and He gave His all for it.

As said earlier, SOCIAL service should not be 'SHOW'cial nor 'SLOW'cial service!!! We also need to use our power of discrimination. That is, we should ensure our service reaches the right person.

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