Monday, June 29, 2009

FROM PUTTAPARTHI...EXAMPLES TO REMEMBER !!!

EXAMPLES TO REMEMBER…

Iron turns into rust if it seeks the company of soil. It glows, softens and takes on useful shapes, if it enjoys the company of fire.

Dust can fly if it chooses the wind as its friend. It has to end as slime in a pit, if it prefers water. It has neither wing nor foot, yet it can fly or walk, rise or fall, according to the friend it selects.

Knowing this truth, a great saint, Kabir once said. "Here are my prostrations to the good; here are my prostrations to the bad." When asked why he offered prostrations to the bad, he said, "My prostrations to the bad, so that they may leave me alone. I do the same before good, so that they might remain near me always."

We are shaped by the company we keep!!!

There is a burning coal. At some distance, there is a cold piece of coal. When they contact each other, the heat spreads to the cold piece of coal and the part that is in contact with the burning coal is rendered hot and red.

If you vigorously sway a fan over the contact area, soon the entire coal becomes a burning ember.

"Near" alone is not enough for realization. One has to make it "Dear" by using the fan of spiritual practice. The power of spiritual practices is such that it can make human transform into Divine. – SATHYA SAI BABA

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Friday, June 26, 2009

FROM PUTTAPARTHI...DIVINE EXPERIENCES & MESSAGES !!!

DIVINE EXPERIENCES…

Ø A person, Lakshminarayana, had a daughter who was married and was living with her husband. Her husband however was not a good person as he used to fight with her often.

Once when she had visited Puttaparthi, Swami gave her a photo. She told Swami that she has a lot of His photos and hence did not want one more. Swami, however, forced her to take it and asked her to keep it with her. She then accepted the picture.

Her father, Sri Lakshminarayana, later visited Swami and stayed for a couple of months. Every day Swami narrated the quarrels that his daughter had with her husband.

After a few months, his daughter came to visit him and narrated to her father all the quarrels she had had with her husband. Later when Sri Lakshminarayana asked Swami how He was able to narrate everything so clearly and accurately, Swami replied, "How can I but not listen when I am there in your daughter's kitchen through the picture that I had given her? I was hearing all their quarrels and was observing everything through that photo."

Ø In another instance, a man of about 25 years of age came to see Swami and Bhagavan had given him a room in the Patashala block. One day Swami beckoned the young man and asked him to go and buy a pant and shirt from a shop outside. The man questioned Swami, to which he was told to go back to his ailing mother. The young man protested.

"I have come to you for a monastic life. Instead, you tell me to go back to a worldly life!" Swami replied to him that no amount of sadhana would procure merit if one's responsibilities are not met and that anyway he was not qualified for such a sadhana as a monk.

"Your mother did menial labor in many households to feed you. Now you forsake her. How can I shower on you any grace? Go back home and look after your mother well."

http://media.radiosai.org/Journals/Vol_07/01JUN09/05-h2h_special-01.htm

Wednesday, June 24, 2009

FROM PUTTAPARTHI...SPIRITUAL QUOTIENT - 54: THE ANT & THE LENS !!!

THE ANT & THE CONTACT LENS!!!

Brenda was almost halfway to the top of the tremendous granite cliff. She was standing on a ledge where she was taking a breather during this, her first rock climb. As she rested there, the safety rope snapped against her eye and knocked out her contact lens .

"Great", she thought. "Here I am on a rock ledge, hundreds of feet from the bottom and hundreds of feet to the top of this cliff, and now my sight is blurry."

She looked and looked, hoping that somehow the lens had landed on the ledge. But it just wasn't there.

She felt the panic rising in her, so she began praying. She prayed for calm, and she prayed that she may find her contact lens.

When she got to the top, a friend examined her eye and her clothing for the lens, but it was not to be found. Although she was calm now that she was at the top, she was saddened because she could not clearly see across the range of mountains.

She thought, "Lord, You can see all these mountains. You know every stone and leaf, and You know exactly where my contact lens is. Please help me.."

Later, when they had hiked down the trail to the bottom of the cliff they met another party of climbers just starting up the face of the cliff. One of them shouted out, "Hey, you guys! Anybody lose a contact lens?"

Well, that would be startling enough, but you know why the climber saw it? An ant was moving slowly across a twig on the face of the rock, carrying it!

Brenda's father was a cartoonist. When she told him the incredible story of the ant, the prayer, and the contact lens, he drew a cartoon of an ant lugging that contact lens with the caption, "Lord, I don't know why You want me to carry this thing. I can't eat it, and it's awfully heavy. But if this is what You want me to do, I'll carry it for You."

I think it would do all of us some good to say, "God, I don't know why You want me to carry this load. I can see no good in it and it's awfully heavy. But, if You want me to carry it, I will."

God doesn't call the qualified, He qualifies the called.

Sairam

Friday, June 19, 2009

FROM PUTTAPARTHI...SPIRITUAL QUOTIENT - 53: THE LAMP !!!

THE LAMP OF WISDOM

Once a Sadhaka, who had great ambition to know something about the divine, wanted his eye of wisdom to be opened. He entered a cave where a guru was residing. While entering the cave he saw a small light. As he moved forward even that little light got extinguished.

In darkness one feels frightened, and in fear, we think of God very intensively. Thus he uttered loudly the word 'Namahsivaya and on hearing this, the saint asked him who he was. He said that he had come to seek his grace.

The great saint, who was sustaining himself in the cave only by breathing the air around him, had the competence to know the mind of his visitor. He said that he will answer his question later but asked him first to go and light the lamp, which had been extinguished.

The visitor took a matchbox and tried to light the lamp but did not succeed despite trying again & again. He told the guru that he had finished all the matchsticks and yet he had not succeeded in lighting the lamp.

The guru then asked him to open he lamp, put out all the water and pour oil in it, and then try to light it. The person did this but the lamp would not light even then.

The guru then said that the wick was probably wet with water and asked him to dry it nicely in the open and then attempt to light the lamp. He did this and succeeded.

Then the person ventured to mention his need and asked the guru again.The surprised guru said that the appropriate answer was being given all the while.

The visitor pleaded that, being an ignorant man he was not able to understand the significance of the teaching and requested the guru to explain to him in clearer terms.

The guru said: In the vessel of your heart, there is the wick of your Jiva. The wick has been immersed all these days in the water of your sensuous desire. Therefore you are not able to light the lamp of wisdom.

Pour out all the water of desires from the vessel of your heart, and fill it with Naamasmarana of God. Then take the wick of Jiva and squeeze out of it all the water present in the form of desire and completely dry it. (Make it purer)

Now put into the heart the oil of devotion of Naamasmarana. It will then be possible for you to light the lamp of wisdom.

PS: Be steady, do not waver, keep straight on, hold fast to the ideal without despair. Pray until God relents; do not turn away sadly if God does not shower Grace when you expect it. - SATHYA SAI BABA

Thursday, June 18, 2009

FROM PUTTAPARTHI...SPIRITUAL QUOTIENT - 52: THE SNAKE !!!

THE SNAKE

There is a dark room and in a corner there is a coiled rope. A man enters the room, faintly sees something coiled & shouts "Snake, snake," and rushes out. A crowd gathers, and people then enter the room armed with sticks and carrying a lantern.

And what do they see? It was a rope and not a snake. There was never a snake. There was only a rope!!!

The person who saw it first was deluded on account of darkness, and when the darkness was removed, he along with all others saw that there was no snake and only a rope.

Spirituality means getting rid of this darkness due to which Man is having this illusion that this World is real and GOD is unreal!!!

If the place you must reach is very near, you can just step across; if the distance is more, you may need a vehicle, bullock-drawn or horse-drawn. For longer distances, you may require a car or plane. But, the Lord is the nearest to US. Slide the door of delusion; remove the curtain of ignorance; open the closed eye!

He is right there beside us, before us! The fog of sensual pleasure is hiding God from us. Switch on the Light - darkness disappears and God becomes visible to us.

The choice is ours…whether we want to hold the snake or the rope!!! Whether we want to put on that switch or not! No point in just dangling our feet in the pool water & then claiming that there are no PEARLS there!!! We need to dive & check it out for ourselves.

PS: God is the basis on which this creation rests. The deepest yearning should be to experience that One. Be aware of the One, which manifests as many. SATHYA SAI BABA

Saturday, June 13, 2009

FROM PUTTAPARTHI...SPIRITUAL QUOTIENT - 51: THE BITTER TASTE OF LIFE !!!

THE BITTER TASTE OF LIFE!!!

An experienced & wise master grew tired of his apprentice complaining. One morning he sent the apprentice for some salt.

When the apprentice returned, the master instructed the unhappy young man to put a handful of salt in a glass of water and drink it.

"How does it taste?" the master asked.

"Bitter," spit the apprentice.

The master chuckled and then asked the young man to put a handful of Salt in the lake nearby.

The two walked to the nearby lake. After the apprentice swirled his handful of salt into the water, the old man said, "Now drink from the lake..."

As the water dripped down the young man's chin, the master asked, "Now How does this taste?"

"Fresh & Sweet" remarked the apprentice.

"Do you taste the salt?" asked the master.

"No," said the young man.

At this, the master sat beside the young man who so reminded him of himself at one time and held his hands.

He told the young man, "The pain of life is pure salt; no more, no less.

The amount of pain in life remains exactly the same. However, the amount of bitterness we taste depends on the container we put the pain in.

PS: The bumble bee can bore a hole in the hardest of the wood. But, when dusk intervenes while it is sipping the nectar from the lotus flower and as a result when the open petals close in on the bee, it finds itself imprisoned with no hope of escape. It does not know how to deal with softness. So too, the mind can play its tricks and jump about on any arena. When placed on the Lotus Feet of the Lord, it becomes inactive and harmless. To offer the mind entirely to the Lord, deep detachment from worldly desires is needed. Superficial devotion or shallow steadfastness cannot succeed. SWAMI

Thursday, June 11, 2009

FROM PUTTAPARTHI...SPIRITUAL QUOTIENT - 50: THE CRACKED POT !!!

THE CRACKED POT!!!

A water bearer in China had two large pots, each hung on the ends of a pole which he carried across his neck.. One of the pots had a crack in it, while the other pot was perfect and always delivered a full portion of water.

At the end of the long walk from the stream to the house, the cracked pot arrived only half full.

For a full two years this went on daily, with the bearer delivering only one and a half pots full of water to his house. Of course, the perfect pot was proud of its accomplishments, perfect for which it was made.

But the poor cracked pot was ashamed of its own imperfection, and miserable that it was able to accomplish only half of what it had been made to do.

After 2 years of what it perceived to be a bitter failure, it spoke to the water bearer one day by the stream. I am ashamed of myself, and because this crack in my side causes water to leak out all the way back to your house.

The bearer said to the pot, did you notice that there were flowers only on your side of the path, but not on the other pot's side that's because I have always known about your flaw, and I planted flower seeds on your side of the path, and every day while we walk back, you've watered them.

For two years I have been able to pick these beautiful flowers to decorate the table. Without you being just the way you are, there would not be this beauty to grace the house

PS: Each of us has our own unique flaws. We're all cracked pots. But it's the cracks and flaws we each have that make our lives together so very interesting and rewarding.

You've just got to take each person for what they are, and look for the good in them . . .

You must be ever engaged in the process of purifying the mind and clarifying the intellect. You have to free yourself from all prejudices and misunderstandings. You must speak softly and sweetly and give everyone the respect and attention due to them sincerely. SWAMI

Wednesday, June 10, 2009

FROM PUTTAPARTHI...SPIRITUAL QUOTIENT - 48: KNOW MASTER IS THERE !!!

Know Master is there

A sick man turned to his doctor, as he was preparing to leave the examination room and said, "Doctor, I am afraid to die. Tell me what lies on the other side."

Very quietly, the doctor said, "I don't know."

"You don't know?" You, a Christian, and you do not know what is on the other side?

The doctor was holding the handle of the door; on the other side came a sound of scratching and whining, and as he opened the door, a dog sprang into the room with his tail wagging with an eager show of gladness.

Turning to the patient, the doctor said, "Did you notice my dog? He's never been in this room before. He did not know what was inside…. He knew nothing except that his master was here, and when the door opened, he sprang in without fear. I know little of what is on the other side of death, but, I do know one thing. I know my Master is there and that is enough."

PS: "The whole world runs after the created, the materialistic desires, and not GOD, the creator", SWAMI said to the students.

The assembly remained silent. Baba got up and as He moved towards His room turned back and said "Money comes and goes, Morality comes and grows. Money and materials are temporary. They relate to the body, which itself is temporary. Then how come these materials will give you lasting joy?"

"HAPPINESS IS UNION WITH GOD. SEEK THE HIGHEST AND EVERYTHING ELSE SHALL GET ADDED ON TO YOU." - SWAMI

Friday, June 5, 2009

FROM PUTTAPARTHI...SPIRITUAL QUOTIENT - 48: THE MILK MAID !!!

THE MILK MAID

There was a pundit who led a disciplined life, and always stuck to a prearranged timetable. He woke up from sleep in the early hours of the morning, recited Pranava (Om) and later, after ablutions, drank a cup of milk exactly at 7 a.m. every day. This meant, a lot also depended on how punctual his milk maid was.

But sometimes the milkmaid would arrive late, for she lived on the other side of a river. The river flowed between where she lived and the pundit's hut. She had to catch a ferry to cross over the river with the milk. The ferryboat would sometimes either start a little early or a little late. So, on those days by the time she reached the Pundit's house it used to be very late.

One day, the Pundit admonished her. He said, "You are disrupting my disciplined life. Don't you know that I must have my cup of milk at 7 a.m. everyday? Why do you depend on that boat to take you across? Just repeat the name of Rama. The river will part and you will be able to walk across. Rama will see that you do not get drowned."

The maid being very simple and unsophisticated had faith in the words of the Pundit. Next day, the maid repeated the name of Rama and just walked across the river!

The Pundit questioned her: "So, how did you manage to come on time today?" The milkmaid replied, "Sir, I repeated the name of Rama as you had instructed yesterday, and I could just walk across."

The Pundit was now flabbergasted; he did not believe her account. He just drank the milk and said, "Let's now go to the bank of the river. Let me see you walk across the river."

The maid stepped into the river repeating the name of Rama, and she could just walk across! The maid requested the Pundit to follow her. But the Pundit knew that he would not be able to do it, because he did not have faith in what he himself had said. In spite of his scholarship, he did not have faith in the power of the Name.

PS: Dear readers, this is a story narrated by Bhagavan Baba in a divine discourse delivered on April 25th 1998. Swami has always emphasized that the Lord of the Universe always responds to those with faith in Him. One need not have any worldly education and degrees to qualify in His school; it is enough if we have complete Faith in Him. For faith, as we know, can do much more than just move mountains; with faith in God we can develop tremendous confidence and witness the blossoming of talents placed within us by the Lord Himself!

RESPONSES…

1. Sairam,
Your mails are excellent and words cannot describe the service you do. It is really a great service that you awaken the hearts everyday.

Your SQ answers all queries.

Even then, wish to have an answer for the below.

The mind always runs after success. We always want to be successful in career and satisfy our desires.

Even with swami or spiritual activities, if we aim to see swami , the mind gets satisfied only after seeing swami.
A kind of anxiety is developed always before our aim or desire gets fulfilled.

How to overcome this anxiety? How to control mind? Even when we do namasmarana,one part of the mind
runs after the desire or aim.

Regards,
With best wishes,

Bharathi.R

2. Dear Sir,

Sai Ram.

First we thank you for the wonderful service you are doing by sending these lovely ,so much meaningful,eye opening............... SQs..really cant find words to express our appriciation.

we wish to print these SQs and make a booklet and give out to friends and children.but we are only fortunate to get these SQs from 22nd only.23rd and 29th too we have got.

If its not too much trouble for you ,we would like to have them. 1to 23rd and 29th.

The pearl necklace 40th one made me cry uncontrollably.How we are attached to so many cheep things .

Thank you for the woderful.messages.May our beloved Swami bless you with all the best in life to continue His work.

Love and Sai ram

Nadarajah.KSA

FROM PUTTAPARTHI...RAISING OUR CHILDREN !!!

Part of this week's Sai Vichaar...

QUESTION: What is the attitude of Sai devotees towards raising their children?

ANSWER: No doubt, all parents love their children. In most of the cases, the kind of parental love that we see is mixed with attachment or 'moha'. Many cannot delineate the two components viz., love and attachment or 'moha'. Many times attachment is confused for love. In pure love, there is no place for possessiveness; but most of the parents are possessive of their children. Possessiveness and attachment lead to grief, unhappiness and consequently lack of peace. The kind of up bringing of children that we come across these days in most of the cases is clouded with possessiveness and expectations of different kinds from their children.

A Sai devotee on the other hand should be guided by 'sai-tatwa' in raising his or her children. How this is be done can be seen in the case of Rege, a Sai devotee par excellence.

Rege took his infant son to Shirdi and put him at the feet of Paramaguru Sai Baba.

Baba asked Rege as to whom did the child belong. Rege said, "Baba, he is Yours."

Then Baba said to Rege, "Raise him as My own."

In other words Baba hinted that child should be raised with lot of love befitting a child of Sai; but without any attachment or possessiveness.

Later, when the child became seriously ill, Rege prayed, "Baba, take him away, if your wish so and let me experience his left over 'karma' for being instrumental in his birth".

That should be the attitude of a Sai devotee to his/her child. That is to say that the parent should consider himself / herself a custodian of Sai's child. In other words, the parents should realize that they are only instrumental in assisting in the earthly life of their children. Consequently, the parents must assume the duties and responsibilities of custodians in the up bringing of children, without any attachment or possessiveness.

Once the child is considered as the gift of Sai Baba, it should be the responsibility of the parents to inculcate in the child the values of 'Sai-tatwa'. In other words, the child should be made aware of universal love, i.e., love for every one regardless of the facades of cast, creed, race and religion, which are man-made and love and commitment for truthfulness.

A true Sai devotee would also inculcate in his / her children a spirit of understanding and tolerance towards faiths other than his / her own. Being a child of a true Sai devotee, the child should take to devoted worship of Sai Baba as Parama-guru and Para-brahman, who is all pervasive and omniscient. This should lead children of Sai devotees to take to 'satsangs' with the mandate of service to the downtrodden and underprivileged. Automatically, a child of Sai devotee should develop love for truthfulness, egoless simplicity and utmost devotion.

Children raised with the values of 'Sai-tatwa' ingrained in them, will be diamonds in the glorious crown of Paramaguru Sainath and become agents of change for a better world.

OM SAI RAM

Wednesday, June 3, 2009

FROM PUTTAPARTHI...SPIRITUAL QUOTIENT - 47: PRAY UNTIL SOMETHING HAPPENS !!!

SPIRITUAL QUOTIENT – 47

A man was sleeping at night in his cabin when suddenly his room was filled with light, and the Lord told the man that he had work for him to do, and showed him a large rock in front of his cabin. The Lord explained that the man was to push against the rock with all his might every day!

The man did so, day after day. For several days he toiled from dawn to dusk, his shoulders set squarely against the cold, massive surface of the unmoving rock, pushing with all his might. Each night the man returned to his cabin sore and worn out, feeling that his whole day had been spent in vain as the rock simply didn't budge even an inch!!! But he persisted.

Since the man was showing slight discouragement, the 'Satan' decided to enter the picture by placing thoughts into his weary tired mind. "You have been pushing against that rock for a long time, and it hasn't moved. You've been fooled by God! The task is impossible and you're a failure."

These thoughts discouraged and disheartened the man. Satan continued, "Why kill yourself over this? Just give minimum effort, and that will be good enough. Then come & enjoy life with me."

That's what the man planned to do as the 'monkey mind' played mischief & he was completely influenced by the Satan, but decided to take his troubled thoughts to the Lord. "Lord," he said, "I have labored long and hard in your service, putting all my strength to do that which you have asked. Yet, after all this time, I have not even budged that rock even by half a millimeter. What is wrong? Why am I failing? Why have you asked me to do this?"

The Lord responded compassionately, "My dear fellow, I told you that your task was just to push against the rock with all your strength, which you have done. Never once did I mention to you that I expected you to move it! Your task was just to push. That's all & that you've done successfully!!!"

"And now you come to me with your strength spent, thinking that you have failed. But, is that really so? Look at yourself. Your arms are strong and muscled, your back sinewy and brown; your legs have become massive and hard. Your abilities now surpass that which you used to have. Your task was to be obedient and to push and to exercise your faith and trust in my wisdom. This you have done. Now I, my child, will move the rock." Announced God triumphantly!!!

The Man simply bowed in reverence & humility!

PS: What actually God wants is just simple obedience and faith in Him. We should not waver - having devotion today, tomorrow seeking sensual gratification, and then the day after, back to devotion again. When something goes wrong, we are filled with despair. When discipline is enforced, we start holding back, and when love is showered, we are first again. This dual attitude must be given up. SATHYA SAI BABA

Pray Until Something Happens!

(Compiled from 'Radio Sai Journals…might be a repeat but worth it…)

A FEW RESPONSES…

1. Thanks for SQ- it is a great pleasure to read it and to remember it - these stories I can use in my classes - a good way to make my pupils think and remember - hopefully to change their consciousness

Angelika Holler

2. Dear Sai Brother, hope there is no auther's rights on your prayer, because I'm using it, may God pay you in full for this beautiful prayer you have shared with us. Om sai ram

Frances

3. Dear Sir,
This is very useful story. Quite often we see that people try to
hurt each other, whether it is in public transport or in office. One
person speaks very badly to other, because of which his Ego gets hurt tremendously & he retaliates, by speaking badly of the former.

The former returns the garbage & this continues to happen. Those people who happen to hear this are disgusted.
Reading this story, we understand that we should ignore the
garbage, & not try to retaliate but forget it.

Om Sai Ram.
Sai Bhakta.

VAIBHAV

Tuesday, June 2, 2009

FROM PUTTAPARTHI...SPIRITUAL QUOTIENT - 46: THE GARBAGE TRUCK !!!

SPIRITUAL QUOTIENT – 46

THE GARBAGE TRUCK!!!

How often do we let other people's emotions affect our mood? Do we let a terrible driver, or a rude comment ruin our day?

The mark of a spiritual aspirant is how quickly we can 'regain our focus' on what is important. One man learnt this experience while in the back of a New York City cab. Here's what happened.

He was traveling in a taxi, on his way to Grand Central Station. All of a sudden, without warning, a black car jumped out of a parking space right in front of them. The taxi driver slammed on his brakes, skidded and missed the other car's back end by inches.

Then, the driver in the other car, who nearly caused a huge accident, whipped his head around and started abusing the taxi driver. So did the companion sitting next to him! One would have thought that it should have been the other way round!!!

But the taxi driver just smiled and waved at the guy. The startled passenger sitting in the taxi said, "Why did you take it so easy? The guys almost caused your car to crash and send us to hospital!"

The taxi driver laughed and then related what he called, "The Law of The Garbage Truck."

"Many people are like garbage trucks. They run around full of rubbish, filled with frustration, bursting with anger, and packed with disappointment. As their garbage piles up, they need a place to dump it. And if you let them, they'll dump it on you. When someone wants to dump it all on you, don't take it personally. You just smile, wave, wish them well, and move on. You'll be glad you did. I assure you."

The passenger started thinking how regularly he let garbage trucks run right over him? And how frequently he took his own garbage and spread it onto other people, at work, at home, or on the streets? It was that day he promised to himself, "I'm not going to do it anymore. Enough is enough!"

Over time he learnt how to distinguish when a "Garbage Truck" was coming to dump all over him. He noticed the junk they were carrying and prepared himself to avoid it all being unloaded onto him. Like the taxi driver, he did not make it a personal thing; he just smiled or waved or wished them or did all of these and moved on!!!

(A very popular story in all 'Emotional Intelligence' sessions & was also published in 'radio sai journals'))

PS: "Can you not be saturated with Love? Why use harsh words against anyone, for words wound more fatally than even arrows? Can you not speak softly and sweetly? You don't have to oblige but you can always speak obligingly!!!" – SATHYA SAI BABA

SOME RESPONSES…

Dear Sir,

I never cease to be awed by the way SQ manages to drive home the point with the help of your spiritual quotes, examples and short stories.

We youngsters always have these misconceived notions that spirituality is something which is to be pursued only in old age after we have enjoyed our life in our youth, but SQ has been an eye opener for us.

The messages are wonderful that we need to be thankful for mental peace and material comfort bestowed by God on us, than to hanker after things which can just give us momentary feeling of happiness.

This write up of SQ is much more intense and thought provoking. I think the effort taken for compiling these articles for SQ is really commendable and hope that you continue to nourish us daily with your spiritual anecdotes.

Regards

REVATHI

Dear Sir,

In fact, your SQ has become quite a repository of spiritual knowledge that besides your quotients, the debates and the exchange of ideas and thoughts have also become equally popular. I have become quite an avid reader of all these.

Thank you once again for this wonderful opportunity to 'learn' and to 'debate'.

May your column grow from strength to strength?

Regards

JAWAHAR.N.R

Monday, June 1, 2009

FROM PUTTAPARTHI...SPIRITUAL QUOTIENT - 45: PRASAADAM & NAIVEDYAM !!!

SPIRITUAL QUOTIENT – 45

In the South Indian tradition, there are 2 words that are very commonly used during functions & rituals one performs in adoration of God. These words are: Prasaadam, and Naivedyam. The former word as we all have heard is often distributed during functions; the word essentially means a blessing from God. But an everyday affair in many houses & temples.

The other word Naivedyam means an offering to God. During the Pooja ritual, food and other items are offered to God by way of consecrating them but in our context, any loving offering we make becomes a Naivedyam.

In other words we get Prasaadam from God & we offer Naivedyam to God! Similarly what we are is a gift from the Universe and what we become is our gift to the Universe!

Each one of us has received some gifts from God. These gifts are the Prasaadam of God. Life must be so lived that one makes use of these Prasaadam and gives it back to God as Naivedyam. When we use our gifts for the benefit of Society in a reverential manner, we are actually offering Naivedyam to God.

For example, we offer flowers to God. We pluck the flowers and make a garland before offering. In worldly parlance, "some value addition" is made before offering to God! Just like that, we must utilize the talents / the skills / the knowledge / the material wealth that we have in a suitable manner, do what we're supposed to, i.e.; make some value addition and offer them back to God.

Just like our nail is a part of our finger, the finger is a part of our hand, the hand is a part of our arm and the arm is a part of our whole body, man is a limb of Society, Society is a limb of Nature and Nature is a limb of God!!!

Speaking during a concluding function in Dec. '96, the famous West Indian cricketer Clive Lloyd said, "Talent is a gift of God and it must be offered back to God."

Similarly, a Pakistani singer of Ghazals when asked why she was not adopting modern methods of singing replied, "I can't do that. Ghazals are a gift of Allah and I must offer it back to Allah in a pure form and not with modern distortions!!!"

The concept is the same irrespective of religion!

The great Isaac Newton once exclaimed, "The thumb alone is enough to prove that there is a superior power & that is God!"

This is the easiest way of going back to God – from God we have come and to God we must return. This cycle guarantees a safe return journey.

This is the P / N PRINCIPLE that we're all supposed to follow.

The human birth is the final birth and, dependent on the virtue of the life, it ends in the Divine, or is reborn again. - SATHYA SAI BABA

Sathya Sai baba