Sai Newsletter
Sai Newsletter
Camila Balgobin, the new
president of
the Sri Sathya Sai Baba Centre of Toronto is a Sai devotee for more than 35
years. She has been a devotee of Swami already in Trinidad, where she was
born. After she came to Canada with her family she became a founding member
of the Centre.
She has been a very faithful and useful member of the Centre, had a lot of experience in all the branches of the organisation. Camila did a lot of seva and worked for long within the education branch, conducting Sai spiritual education. She was greatly liked and trusted by all the children, was always one of the favourite teachers. One of the most outstanding characteristics of Camila is her gentle, loving nature. She is never angry, always ready to do, to give. She is known for that loving smile, which seldom leaves her face.
Camila is much loved by all who know her. She is well organised, conscientious worker and should be a very good president of the Centre.
- Dr. Peter Hacker
(We heartily welcome and applaud the selection of Camila Balgobin as the new President of our Centre - Sri Sathya Sai Baba Centre of Toronto. Congratulations! Camila -- Ed.)
Our most compassionate Lord, salutations and prostrations at your Divine Lotus Feet. Respected elders, brothers and Sisters: Aum Sri Sai Ram.
Today is sacred for us because we have just reminded ourselves about the commitment that we are undertaking to continue to walk in the path that our Lord has provided for us to transform spiritually. I will exercise my heart to listen to the voice within and consult with Bhagawan before acting under His loving guidance.
You are all special and it was not I who choose to be your leader, but it was Bhagawan's choice. I thank and look forward to working with each one of you. Some of you regard me as a sister and some as a daughter, let us maintain this open relationship and grow together while treading the spiritual path in my life's journey.
I am nothing without your love and support, and I pray that we stay together in one loving stream carrying out the activities provided by Bhagawan as His instruments.
The 7th world conference provides us with guidelines, but we are not limited by this. Feel free to talk with me anytime towards enhancing the growth of the organization. Each wing of the organization usually depends upon other wings to bring about unity and divinity. If we view our duty as service then we should have the attitude of serving irrespective of which wing our activity falls under. The qualities of a true leader must be personally motivated to attempt to live up to the highest ideals of Sai - always seeing Divine perfection in every thought, and excellence in our speech and action.
God's Grace is earned even in common tasks if they are dedicated to Him. We must perform our action in the world while remaining concentrated in our duty - remembrance of God. Swami says: A little practice will teach you to hold fast to the feet of God while roaming about in the world, doing all duties and carrying all responsibilities as dedicated to Him.
Let us strive to be spiritual warriors with our feet planted firmly on the foundation of Sathya , Dharma, Prema, Shanti and Ahimsa. Let us constantly look for ways to continue to emphasize unity and divinity among various wings of the centre, making it all work together without disturbing its balance. In the name of Sai let us grow together in realizing our goal in this human birth with the thought of helping ever and hurting never.
- Camila Balgobin
With Humility and Love I offer
my salutations to the divine lotus feet of Bhagawan Baba.
Respected elders, children, youth, brothers and sisters, Aum Sri Sai Ram.
Swami, during the past 31 years of my life you have guided me and brought me into your fold where you have been and will always be the object of my devotion, and my love for you will endure forever. Pranams and heartfelt gratitude to my parents for imparting all the values, hammering and molding my character into which I have become today.
Also, My thanks to the committee members, and all the devotees of the Sathya Sai Centre of Toronto, for the faith you have entrusted in allowing me to have this opportunity to continue to grow and tread the spiritual path while experiencing the role of president. I highly regard this task as sacred and unique, where I will be able exercise my heart to listen to the voice within.
During the past week, I have received kind words, love and commitment from many of you, and hope that we will continue to work in love and unity, using the centre as our vehicle when serving humanity with love. Swami, I promised you that my goal is to remain concentrated on my duty- that is Remembrance of God through love, compassion, patience and being a good listener.
We the devotees, have made great strides over the years, and on behalf of the organization I thank all the previous presidents, leaders, and elders for creating a conscientious effort and platform for us to work in unity, love and devotion towards God. Thanks to my family Akash, Roshan and Sonny for your continued support, understanding, and encouragement when the road becomes lengthy.
I have grown in this centre and its members are my family, and I am easily approachable for any improvement. I have learned together with this Sai family, to put into practice Swami's teachings and I pray that this bond will continue to grow, while sustaining the work and ideals that were built by our past presidents. Chandra I have had the privilege to work closely with you since the formation of the centre, and I am confident that your love and support will continue to shine on me as we walk together toward attaining our spiritual goal in realizing the divinity within.
Swami, I pray that you shower your Grace on me to become a worthy instrument in serving with selfless love. And that you would grant me the wisdom and discrimination to successfully meet your standards, and keep me as a lotus petal forever at your Divine Feet.
After a little hibernation, we are back on track with the latest issue of our Sai Newsletter.
Mr. Satya Poddar diligently carried out torch in bringing out earlier issues (under the name, Sai Sandesh) for several years. I want to thank Satya from the bottom of my heart for his excellent dedication and commitment in bringing out the Newsletter and also for graciously providing me with valuable suggestions. If not for the timely contributions that we received from several devotees, this issue would not have seen the light of the day, and I thank them all.
At present, we are planning on three issues a year. After attending several celebrations, seminars, study circles and workshops that are being organized and conducted at the Sri Sathya Sai Baba Centre of Toronto, one can clearly notice that there is no dearth of talent, at all levels, in our Sai family. The parents, Sathya Sai Education (SSE) teachers and youth coordinators are requested to encourage SSE children, and youth for submissions to Sai Newsletter in the form of articles, poems, stories artwork etc. For the benefit of all devotees, I hope to share the regular submissions of updates on the activities of the on-going projects and other salient information on ad hoc programs from the respective unit and sub-unit coordinators of different Wings. The updates on activities and upcoming events of programs can be in the form of a couple of paragraphs or in a point-form.
Also, I urge all the devotees to send their contributions regularly. As you all may realize that this is an excellent medium for sharing your contributions with all the members of our Sai family. I encourage you all to use this space liberally.
All of us have different ways of coming into Swami's Fold. The personal accounts are always unique and interesting, and we notice that no two accounts are same. With this in mind, I have introduced a Series on 'How I (we) got into His Fold'.
Swami always emphasizes the importance of Saatvik food for the general spiritual upliftment. So, I have introduced another Series - 'Saatvik Food and Spirituality', and I hope that you will all contribute to this Section regularly.
I invite brief write-ups in the form of reviews on recent Sai Literature (Books) or on the information and reviews on recent tapes/videos etc.
All contributions must be submitted to the Editor, Dr. Venkata R. Neralla via e-mail or on a 3 1/2" diskette in Microsoft Word format.
My associates, Vilma and Martin Armogan, Asha and Sanjay Sathyanarayan join me in thanking Bhagawan Sri Sathya Baba for His Divine Grace and Blessings, and we sincerely dedicate our Sai Newsletter at His Lotus Feet.
- Dr. Venkata R. Neralla, Editor
A "Journey of Love", the pilgrimage that left Toronto, Canada, on July 13th to be in the Divine presence of our Beloved Lord Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba, will forever be etched in the hearts of all the devotees of the Sri Sathya Sai Baba Centre of Toronto.
Through the Divine blessings of our Lord during this pilgrimage, many devotees gained the courage, the motivation and the determination along with a renewed spirit to face life. To our Dearest Lord we offer our most heartfelt gratitude for giving us the opportunity to be with Him, and to all those who read this article we pray that you will also be inspired by the experiences.
The idea for this Holy Pilgrimage
was conceived in January 2000 and on September 2nd 2000 a letter was sent to
Bhagawan asking for His permission, guidance and His blessings to bring
the Sai Spiritual Education children and Youths, as well adults from the
centre, to Prashanti to have His darshan and experience His divinity. As
a centre we felt that this permission was granted when Swami took the
letter and also said "yes, yes". Excitedly the plans began,
however the response from devotees as of December 2000 indicated that we
had a lot more work to do to encourage devotees to take advantage of this
unique opportunity. The centre became a hub of activities all focussed
around the trip and in March of 2001 we were ready to make the first
attempt at travel arrangements for 174 devotees, all resolved to make
this Journey of Love.
Looking back at many of the groups from various countries that had gone before us, we realised that we should have our children prepare an offering of love for our Lord.
With this intention we decided to do a presentation comprising of musical renditions and a drama. We all realised that permission to stage this for Swami had to come directly from Him, but we had full faith that He will do what is best.
With excitement, a feeling of unity and a bond of brotherly love, we travelled together to Prashanthi Nilayam. The group left Pearson International airport on three flights, with the knowledge that we will be re-united in Bombay to board the chartered Jet Airways flight that will take us straight to Prashanti. Our joy was overflowing as we sang bhajans through out the flight until we safely landed in the airport at Prashanti. This flight was given special permission by Bhagawan to land, because only Indian airlines, until then, had permission to use the airport. Before leaving we were informed that Swami would not be in Parthi for three days, so by the time we reached the ashram, Swami had already left for Maharashtra. While we did miss him, it gave us the opportunity to settle in and do some "Sai-Seeing" of the various highlights of Puttaparthi, including the hospital and the recently built Chaitanya Jyothi Museum.
Starting on the afternoon of July 17th, our group was blessed to have reserved seating for darshan. Over the course of the next five days, we received beautiful darshan and were overjoyed with Swami's glances and smiles. He also accepted letters from many devotees, materialised vibuthi for some and inquired "How many?" and "Where are you from?" Nevertheless, we still had not received any indication as to the date of the presentation. Undeterred we continued our daily sadhana meetings and rehearsals in a shed that had been designated for our use.
A few days later on July 21st, Dr. Singh, Central Co-ordinator of Canada, was blessed with an interview with Swami, in which he was kind enough to inquire about a date for our presentation. Dr. Singh, immediately after the interview, told us that Swami responded by saying, "Birthday time would be better." Dr. Singh broke this news later to everyone, in the kindest way possible, all the time emphasizing that Swami knows best. Initially we felt disappointed, but were consoled by remembering that Mother Sai always wants the best for Her children. Our efforts grew in intensity, as we wanted to melt Swami's 'heart of butter' with the warmth of our devotion. Our prayers were answered on the 23rd of July, when Swami said to the ladies after morning bhajans, "Canada, Drama 25th!" This brought joy to all our hearts, especially the children, and soon after we received confirmation from ashram officials to begin rehearsals at the Poornachandra Hall that very afternoon!
In addition to the honour of practising in the premises of Swami's home, we were blessed with darshans backstage during the practice sessions. It was so sweet to see Swami, as Sai Krishna, teasing and lovingly poking fun at His children. On the second occasion, one Youth asked, "Swami, what can we do for You?" In response, He gave a message that all Youth can strive to follow: "I want nothing! [Swami raised his hands]Just do your Duty sincerely. Study Well! Work is Worship."
The 25th finally arrived. Swami, being Sai Ma, showed us His motherly affection by sending a comfortable bus for the entire cast, despite the fact that we were in walking distance from Poornachandra Hall. Prior to going on stage, Swami visited us twice backstage. The presentation proceeded very smoothly. It was very fulfilling for all members of the cast to perform in His presence, watching the Divine Director conducting and enjoying His masterpiece. Swami was very sweet and loving when He joined us on stage for the Grand Finale. He was gracious enough to hand out cloth material to the boys and saris to the girls. Out of our deep love for Him, many of the boys and girls said, "We love you, Swami!" Swami responded, "I love you, I love you too. Very happy."
Overwhelmed with bliss, we were surprised again when Swami, on the morning of the 27th, on His way back to Poornachandra after the morning Bhajans, came towards the group and said "Today 2:00 p.m. come to mandir, Swami will see you." This was simply too much. He was too compassionate and loving. We quickly got ourselves together and decided how to arrange ourselves for this Divine appointment with God. Sitting in the Mandir, awaiting His arrival, we were eager to know what Swami had in store for us...
After entering the Mandir, Swami overfilled the cups of our hearts as He walked amongst the devotees, speaking with some, smiling to others, taking letters, materialising vibhuti and joking with the children. Swami gave a beautiful discourse, mentioning the drama and explaining its spiritual significance. He advised us on how to lead our lives in order to reach God. After the discourse, Swami asked two boys and two girls to distribute vibhuti and small photos to everyone. He then brought basins of sweets and asked for it to also be distributed. He gently enquired, "Am I giving you trouble?" What a great lesson for us, how considerate we should be. He asked for cameras, when we told him we were not allowed to bring them in, He went outside and got a camera from the students. He permitted us to take many photographs with Him, and granted us the golden opportunity to sing bhajans for Him. He requested that we sing Canada bhajans, to which the group sang two English bhajans. He was the most compassionate mother and Father to all of us. When it was time for Him to leave He said that He must leave since He was with us for two hours. It was a bittersweet moment, all of us forever grateful for His Love and sad that it had to end. However, he did say to come and bring larger groups to be with Him, and we thank him for this boon. He waved good-bye sweetly before leaving the room for the last time.
On the whole, the trip was a learning experience that brought us closer as a Sai family, and especially closer to Swami. All the experiences and blessings provided us with the inspiration, motivation, and guidance to give Swami what He really asks for - transformation. Transformation to Love All, and Serve All.
The journey of love has not come to an end…but has just begun! Jai Sai Ram!
- Chandra Gopie
For several years, my mother used to talk about Sai Baba. She was convinced that he had been the one who had received her in his arms as she was hurled from a speeding car which was out of control and did three somersaults.
'It would be so nice if you had His darshan just once before you return to the United Kingdom for your Doctoral studies,' she said. 'I am off to the bank to get my Sterling before going to the airport today,' I said pretending to ignore her remark.
I went out in the hot Bangalore sun and walked the 100 m to the bank. A short while later, my business successfully concluded, I was walking back. Suddenly, I heard the purring of an imported car coming right behind me and matching my speed. I turned around and saw a light blue Mercedes. I raised my eyes to look at the lone passenger in the rear seat. It was Sai Baba. We made eye contact and we continued this dialogue until the car overtook me.
'Did you get your money?' mother asked as I opened the front door. I replied in the affirmative. 'Oh, by the way,' I continued nonchalantly, 'I saw your Sai Baba. He was coming into our street in his car'. That she was transported to seventh heaven would be an understatement.
Almost 5 years on, I had my Doctorate, was a recongnised authority on my Subject and had a tenured position in a reasonably well considered university. However, there was something lacking and I realised that only a wise person could advise me. I knew no wise people and the only individual that I considered a possibility was Sai Baba. I bought a one way ticket to India and reached Puttaparthi 48 hours later.
The crowds were enormous. I had morning darshan and needed to do something to keep busy since I had no idea how long I'd be there. After breakfast, I went up the hill to the University's administrative building. I told the secretary that I had no appointment, but wanted to see the Vice Chancellor (VC), Dr. Gokak. I was shown into an office and there sat Dr. Gokak, one of the greatest classicists produced by India. After telling him about my 'credentials', I said, 'Sir, I should like to offer to teach at your university'.
'Young man, all that you tell me is not news. Yesterday, Sai Baba said, 'A boy will come tomorrow offering to teach. He has taught in England and America and you'll ask him to teach M.Sc. level courses in Optics, Modern Physics and Engineering Physics.'
'So, Dr. Vangala, we should like you to teach these courses and you can start tomorrow. I don't know right now about your remuneration, however.'
I was being escorted out of the VC's office and Dr. Gokak said,' By the way I almost forgot. Come for darshan this afternoon and show this note to the volunteer at the gate.'
Taking the envelope, I left. A few hours later, I was at the aforementioned gate. The volunteer dropped everything and took me right on to the balcony and seated me opposite the door which opens into the interview room. 'This is your place', he said and withdrew. Thus started the greatest journey, which continues to today.
- Dr. Sarma Vangala
I am not different from the master Divine,
I am Prarabrahma, the creator indeed;
I am neither affected by disease nor worry,
I am bliss and nothing but bliss;
I am always content, I am not affected by fear
I am the indweller that speaks
Om That Sath.
He will solve riddles by appearing in dreams
He will clarify doubts while in meditation
He dwells in the mind of man all the time,
Bestowing peace and bliss, He is Sathya Sai.
The bird Chataka always longs for moonlight,
The bee loves to be hanging around freshly blossomed lotus,
The patient desires to taste medicines ofdifferent flavors,
The Lord of Parthi eagerly looks to be among His devotees.
(Poems composed by Swami. Translated by Bombay Srinivasan and submitted by Satya Poddar)
This article is a follow-up to the
workshop that was held on March 3, 2002, at the Sri Sathya Sai Baba Centre of
Toronto, on attaining a healthy body and healthy mind.
We, as human beings, attend three temples: i) the temple which is in the form of a physical building, which we attend on a weekly basis or other frequency, ii) the temple where we go to using our minds; for example, meditation, contemplation, japa, etc. and iii) the temple which is our physical body, that we use to do all activities. Is it not said that the body is a temple of God? Without the body, of which the mind is part, we would not be able to do anything: pray, work, eat, etc. The body allows us to attend the other two temples.
The first two temples require a certain amount of effort in order for us to attend them. Therefore, we pay attention to their proper functioning and maintenance. We are concerned that the temple building is heated, repaired and maintained. Regarding the temple that we go to using our minds, we imagine it as a place of perfection and bliss and hence see it as well maintained and in proper order, as the first temple. However, regarding the body temple, since we occupy it all the time and do not have to make any special effort to attend it, we often ignore its upkeep, until maybe, when it begins to malfunction. What is unfortunate is that at this stage, it is not easy to repair the body temple, and spare parts are hardly available! It is like a collector's item, one of a kind and invaluable. There is nothing in this world that if not properly maintained, will not break down prematurely. Should we not regard a temple of the Lord as worthy of being maintained in the highest state of upkeep?
Please note that we do not have to change our eating habits overnight! What matters is that we start now and that we set a plan to slowly but surely improve our eating habits. For more information please read "The Complete Book of Ayurvedic Home Remedies" by Vasant Lad and "The McDougall Plan" by John A. McDougall and Mary A. McDougall. These books are a must to own but you can always check your library if you want to wait before purchasing.
Sri Sathya Sai Baba says 'Health is an essential requisite of man. The man afflicted with ill health is powerless to execute even the least burdensome assignment. The scriptures proclaim that health is the very root of all endeavour in the four fields of human achievement Dharma, Artha, Kama and Moksha. Without health, man cannot brave temptations, earn a decent living, fulfill his basic needs or succeed in spiritual sadhana. Man can engage himself in obligatory and optional functions only if he is healthy'. Jai Sai Ram!
- Paul Urbani
Under the auspices of the Study Circle Group of the Sri Sathya Sai Baba Centre of Toronto, two stimulating study circles were conducted in the recent past. The first was on 'Ethics in Medicine' by Dr. Joseph Chandrakanthan, and the second one was on 'Loving God' by Dr. Sonia Sharma. Both the study circles were well received by an enthusiastic audience.
Dr. Chandrakanthan's talk was mainly centered on four ethical principles - 1) Life is sacred; 2) Beneficent to patient; 3) Refrain from doing harm and 4) Social justice. Since the topic was topical, one could sense a feeling of genuineness in the audience participation.
In her discussion on 'Loving God',
Dr. Sonia Sharma emphasized the importance of showing reverence to parents.
Dr. Sharma narrated a number of her own experiences while she was in
India attending the school at Swami's Ashram in Puttaparthi. She also
narrated with excellent examples on how we all can love God. She
discussed at length Swami's famous Word - WATCH. Needless to say that
the audience was spellbound.
Education is collection of worldly information; educare is to bring out what is within. Education is for a living while educare is for life. Educare is for reaching our ultimate goal of life.
Five elements are in perfect harmony and balance, due to the full expression of the inherent values in creation. They follow perfect discipline, righteous conduct, and as such there is always peace in nature. When the Creation exhibits inherent peace as a consequent of the innate discipline, there is non-violence.
As a product of the same five elements, which constitute the Creation, these elements in man should be in balance and harmony. If man is not able to experience bliss and happiness, there must be some cause that obstructs him from experiencing this on a constant uninterrupted basis. The answer to this given by Sri Sathya Sai Baba is the mind. Man alone is endowed with the power of mind.
However, when the strong inputs from the senses blur the mind with images and thoughts, the mind blocks the constant flow of Divine Energy from within. This creates desires and ultimately leads man to deluded actions upsetting the balance of the five elements within. As man is a part of the entire cosmos, this in turn affects the balance of the five elements in nature. This causes the earth to rumble, the waters to rise, the fire to flare up, the winds to blow unnaturally and the ether to get polluted.
It is said, "Less luggage more comfort, makes travel a pleasure". Hence, you should make a sincere endeavour to decrease your burden or desires. It is only then that you cease being a burden on the earth. Any increase in your burden adds to the burden of the Mother Earth. In fact, it is not God who carries your burden; He makes each one carry his own burden.
Make Proper Use of the Five Elements
"Trees also teach the lesson that you should always do good to others. They take carbon dioxide from the environment and give out oxygen, which sustains life on the earth. Though born as humans, you do not bother to imbibe this noble message that the trees silently preach."
"The sun vaporizes ocean water. Though the water of the oceans is saline, the rain water that falls from the clouds taste sweet. Similarly, the saline water of bad conduct should be transformed into the clouds of truth by the sun of intellect. Then alone will the sweet water of Love fall from the clouds of truth and virtue."
"Man's misadventures have created several problems for the entire mankind. He has polluted the five elements causing havoc on the earth. There is pollution everywhere - in air, water, food and so on. His misdeeds coupled with his evil thoughts and feelings have degraded human life on the earth. If man acts in the righteous way, there will be no pollution at all. The water level under the surface of the earth is depleting because noble virtues like love and compassion have dried up in human heart. The five elements are sore with the offensive conduct of man." - Sai Baba
Environmental disasters
Human greed has created havoc in
the ecosystem. Human-induced climate change is the most serious problem
facing the world in the 21st century. The increasing amounts of oil,
coal and other fossil fuels being burnt as a result of our development
priorities are emitting more and more heat-trapping gases - principally
carbon dioxide - while simultaneously destroying the forests that normally
absorb them. The result; a greenhouse gas overload in the atmosphere -
trapping solar heat and causing surface temperatures to rise. Average
global temperatures have already risen 0.6 degree Celsius above the
pre-industrial average. Twelve of the hottest years in recorded history
have occurred since 1980. But this is only the beginning. Scientists
expect average world temperatures to rise by over 3 degree Celsius by
2080.
The consequences of this warming are likely to be highly destructive. With more energy driving the Earth's climatic systems and more heat affecting the polar ice caps, the frequency and severity of storms, floods and droughts will increase. Sea surges, crumbling coastlines, saltwater intrusion into groundwater, failing crops and the spread of endemic diseases such as malaria and dengue fever will take a heavy economic and social toll. Let us see some facts:
Let us see some other interesting facts of consumption patterns.
For the last 30 years, Sathya Sai Education (SSE) children have been learning five human values of Truth, Right Conduct, Peace, Love and Non-violence through various activities. Now the focus has shifted to integrate five human values and five elements. This will be creating an awareness of the importance of harmony between five human values and five elements. We cannot live without even one element.
Sathya Sai Education in Human Values (SSEHV) program displayed various exhibits - on Five Elements, i.e. Air, Earth, Fire, Space, and Water; Quotations from Swami, Our Beautiful Mother Earth, etc. on April 14, 2002. World is beautiful. We have polluted air, space, and water. Our Mother Earth has been crying for help for long time. Let us do our part. These exhibits explained briefly how we can help at an individual level, family level and community level. Can you think how can you help? Let us see:
- Dev Taneja
"When I resolved on my birth. I decided who should be my mother", thus declared Bhagawan Baba answering to a question from the editor of "Nav Kaal", a Mumbai (Bombay) Daily. The mother, Bhagawan decided upon was Easwaramma, a poor, tender hearted, pious, illiterate, rural housewife. As mother of the Avatar, her earthly career serves to remind us of the extraordinary adventure she was called upon to undertake, the hesitations, hazards and hopes she had to encounter and the Glory of her Victory.
The Easwaramma High School at Puttaparthi stands as a monument for the Mother's abiding affection towards children and her desire to help them unfold their talents, skills and divinity. The date May 6th was engraved on the page of history as Eswaramma Day, to honour and remember that great soul. It is celebrated as festival of children all over the world by the Sai Centres.
As in the past, our centre arranged various competitions based on the age groups. Theme for the entire competition was "Expressions of Love for Mother Nature" aimed at bringing out the understanding of their role in preserving and respecting the nature. Comments from our judges at the competition revealed the extent of talents and skills the children have portrayed. The uniqueness in this year event was that, the competitions were held in two stages. First stage was finals for Pre-SSE & Group 1A and semi finals for the groups from 1B to Group III. Finals were held at Vari Hall in the presence of all the parents, members and families. It was a day to remember for all our SSE children, parents and gurus.
"It doesn't matter if we don't win. Sportsmanship is what it matters for us" were the exact words from Sai Sumitra, a 6 year old from Group 1A. Centre congratulates all the children who participated in the competitions.
- Chandra Gopie and Param Parmeswaran, Education Coordinators
Thank You Water
Thank you for sharing part of you with us
Without you animals and other livings can't survive
You help the people who are sick and thirsty
You keep us healthy and strong
You keep us clean & fresh
You help the plants survive
Thank you water, thank you God
Water, you are my God too
Brannavy Jeyadevan (8 years)
SSE - Group 1B
School honours SSE Student
Six year old Sai Sumitra of
Group 1A was awarded the Future Ace for demonstrating empathy towards her
fellow students, ability to manage anger, understand the importance of
remaining calm and maintaining right choices by Firgrove P.S.Downsview. She
was also commended for setting an example for her follow students with hard
work.
Sai Sumitra, we are proud of you.
(The material for Children's Corner was gathered through the good efforts of Mr. Param Parameswaran and we thank him for his interest and support. --- Ed.)
Our ancients enquired into the nature of Divinity in several ways. As they were not able to comprehend it fully, they started worshipping Prakriti (Nature). With the passage of time, the Bhaaratiyaas took to Murthi Aaradhana (idol worship) in place of Prakriti Aaradhana (Nature worship).
Every creature that takes birth in this universe has a form (Murthi). Idols are inert and do not possess the qualities of compassion, love, forbearance, etc. It is for this reason that some people are against idol worship. This constitutes ignorance. Do you not hold the picture of your parents and grandparents in reverence? Do these pictures have life in them? No. They do not have the qualities of compassion, love, sacrifice, etc. Then what is the meaning in worshipping them? It is through these pictures that we are reminded of their virtues and ideals they stood for. So, there is nothing wrong in revering and adoring forms of mother, father, preceptor and all elders.
Isaavaasyam Idam Jagat (the entire world is permeated by God). Every being is an embodiment of Easwara. It is also said, Easwara Sarva Bhutaanaam (God is the Indweller of all beings). He is present in all beings in the form of consciousness. Easwara is the master of six forms of wealth - Dharma (righteousness), Aiswrya (wealth), Yashas (fame), Shakti (power), Jnana (wisdom) and Vairagya (detachment). Easwara has another name Sankara. 'San' refers to Chidaanandam (eternal bliss) and Aatmaanandam (bliss of the self). Every word has a deep inner meaning. Take for instance, the name Sathya Sai. Sathya stands for Rig Veda. 'Sa', 'Aa' and 'ya' in Sai stand for Saama Veda, Atharvana Veda and Yejur Veda respectively. Therefore, Sathya Sai is the very personification of the four Vedas.
What is the meaning of the term Linga? It is the symbol of divinity, as it has neither a beginning nor an end. Divinity is immanent in the Hridaya (heart) of every man. Hridaya means that which is suffused with Daya (compassion). So, divinity is the embodiment of compassion. Sivaraathri is the meaning for auspicious night. Siva symbolises 'Soham' which you pronounce with each breath. 'Ham' refers to 'I' and 'So' means 'That' (God). This message of 'I am God' is conveyed through your breathing process 21,600 times a day. This is referred to as Hamsa Gayatri. Such teachings have been propagated and practised since ancient times in Bhaarat.
Such practices of the Bhaaratiyas should not be looked down upon. They direct you towards God.
Where is God? He is present in every human being and in every living creature. When you consider all as divine, you will never indulge in criticism. A true human being is one who looks inward. It is the duty of man to act with discrimination. Man should always be conscious of his duty. It is a big mistake to forget one's duty. If you forget your duty, you lose your human quality and human values. Man cannot be called a human being unless he practises human values of Sathya (truth), Dharma (righteousness), Santi (peace), Prema (love) and Ahimsa (non-violence). Man destroys himself by forgetting and ignoring these human values.
Siva stands for humility. A person with humility is the embodiment of Sivam (conciousness). On the other hand, a person with ego is verily a Savam (corpse). By constant prayer, man can overcome any difficult situation. You should develop noble thoughts and help the needy. Do not harm anyone. The harm that you do to others will boomerang on you. Criticism and accusation are worldly traits and negative in nature. Develop positive qualities. What is the use of all your education if you cannot give up your evil qualities?
Put your learning to good use. Apart from academic learning, we should learn to help and serve others. The learning that helps us to serve others is true education. Your education should benefit society at large. Only when you help others do you become pure.
Our ancients worshipped Nature. It is not a mistake at all to worship Nature. It is Nature that gives us food, clothing and shelter. It also gives us precious metals like gold and silver. So, what is wrong in worshipping Nature? All the modes of worship that our ancients practised are highly sacred. Bhumaatha (mother earth), Gomaatha (cow), Vedamaatha (the Vedas) and dehamaatha (physical mother) are to be revered. But first and foremost, man should worship God. As people have stopped worshipping God, we find chaos all over the world. Worship of God alone can safeguard the country. We repeat the Santi (peace) Mantra thrice in our daily prayers. What does this mean? We should attain peace at all the three levels, i.e., physical, mental and spiritual. Peace is within you. Make efforts to manifest your inner peace.
Sivaraathri is the night of Sankara. Sankara is in our heart. He is the source of supreme bliss. Enlarge the scope of this bliss by sharing it with others. Only then can human life become sacred. Spend the whole night in chanting the holy Name and spread this sacred energy to the world at large. That is the true sign of divinity. Who is Easwara? He is all-pervasive. Just as the wind blows everywhere, so also do we find the principle of Easwara. Share your love with all and propagate the Divine Name to the entire world.
(Excerpted from Sri Sathya Sai Baba's Discourse given on 12 March 2002)