Issue 212- January 17, 2021 |
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Sairam dear brothers and sisters,
Many times we loose the purpose of life, in the act of living and trying to fulfill our material aspirations. We forget the main purpose with which we as human beings come to this world. Human life is very rare, and the purpose is to realise God. All that we achieve in life is temporary, and the only eternal entity is God. True wisdom is not attained by studying books or listening to lectures; it is to be imparted by an enlightened teacher or a guru. The greatest good fortune of a human being is to meet such a guru. Having met a guru, the only thing that an we should do is to surrender to him. This involves tremendous sacrifice on one’s part. If one wants to realise God, one should be ready to sacrifice everything else for His sake. Immortality can be attained only through sacrifice. We are all so very fortunate to be guided by an enlightened Master. Let us make every use of it in this life time, for we certainly do not know if we will get this human birth again.
We hope the new section ‘atmano mokshartam’ is inspiring and each one is able to take away little nuggets of learning. We would love to hear about your stories of transformation, so keep them coming.
Sairam
Bhuvana Santhanam
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ātmano mokshārtam
(Emancipation of one’s self)
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Excerpt from ‘Master the Mind Series’ by Sadguru Sri Madhusudhan Sai |
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There are three types of Gunas (qualities)- Satva, Rajas and Tamas. Satvik qualities are pure in nature, Rajasic qualities are filled with action and passion, Tamas or Tamasic is the state of inertia or lethargy. To get rid of three Gunas is not easy. Why it's not easy? Because it's been coming from many births. If it was some habit you picked up last week, this week it's easier to get rid of. All these are coming from births after birth after births. And based on that you have lot of Tamas or lot of Rajas or lot of Satva. Even Satva is an obstacle. Having good feelings also bind. Even the thought that I must realize God also is an obstacle. As Ramana Maharishi, a realised saint from Southern India, said – “Any thought is an obstacle. It is one step away from the ultimate. That is the truth. “Thinking that ‘I must love Swami’ is also an obstacle. Loving Swami should become as natural as we breathe. At the end, even Satvaguna must go, so that you become one with divine. You don't have to think and become, you become ‘That’ because God is Guna-teetaaya (one beyond all the Gunas).
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My Story
A Year of Transformation and Change
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By Laura Crippa, Italy
The year that just ended has been one of great change, challenge and introspection.
I discovered many parts of my personality of which I was not previously aware and many parts that I simply had to let go of.
It has been a year filled with solitude, experiencing silence externally and internally. Though I have been alone, I have not been lonely.
Technology is a boon and it did come to my rescue during these times. I was able to participate in all the Divine Satsangs with all my heart and have experienced their great power. Enabled by the efforts of the translators (which I thank them for), the opportunity to read Divine Discourses daily has provided a steady breeze of new and potent inspiration. This energy accompanies me all the time and wakes me up to the constant presence of ‘That’ which is beyond words.
It has been a year in which I have recognised the people that I should be in the company of and the ones from whom I must move away. At the same time, there has been a feeling of inner contentment whether in the company of good people or all by myself.
This has been a year to find out the unity within, knowing that the goal is same for all, which is to grow inwards and find the true-self within. It has been a year of discussion, research, manifestation, proof and discovery.
A perfect year indeed!
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To help reach Sri Sathya Sai Baba’s human values-based education to the world, and to resuscitate the humanness of humanity, the Sri Sathya Sai University for Human Excellence launched a unique, first-of-its-kind Institute of Human Values, to offer tailor-made courses totally free of any charges, curated by experts from around the world. The Vision of the Institute is to make better humans in their personal and professional spheres, by making them more sensitive towards society’s needs and exploring ways of their contribution to society in a meaningful and selfless manner, thereby creating a sense of global citizenship and responsibility.
The courses will help an individual balance the inside and outside, while progressively being a better human being, that will ultimately help him or her unravel the true meaning and purpose in life.
Learning from the heart is spiritual awakening, Baba would say. The Institute of Human Values is the first step to help lead the world into the beautiful awareness of its heart – a heart that operates from the universal human values of Sathya, Dharma, Shanti, Prema and Ahimsa.
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Kathopanishad is a legendary story of a brave little boy, Nachiketa, son of Sage Vajasravasa, who meets Yama (the Hindu deity of death), and seeks spiritual wisdom from him. Their conversation evolves to a discussion of the nature of man, knowledge, ātman (Soul, Self) and mokṣā (liberation).
In the spiritual path, it is necessary to engage in sravaṇam (listening) and then mananaṃ (contemplation). But the most important aspect is to follow the teachings and make the knowledge a part of us through nididhyāsana (practise).
To realise our true selves which is the only purpose of human birth, one needs to be serious and sincere in the spiritual journey. As a first step, we must start giving up desires. Sri Krishna tells Arjuna that one should desire only for God, and desiring God for God’s sake is important. ‘anapeksha’ - bereft of all other desires one should desire only for God, be pure, be capable and be detached from whatever happens. If we desire, love and wish for God, everything will fall in place.
In episode #7 featured this week, Sadguru Sri Madhusudan Sai explains verse one and two from the second vallī (canto) of Chapter One of Kathopanishad, wherein the essential qualities which a spiritual aspirant should develop and the way to develop them, are expounded.
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INSPIRATIONAL QUOTE FOR THE WEEK |
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“At night, human beings have a glimpse of their real Self, the soul; each morning upon awakening the majority again take up their mistaken identity as a mortal man or woman.”
- Paramahansa Yogananda
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jagat hitāya
(Welfare of the World)
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Sharing Is Joy
Μοιράζομαι (Sharing with Others Foundation)
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The youth in Greece have been very actively engaged in service during the last one and a half months, supporting numerous institutions, organisations and municipalities in many ways.
The community kitchen ‘Allos Anthropos’ (The Other Human) was provided with 400 kgs of supplies which included legumes, rice, olive oil and tomato sauce. They were also provided with home-cooked spinach pies and bakery items weekly. Six kilograms of christmas cookies were baked and delivered on Christmas eve.
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Sri Sathya Sai Anandam Stichting Nederland (Sri Sathya Sai Anandam Foundation Netherlands)
Christmas 2020 was a noteable one for the youth of Netherlands! On that day, Sadguru Sri Madhusudan Sai reminded us once again in His Discourse of a central teaching of Jesus: ‘All Are One.’ He explained that ‘we are one’ as divinity resides in all of us. It is the love within our hearts that unites everyone.
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Minimising Food Waste
Youth of Warsaw, Poland
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Sri Sathya Sai Baba always reminded all, “Do not waste food, do not waste money, do not waste time, do not waste energy, do not exploit nature.”
It is also said in the ancient spiritual texts of India, ‘annam na nindyaat’ – ‘Do not abuse food.’ It is through food that we have come. So, food must be respected verily as God. With much hunger crisis plaguing humanity today, few are fortunate enough to have sufficient food on their plates every day. Keeping this in view, Sadguru Sri Madhusudan Sai flagged of the initiative ‘Feed the World’ in November 2018. As on date, a few million meals have already been served in close to 30 countries, with the premise that, ‘I will feed at least one person every single day.’
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Helping Beings In Need
Karşılıksız Hizmet Vakfı
(Selfless Seva Trust), Istanbul, Turkey
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The Selfless Seva Trust of Istanbul, Turkey, has continued to undertake service activities between November 30, 2020 and January 03, 2021. Food distribution was carried out every Monday and Wednesday to several families in need at various locations across Istanbul. 800 meals were distributed in Sisli Region, 320 meals in Pendik Region, 800 meals in Ömerli Region, 1,400 meals in Uskumruköy Region. The Trust has also been contributing to ‘Feed the World’ programme as per Sadguru Sri Madhusudan Sai’s dictum: ‘Let no one go to sleep hungry’. Over 610 meals were delivered.
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