"We will attain true and lasting bliss only when we get closer to God. When we do things which God loves and get dear to Him, then we will become near to Him. Nearness to God is happiness. That kind of happiness you don’t get anywhere else."
-Baba
With the Blessings of Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba, we are delighted to present our Fifty Eighth issue of Ananda Vahini. The weekly newsletter includes interesting musings and short excerpts from the week's events.
The Sri Sathya Sai Annual Sports and Cultural Meet 2017 will be held on Sunday, January 15, 2017 at Sathya Sai Grama. We bring you a teaser of the glorious event. Come, be a part of the celebration of grit, grandeur and grace!
In this issue, we also bring you the videos and a report of two awardees of 'Sri Sathya Sai Award for Human Excellence 2016', which took place on November 23, 2016, in the field of Environment and Health.
In this week's INNER VIEW, Brother Madhusudan Naidu shares yet another interesting moment between a devotee and the Lord.
We take this opportunity to wish all our readers a happy Makara Sankranti!!
- Sathya Sai Grama Communications Team
INNER VIEW
-By Sri Madhusudan Naidu
Recently, one morning when Sri Narasimha Murthy submitted to Swami as to how something happened out of turn that helped the Institutions in a big way, and attributed it to Swami's timely intervention and called it 'Swami's doing', Swami explained, "I don't do anything, I am only a witness. It is the universal law of Dharma (righteous duty) that governs everything. 'Dharmo Rakshati Rakshitaha', Dharma protects those who protect Dharma, declare our Scriptures. Therefore, if we follow Dharma, then Dharma will take care of us. In the whole universe, every single aspect of creation follows it's Dharma. The sun rises due to its Dharma, rivers flow according to their Dharma, the whole creation follows Dharma meticulously except human beings, who deviate often from the righteous path.
God is merely a witness to the entire play of the universe which is governed by Dharma and this goes on, on its own. Gita declares, 'Dharma Samsthapanarthaya, Sambhavami Yugay Yugay", even God incarnates as per the need of establishing Dharma. In fact it is Dharma which makes God incarnate; therefore even God is not beyond the governance of the universal Dharma. The highest of all Dharma is Prema ( Love). The law of love reigns supreme. Sometimes many of our children do not understand this, and are distracted by the various attractions of the world. They see people getting richer and more powerful even though they take to Adharmic (unrighteous) means. However, this is only the first half of the movie during which the villain always seems to be happier and mightier, while the hero seems to be helpless. But if you watch the second half of the same movie you would say that it is the hero who ultimately wins, and the villain who took to the wrong means looses at the end.
In Mahabharata, Duryodhana and his brothers ill treated the Pandavas and still seemingly were happy and comfortable, while the Pandavas were put to untold suffering. However, that was only the first part of the movie. During the second part, the five Pandavas vanquished the hundred Kauravas and ultimately won the battle and reclaimed their rule. One needs to know the complete story in order to conclude. Seeing some people living comfortably despite unethical practices should not make us follow suit. Instead, we must continue to practice our Dharma, come what may, for ultimately it is Dharma that will protect us and give us the highest happiness."
For LIVE telecast, visit www.saivrinda.org or tune into www.sanathanavani.org for the Radio broadcast at 5.30 P.M IST on Saturday, January 14, 2017
Sri Sathya Sai Annual Sports and Cultural Meet Teaser 2017
LIVE STREAMING Visit www.saivrinda.org
or
Tune into www.sanathanavani.org for the Radio broadcast
Sunday, January 15, 2017 - Morning - at 9:00 A.M. IST Sri Sathya Sai Annual Sports and Cultural Meet
Evening Programmes: January 15 - 18, 2017 - 6:00 P.M. IST
Thursday, January 19, 2017 - Valedictory Function - at 10:00 A.M. IST Sri Sathya Sai Annual Sports and Cultural Meet
MR CHANDI PRASAD BHATT
ENVIRONMENT
Chandi prasad bhatt's tireless service to protect the enviroment enshrines the philosophy of sri Sathya Sai Baba who said, " Yoday the world is losing its ecological balance as man, out of selfishness is robbing Mother Earth of her resources" and taught humanity to tread softly.
Chandi prasad bhatt's tireless service to protect the enviroment enshrines the philosophy of sri Sathya Sai Baba who said, " Yoday the world is losing its ecological balance as man, out of selfishness is robbing Mother Earth of her resources" and taught humanity to tread softly.
For forty years, he worked actively to rejuvemate the denuded slopes in the Upper Alakannda basin through eco- development camps involving the local community. his novel"chipko' campaign of hugging a tree to prevent its felling is hailed as ingenious. Chandi Prasad Bhatt is the Quintessential environmentalist who believs that mankind's greatest responsibility is to preserve, protect and bequeath the treasures of the planet to generations that follow.
Chandi Prasad Bhatt was born in 1934 in Gopeshwar, a more village in the Chamoli district of uttarakhand. Upon completing his education he decided to devote his life to raise awareness about environmental issues and to fight against social inequities that impacted weaker sections of society, particularly women. In 1964 Bhatt established the Dasholi Gram Swarajya Mandal( DGSM) to enhance the skills of workers. DGSM assessed the effects of the 1970 Alaknanda flood and concluded that large scale felling of trees was directly responsible for the increase in the frequency of natural disasters in the region. Bhatt requested the forest officials to stop tree felling in the region and when they ignored his plea, he lauched the now legendary 'Chipko' movement of protectively hugging the tree to prevent its felling.
Commenced in 1973, this dramatic movement forced the government to enforce a blanket ban on cutting trees in the region, a practice continued to date. Bhatt has traversed the entire Himalayan region in order to undersand its ecology and the socio- economic environment. During his travels he continuously spread awareness among local communities, encouraging them to participate in the preservation of the biosphere in their own region. His eco- development camps provide platforms for better interaction between the local people and expert planners, decision makers and administrators in order to evolve envirinmental and developmental planning, tuned to the specific needs of the region. This programme is organized as a " People's Programme" and is assessed for effectiveness by the indian School of Science, Banglore, the Planning Commission, Government of india and other specialist organisations.
Chandi Prasad Bhatt and his team have been lauded for their relentless efforts that have led to increased environmental awareness, active local participation and preservation of local resources. Mr. Bhatt has participated in several national and international conferences and seminars. He was the Chairman of the National Committtee constituted by the Government of India to create a 20-year Action Plan for Forests. He was also a member of the National Forest Commission, the National Remote Sensing Agency and the Special study Group on Himalayan Glacirrs, Chairman of the task Force on High Altitude Medicinal Plants and a member of the National Medicinal Plant Board, Department of Ayush, Ministry of Health and Family welfare, Government of India.
In recognition of his work, he has been honored with many national and internatonal and international awards including the Ramon Magsaysay Award in 1982, the Padma Shri in 1986 by the President of India, the UN Enviroonment Program Global 500 Award, the Padma Bhushan in 2005 and the Gandhi Peace Prize in 2013.
Below is the video on his inspiring journey
Sri Sathya Sai Awards for Human Excellence 2016 - Dr Chandi Prasad Bhatt - Environment Category
MASTER CHENG YEN
HEALTH
Master Cheng Yen's life glowingly exemplifies the philosophy of Sri Sathya Sai Baba that universal access to health is a fundamental right and that providing healthcare in an affordable and equitable manner is an unparalleled act of love and service.
Master Cheng Yen's life glowingly exemplifies the philosophy of Sri Sathya Sai Baba that universal access to health is a fundamental right and that providing healthcare in an affordable and equitable manner is an unparalleled act of love and service.
Every day, unfailingly more than 100,000 volunteers follow master Shih Cheng Yen's instructons to help the poor and to spread love to every corner of the world. Unconditional love alone drives this astonishing initiative.
Master Cheg Yen was born in 1937 in a small town in central taiwan. When she was 25 years old, the sudden death of her father promted her to become a Buddhist nun. In 1963, the most venerable Master Yin Shun accepted her as his diciple and instructed her to devote her life to Buddhism and to the service of all living beings.
In 1966, Master Cheng yen established the Buddhist Compassion Relife Tzu Chi Foundation and has since then worked relentlessly and selflessly for the deprived in the society. Starting with just 30 members, Tzu Chi has recruited millions of volunteers in 614 office across 56 countries. Every day a multitude of volumteers carry out the Master's instruction to help the poor and spread love to every dark corner of the world.
Abiding by the conviction of " humanizing Buddhism and bringing bodhisattvas into this word," Master Cheng Yen has promoted four major missions of charity, medicine, education and culture since 1966 with an aim to mindfully benefit the pooorer and weaker sections of the society in order to bring purity and harmony to the world.
master Cheng Yen also established several important institutions for the welfare of the poor- Hualien Tzu Chi General Hospital in 1986, the Tzu Chi Junior College of Nursing in 1989, the Tzu Chi College of Medicine in 1994, saveral hospitals as well as a Buddhist Tainan Tzu Chi Senior High School and Elementary School.
Having several publications to her credit, Master Cheng Yen has won several national and international awards for her exemplary service including the Roman Magsaysay Award, Philippiness 1991; the Eisenhower Medallion, People to people international, United States 1994; First -Degree Diplomacy Award, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Taiwan, 1996; Human Rights Award, UNPO, 1998 the world Peace Prize in Los Angeles, 2007 and the Grand Medol of Honor, world Fellowship of Buddhists,2008.
Several countries have recognized her tremendous contribution with specific awards- the 2011 FDR Distiguished Public Service Award by the U.S. Roosevelt Institute; the Friend of El Salvador Awar for rehabilitating survivors of earthquakes and hurricanes in El Salvador, in 2011; the Highest Civilian Honour of Darjah Gemilang Pangkuan Negeri by the Government of Malaysia in recognition of services to the country and society in 2012 and the Honorary Citizenship of Finale Emilia by the government of Italy.
Consistently hailed as an outstanding citizen of the world, Master Cheng Yen has been recognized as one of the 20 outstanding women of Asia by Asiaweek, Hong kong, 1995; one of the 200 most influential people in the history of Taiwan, by the Common Wealth Magazine, Taiwan,1998, one of the 50 Stars of Asia, by BusinessWeek. 2001 and as one of the 100 Most Influential People in the world, by Time magazine in 2011.
Below is a short video on her exemplary and inspiring life
Sri Sathya Sai Awards for Human Excellence 2016 - Master Cheng Yen - Health Category
DIVINE BOOKLETS
Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba has been travelling all over the world in the Subtle to keep His promise of visiting the countries. Below is the link to the Google Drive library of Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba’s divine visits overseas.
If you would like to subscribe to receive the new Booklets of Bhagawan’s overseas travels in 2016, as soon as they are available, kindly email bhagawanspeaksglobal@gmail.com.
And as Swami continues travelling in 2016 and beyond, and new Booklets are created, they will be added to the Google Drive Library.
DIVINE DISCOURSE SUMMARY
JANUARY 8, 2017
How can we experience God?
What we think exists, does not exist and what we think does not exist, truly exists. All the world that exists is merely reflection, reaction and resound. If you enter a room full of darkness, you cannot see things and will therefore not know that they exist even if they do. Just because you do not see them due to darkness, does not mean they do not exist. The moment a lamp is lit, the light falls on the object and gets reflected. It is because of the reflection you see that you makes it known that the object exists. Therefore, what we truly see is not the object but the reflection of the light from the object. Similarly, whatever we experience in this world is a reaction to some action.
The whole world is nothing but a shadow of the Truth, which is God. It is only when you turn your vision towards the object, can you truly know where it is. The changing world is the changing shadow of the permanent God. It is just like your own shadow, which changes during the course of the day. Likewise, this world keeps changing. But one thing that does not change is the presence of God. Just as butter is hidden within the milk and comes out only after churning, God exists in the whole of this universe but only with a process can we experience Him. What is this process? Purity of heart is the process. If we purify ourselves, we will be able to experience God in everything. Just as a person afflicted with fever does not get the appropriate taste – even sweet tastes bitter for him – a person filled with impurity cannot experience the existence of God. The one who does not have purity of heart cannot understand Atma tatva or the Divine principle. The highest Divine principle can only be understood by the one.....
We all are a combination of three types of powers. At the very basic level, we all have a body with muscles, bones and organs. All these constitute our physical body and they provide us the physical strength or Dehabalam. Higher than that is Manobalam – the strength of one’s mind, which comprises intellect and emotions. Winning a game due to physical and intellectual strength may result in pride and losing a game could make you depressed. But both aren’t a show of the strength of one’s emotions. To be able to maintain equanimity, both in success and failure, is the true strength of mind. Above all this is Atmabalam or the strength of the spirit. This spiritual power is inherent or latent in all human beings. This gives you the courage, the necessary patience and valour to achieve that which you think is impossible. One may think that this may not be achievable by physical strength or by all the intellectual strength but with the strength of the spirit or the Divine self, it can be easily achieved. No power is greater than the power of one’s own self.
The biggest fear is the fear of failure. What if I attempt this and do not succeed? What will others think and say? How am I going to face criticism? All these kinds of fears fill the minds of people. But when you have faith in the Divine that He is there to protect us, there is no scope for any kind of fear. If you do your duty with all your might, God’s grace and protection is there to help you achieve what you attempt. Success will come sometimes, and at times there will be failure. But there shouldn’t be any fear. You will have the equanimity to take both in equal strides and not worry about the outcomes, if the sole reason for doing work being is to please God. You will be able to do whatever you do well, fulling knowing that the efforts are in your hand and the results are in the hands of God. So, whatever God gives, take it with grace for He knows best and will not do injustice...
Sanathana Vani is a platform to invite, associate, speak, listen, contemplate, seek, practise and realise the truth, taught by all the great beings that ever walked the face of our planet.
A new show 'My Lord and I’has been launched, which is a series of stimulating conversations, cutting across boundaries and barriers. Sweet stories of the Lord and His devotees from different walks of life, which are refreshing, inspiring and scintillating will be On Air every week. These will be a beautiful amalgamation of an individual’s journey from 'I' to 'We' to 'He'.
Come, let’s listen, contemplate and bask in the divine bliss of the Voice Eternal, every Thursday at 1500 hrs IST and repeat at 2200 hrs IST. This week our guests on show are Dr Ram Setty and Mrs Usha Setty (Part II),sharing their experiences with their Lord.
A repeat broadcast of the interview with Dr Ram Setty and Mrs Usha Setty (Part I), will be aired on Monday, January 16, 2017 at 0900 hrs IST and 1900 hrs IST.
SRI SATHYA SAI PREMAMRUTHA PRAKASHNA
VACANCY - SALES ASSISTANT
Qualification: Young graduate with fluency in spoken and written English. Basic knowledge of computer operations.
Experience: 1-2 years of selling books, preferably in a book publishing house.
Responsibilities: The candidate is expected to travel, identify potential points of sales for spiritual books, follow up sales targets, establish liaison with book retailers. He has to report once a week to the headquarters at Sathya Sai Grama, Muddenahalli. Having own vehicle for travel will be an advantage.
Salary: Commensurate with experience and will be linked to the total sales output in a month.
Interested candidates can respond by e-mail to: info@saiprakashana.org
Or, by written application addressed to: HR, B103, Sai Sannidhi, Sathya Sai Grama, Muddenahalli, Chikkaballapur, Karnataka - 562101.
Please enclose copies of all documents – qualification, experience, age, address and identity proofs. Mention your expected salary.
Subscribe to 'Amruta Vahini', the monthly magazine from Sathya Sai Grama, Muddenahalli today! From Divine Discourses to event updates, from photo features to travelogues, from book excerpts to news updates, 'Amruta Vahini' is a must-have monthly magazine!
Amruta Vahini also features the series, 'Sri Sathya Sai Divya Anandam', the continuing biography of Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba in the subtle form, by Sri B N Narasimha Murthy.
To subscribe to 'Amruta Vahini' mail us at commsmdh@gmail.com
We will be happy to assist you with the subscription formalities, and deliver to your home or office!
Tune in to Sanathana Vani every Thursday (IST 5:30pm), Sunday (IST 6pm), and during festivals, to listen to the LIVE satsang, streamed directly from Sathya Sai Grama, Muddenahalli.
