Pearls from the Ramayana The stories of the Lord are thrilling to listen to. Over the years we had the good fortune reading several great and poetic accounts by great sages and saints of the Lord’s earthly sojourn as RAMA. Valmiki, Tulsidas, Kamban….just to name a few. But what if God himself were to tell his own story? The exact intentions of His actions? What if He were to dive deep into the ocean of His leelas and give you the pearls of wisdom? You would consider yourself extremely fortunate, won’t you? Well, you and me are indeed fortunate. Because, in the next few pages, we have Swami Himself speaking to us on the Ramayana! Go ahead! Enjoy! WHEN YOU RECOGNISE THE SUPREME REALITY When Rama, along with Lakshmana and Sita, was moving in the forest and talking to several Rishis, there used to be congregations where the women used to sit on one side and the Rishis used to sit on the other side and discussions used to take place. In the place where all the women were sitting, Sita also joined them. Rama and Lakshmana, because they were living in the forest and because they were wearing clothes appropriate to the forest were also looking like the Rishis. However, between the two, Rama was showing a certain amount of Divine Light. In the place where Sita was sitting, some of the women went to her and asked: “Have you come alone or have you come along with your husband as well?” She replied that her husband too had come. With the women wanting to see and find out who her husband was, they were asking her many questions. Sita, a sacred woman given to righteous conduct all her life, would not get up when all the Rishis were present and say, “Here is my husband,” by way of introduction. She would not do that; and knowing what was passing through Sita’s mind and recognising her reluctance to get up and point to her husband, one of the women asked Sita by pointing at one of the men, “Is that person your husband?” She then replied in the negative by just nodding her head. Another woman came and asked her, “Is that person whose hair is tied up in knots your husband?” She again nodded her head in the negative. In this way, when many women came and asked Sita, pointing at the wrong person and asking the question, “Is that your husband?” she was nodding her head to indicate a negative reply. When Rama who was sitting there was actually pointed out, Sita said neither, “yes” nor “no.” She simply exhibited a significant, happy and pleasant smile. Our Vedantha teaches us something which is exactly similar to this story. If you point at the wrong thing and if that is not the supreme reality, then you say “no.” Anything that is shown and is not the right thing should call forth the comment, “this is not that,” “this is not that,” and so on. When you put your finger on supreme reality, the Brahman, then you are in supreme bliss and happiness. Such is the nature of Vedantha that we are able to give today to you, young students, with pure and unwavering hearts. I am glad that you are attempting to acquire the good things of our culture and the teachings we are giving you. ON MAYA You are also being told a few things about Maya. Just as our own shadow will always accompany us and will not separate from us, so also Maya will always accompany God and will not separate from Him. There is a very good illustration of this fact in the Ramayana. At the time Rama, accompanied by Lakshmana and Sita, was moving in the forest. The forest was a thick one and there were no wide roads and they could only follow a narrow path; the way they were walking was such that Rama was going in front, immediately behind him was Sita, and Lakshmana came behind Sita. In this way, all the three, Rama, Sita and Lakshmana were moving forward along a narrow path. In order to be able to recognise and understand this situation, you hold up your three fingers. The first finger represents Rama, God or Paramatma. The second finger immediately behind represents Sita or Maya. The last finger in this row of three, represents Lakshmana or the Jiva. Paramatma, Maya and Jiva, these three are going along in a narrow path in the wild forest of life. After a little while, Lakshmana, whom we have symbolised as Jiva, has got the desire and the ambition to have a look at God or Paramatma. What is it that he has to do in order to fulfil his desire? There are only two ways of looking at Rama or getting his darshan. One is for Sita, who is in between, to move away a little and let Lakshmana have the darshan of Rama. Alternatively, if Sita insists on staying where she is, Lakshmana has to move aside a little. To get Sita to move away, he may have to push her out from the place where she is standing, but then he will be offending Rama. So what Lakshmana did was to pray to Sita in all humility and ask her to give him a chance of having darshan of Rama. Sita, in all her graciousness and in all her kindness, said, “Yes, certainly you can have the darshan of Rama,” and just stepped out a little. So if you get angry with Maya, and if you want to use force and your own strength on Maya and push her out of her place and then have the darshan of the Lord, you will not succeed. Maya then will play tricks with you. Not only that, God will not allow such a thing to be done. The only way, therefore, to fulfill your ambition is to recognise that Maya is the inseparable shadow of God Himself and pray in all humility and ask for an opportunity by which Maya will stand aside.

Pathri, Parthi and Gunaparthi In the Group Heading, “Miracles and Godmen” under chapter head “Godmen” a beautiful narration of Avatar hood is given by Mr. M. N. Rao. (Please see page No.114 and 115). I shall now reproduce an extract. “Sai is the name from northern India and might have had its origin in Persian Language. The term Baba is an endearing term, common in the north and used for accosting an elderly person, father or a Guru. The term, Sai Baba became familiar perhaps only during the days of Shirdi Sai Baba. Sathya Sai Baba gives the true meaning of Sai as mother and Baba as Father and Sai Baba mean the universal mother and father combined in one. Shirdi Sai Baba also was considered a Godman, both during his life time and in later years. In the year 1926 was born Sathya, who declared as a teenager that He was reincarnated from Shirdi Sai Baba. As years passed, He revealed that He will continue to be a near centurion and also that a few years after Him, will be born a third incarnation, Prema Sai in Gunaparthi village of Mandhya district in Karnataka. The three divine members of the Sai Baba trinity are a trio of Gods by whatever name posterity might like to call Him. On November 28, 1983 Sathya Sai Baba at Bangalore was in an unusually happy mood. On enquiry from the devotees around, he was reported as having made a significant revelation. Prema Sai’s would-be father was just born on that day and Swami was happy on that account. At an exclusive session in July 1984, Swami had underlined the three-in-one phenomenon of the Sai Baba Trinity. All three have the same Sayeeswara trinity. All the three have the same Sayeeswara Divinity. The first-born is more of Siva, the second of both Siva and Sakthi and the third more of Sakthi. The three are born in remote villages having the same name and also at the confluence of rivulets. Shirdi Sai was born at Parthi at the confluence of a tributary to the river Godavari in Maharashtra. Sathya Sai was born at Puttaparthi at the confluence of Chithravathi and once-existing Kusavathri in Andhra. And Prema Sai is yet to be born in Gunaparthi of Karnataka on the banks of Tungabhadra. To the outside world however, they are different phenotypes. Shirdi Sai and Sathya Sai are seen to be so different. It remains for posterity to see how much more different would Prema Sai be among the Sai Trinity. Swami had however given an indication that by the time of the advent of Prema Sai, the world would be in a better shape and that for a couple of decades, he would be incognito, moving around with a beard.” I hope that this narration will give more light on the advent of the third incarnation “Prema Sai”.

Passage to India Dr. Abdelfattah M. Badawi, Egypt By absolute coincidence I bought Dr. Mohamed Sadek EI-Adawy’s book about ‘SPIRITUAL THERAPY BETWEEN SCIENCE AND APPLICATION’ in which he mentioned on one of its pages that there are some contemporary cases nowadays which prove man’s coming back from the world of spirits to re-exist on earth, (reincarnation). And one of the renowned cases today on the world level is an Indian spiritual master known by the name ‘Sai Baba’. Since I was busy at the time, I actually forgot his book’s subject, and after one year I received from one of the western publishers book lists about spiritualism. I halted at a page including some twenty books about Sai Baba. I remembered where I had previously come upon this name and I selected from that list two books, one of which is titled: ‘Sai Baba., The Ultimate Experience’, by Phyllis Krystal and the other book titled: ‘Walking the Path with Sai Baba’ authored by the Australian journalist Howard Murphet. I then sent in a request for these two books and upon their receipt I read them in-depth with much interest. Upon completion of reading about this legendary personality, I felt a strong desire to meet this person, ‘Sai Baba’ the great spiritual master. Next I visited the Indian Cultural Centre in Cairo and met with Dr. Ihsan Rahman, the Indian Cultural Adviser and asked him about Sai Baba and whether He was still alive to which he informed me that He had died a while ago, and he then let me know about a Yoga course held at the Indian Cultural Centre, in which I promptly subscribed. In the first Yoga course day, I met Dr. Praphakar, a Yoga instructor, who had just come from India and asked him about Sai Baba and he informed me that there are two personalities in Sai Baba, the first personality which died a long time ago whereas the second personality which is still alive. I felt glad about this news and looked forward to meeting that miraculous man. I wished fervently from the depths of my soul that Sai Baba would disclose to me a prophecy. After a few weeks following this wish, during my attendance in a scientific conference, I happened to coincidentally sit beside an Indian scholar named Dr. Niela Kanta. This was the first time he travelled out of India. Upon chatting with him I learned that he was an old solicitor of Sai Baba’s, the preacher of the great generosities and that he would be able to help me locate him in Brindavan.. He then invited me to attend a world conference to be held in India, where he could facilitate my meeting Sai Baba. I accepted his invitation. I travelled to India in March 1996 arrived in Bombay and reached Madras to attend the scientific conference, meeting with Dr. Niela Kanta who then guided me to Sai Baba’s domicile in Brindavan near the famous city of Bangalore. Then suddenly a dream became a reality. I sat within the rows of thousands of squatting people awaiting the presence of the great spiritual instructor. While I was still suffering pain in my lower back… and after two hours of waiting, and and repetitions of religions psalms, Sai Baba made His appearance, walking among the attendant’s rows. As He approached me, the fatigue and exhaustion in my body disappeared, feeling an unusual energy penetrating my whole body, and even my back pain had suddenly disappeared. Most important, however, is the great prophesy of Sai Baba creating a deep-rooted transformation in my heart. My feelings towards God have become a focal point in my thoughts most of the time. This transformation is notable in spite of its being slow. In addition my heart has become filled with love for all people and has become to overflow with joy and happiness. Divine love has developed in the depths of my being and what a joyful feeling it is.

Modes of Worship by Swami and insights From ancient times to today humanity cannot live without worship. The ways and methods of spiritual worship are different but the joyful peace in mind what one can receive from that is in core the same.     There is a question arises. Our generation of human beings live at the same time with Avatar, present incarnation of previous Gods in different countries, in different times. As Swami, so His devotees honour and worship the ancient Divine incarnations. Swami modestly advices us to see one and the same God within, what is the basis of Atmic reality. But who is leading and guiding humanity today? It is not only Swami in his material form, but also His expanded Cosmic form, it is the Divine energy what shines through every His word, what shines through every devotee who shares his/her experiences. It illuminates through Sailogram (developed by Sailoptics team) and Swami’s holographic and other pictures created with love by His devotees. Here Swami’s Divine energy is entwined with faith of his devotees. It illuminates through His manifestations… It illuminates everywhere in the Nature. This illumination is as a call to look into own Self by the help of the real Divine power and vision.      This illumination or Divine shining is real.  Recently I removed Swami’s pictures from my flat and carried to the hall where a seminar (two days) about human values was.  My flat became cold and uncomfortable not only for me. All who visited me during these days were surprised and asked what has happened, why in my flat was such unfriendly atmosphere? The door to the rooms where the pictures were, was  shut and they did not know about absence of Swami’s pictures.     How can our generation to worship Swami, a real living Divine incarnation? Probably our worship should be directed on spiritual development of inner knowledge of the Atmic unity. This knowledge is the basis for development of all humanity and also the single persons who are carriers of eternal spirit, where all good or bad that is made by them you will leave a no erasable trace.      Swami has properly analysed and described  modes of worship in His work “Sathya Sai Vahini” in the frame of Vedas and different sacred texts.       Below are excerpts of Sathya Sai Vahini. Chapter  “Modes of Worship” contains the most clear explanation about different methods of worship than the other scientific sources.  He stresses the role of idols, mantras, rituals and gives a pictorial conclusion that all modes of worship will become into one in Unity of Atmic reality.       The Veda is the most ancient as well as the most lasting knowledge (or Sastra) discovered by man. That is to say, man has not invented it; he has only recollected it in the serene silence of the soul. So, the Veda can lead man into the Vision of the Truth, unreachable by the senses and unrelated to the material world. It is inaccessible to human reason because it is transcendent.      The Supreme Lord is All-seeing; He is the Person on whom all the hymns of the Vedas converge. The Vedas enable man to get the vision of that Lord and those who have earned that Vision are the Rshis. As a result, the Supreme Lord Himself is referred to as the Great Sage (Maharshi) in the Brahma-Sutra. Among the 108 Names of Siva, the Supreme Lord, we find Maha-rshi and Mukhya-rshi (the Chief Sage, the foremost Sage). Even the Veda is personified and referred to as Rshi, for the same reason. Brahmam (the Vast Expanse) is another word which denotes the Supreme Lord as well as the Veda. Hence, all acts, undertaken with no other desire than the attainment of Brahmam, are also known as Brahma activity – Brahmayajna. A Rshi yajna is a sacrificial act – with no desire to earn the fruit ensuing therefrom – designed to gain the Vision of Truth.     The scriptures distinguish the Divine Body and the Material Body, which each entity and being possess. The Divine Body of every one cannot be cognised by the senses. When an oblation is given to it, it becomes sanctified. The Aahuthi is trans-substantiated into Havis.     The oblation or Aahuthi is thus described in the Veda. The offering and offeree become one through the acceptance. (The Attha and the Adya). Who in this case is the offeree, the acceptor? It is Agni, the Divine Power inherent in Fire, in the Sun, in the Warmth of the Vital Air that sustains Life. When with the recitation of the appropriate ceremonial formulae, material oblations are placed in Agni with the phrase Swaaha, it is not a mere exclamation; it is expiation; it is realisation of the prayer, which the ritual represents.      The sacred ceremonies and rituals which the Vedas expound confer joy not only on the participants but on the entire world and even on worlds beyond. The Supreme Lord who is the source of Bliss, is known in the scriptural text as Yajnaanga (having the Vedic ritual as His Limbs), Yajna-vahana (using the Vedic ritual as His Vehicle). When Godhead assumes Form the first manifestation is Hiranyagarbha (the Golden Womb). This too is embodied Bliss, having as vehicle the Bird with wings of Beauty, or Garuda. The Supreme Lord is also known as Vrsha-ratha, He whose chariot is the Bull, the symbol of Dharma (Righteousness). This is the reason why in temples we find the bird Garuda carved or kept as an idol before the shrine of Vishnu and the figure of the Bull or its idol placed before shrines of Siva.      Chha or Chhaadana has as its root meaning another important aspect of the Vedas – shielding, fostering or promoting, promoting the welfare, the ultimate liberation of humans engaged in the unceasing round of worldly affairs. Humans are ever caught up in activities pursued with the profit available as the purpose. They have to

Sathya Sai Baba Mission For the protection of the virtuous, for the destruction of the evil-doers and for establishing righteousness on a firm footing, I incarnate from age to age. Whenever disharmony overwhelms the world, the Lord will incarnate in human form to establish the modes of earning peace, and to re-educate the human community in the paths of peace. At the present time, strife and discord have robbed peace and unity from the family, the school, the society, the religions, the cities and the state. The arrival of the Lord is anxiously awaited by saints and sages. Sadhus prayed and I have come. My main tasks are fostering of the Vedas and fostering of the devotees. Your virtue, your self-control, your detachment, your faith, your steadfastness: these are the signs by which people read of my glory. You can lay claim to be a devotee only when you have placed yourself in my hands fully and completely with no trace of ego. You can enjoy the bliss through the experience the Avatar confers. The Avatar behaves in a human way so that mankind can feel kinship, but rises into his superhuman heights so that mankind can aspire to reach the heights, and through that aspiration actually reach him. Realizing the Lord within you as the motivator is the task for which he comes in human form. Avatars like Rama and Krishna had to kill one or more individuals who could be identified as enemies of the righteous way of life, and thus restore the practice of virtue. But now there is no one fully good, and so who deserves the protection of God? All are tainted by wickedness, and so who will survive if the Avatar decides to uproot? Therefore, I have come to correct the intelligence by various means. I have to counsel, help, command, condemn and stand by as a friend and well-wisher for all, so that they may give up evil propensities and, recognizing the straight mark, thread it and reach the goal. I have to reveal to the people the worth of the Vedas, the Sastras and the spiritual texts which lay down the norms. If you will accept me and so say “Yes”, I too will respond and say “Yes, yes, yes.” If you deny and say “No”, I also echo “No.” Come, examine, experience, have faith. That is the method of utilizing me. I do not mention Sai Baba in any of my discourses, but I bear the name as Avatar of Sai Baba. I do not appreciate in the least the distinction between the various appearances of God: Sai, Rama, Krishna etc. I do not proclaim that this is more important or that the other is less important. Continue your worhsip of your chosen God along the lines already familiar to you, then you will find that you are coming nearer to me. For all names are mine, and all forms are mine. There is no need to change your chosen God and adopt a new one when you have seen me and heard me. Every step in the career of the Avatar is predetermined. Rama came to feed the roots of Satya and Dharma. Krishna came to foster Shanti and Prema. Now all these four are in danger of being dried up. That is why the present Avatar has come. The dharma that has fled to the forests has to be led back to the villages and towns. The anti-dharma that is ruining the villages and towns must be driven back into the jungle. I have come to give you the key of the treasure of ananda, to teach you how to tap that spring, for you have forgotten the way to blessedness. If you waste this time of saving yourselves, it is just your fate. You have come to get from me tinsel and trash, the petty little cures and promotions, worldly joys and comforts. Very few of you desire to get from me the thing that I have come to give you: namely, liberation itself. Even among these few, those who stick to the path of sadhana and succeed are handful. Your worldly intelligence cannot fathom the ways of God. He cannot be recognized by mere cleverness of intelligence. You may benefit from God, but you cannot explain Him. Your explanations are merely guesses, attempts to cloak your ignorance in pompous expressions. Bring something into your daily practice as evidence of your having known the secret of the higher life from me. Show that you have greater brotherliness. Speak with more sweetness and self-control. Bear defeat as well as victory with calm resignation. I am always aware of the future and the past as well as the present of every one of you, so I am not so moved by mercy. Since I know the past, the background, the reaction is different. It is your consequence of evil deliberately done in the previous birth, and so I allow the suffering to continue, often modified by some little compensation. I do not cause either joy or grief. You are the designer of both these chains that bind you. I am Anandaswarupa. Come, take Ananda from me. Dwell on that Ananda and be full of Shanti. My acts are the foundations on which I am building my work, the task for which I have come. All the miraculous acts which you observe are to be interpreted so. The foundation for a dam requires a variety of materials. Without these it will not last and hold back the waters. An incarnation of the Lord has to be used in various ways by man for his uplift. The Lord has no intention to publicize Himself. I do not need publicity, nor does any other Avatar of the Lord. What are you daring to publicize? Me? What do you know about me? You speak one thing about me today and another tomorrow. Your faith has not become unshakable. You praise me when things

Loving Hand Turns Burning Sand To Water     ___            ___               (__  _   *     |__ )   _             (_ __)(_|_ |_    |   \__(_|_ |\/|_              A human being is a part of the whole,             called by us `Universe-, a part limited             in time and space. He experiences             himself, his thoughts and feelings as             something separated from the rest- a             kind of optical delusion of his             consciousness. This delusion is a kind             of prison, restricting us to our             personal desires and to affection for a             few persons nearest to us. Our task             must be to free ourselves from this prison             by widening our circle of compassion to             embrace all living creatures and the             whole of nature in its beauty.                                    -Albert Einstein Dear One, This details a recently given discourse in Geneva by Ryuko Hira on theSATHYA SAI DIVINE GRACE WATER PROJECT, on June 10, 1995 =================================== R. Hira Speaks: Sisters and Brothers! In the preparation for Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba’s 70th birthday I havebeen given much work and little time.  That’s Baba’s way!  The lesson fromthis is that “in other’s welfare lies our gain”.  The title of thisproject, the Sathya Sai Divine Grace Water Project, was given by a poetfrom Thailand who has written poems on Baba in Thai and in English.  Hereis one example:    “Sai Baba has set the norm    For worship at its highest form.    To remove the misery of others    And to treat all beings as brothers.” Water for 700 villages The area called Rayalaseema, in which Puttaparthi is located, lies in theState of Andhra Pradesh.  Although this area is the birthplace of SriSathya Sai Baba Himself, it has year after year been stricken by drought,with continuous serious shortages of water.  This scarcity has causedunbearable suffering to many people who are our sisters and brothersliving there.  With their children they walk barefooted in the hot sun, anaverage of 4.6 km every day, carrying heavy pots of water on their heads.There is also a high arsenic content in the wells due to contaminationfrom the soil, and this has produced serious lesions on the feet and handsof the people.  The Central Government of India and the State Governmenthave been trying their best to alleviate this water shortage, whichaffects not only India but other countries also in Asia. The UnitedNations has said that water will be the world’s most critical resource bythe year 2000.  Recently the Far Eastern Economic Review had a specialarticle on water shortage. Baba has come for the whole universe but He will answer first those whopray sincerely.  To remove the suffering and the sickness of these peopleHe announced on 23 November 1994 that within one year He will supplypotable drinking-water to 700 villages with a total population of about1.3 million (500-3000 in each village).  On 23 November 1995 we shallcelebrate Baba’s 70th birthday and all these 700 villages, because of HisDivine Will, will receive water.  There are many more needy villageswhich, hopefully, the Sai Organisation will be encouraged to take up in asecond and third phase.

“Love Walking On Two Feet” A scientist named Dr. Baranowski, Professor of Physics at the University of Arizona and a specialist in Kirlian photography, once came to see Sai Baba. (Kirlian photography, or ‘biomagnetic field radiation photography’, is done with a special camera which photographs the energy bands around living beings; different colors in the biomagnetic field correspond to different emotional qualities.  To quote Baranowski, “When a person is full of love the aura around him is blue and when the love is pronounced, it becomes pink.”)  Baranowski had scientifically trained himself to see auras, and with this trained vision was investigating the various holy men of India.  Some years ago he gave a talk at the Prashanti Nilayam ashram on his experiences with Sai Baba.  Some excerpts:  “I have met over a hundred holy men in India.  Too many of these holy men are involved in their own personal egos.  Their auras show mostly concern for themselves and their institutions.  So [their auras] are only a foot broad or perhaps two feet.  “I am not a devotee.  I have come here as a scientist, to see this man Sai Baba.  I saw him on Sunday, on the balcony giving darshan to the devotees singing below.  The aura Baba projected was not that of a man.  The white was more than twice the size of any man’s, the blue was practically limitless, and there were gold and silver bands beyond even those, far behind this building right up to the horizon.  There is no scientific explanation for this phenomenon. “His aura is so strong that it is affecting me standing by the chair on which He is sitting.  I can feel the effect and I’ve to wipe my arm, off and on, as you must have noticed.  It is very difficult for me to admit.  I am a scientist.  I have given over six thousand lectures in all parts of the world but for the first time, believe me, my knees are shaking.  The aura that emanates from Baba shows His Love for you. . . .  If ever I can use the phrase that I have seen ‘love walking on two feet,’ it is here.”  At this point Dr. Baranowski concluded his talk, and Sai Baba then delivered a discourse.  When Baba had finished, Baranowski asked for permission to address the audience again.   “I have been watching Baba, while He was addressing you.  The pink aura that was manifesting was so vast and strong that it went even beyond the hall behind this chair.  It filled this big hall, embracing all of you gathered here. . .    I have watched Him for a week now, as He walked among you, morning and evening.  I have seen His aura, pink in colour, go into the person He is talking to, or touching and returning to Him. . . His energy seems to be endless. . .  In my estimation, He is exactly what He appears to be – LOVE.  That is what He is.”1

Living with God, living for God, living in God Man since times immemorial has been in quest of God. Man has been in search of happiness from the beginning of this creation. He wanted to know where God is. He wanted to describe Him. He probed to find out “Who is God?” The answer is simple. At one time he said, “God is Wind – Vayudeva.” At another time he said, “God is Fire.” Later, the question arose – Who is God?You cannot define God. You cannot know. God cannot be analysed. God can only be realized. God cannot be experimented upon. God can only be experienced. “That which cannot be comprehended by the mind, that which cannot be understood by the mind. That cannot be narrated, that which cannot be described – that is divinity. Thus who is God? Only experience. But we are of the modern age, the computer age. Bhagavan gave the answer: “God is Love. Love is God. Live in Love. Now the point is this. When you love anything want to possess it. When you love anyone you want to be near that person. So love leads to nearness or proximity. This is the first aspect of the topic – living with God when you love God you want to live with Him. What do we mean by living with God? It is not an ordinary thing, Baba Himself put it – it is like living with fire.Living with God is not just physical nearness. Bhagavan says that one has to dear and near. Thus spiritually speaking, living with God means being so dear to him. One has to endear himself to Bhagavan. How can we live with him spiritually? Jesus Christ said :’I am the Truth, I am the way and I am the Life.’ Baba says: “Follow me.” We should follow the Master. Master  stand for truth . If you want to follow the Master, you should hold on to Truth, follow the path of righteousness.  This is living with God. The meaning of living with God is that you love Him intensely, much more than family and property. So long as you hold onto your comforts, properties and families, giving them priority, and God next, we say that we are living with God. Living with God is sacrifice, God first, the world next, and you last. Thus living with God is detachment, intense love, control, discipline, surrender, dedication. You have to obey all His command unconditionally. Whether or not you gain and whether or not you attain victory spiritually it means following His messages following in His footsteps and following His command. Living in God is only possible through compassion.  The heart with compassion is the temple of God.  You should have the spirit of sacrifice too.  So living with God is one of bhakti-yoga. Once you have bhakti you should serve him.  It is no use saying , “I love you, but I won’t work for you.”  Living for God is karma yoga.  Karma yoga will make us receive that acknowledgement.Living for God means sacrificing everything for God.  We are selfish truly.  We love our son, our wife our husband only because of our own selfish reasons.  Even those that say they are working for Swami are not right because Swami’s work will go on whether you do it or not..  You are working for selfish reason and not in a dedicated manner. The third one is ‘Living in God.’ This means that there is nothing other than God. Whatever man does, talk or think is only divine. When he bathes it is an abhisheka, when he talks it is a namasmarana. Everything he does is spiritual. This is called ‘jnana yoga’ – or ‘path of wisdom.’ wisdom is that you are one with God, the Cosmic Consciousness. You are allowing the divine Cosmic Consciousness to pass through. The spirit of awareness is Consciousness. Some feel God’s presence in their work, meditation or bhajans.

Letter to Swami Sai Ram Divine Ones reading this message: This took place in the Verandah at Prasanthi Nilayam on Nov/26/99. Our Lord had just emerged from the interview room. A small student sitting in the first line where the students sit (one step below the main verandah) clasped a letter in his two palms and offered it to Swami. Swami took the letter and the boy offered padnamaskar. Then Swami asked the boy if it was a big letter or a small letter, the boy did not reply but just kept on looking a Swami with palms calsped in Namaskar position. Swami opened the envelope and saw the letter and instantly there was so much joy all around, just looking at the expression on Swami’s face. Swami first read the letter for everyone seated in the front and then showed the letter to the students seated in the front as well as the adults seated in the front in the Verandah. The letter went: “MY DEAR SWAMI, PLEASE DON’T WORK SO HARD, PLEASE TAKE GOOD CARE OF YOUR HEALTH, FOR YOUR BODY IS MY BODY”. Swami then asked the boy ‘How old are you?’, the boy replied ‘Seven’ Swami also asked the boy ‘From where are you?’ the boy replied ‘From Swami’ At this point Swami looked around to everyone with so much joy, as if to say, ‘Look at this Boy!’ Immediately Swami turned to uncle G.B. (co-ordinator for Arabian Gulf countries) and asked him ‘From where are you?’, uncle G.B. replied ‘From You Swami’, and Swami said to him ‘I Know, I know, I know, you are simply saying that because you just heard this little boy say the same thing, you are from Dubai’. Then Swami materialised Vibhuti for the 7 year old boy, and no sooner did He finish materialising the Vibhuti, the boy pulled out a handherchief for Swami to wipe is hands! My opinion is that perhaps we can learn a lesson of simplicity, honesty and purity from this act of Divinity which took place between the 7 year old boy and Our Lord! Yours in Divine friendship,S. D. B. D.

Jaga’s seva of Love in Poland Dear Sai Family, I have just returned from this country (Poland) national meeting of Sai devotees (which was announced in SaiNews earlier last month). I joined the meeting only on the third day (on Saturday, the 1st of June). Here are a few short notes of information and some impressions. All these are ‘unofficial’ (I am not a member of the Organisation) and typed from still fresh memory. The meeting of about 300 devotees (this number is, I believe, greater than for any of 9 previous such meetings) was dominated by Dato’ J. Jagadeesan who, according to the programme, was to have four talks in the first three days, but has agreed to lead yet one more session of Q&A today, the fourth and final day of the meeting. So I was lucky to listen to two long talks (over 6 hours) instead of only one that initially seemed destined for me! Although each of Jaga’s lively lectures lasted 2-3 hours he never slowed down or displayed other signs of fatigue. This is still more significant when taken into account that he left Malaysia with a flu or something similar and medicines would not help much. It looked as if the soring throat will spoil his participation, so he earnestly prayed to Swami for a grace of just being able to speak. And what performances he presented! You wouldn’t belive. It was love, teachings and fun for hours non-stop. To illustrate one point he went as far as perfectly singing … guess what … quite a few lines of one of Elvis Presley’s hits of 1960’s! By the time I arrived he already could sing in … Polish! It was a beautiful three language bhajan (in Sanskrit or Tamil, English and Polish). At the conclusion of the Sunday’s session, Jaga moved many devotees assembled literally to tears by the way he lovingly treated the President of Organisation in this country who (I learned later) had serious problems to deal with within the Organisation. The President himself, who until now served tirelessly as the translator, henceforth out of emotion could not continue this seva. I was talking to many oldtimers on their opinion about this meeting and they invariably expressed words of genuine appreciation stating that it was best one in recent years. This was attributed primarily to Jaga’s presence, however the organisation of the event was also praised highly. I have got a feeling that this meeting is potentially a breaking point to a better future for Sai devotees in Poland after a few last years of trials and tribulations, which begun with the ‘revelations’ of Conny Larsson and last year led as high as the Parliament forum. Should my hopes come true, the success would be in a great measure thanks to this wonderful guest speaker. On Saturday evening I was leaving the place (only to return next morning) with a devotee who said (I noticed tears welling up in her eyes when she spoke) she have seen a true Apostle in Jaga. You will appreciate yourself how busy is this saintly man if I mention after him that only in the last 3 months he travelled to two different African countries, USA, Australia, New Zealand, Fiji and Poland, each time for about a week. To have an idea on sort of the stories he presented refer to an earlier interview with him by David Jevons which is available at Sai Ram, Kazik.