“Tell the Boys to sing new songs for Christmas…” December 17, 1999 During the evening Darshan …Swami        : (To a group of boys) What do you want? Student       : Swami, Sanskrit elocution.  (Swami acted as if He did not hear and made the boys repeat it again and again.  Swami blessed the card that they were holding. It was a medium sized heart symbol made out of thermocol. Swami took the card from the boys and used it as a hand fan and fanned Himself. Something was sticking to Swami’s hair.) Student       : (In Telugu) Swami, something is there on Your hair. Swami         : Snakes? Student        :  Swami, something is there on Your hair.  Swami bent His head a little and two boys removed the particle to the thrill of everyone assembled in the hall. (After interview) Swami         : (To boys) What are you doing? Student        :  Swami, practicing carols. Swami       : Every year, same songs. Sing new songs also.  Anyway, it is not My business. If you sing I will listen. (Swami called the Warden) Tell the boys to sing new songs, not the same old songs.  (After a while, talking about the Go-carts for the Sports Meet;) When are they coming? Warden        : Don’t know, Swami. Swami         : You spoke to them yesterday on phone. Is it not? Warden        : Yes, Swami. Swami     : Go-carts boys are practicing. They are practicing new turnings. Horse riding has not yet started. They are afraid even to mount the horses. How will they learn? Teacher        : Swami, helpers will be there. Swami       : Yes, they will be there. If they are, there what is the use? If the horses run amock, they will start running. They will not return immediately. It will take another week or so. Anantapur (campus) people are very silent. They have not yet indicated what they are going to do. But they will do very well and systematically. They are going to do bike stunts. They will put planks on the bikes and do Yogasanas and stunts. On the 25th, the girls will be enacting a drama. But they all will wear boy’s dresses. (Swami called the bandleader and spoke to him.) Did you see the photos that I sent? Student        :  Yes, Swami. Swami        : Swami does not want. Why do I need your photos? I don’t keep albums. (To schoolboys) What are you doing? Students      : Bike stunts, Swami. Swami         : What? Bike stunts! Students      : Motorbike stunts, Swami. Swami         : Do. Put ramps and do. But don’t do it on fire. Where is your Warden? (School Warden came. Swami chided him mildly.)  Don’t do stunts on fire. Anantapur people are also doing bike stunts. They will do them much better. They will have planks on the bikes. On those they will do formations and Yogasanas. They practice very well. Whatever they do, they do with faith and devotion. They do with the feeling that they are doing for Swami. The girls have Atma-Vishvasam (Faith in the Self). Last year, when they were doing jeep stunts, one tyre went off the ramp. But with the faith that Swami was there, the girl drove very fast. Where there is faith, there is love. Where there is love, there is truth. Where there is truth, there is peace. Where there is peace, there is God. Where there is God, there is bliss. (Swami again repeated the Vakya (great saying) to a teacher. He spoke to another teacher regarding, teachers participation in sports) Old teachers like Radhaswamy (Prof. Radhaswamy, Associate Dean, School of Business Management, Accounting and Finance in Swami’s University) may like to take part in rope pulling (Tug of war) But they should not strain. Anantapur people do things very quietly. They have not said anything yet. The Mother Sai people are going to get 3,000 bags of rice and 75,000 saris. They are very systematic. They got the 3,000 bags of rice from a single mill and thus got a single variety. Teacher         : Very big scale, Swami. Swami          : Yes, very big scale.  25th evening drama is there.  On 24th, the foreigners will sing. Warden         : Swami, give some chance to our boys also. Swami         : What chance? I did not give Anantapur students this chance. They themselves are doing. They told this only yesterday, that is all. For 12 years, Swami has not gone there. But they have great devotion and faith. Their devotion is increasing further. They see Me only when they come here. But our boys get chances and Darshan every day!

Unity Cup International Cricket Match at Prasanthi Nilayam Sunday, December 30, 1997 On this day, a One Day International Cricket Match, ‘Sri Sathya Sai Unity Cup Match’ between India XI and International XI, was played in the Sri Sathya Sai Hill View Stadium. This was a unique match played for the first time in the history of cricket. Air Chief Marshall N. C. Suri (Retd.) gave special training to the Institute students in March Past for the inaugural ceremony. On this day, Bhagavan arrived at the stadium in His open car at 8.30 am led by the Institute students carrying the flags of 86 countries. Mr. I. K. Gujaral, the Prime Minister of India, hoisted the Sri Sathya Sai Unity Flag and Bhagavan lit the Unity Torch. [It had been predicted in the Shuka Nadi (ancient palm-leaf manuscripts written by Sage Shuka predicting major events of the future) that the world consciousness would move towards overall goodness after the Yuga-Avatar gets such a flag hoisted at the end of the year 1997.] Mr. Chandrababu Naidu, the Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh, Mr. J. H. Patel, Chief Minister of Karnataka and Mr. Lakshman Kadirgamar, Foreign Minister of Sri Lanka, were present on this occasion. Bhagavan witnessed the whole match.  At lunch session, a cultural programme was put up by the Sri Sathya Sai Primary School children. At the end of the match, Bhagavan presented a specially made big silver cups to the special invitees and players of both the teams. Mr. Hanif Mohammed, Mr. Clive Lloyd and Mr. Sunil Gavaskar spoke before the prize distribution. The exciting function came to a befitting close with Bhagavan awarding Sachin Tendulkar, the captain of the winning team India XI, the Sri Sathya Sai Unity Cup. The following day during morning Darshan, He presented a silver cup to Mr. Sunil Gavaskar also.

Lesson on Whistle Blowing from the Epic Mahabharata There is an incident from the great Indian epic Mahabharata. The Pandavas were invited for a game of dice by Kauravas. It was a custom in those days that princely persons were under obligation to accept the invitation for playing dice under the royal norms. Betting was also part of the rules of the game. In this game of dice played between the Kauravas and Pandavas, Pandavas lost everything due to the foul-play of the Kauravas. After all things were lost finally, Yudhisthira, the eldest among the Pandavas, put their queen Draupadi as a bet. When they lost, they were forced to part with her. It was the prerogative of the people who won the bet to use their discretion to utilise the property or people they had won through the game of dice in the way they liked. They (Kauravas) wanted to settle scores with Pandavas for the humiliation (in their perception) meted out to them earlier in a palace known as ‘Maya Sabha’ (the magical palace). They summoned Draupadi to the court and made an abortive attempt to humiliate her by disrobing her. This was averted by the Divine intervention of Lord Krishna who miraculously protected her honour. Dushasana (the younger brother of Duryodhana) was disrobing Draupadi in King Dhritarashtra’s court amidst great personages like Bheeshmacharya (the grandsire of the Kuru clan), Kripacharya and Dronacharya (the preceptors of Pandavas and Kauravas), who were all aware that the act was wrong. All wise men were aware that what was being done was an atrocious act, but all remained mute spectators. It was only Vidura (minister of King Dhritarashtra and also his younger brother) who gathered courage to tell Bheeshma in no uncertain terms: “You are a man who can discriminate between good and bad. Such a noble person like you should not remain a silent spectator when such an atrocious act is being perpetrated. Why do you just keep quiet?” Bheeshma replied thus to the query of Vidura: “What can I do when the wicked people perpetrate such sub-human acts?” Vidura then reacted thus: “No! The one who does, the one who encourages, the one who acts as a mute/helpless witness, and the one who does not express the disapproval in unequivocal terms despite being aware that it is wrong – all are equally guilty.” The lesson that modern managers can learn from this episode is regarding ‘whistle blowing’. When something is going wrong that may affect the survival and prosperity of the organisation, it is the duty of wise people (managers) involved in the decision-making process to express opinions objectively in a polite manner without offending anybody (the top management).  

Finally, India won the Match! December 30, 1997 In the morning, the ‘Sri Sathya Sai Unity Cup’ cricket match was played in the Sri Sathya Sai Hill View stadium at Prasanthi Nilayam. Swami came to the ground in an open white Saab convertible car. There was a march past of national flags of many countries. Later, the Prime Minister Shri Inder Kumar Gujaral hoisted the international flag, which was followed by Swami lighting the torch. Many other dignitaries including the Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka were also present for the occasion. The match was between India XI and World XI (the World XI team consisted of players from Sri Lanka, Pakistan and West Indies led by Arjuna Ranatunga from Sri Lanka). The Indian team led by Sachin Tendulkar won the match. Doordarshan, the national television channel had covered the event ‘live’. After the match, in the Mandir… Swami : (To the Warden) Finally India won the match. Warden : It was by Your Grace, Swami. Swami : (To a teacher) How was the programme? Teacher : Very good, Swami. Bahut Anand Aaya. (We really enjoyed it) Swami : How was the flag hoisting and flag march? Teacher : Very good, Swami. Everything went on perfectly, by Your Grace. Swami : Played very well. But Indian players got 3 catches. Swami : Ranatunga and Jayasurya (Sri Lankan cricket players) are good boys… Played well, but they gave catch and were out. Others also gave catches and wickets fell down! Swami : (To another teacher) Finally India won the match. Teacher : Yes, Swami. It was all by Your Grace. Swami, TV commentators were telling that they had never seen such a beautiful stadium. Swami : Yes, very nice stadium. The Prime Minister also told that he had never seen a stadium like this. He told that he had not seen a game like this anywhere in the world. It was nice to see so many people in the stadium.

FROM ‘I’ TO ‘WE’ – by Ashwin Salian “Lord, make me an instrument of Thy peace. Where there is hatred, let me sow love. Where there is injury, pardon. Where there is doubt, faith. Where there is despair, hope. Where there is darkness, light. Where there is sadness, joy. O Divine master, grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console; To be understood, as to understand; To be loved, as to love; For it is in giving that we receive, It is in pardoning that we are pardoned, And it is in dying that we are born to Eternal Life.” – St. Francis of Assisi Before I joined the Sri Sathya Sai Higher Secondary School in my eleventh class, I studied in a school by name ‘St. Francis D’Assisi High School’. As the name implies, the school was dedicated to St. Francis. Every morning we used to say the prayer given above. Then I could not understand the real meaning of the prayer. Now that I have joined the Higher Secondary School, I have realised my duties and responsibilities to some extent. Thus, I can now understand the true meaning of the prayer and relate it to my own life. Why only my life – it can be related to everyone’s life.  The prayer can be divided into three parts. The first part is where the person prays that “Lord, make me an instrument of Thy peace.” This statement is very significant in the life of a Sai student. Let me tell you why. Bhagavan has specially selected all His students to be His instruments. He has said in one of His Divine discourses, “I am depending upon you students for a great transformation in outlook, for a great revolution. Students of Sri Sathya Sai College must lead this revolution.”  Thus we are all the instruments in His Divine mission. Knowingly or unknowingly we are working towards the goal. Let me narrate to you an incident to illustrate this point. Once a student was suffering from chicken pox. He was put up in the old hostel. He was feeling very sad since he could not come for Bhagavan’s darshan. He was continuously praying to Bhagavan. One evening, another brother went to meet him sometime and then the sick – boy asked him if he had any Vibhuti, packets. The other brother promptly gave him a few packets of Vibhuti he had in his pocket. At this the sick boy started crying. On being asked the reason for his crying, he told that Bhagavan had come in his dream and told him that He would give him Prasadam. And he did not know how that would happen, as he could not go for darshan. And yet Bhagavan kept His world. Thus, unknowingly the other boy had become an instrument of Bhagavan. Similarly, all of us are ‘destined’ to become His messengers. In the second part of the prayer, the devotee prays to God that he may remove the bad from this world i.e. hatred, doubt, despair etc., and replace it with good qualities like love, faith, joy etc. This is what a true messenger of our Lord’s love is supposed to do. But for that we have to change ourselves first. Bhagavan has said, “You are My instruments from whom My love will pour. Be always aware, that the moment you let your ego descend on you, My work ceases. When you have overcome your negative mindfulness, you will again become My source.”  Let me drive this point home with an incident that happened in the life of St. Francis of Assisi. Once Francis was riding home from the market. He saw a leper on the way. The lepper was in a terrible condition; a terrible stench was coming from the pus that oozed from his wounds. Francis was horrified and he went away as fast as he could. But then he remembered the phrase from the Bible, “Desire, what you formerly despised; despise what you former desired.” Immediately, he turned back and went to the leper and showered his love on him. He wrapped up the leper in a blanket, put him on his shoulder and started walking towards a home for the destitute. On the way, suddenly he found there was no weight on his shoulder. He put down the burden, unwrapped the blanket and found that there was no leper in it! This was one among the few incidents that changed the course of his life. When he left his sense of pride, he could become the messenger of God. It was due to this that the world respects him as a saint.  The third part of the Prayer is where the devotee puts others before himself. He does not care to be understood and loved by anyone. Instead, he wants to love others. He cares not for receiving and thinks that it is in giving that he receives his joy and everything. He says that it is in forgiving the faults of others that his own faults will be forgiven. He believes firmly that when he puts his own interests behind, he becomes one with God. These are the very teachings that Bhagavan gives us. He says, “Love all; serve all.” These little teachings finally take us to God. As Bhagavan says, “In this college, you will be marching from smaller truths to great truths.” Let us all become worthy instruments of Sai and travel from ‘I’ to ‘We’. 

The Descent of God More than 2000 years ago, when ego and pride became human nature, ignorance reigned supreme and the demonic nature of man was at its peak, Jesus Christ descended on earth and through his message of love and compassion demonstrated the path of righteousness. Today, you must recognise the most important aspect of the life of Jesus Christ. In the very beginning of his life, Jesus declared, “I am a Messenger of God”. He proclaimed that all are embodiments of Divinity in this human form, and all are messengers of God. He said that every ounce of this human body till the last drop of blood should be dedicated to the service of mankind. “A heart filled with love and compassion is the real temple of God”, declared Jesus.  The alarm clock wakes us by ringing the alarm at the opportune time. The great sages of ancient times would wake man from the slumber of ignorance by warning him at the appropriate time and in the appropriate manner. They would warn man to recognise the Divinity which is all pervading. One must remember these teachings and put them into practice every moment of our lives. Celebrating the birthday of such a great and pious soul as just another ritual is not what is expected. The day you understand the teachings of Jesus, and implement them with your heart and soul, that day will really be the Birthday of Jesus Christ. The words of such great people should constantly ring in your hearts and should be the guiding light of your lives. Your real offering to God will be the dedication of your life to practicing these teachings. The Two World Views There are two kinds of views in this world. The first one is the spiritual point of view, and the other is the worldly point of view. You are walking on the road and on the way you see a rope lying on the road. Instinctively you think that it is a snake and get scared. Where does this fear come from? Has the rope changed into a snake or is it still a rope? The rope is still a rope, but you look at it with your material vision and mistake it to be a snake. This hallucination is a result of the worldly point of view. The spiritual point of view enables you to see the rope as a rope and as nothing else. It allows you to see the truth as the truth and therefore you don’t have any fear. This whole world is a manifestation of ‘Brahman’. Your vision which is blurred by ignorance, illusion and hallucination sees the world as material objects and not as Brahman. All that you see in the world, that you think as being real, is actually all unreal and false.  When Jesus was being tortured, his followers were in great grief. He said, “Just as this body has a dress, this body is a dress to the soul and nothing else”. Jesus told his followers, “Do not harm anyone. Do not hurt anyone. Treat everyone alike.” You must always practice these teachings in your lives. Ignorance has a very powerful influence on the mind. Arjuna said to Krishna, “The mind is very powerful, but it is wavering in nature.” In reply Krishna said, “However powerful or wavering one’s mind may be, with Sadhana (spiritual practice) it can be controlled.” A bee has the strength to drill a hole in the hardest variety of wood. However, when it enters a lotus, and if the lotus closes its petals, then even with all its might, the bee cannot come out of the lotus. Similarly, the all-powerful mind becomes powerless and surrenders at the lotus feet of the Lord. If you want to control the all-powerful mind, you must use the powerful tool of Sadhana.