On Behalf Of Animal Angels… Do animals enhance the quality of lives of human beings…? Do not animals make their entry into human lives donning the role of angels…Animals turn angels when human hearts turn towards them with unsullied, unconditional love…Ms Mercini Sheratt shares her views about Animal Angels, quoting Bhagawan… “Why should you argue that animals, beasts and birds are bad?  Each is treading its own dharma.  It does not overstep or undermine.  They have greater cooperation and mutual love than even men.  Each has to be judged from the point of view of the equipment and the opportunity.  Man can live better if he learns from animals.  He is degrading himself even lower.  When the Lord incarnates, He has as one of His tasks the protection of sadhus, or beings with quiet innocent nature.  Among animals are countless sadhus, remember”.  (from Questions and Answers:  Sai Baba and John Hislop – in Peggy Mason’s magazine, Summer 1996) Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba tells us “You have earned this human body by the accumulated merit of many lives as inferior beings (animals, birds, beasts, reptiles etc., ……….)”   Have you ever wondered what these deeds of merit could be?  First of all, you could spare a thought for the thousands of working horses, donkeys and mules working in poor countries around the world, most often worked to death, in pain, neglected, starved, beaten but without whom their owners could not live as they are a vital part in helping them to earn a livelihood.  Then there are the dogs who lovingly and conscientiously look after the disabled, the deaf and the blind as well as cats who do their own kind of  quiet healing work in different venues and dolphins who have saved humans from drowning and cured them of depression with their unconditional love, to name just a few examples! There are literally hundreds of amazing true stories coming to light now which demonstrate such deeds of merit, including loving and often life-saving services carried out by our apparently younger brothers and sisters in animal form.  They show us what animals do to serve not only us but also members of their own and other species.  In so doing, they demonstrate a much higher degree of consciousness, love and feeling than they have been credited with over the ages.  Even now, many human beings sadly have no understanding or recognition of this.  However, as our own awareness of the world we live in is growing, so too is our acknowledgement of the fact that animals are most sentient beings and not objects without feeling which can be cruelly exploited for our own ends as has been the case for centuries but continues now more than ever.  For this reason as much as any other they deserve our loving kindness and protection on their evolutionary journey upwards. Baba has said that when we love and look after an animal, we help to raise the whole of creation and if we can’t care for an animal, then we should try and feed the birds.  Our loving interaction with them quickens their  evolutionary progress, just as the Avatar does ours.  Even wild animals respond to love. “When a devotee seeks with humility and purity to give seva and prema to my creatures who are in need of such selfless service and sublime love;  when he considers all creatures as my children, as his beloved brothers and sisters, as the blessed manifestations of my immanence, then in fulfilment of my role as Sathya Sai, I descend to help, accompany and carry that yogi.  I am always near such a yogi to guide him and to shower my love upon his life.” (Sathya Sai Baba). The following true stories demonstrate a little of what souls in animal form are capable of.  One is about one of man’s least favourite creatures:  rats!   Even though rats are generally not popular they do have their share of fans.  This is because when removed from the arena of sewers etc and living in a clean environment where they receive love,  they can be very personable, sociable and affectionate creatures.  Highly intelligent, they have even been found to ‘chuckle’ and come back for more when tickled by scientists studying animal behaviour.  They are even actually capable of altruism as the following story demonstrates: “In order to test maternal instinct, a laboratory experiment required mother rats to cross a live electric grid in order to pick up their babies.  In spite of the fear and pain of electrocution, the devoted little mothers crossed the electric grid even though they received many shocks and some rescued babies not their own.  One little mother carried fifty-eight babies across the grid receiving electric shocks all the way before researchers ran out of infants with which to test her”..(abbreviated from ‘Peaceful Kingdom – Random Acts of Kindness by Animals’ by Stephanie Laland.) The next one is taken from the Daily Mail (June 20 2002).  It relates to how a seal saved an unknown dog from drowning in the River Tees.  A certain Mr Hinds and his sons were walking by the river when they spotted an Alsation/Labrador cross on the side of the river.  It was bleeding from its head and leg and whimpering.  When Mr Hinds approached it to help it, it panicked and jumped into the river.  The currents were so strong that it struggled to keep afloat and was in danger of drowning when, out of  nowhere,  lifesaving help came in the form of a seal!  The seal charged  up to it, circled it and then, with its nose, pushed it firmly towards the shore and safely back on the river bank. Then it swam back into the middle of the river and waited for Mr Hinds to reach the dog before swimming away, an unsung lifeguard! Another story is told in the same article of a woman, Charlene Camburn, who got into difficulty while out swimming off the coast of Lincolnshire in 1999. Seven seals appeared and surrounded her

Baba and the Animal World… “We, to whom the animal world is different and dumb, have to learn, just this one lesson, by observing Baba’s affection for them: never to harm any living thing, for our sustenance or pleasure; never to lose an opportunity for lessening the suffering or pain of an animal brother of ours” writes Prof Kasturi in the November 1958 issue of Sanathana Sarathi, narrating the illustrious bond of Love between the Creator and His four-legged creations. The picture of Baba holding two huge Alsa­tians, which appears in this Special Birthday Number will be of great interest to those who have read the commentary of Vishnu Suri on the fourth Anuvaka of Sri Rudradhyaya, especially the 17th Mantra “Namah svabhyah svapathibhyascha vo namah.” Vishnu Suri explains that svabhyah refers to dogs, i.e., forms of Avidya, the four legs and tail of the dog being the symbols of the activities of the five senses, the illusion of I and Mine being symbolised by the two ears, and the entire animal, representing the tendency to engage Oneself in actions, with a perpetual desire to enjoy the fruits thereof. And, svapathibhyah, according to him, refers to the masters of dogs, the mighty personages, the avatar purushas who hold the Avidya in check and help to lessen and destroy its evil and who facilitate the manifestation of Vidya. In fact, for those who have eyes to see and the wisdom to understand, there is always a deeper meaning in whatever Baba does! For the generality of Bhaktas, however, Baba’s animal pets and the Prema that He bestows on them is just an object-lesson, in the kinship of all creation and the spirit of loving service of all living things. A long chapter can be written on the Prema that Baba bestows on the cows in His Goshala, how He daily visits the cows and tenderly feeds them with His own Hand, and how they too react, most devotedly to His affection and solicitude. Baba has had as pets under His care deer, peacocks, stags, rabbits etc., but in this article, it is proposed to give an account only of the dogs, who had the good fortune to be fondled by His loving Hands. Jack and Jill were the earliest recipients of Baba’s grace. They were two lovely little Pomeranians from Ootacamund and perhaps, they were in some past birth, attached to some Divine Personage; for, it was noted that they actually fasted on every Thursday and desisted from eating flesh on all days! The Thursday fast of these canine devotees put many a human Bhakta to shame. They were inseparable companions of Baba and used to sleep, Jack at the head of the bed and Jill at His Feet. Who can say what dreams they had inside their half-shut eyes, while Baba stroked their silken fur with His motherly affection? After some years of Samipya, Jack breathed his last in the lap of Baba. The previous night Jack had gone across the river to Karnatanagapalli, following the foot-steps of a chauffeur and lay under the car, all unknown to the occupants. Jack had a way of volunteering to keep watch over the cars, which in those days, had to be kept on the other bank. Next morning, when the driver started the car, Jack was run over, but he could drag himself along the sand to Puttaparthi and the Mandir, where Baba was engaged in writing letters. Jack knew that his end was near and so, he heroically gathered strength and pulled himself forward until he fell on Baba’s lap and with eyes glistening in joy and fixed on Baba’s face, he bade farewell to this final interlude in his career. Jill followed him, soon after. Baba had them buried with some ceremony and got a Brindavan erected over their mortal remains. This can now be seen behind the Old Mandir, in the Quadrangle. Chitty and Bitty succeeded them; they too were Pomeranians, from Kodaikanal and, within a few years, they finished their round of birth and death and a Samadhi at Ootacamund marks the spot where they are laid to eternal rest. Baba has lead other Pomeranians with Him, like Lilly and Billy. He blessed with His care and love, a pair of Cocker Spaniels, Minnie and Mickie and another pair, Honey and Goldie. The very names He gave to these animal devotees reveal the sweetness of His Grace and, the Prema that He bestowed on them. Latterly, Baba has had a few Alsatians in the Mandir like Rover and Rita and, the two proud dogs which have the good fortune to be illustrated in this month’s “Sanathana Sarathi” with their Master, Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba. They are named Tommy and Henry. Maurice Maeterlinck the poet, has said that dogs teach us, by their single-minded devotion and unquestioning obedi­ence, how we have to behave towards the Lord. If their behaviour to us, ordinary folk, is itself so elevated and exemplary, how much more sincere and unselfish they must be, when Bhagawan Himself condescends to handle and fondle them! These animal Bhaktas of the Lord are as important for Him, as the human; He can speak to them in the language they can understand; He helps in their promotion, to the hither stages of spiritual evolution; He knows, which among them deserve His attention and His care. We, to whom the animal world is different and dumb, have to learn, just this one lesson, by observing Baba’s affection for them: never to harm any living thing, for our sustenance or pleasure; never to lose an opportunity for lessening the suffering or pain of an animal brother of ours. II Samasta Lokah Sukhino Bhavantu II Po

How Shirdi Sai Taught To See GOD In DOG…!!! Some years ago, at the end of a Guru Purnima Divine discourse Bhagawan urged the devotees to show compassion for as He spelt out, See Me in a dog also…D O G – dog will lead you to G O D – God. What a beautiful statement hidden with Supreme Truth of coexistence! True, one needs to raise to a level of higher consciousness to understand and imbibe this Supreme Truth. With Bhagawan Himelf showing all-out compassion for all of His creation, are we not, His ‘devotees’ bound to practise His precepts? Let’s learn a lesson from the Life Of Bhagawan at Shirdi…How He Showed To See GOD in DOG…a thought-provoking incident from Sri Shirdi Sai Satcharita… Once, Mrs Tarkhad was staying in a certain house in Shirdi. At noon, meals were ready and dishes were being served, when a hungry dog turned up there and began to cry. Mrs. Tarkhad got up at once and threw a piece of bread, which the dog gulped with great relish. In the afternoon, when she went to the Masjid and sat at some distance, Sai Baba said to her, “Mother, you have fed Me sumptuously up to My throat, My afflicted pranas (life-forces) have been satisfied. Always act like this, and this will stand you in good stead. Sitting in this Masjid I shall never, never speak untruth. Take pity on Me like this. First give bread to the hungry, and then eat yourself. Note this well.” She could not at first understand the meaning of what Baba said. So she replied, “Baba, how could I feed You? I am myself dependent on others and take my food from them on payment.” Then Baba replied — “Eating that lovely bread I Am heartily contended and I Am still belching. The dog which you saw before meals and to which you gave the piece of bread is one with Me, so also other creatures (cats, pigs, flies, cows etc.) are one with Me. I Am roaming in their forms. He, who sees Me in all these creatures is My beloved. So abandon the sense of duality and distinction and serve Me, as you did today.” Drinking these nectar-like words, she was moved, her eyes were filled with tears, her throat was choked and her joy knew no bounds.

When Human Hearts Become Like Cacti…The Womb Of Mother Nature Goes Dry… When summer simmers with exhausting passion, the earth body withers owing to acute drought, putting humans and his co-existing world to great agony…Suffering it through, as we call it acute drought, has man ever thought what exactly causes Mother Nature to act in retribution? Is he not responsible for his acute agony…? When summer simmers with intense passion, let’s listen to what Sri Jullie Chaudhuri writes about… The chemist who can extract from his heart’s elements – compassion, respect, longing, patience, regret, surprise, and forgiveness and compound them into one, can create that atom which is called love. – Khalil Gibran Temperatures are soaring,Fertile fields turning barren,Smoke is replacing oxygen…Rivers are going dry,To appear on the horizon,Rain clouds are fighting shy,Where the distant Sun seems scorchingly close-by……When human beings take unjust, unethical, unrighteousness,And wicked ways as an ally,Not only does Mother Nature reply,But the graph of crime too shows an all time high…When hearts lack compassion…rivers go barren…When human hearts become like cacti…the environment goes dry… Drought…no doubt…gradually overcomes the land, when there is a consistent massive drought, rather an enormous dearth…of sympathy, empathy, thoughtfulness, care, concern, consideration and compassion in human hearts. Rivers face a depleting water level…when the fiery flames of selfish ways evaporate the fragrance of selfless love in a human heart.As you sow…so you reap…seeds of  arrogance reap egocentric thoughts; self-centered thoughts reap vainglorious…immodest words; immodest words reap disgracious acts that benefit no one in particular…and a collective combination of such thoughtless actions ultimately affect the terrain…the environment…ultimately earth as a whole. Seeds sown with egotistical intent…will magnetically attract catastrophic results. We are the cause and so also the effect. When a large percentage of the population lives portraying just such a prolonged famine of wholesome sentiments…an acute paucity of that natural substance called love, being overcome with the desire for meeting personal needs solely, succumbing to selfishness and self aggrandizement…not being able to see beyond gain meant for themselves and their immediate family…the environment, per force and most certainly is affected in a reciprocal negative manner. All this is due to repeated insensitive, unfeeling and callously corrosive acts which are completely out of sync with the word human…humane ways and humanity.Each one of us is responsible for the appallingly deplorable, distressingly alarming state of affairs – be it the Physical Environment, the Biotic Environment or the Social/Cultural Environment. We tend to blame everyone and everything else for our misfortune – stars, planets, neighbours, friends, relatives, cats and crows…pointing a finger at all and sundry…except facing our own follies fair and square. Let us view what may appear as an insignificant example…Trimming of plants and trees in the neighbourhood…some of which may be fragrantly covered with flowers. Indeed to cut down these blooms is a ghastly atrocity on Mother Nature. Trimming is one thing but what is taking place in some gardens is clearly termed as ‘hacking’ down of plants. These plants enhance our environment, are a home to birds, give shade to so many, cool down the areas they bloom in, do their own little minute bit to attract rain bearing clouds…thus completely exemplifying a selfless way of living.As regards the cutting down of full grown ancient trees with their thick and wondrous foliage…that, any sage mind will agree, certainly amounts to a loathsome sin. Next, let us see what is happening with animals. Unaccountable continuous atrocities are taking place on innocent domestic animals, as well as the majestic creatures of the wild. From dogs…to baby seals, to fox to bears to tigers and rhinos…insane culling, brutal poaching, savage hunting…such gross acts just to use animal products to enhance beauty and vigour are horrifyingly and swiftly bringing certain species to the brink of early extinction. Children, women, old people…too have not been spared monstrous, mercilessly outrageous misconduct and immoralities.Has humanity failed…and the human mind…does it need complete overhauling and restructuring…?The soul of Mother Nature which includes plants, animals and the five elements…tires of repeated wanton misuse of its bounties…including consistent disrespect of space, air, fire, water, earth…and thus is enormously wounded. What will our children inherit…the curse of Mother Nature…which arises not from her lips but from the actions and inactions committed time and again due inhuman insensitivities…a regretful result of our own personal follies…? Will trees and animals, in times to come, be identified only through picture depictions…heartbreaking memories of things that were flourishing once…?Ultimately when human hearts become like cacti…the womb of Mother Nature…goes dry… Care for Life, Concern for Nature and Reverence for all of creation is the need of the hour.So also is awareness.In so many countries, especially the Gulf nations, including Israel, it is a sacrilege to harm even a leaf of a tree, for they owe the change in their topography, the enhanced beauty of their land profile…to these plants and trees…from being known as desert land to receiving a fair share of rainfall and plush beauteous greenery.Awareness of aesthetic sense needs to be urgently augmented. It would be admirable, as well as reflect solidarity of purpose, if actions and decisions are taken respecting sentiments…with sensitivity and respect…maintaining overall awareness of the environment and all that does exist in it…in a judicious, righteous and compassionate manner while not entertaining vain individualism…enhanced by greed…based on the strength of personal  power and authority. This is the question of our environment…setting an example to our children to respect all those who live in it…and form a part of it…be it from the plant world, animal world or human world. Let us live and let live…learn from our mistakes and grow in awareness…in expansive love and consciousness…owing befitting allegiance to our Beloved Bhagawan…His life…His words…His teachings…His selfless affection…to finally love all, serve all; help ever, hurt never…Bhagawan with His transcendental cosmic examples forever redefined the ‘all’ in Love All, Serve All…to include every bit in creation…sentient as well as insentient beings. Pray for the welfare of all. The power of prayer is

Why Do Animals Matter? Imagine a world without greenery around, without the four legged ones, without the flying colours? Such a world would be hollow without the essence. Man is blessed to co-exist in this beautiful world, with plants, animals, birds and all other living ‘loving’ creatures. If alone man understands his duty, his legacy, to live practising “Love All Serve All, Help Ever Hurt Never”, coexisting with his co-creation, he can surely claim that his heart has been touched by God. Why man should co-exist in nature and why do animals, birds matter for him? Read on as Ms. Mercinini Sheratt from the United Kingdom writes about the beauty of animal kingdom, citing Bhagawan’s priceless quotes. The writer, an English Teacher by profession, has been a long time devotee and is currently spiritual co-ordinator for Region 6 in the UK. She has also been taking active interest in animal welfare and animal rights. Why do animals matter? Although Bhagawan often begs us not to lapse back into our animal ancestry because spiritually our task is – with His help – to rise higher and higher up the evolutionary ladder, He nevertheless tells us that: “Why should you argue that animals, beasts and birds are bad?  Each is treading its own dharma. It does not overstep or undermine.  They have greater cooperation and mutual love than even men.  Each has to be judged from the point of view of the equipment and the opportunity.  Man can live better if he learns from the animals.  He is degrading himself even lower.  When the Lord incarnates, He has as one of His tasks the protection of sadhus, of beings with quiet, innocent natures.  Among animals are countless sadhus, remember.” (Sathya Sai Baba in a question and answer session – Peggy Mason’s Magazine, Summer 1996) Animals matter because among them are some remarkable and beautiful souls, perhaps old souls of the animal kingdom.  For just like the human kingdom, there are young souls and old souls and this can often be seen just by looking into their eyes.  Think, for example, about all the patient, loving and selfless dogs, also referred to as Assist/ Service dogs,  who look after handicapped human beings.  (However, dogs are not the only sadhus in the animal kingdom) Many other such sadhus can also be found in other species of animals. Below we can see a picture of the Mother Theresa of Dogs, a rescued dog living in an animal sanctuary in Warwickshire, UK.  This story has been verified to be true and is as follows:  Mother Theresa of Dogs was a badly abused and neglected greyhound left to die, locked up somewhere.  She was finally rescued and taken to an animal sanctuary, emaciated and shivering with fear.  However, as time went by, she grew in confidence with the love and care she received and has ended up by becoming the sanctuary’s resident surrogate mother.  She welcomes all the new incomers to the sanctuary, providing them with the love and care their bruised souls so badly need.  The picture below shows the different species living peacefully together under Mother Theresa’s tender, loving wing.  Her motto must be “Love All, Serve All”. Animals matter because they are sentient beings just like us.  Although they can’t speak in our human language, this does not mean that they are automatons with no feeling as certain ‘scientific’ and ‘philosophic’ thinking has claimed for centuries…..an attitude which has hardened the hearts of many and justified all kinds of cruelty and exploitation of animals, ‘legitimate’ and illegitimate.  This attitude is now thankfully slowly changing and certain scientists of animal behaviour are finally accepting that  animals are feeling – and dare I say it – thinking beings with complex emotional lives.  They feel joy, love, pain, fear, anxiety, sorrow and demonstrate humour, the range of animal sentience that is now being recognised is astounding – even a bull has been known to grieve at the death of his owner;   rats, who chuckle when being tickled and come back for more, have been found to be capable of altruism; the humble chicken is capable of deception and empathy and turkeys are so clever that they have been known to hold up heavy traffic in order to let their babies cross the road.  There is no such thing as a bird brain in the bird kingdom, as birds of all kinds have been found to be surprisingly intelligent. Even pigeons have shown mathematical abilities on par with certain primates.   As for parrots, they are a whole amazing story in itself; they have the emotional age of a toddler and the intelligence of a five year old.  They bond so deeply with either their parrot or human companions that parting and separation cause great suffering to them, so much so that they have been known to stop eating and die as a result of this. Animals matter because many of them are full of love with a capital ‘L’. There is so much evidence which testifies to this.  In many cases, their love seems to be unconditional, purer and more intense than the love shown by many human beings.  As Bhagawan tells us about His visit to Uganda: “I was really moved by their love and affection.  I could not come out of that place.  Such intense love is not to be found even among human beings today.  The humans hate one another. I could witness an intense, unparalleled love and equality in those animals”…..Sathya Sai Baba Speaks, Volume 30, chapter. 19, p. 280 And “Love is present not only in human beings but also in all creatures, birds or beasts; nor is that all.   It is in fact all pervasive.  Love pervades everything in creation.  Man’s humanness is vitiated when he fails to recognise this love.” – Sathya Sai (SS February 1995, pg 37) Once I rescued a small bird being chased by a cat.  I held the bird in my hands while I sat very still, hoping that this would calm it.  As I looked

Compassion…A Divine Gift Bhagawan Who ‘lives’ His illustrious life exemplifying IT as His Message stands tall as the most inspiring figure in the history of mankind, planet Earth has ever seen. If alone one boasts to be  a real devotee, – ‘Sathya Sai Student’ -,  first and foremost he or she should possess a heart full of love and compassion for all of His creation…How many of us do follow Bhagawan’s words meticulously, with a heart full of love and compassion, sans any reservations? Sri Biraj Lama, an alumnus of Sri Sathya Sai Institute Of Higher Learning, belonging to 2012 batch of MBA, exemplified what compassion means to him when he ventured to help a suffering crow to fly into its world of feedom…a real ‘July’ story from Prasanthi Nilayam. Biraj is currently serving the Sri Sathya Sai Sadhana Trurst, Bhakta Sahayak Sangh Division… It was a Friday evening, 5th July 2013. Rain showers had enveloped Prasanthi Nilayam, the weather was pleasant…with a tinge of frosty spell and it was still drizzling. I had just finished my work at the SSS Bhakta Sahayak Sangh Division early that day and had gone to the Sri Sathya Sai Book Trust – administrative block, at around 6:50 pm. After sometime, even as I was coming out of the SSSBPT office block, I observed from a distance that a few staff members along with some sevadals had gathered at the Trust entrance road and were looking at something lying on the floor – a small dark object. Out of curiosity I too went up to have a closer look and with what I came across, I was overcome with a sense of pain, anger and sadness. I saw around 5 to 6 people standing around watching a crow lying upon the cold floor…incapacitated…unable to move; it was wet and was prone on the damp ground appearing lifeless; it was blinking like a small helpless child waiting for its mother to come to its rescue…thus so was it gazing at the people staring at it. Some in the gathering were amused, while others appeared sad that the crow was hurt – wondering if it was paralyzed; but none came forth to have a closer look or even attempt to help. After sometime almost everyone walked away…barring myself and two persons from the sevadal. A thought flashed in my mind – that the crow was already suffering, it seemed paralyzed…lying vulnerable on the cold floor…if I left it as it was, it could quite easily be preyed upon. It is necessary here to give a brief sketch about my background.My family comprises of my mother and my brother. From childhood itself I experienced a sense of bonding with animals, birds, reptiles and insects. I could with gentle ease understand their silence, feel their pain and very naturally count them to be an extension of my own family. I can never differentiate between human beings and animals. I tender the same amount of care to an ailing animal that I would give to my kith and kin…and I extend the same regard to all these beings…for I consider them too, to be a valued part of my circle of family, friends and relatives. You don’t need a reason to save a dying or a suffering being…if you truly believe that God is your father and He alone has created this Universe. With this knowledge you will love all of His creation. At times, I feel that perhaps my friends think that I am somewhat daft…as quite often, I maneuver scorpions crawling on the road into gardens or bushes, fearing that if they were spotted…they might be killed. I buy grains for birds and…sugar for ants to provide a meal for them… I buy foodstuff for monkeys too…and sometimes I even feed them the things that my friends bring for me or for themselves…because in doing so I get a kind of satisfaction and happiness that cannot be expressed in words. However, people who do not understand what I am doing or why I am doing so, may find my ways weird. Nevertheless, they should be aware of one thing – that the origin of all life forms is not diverse but identical…whether it is a human life or the life of an animal or an insect…all of creation shares the similar spark that is within human beings…and they too feel the same pain that humans feel. Manana (deep contemplation) will confirm the fact of God being in every living being, bird, beast and tree and when this awareness is established, you will not be tempted to hate or ridicule or envy any other living being in creation. For you are He and He is you, fundamentally. Until you come to this stage, you are only a partial devotee, still a long way to go.– Sathya Sai Speaks, Volume 10, Chapter 2 Humans in general have become numb to the suffering of other creatures. They seem to have a sense of superiority over other beings and most often look down upon the rest of the creation with contempt, but they should never forget that the source from where all beings originated is one and the same. When Swami says – Love All, Serve All…most people misunderstand this profound dictum to be limited only to human beings (i.e. Love all humans and serve all humans). Then, about the animals… are they to be considered as children of lesser gods? Has someone else created them? Have they originated from a source different from our source? When we love and look after an animal…we help to lift the whole of creation. I can never perceive animals as lesser than us…just because they cannot do what we can or we cannot understand what they are trying to tell us…they are in no way to be thought of as inferior beings. In fact in this Kaliyuga…some species of the animal kingdom have become the most satvic of creatures…when compared to many insensitive human beings. Beloved Swami’s words ring out loud and clear – Treat all as your

I Care… So I Dare!!! Atrocity is the word, strewn everywhere in the form of innumerable devious acts processed from the human brain. God gifted man with intelligence but centuries of conditioning have resulted in an inhumane frame of mind which is, to a large extent, devoid of love. It is said that when adharma rules and Mother Earth weeps the Lord comes down to establish dharma. And this time, it was in the form of Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba. His life and teachings have definitely made an imprint on earth, and His devotees, for sure, are going to live it to their best of their abilities. Here is one such instance, a laudable instance of a devotee engaging in love and compassion and putting His word into practice. Republishing an article involving Gomatha… on a day when Gomathas are welcomed in Sai Krishna’s Divine Presence in Prasanthi Nilayam. The 29th of July, 2012 was no different from any other day in the sense that it had its own atrocities to unfold.  Ms  Jullie Chaudhuri, a Sai devotee, was on her way to a Durga Mandir in a rickshaw to meet a Sai youth there when she happened to see a very disturbing scene. A cow, tied with a rope to a tempo, was literally dragged behind the vehicle. As she continued to look at the pathetic scene she saw that the placenta of the cow was hanging! Horrified, Ms Chaudhuri asked the driver to stop the rickshaw and jumped out to question the man behind the torture. She spotted a couple of men running alongside the tempo and asked them to give reason for this torture. The answer was demonic: “How else are we to transport the cow?” Citing rules, Ms Chaudhuri stated that the cow should, in fact, be inside the vehicle. The man defended saying that the cow was aggressive as it had just delivered and hence would not cooperate. Aghast at the fact that the cow had just delivered a calf and was made to run behind the vehicle in such an inhumane way was too much to take in. It had to be stopped. Ms Chaudhuri stood before the van and blocked all traffic! She insisted on the cow being released and refused to take ‘no’ for an answer. In the bustle of today’s life many might merely look with sympathy and pass by or even overlook the situation quite insensitively. But, with this devotee, it was not so? “Dignity for all living beings is important to me,” she says. And that is what Bhagawan had taught. This devotee was His true reflection. Taking out her cell phone she threatened the men that she would call the police. This set them thinking. They set free the cow and sped off. The cow was aggressive as its calf was being taken away from it. Instead of the police Ms Chaudhuri dialed her niece, an animal rights activist, to her rescue. Another friend was also called upon. In the meanwhile the tempo had disappeared and to her utter dismay, as she looked around, the cow was also missing! As she tried to locate this ‘first-calf heifer’ she noticed a boy gesturing to her to look into the bungalow by the side of the road. Though the tall gates of the bungalow were locked she saw the smaller gate open and found the cow grazing inside the compound.  Ms Chaudhuri closed the gate and waited for her friends to arrive. In the meanwhile she prayed to Bhagawan. It was He who had brought her face-to-face with this appalling situation and she prayed that He bring respect and dignity to the abused four-legged child of His… and also to reunite the mother and calf. When her friend and niece arrived plans were made: First feed the cow; call a van to transport the animal to Blue Cross, a non-profit organization that looks to the welfare of animals; register a case against the owner for this intolerant behaviour; reunite calf and cow.  As the owner of the bungalow was known to the friend, things moved on smoothly and Ms Chaudhuri went to a nearby retail shop to buy jaggery and chana dal (split chick pea). The niece mixed this with water and fed the cow. As the van came to ferry the cow, the owner of the cow came enquiring. He was informed by the niece that the procedure for confiscating the callously and carelessly treated animal had to be followed. Once the cow was taken to the animal shelter, a case would be registered and then the owner could come and take the cow from there. He was asked to bring the calf. The owner promised to do so and left but did not return. Instead a man came striding and kicked up a lot of noise to scare Ms Chaudhuri and party away. But they remained rooted to their decision. When he threatened that he had good hold with the police and when they realized that he was involved with other ill treatment cases towards animals as well, Ms Chaudhuri decided to rope in the police. When the police arrived one thing that struck the notice of the niece amidst the entire hullabaloo was that one policeman had Shirdi Sai’s picture on his key chain. Yes Swami was with them! Soon the youth whom Ms Chaudhari was to meet at the Mandir came there on hearing what was going on. He had a packet of Vibhuti and Ms Chaudhuri applied the Vibhuti on the cow. The cow, that was by now in the process of sloughing off the placenta, was flat on the grass. Soon it showed signs of progress. It sat up. The police ordered the cow handlers to bring the calf. Moments later the cow and its calf were reunited and the cow… was rejuvenated. Amidst chants of ‘Sai Ram’ and fresh applications of Vibhuti the cow was soon on its legs. The placenta which was supposedly to take 7 to 8 hours

Why Be Vegetarians? “Violence in any form is evil and to kill innocent animals is tantamount to blatant savagery” said Bhagawan talking against the bestial act of humans, just to appease his taste buds. At a time when the effect of Kali age it at its peak, when man often forget his true nature, falls to behave like beasts, takes to meat eating, Ms Mercini Sheratt debates on, focussing on the suffering of the animals that are destined to decorate man’s lunch and dinner trays, appeasing their beastly taste buds… “It is a fact that plants have life like animals.  But animals are endowed with mind, and nervous systems too while the plants do not possess the same.  The animals cry and weep when they are being killed.” (Sri Sathya Sai Baba in ‘The Avatar of Love’) Sathya Sai Baba urges us to become vegetarian for more reasons than one, but in this article, I shall focus only on the one related to the suffering of the animals people eat and the cruelty involved; this one is reason enough in itself to abstain. As He tells us: “When you kill an animal, you give him suffering, pain, harm.  God is in every creature… how can you give such pain?  When someone beats a dog, he cries, he feels so much pain.  How much more pain then in killing?” (from ‘Conversations with Sathya Sai Baba’ by John Hislop) We now know that farm animals, just like any other creature, are truly sentient beings who feel a whole range of feelings just as we humans do and are capable of great suffering. Cows, for example, are very emotional creatures though outwardly placid. They truly suffer when their babies are torn away from them at only a few days old; they have best friends for life and can even bear grudges for life towards other cows or humans who have mistreated them!  Pigs are known to be highly intelligent, sensitive and very affectionate.  They are easily trainable. Who remembers the lovely BABE?  As for sheep, goats, chickens and turkeys they are just as interesting though some may find this hard to believe… Even fish have pain receptors and a nervous system akin to humans and where it was once believed that they didn’t suffer pain, it is now known that it is excruciatingly painful for them when they are hauled out of the deep and left to die in the open air.  When it comes to tuna, please note that dolphin friendly labels are not to be completely trusted because masses of dolphins, especially baby dolphins, are still dying as a result of tuna fishing. Because it is usually the babies who get caught in the fishing nets, their mothers then go into the nets with them. Fishermen have reported that the mothers can be heard singing to their babies as they both slowly die. The factory farming of animals causes suffering enough and their eventual violent demise in the slaughterhouse is too horrible and heartrending to describe. As long as one eats animals, one is instrumental in causing their suffering, so must bear some of the burden of that karma. “You take this meat eating.  Many people have to kill animals because of your non-vegetarianism.  You are responsible for the death of those animals.  They are killed because you eat them.  That is a sin.  What a sin to kill innocent animals and eat them.” (Sathya Sai Baba, Divine Discourse, 21st November 1995) For those who find it difficult to give up eating meat – and this is understandable if they have been brought up and sustained on that kind of diet since birth, it helps to remember that the meat on one’s plate was not long ago a writhing, terrified, sentient creature who struggled desperately to escape from its impending death and suffered agonies on its death-bound journey. As long as one habitually eats any kind of flesh, it is very easy to become blunted to this fact. It would also help to remember that animals feel the very same emotions as we do and to take to heart the following true story recorded in “Kill Cow” by Dr Sahadeva Dasa of the Hare Krishna movement: A Buddhist monk who taught meditation at a prison in Australia was surprised when one day a fearsome looking prisoner with a violent record arrived to learn meditation.  He seemed like a most unlikely candidate… However, his life had just been completely changed and this is how… he had worked in the prison slaughterhouse and daily killed lots of cows, sheep and pigs. These creatures would cry, moan and scream in their own ways and desperately try to escape from the moment they arrived at the slaughter house. They knew what was coming and it was hard to aim accurately at them because their terror and anxiety would not allow them to keep still. One day, however, a certain cow walked slowly, purposefully and voluntarily to the slaughter point with her head down without trying to escape in any way. She stood silently, then lifted her head and stared fixedly at her executioner without moving. The slaughterer, totally disconcerted, stared back, unable to act… the cow’s gaze did not waver and as he stared back at her, he noticed that her left eye was filling with water. As the water increased, it overflowed and trickled down her cheek, forming a shining stream of tears. Then, he noticed the same thing happening with the right eye and tears started to trickle from that. The cow was crying. He broke down and cried himself. He could not kill the cow and to cut a long story short, became a vegetarian from then on. The cow that cried totally changed his life. As Sathya Sai Baba says: “Anything that has life tries to stay alive. No living creature would give itself up as food for another living being. Animals, birds and fish also feel the desire to live just as humans do. They too would struggle,

Animal Devotees Of The Lord The Lord Who often repeated, My Life Is My Message,  lived up to His dictum proving the world ‘Practising His Precepts…When it came to the animal kingdom, Bhagawan has often spoken about the human qualities of Compassion and Love, urging humanity to extend their heart to creatures living in this vast creation. Man has to coexist with the rest of the creation sharing Compassion and Love is one of the the most profound messages humanity has to imbibe from all that Bhagawan showcased with His most exemplary Life…an article from Ms Mercini Sherratt, from the UK. “In 1968, Swami took the hands of two elderly American devotees in His hands and said to them, “And I want to share something with you that you must never forget.  In the end, in the final analysis when the body turns to dust and is gone. The only thing that will matter is how much love you have shared with all of creation”.  Swami then paused and added, “How much love you have shared with all of creation in every single moment of your life.” (from Radio Sai Journals, volume 10/01 May 12/04). All great souls have felt tenderness for the whole of God’s creation.  As we grow in Love and expand in Love, our hearts become sensitive to and open to all forms and we can understand Baba when He says: “Foster the tiny seed of love that clings to ‘me’ and ‘mine’, let it sprout into Love for the group around you, and grow into Love for all mankind, and spread out its branches over animals, birds and those that creep and crawl, and let the Love enfold all things and beings in all the worlds.  Proceed from less Love to more Love, narrow Love to expanded Love.”    (Sathya Sai Speaks, volume 8, chapter 16) We all know of Swami’s great love for the animal kingdom and that He kept many pet animals over his lifetime.  In the early days, he would talk to and pet each cow in the gokulam daily.  According to Kasturi and to Peggy Mason in “The Embodiment of Love,”  He used to keep pairs of dogs (14 pairs up to the date of writing the book in 1982),   Stories are also told of dogs which came to die at His Feet, including one called Kuttan, a ‘pure atma’ as Baba called him.   In Sathyam, Sivam, Sundaram-1,  we are told that as a small child, He would run up to and embrace to His heart  any chicken whom He knew was about to be slaughtered, in an attempt to shield it from its coming demise.  He kept away from places where animals were slaughtered or tortured or where fish were trapped and caught.  Because of His great love and consideration for all creatures, His neighbours called him “Brahmajnani”.   Once in the early days, Kasturi tells us He was found privately taking leave of a buffalo who had carried water for Him and His party on a trip away.  He was heard to say, while patting the buffalo very affectionately, “You have done Me good service, Bangaru  (Golden One).” The tale of His enormous love for Sai Gita and hers for Him is legendary.  From the day that He rescued her from her orphaned state in which she was heard to be crying pitifully, He showed her the love of a thousand mothers.  Gita lived only for Him and her adoration and devotion had no equal.  Just as He knew what was in His human devotees’ hearts and minds, so too did He know what was in Sai Gita’s heart and  mind, especially it seems, when she came to complain to Him about her various mahouts! The animals He kept over so many decades must have adored Him for as He says, “There is no human being without love.  Even beasts, birds, animals and insects have love.  This love is experienced in even the smallest of creatures.  We should have deep conviction that God is present in every being in the form of the Atma – consciousness.” When one little deer in His sanctuary was about to die and gazed longingly up at His window, Baba appeared with an apple and a banana to feed it.  On seeing Him, it ran up to Him with a heartbreaking expression of sorrow in its eyes, according to the Sevadal who was present.  As the small deer ate from Baba’s hand, two clear tears trickled down its face.  Very soon afterwards, the little deer passed away.  According to students present at the time, Baba told someone, “these are My two-legged ‘dear’ (meaning the students) and those are my four-legged deer.  All are dear to Me”. Another animal which had cause to be grateful at least was the cat called Minkie.  One day,  Minkie foolishly stole some fish and was beaten for this.  While she was being beaten, she must have screamed out in agony and all the 16 pictures of Baba in the house swayed violently and some fell down with a big bang, terrifying those present.  As Minkie started to recover from her punishment, big puffs of fragrant Vibhuti came out of her fur and fell thickly on the table, leaving the room smelling divinely fragrant and showing Baba’s omnipresence!   The Divine Healer had got to work on her straightaway and from a distance.   Six months later, in November 1972, when Minkie’s owner visited the ashram, Baba gave her some packets of Vibhuti, tossing two more unto her, saying “these are for the cat.” However, how many more animal devotees of the Lord are there that we do not know of?  An article included in the March 1987 Hatfield Magazine (UK) written by a certain Paulette talks of a cat named Fluffy. To summarise, Fluffy became seriously interested in Sai Baba from the minute she was first given some Vibhuti.  She purred ecstatically while licking this Vibhuti.  Three days later, her fur exuded a lovely smell of Vibhuti.   Every morning

He who feeds the distressed in hunger really serves Me… Shirdi Sai’s sojourn on Earth was most incomprehensible for the normal ones, His ways being supra-mysterious. Baba, in fact, lived His life teaching His followers at every step, guiding them to higher levels of consciousness, evolution. How Bhagawan sent across the poignant, powerful message of the absolute need to see Madhava in every being? …an interesting story from the illustrious Sai Samartha Satcharita. One evening, Baba was sitting against the wall, leaning His chest against the banisters, engaged in lovable talk, when Lakshmi arrived there. Tatya Patil was nearby and there were others also. Lakshmi made her obeisance to Baba, when Baba said to her: “Lakshmi, I Am hungry.” “Baba, I will go and bring bhakri (a round flat unleavened bread often used in the cuisine, in Maharashtra, India). No sooner than I go that I shall return with it.” Saying this she left immediately. She baked some bhakris and returned without loss of time, along with some vegetables and chutney, and placed this snack before Baba. Baba picked up the plate and put it before the dog as it was. “Baba, what have You done?”, Lakshmi asked promptly. “In spite of my having gone so swiftly and baked the bhakris quickly, You offered them to the dog! What is this novel way of Yours! You said You were hungry. What kind of marvelous hunger is this? You have not even had one small morsel of it! You have unnecessarily troubled me.” Then Baba said to her: “Why do you fret unnecessarily? Satisfying the same hunger of this dog is the same as giving Me appeasement. Bear this in mind. Isn’t this dog a living creature? All beings experience the same hunger. Though it is dumb and I can speak, is there any difference in the hunger that both experience? “He who feeds those distressed by hunger really serves Me with food. Know this and regard it as an axiomatic truth.” II Samastha Lokah Sukhino Bhavantu II