Issue 4srisathyasai.in/yes

Jun - Aug 2012 A Magazine by the Sai Youth of Maharashtra and Goa Issue not for sale

Youth in Eternal Service

guru poornima Message

Lakhs of people are served on the 1st Anniversary of Baba’s Mahasamadhi.

LOVINGLY YOURS

02

Neil accepts his grandpa’s challenge, only to learn an unforgettable lesson!

DIARY OF A SEEKER

06

If you thought IPL was related to cricket, you need to read this!

CITY ZEN

05

Arjuna tries to order Lord Krishna around and is suitably chastised for it!

SOUL STORIES

08

Do you hunger to alleviate the food crisis in the nation? This one’s for you!

Yermal and several other villages in Maharashtra receive the Elixir of Life!

CHANGING SOCIETY

0304

For Guru Poornima, we bring you Karate Kid, our favourite teacher-student film!

MULTIPLEX MUSINGS

07

Bhagawan reveals His Divine Mission, in a letter to His brother.

i am yours

06

Presenting several opportunities tobrowse the Innernet!

HAVE A GOD-DAY

08Guru Poornima ~ July 3, 2012

Most Beloved Bhagawan, Eighty six years have passed since You descended on earth for the spiritual ascent of mankind. Fortunate are we to have received Your invaluable Message: Be Good, See Good, Do Good. Fledglings, we f loundered on Your Path. Yet, You blessed us. With just one glance, You burned away lifetimes of bad karma and set us free to pursue You with a heart that yearned only for Your Love. Like a mother, You took us in and made us Your Own. You emblazoned within us the desire to chant Your name, regard all work as Yours and love all beings as You. Slowly but surely, You expanded, from a physical form to an eternal force radiating within our beings. Koti koti pranaams at Your Divine Lotus Feet, Most Beloved Guru and Best Friend!

A true Guru is one who has no Guru. He is not a ‘teacher’ who has had a teacher himself. A teacher is an ‘acharya’. A Guru is ‘one who dispels the darkness of ignorance’. He reveals the guri (target) i.e. the Atmic principle present in every human being. He is the very embodiment of divine principles and He assumes a form to teach these to the disciple. A Guru is God Himself.

LOVINGLY YOURS

02

MASS MARRIAGES AT CHINCHMAL, APRIL 15, 2012

VALUE-BASED PROGRAMMES IN GOA, APRIL 22, 2012

MASS NARAYAN SEVA, APRIL 24, 2012

On April 24, 2012, Mass Narayana Seva was lovingly rendered by thousands of Seva Dal (volunteers) all across Maharashtra and Goa. Approximately five lakh Narayanas were served Swami’s delicious prasad. Vibhuti and His photo were also given. Wholesome meals were distributed at major public places like bus and railway stations, construction sites, slum areas, temples and other devotional places all over the state.

Service activities, performed on a massive scale, mark the commemoration of the first anniversary of Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba’s Mahasamadhi.

Two rallies entitled ‘Walk for Values’ were held in Margao and Karmali, Goa. A chariot carrying Baba’s photo was lovingly pulled by devotees singing melodious bhajans. Bal Vikas children carried placards that displayed Swami’s univeral messages of Sathya, Dharma, Shanti, Prema and Ahimsa. On the same evening, 800 devotees enjoyed a mesmerising musical programme ‘Sai the Indweller’. A video presentation of Bhagawan’s great humanitarian projects brought tears of joy to many eyes.

Nine couples in Chinchmal village had an extraordinary marriage ceremony! The SSSSO, Mumbai, lovingly arranged a Mass Marriage in the community hall of the village. Suddenly, a devotee who was clicking photos of the Shirdi Baba idol in the hall, was stunned to see a figure in an orange robe appear on his camera screen! Instinctively, he clicked! And was amazed to see an image of our Beloved Bhagawan! The miraculous appearance of our Lord proves that He is still, and always will be, with us!

Sola

pur

Pune

Mum

bai

Nan

ded

Goa

Where there is Manav Seva,Madhav Lovingly Appears!

925 million people in theworld are hungry.

13.7% of the entire worldpopulation starves.

170 million children areunderweight.

3 million underweight children die every year.

CHANGING SOCIETYCHANGING SOCIETY

03

Have you ever seen a famished

old man eating his own faeces?

Mr Narayanan Krishnan, a chef in a five-

star hotel in Europe, was witness to this

disturbing real life incident. Immediately,

he vowed to cook nourishing meals

for those who were starved—of food

and love. He quit his promising career

in Europe and devoted himself to the

task of managing the Akshaya Trust—a

trust that lovingly provides wholesome

meals to thousands of hungry people in

Madurai, south India.

Over the last ten years, Mr Krishnan

has served over 1.9 million (19 lakh)

meals. He feeds nearly 450 people every

day! Incidentally, the word Akshaya means

‘eternal, unending’.

Several decades ago, Bhagawan Sri

Sathya Sai Baba inspired His devotees

to do all they could to avert the global

crisis of food deprivation. Baba started

the Narayan Seva movement with the

mission to not only feed, but also nourish

the souls of those who received the food.

Now Here’s SomeFood for Thought!

Baba taught us to regard those whom

we feed as ‘Narayan’ (God). He emphasised

that God lives in every being and hence,

by feeding the poor, we were feeding God!

Bhagawan Baba emphatically said,

“The best type of love is feeding the hungry.”

He warned us not to refer to Narayan Seva

as ‘charity’ because food itself is a gift from

God and no one has the authority to give

in charity what has been given by God!

You may argue that by providing meals

to those who are starving, we are creating

a ‘lazy lot’ who does not feel the need to

fend for themselves. Should we not instead

teach them the means of arranging their

own food?

In answer to this,

Baba said: Only when

the stomach is full can

the mind comprehend

any advice or

teachings! He added,

“We talk of stomachs

to be filled but each

stomach arrives in the

world with two hands.

Those hands if kept idle

or unskilled cannot fulfill their assignment

of finding food for the stomach.” Thus,

Bhagawan regarded Narayan Seva as the

first step to empowering the needy to

become self-sufficient.

You might wonder how one goes about

the daunting task of feeding the starved

millions all over the world. The trick is to

start small and work hard! It’s relatively easy

for us Indians; we love pampering our friends

and relatives with our delicious food. Well,

you now have the wonderful opportunity

to extend your love for cooking to those

who really need the nourishment!

Here’s how you can do Narayan Seva!

Keep aside a handful of rice and dal

every day. At the end of the month, cook a

meal for—or distribute the collected grain

to—the poor in your neighbourhood.

Alternatively, you can join in the SSSSO’s

National Narayan Seva movement.

Once a week, the Sai Samithis distribute

food in poverty-stricken areas. You can

either prepare the meals or assist in the

distribution of the food. For details of the

localities where you can serve, kindly email

us at yes.feedback@gmail.com

You can also participate in the SSSSO’s

‘Amrut Kalash’ project where farmers in

the drought-affected areas of Maharashtra

are provided with groceries every month.

You will be happy to know that every

month, The Orchid, a 5-star hotel in

Mumbai, provides rice, dal and other food

items to nearly 300 children

of the migrant labourers living

on the pavements. The Orchid

has been engaged in this

humanitarian activity for the last

10 years!

Mr Sanjay Kotian who started

the Italian restaurant Mia Cucina

lovingly prepares pulao for

350 children in the city. How

wonderful it would be if more

restaurants joined in this movement!

Every day, the SSSSO prepares meals

for the poor patients being treated at the

Tata Cancer Hospital in Mumbai. Poverty

has compelled the afflicted patients to live

on the footpath and they welcome the

wholesome food offered to them.

Doing Narayan Seva in the right spirit!

Baba said, “Give (food) with love and

humility and give it sweetened with the

name of the Lord. The inner motive, which

prompts the deed, is what the Lord seeks

to weigh.”

The soup is for your soul, too!

The heart overflows with joy when one

sees a starved face break into a smile upon

receiving the gift of food. So start today.

Let’s create a hunger-free and ‘joy-full’

world!

Bhagawan serves the poor

(Source: FAO)

Some of the earliest recipientsof Narayan Seva

The next time you leave the water running while brushing your teeth or soaping your hands, spare a thought for the thousands of thirsty men, women and children who are starved of water. Turn off your taps, fix the leaky ones and use less water, as a gesture of kindness to our fellow human beings who are less fortunate than us. If you’d like to volunteer for a Water Project, email us right away at yes.feedback@gmail.com

Savage summers and rocky terrain, skinny children and poverty — this is what greets you at Yermal, a remote village that you will find only if you look for it.

In 2009, the Bandra-Khar-Santacruz Samithi of the Sri Sathya Sai Seva Organisation, Mumbai adopted Yermal under the Sri Sathya Sai Village Integrated Programme. Soon after, on the auspicious occasion of Diwali, the Samithi illumined every home in the village with Solar Lamps and skylights.

In April 2012, with the Divine Sankalpa of Bhagawan Baba, the Samithi started a water project to provide the 350 villagers with clean water right at their doorstep, every day of the week and every month of the year!

Experienced engineers from the SSSSO, a geologist and a team of surveyors conducted a contour survey of the ground in Yermal. The geological studies suggested that the best place to dig a ring well was the bed of a nearby river, which incidentally, remains dry for months.

The ring well was constructed in record time! An

energy-e f f i c ient submersible pump was placed inside the ring well. To power the pump, a Diesel Generator house was built close to the ring

well. A pipe was laid to draw water from the well into the centre of the village, where two 5,000 litre water tanks were installed. Five taps were connected around the tanks to enable villagers to effortlessly fill up their buckets right outside their homes!

For 45 days, the young men of the village enthusiastically did ‘shram daan’. They laboured, free of cost, with devotees from the SSSSO, to bring the villagers the Elixir of Life! On June 3, 2012, the Yermal Water Project was inaugurated amidst the energetic claps of the villagers. It goes without saying that the entire

cost of the Yermal Water Project has been borne by the Sri Sathya Sai Seva Organisation. Henceforth, every family in the village will pay only Rs. 2.50 per day for running the Diesel Generator.

Yermal Receives the Elixir of Life!

Initial estimates indicated that the team would need to dig between 16 to 20 feet for water. However, with Bhagawan’s Divine Grace, water was reached at just 6.5 feet!

AMAZING FACT!

An Easy To-Do

Ring Well Constructed at Yermal

The Dry River Bed at Yermal And the Life Saver!

One of the five taps

Hundreds Quench Thirst with Project ‘Reach Water’On another side of Mumbai,

volunteers from the Chembur Samithi did a Google search for ‘drought affected areas in Maharashtra’. A long list was thrown up at them.

Quickly, they noted down the names of the villages and dialled the Sai Samithis around the affected areas.

Within just a few hours, the SSSSO volunteers made provisions to reach

water tankers to 10 parched villages: Nageshwadi, Januna, Bangarwadi, Panchala, Dharkota, Kata, Surala, Kodali, Timber Khata, and Karegaon!

The SSSSO went a step further and arranged to have a water tanker deliver water twice a week to the drought-affected villages.

The happy shouts of the grateful villagers are still echoing in our hearts!

Radha Bai Buddhaji

“We (the young girls and women) suffered great hardships to fetch water for our families. You have helped us by bringing water to our doorstep!

“Sathya Sai Baba has solved the water problem of this village. We are very grateful to Him. We never dreamed that we would one day have such easy access to water!”

“You (the SSSSO) worked selflessly for our benefit. First you gave us (solar) light and now, water. You have transformed this village with your love!

Yermal Speaks from the Heart

Balu WadaBuddhajiRadha Bai

Suddenly, IPL

CITY ZEN

05

Have you ever wondered why we leap out of our seats when Sachin scores a century? When the Indian team

loses on field, why are we disheartened? Match after match, we pray for their success. Why? Are we related to the cricketers? Are they our close friends? No! They don’t even know we exist! Why then, do we feel so passionately for them?

The answer is quite simple, really. We love cricket. And before we realise how it all happens, we grow to love those who make the game so special. When it comes to cricket, we wear our heart on our sleeve. It has always been this way. And, it forever will.

This, friends, is the true meaning of IPL — Intelligence Preceded by Love. IPL is a way of life, where love leads the way and logic merely follows!

Ponder over this fact: The relationships we cherish the most are the ones that manifest IPL. Why does your mother eat a burnt toast and give you the golden-brown one? Why does your husband miss an important meeting to take you to the doctor? What makes your father walk an extra mile to buy the best fruit for your family? Why do you wear the blouse your friend gifted to you, even though you dislike the colour?

All these little things that make life worth it, are gestures of love, not logic.

Scientists and psychologists have for years been stressing the superiority of EQ (Emotional Quotient) over IQ (Intelligence Quotient). When determining the factors that result in success, they rank ‘emotional health’ much higher than intelligence.

So how does one define ‘emotional health’? Simply put, it is the innate ability to give and receive love! Love, truly, is the only anchor for sanity in an increasingly confusing world. And that is why it is so powerful, even beyond intelligence!

Consider this: We live in a smart world with smart products, smarter ideas and even smarter people. But without love, would any of it matter?

Agreed, crime and corruption do take a certain amount of ingenuity. The people who perpetrate those are smart. But

what does all their cleverness lead to? We may think they get away with their crimes, but do they? How much fun is it to spend every waking breath of your life trying to hide your misdeeds?

With their cruel acts, the miscreants have guaranteed themselves a life of misery and insecurity. The law of nature kicks into place: A river cannot flood the adjoining land without flooding its own bank, first! The first recipient of joy or pain is the one who initiates it. This means you cannot give happiness or misery to anyone before being affected by it yourself first!

Whether you admit it or not, that bout of anger would have certainly hurt you before it hurt the person you directed your anger at. Similarly, the surprise you planned for your loved one would have filled your heart with happiness long before it

brought joy to your beloved!

The good news is that love does not have to be restricted to a few friends or family. It can be shared in countless forms by anyone, anytime,

in any scenario. The form could be a sincere compliment or simply a smile! That is all it takes!

So next time you travel by bus or train, abandon the logical argument that you are tired. Let love take dominance; stand up and graciously offer your seat to someone else. Another thing you could try, though this one will take effort, is to pray for someone you don’t get along with.

Bhagawan Baba said, “Every deed performed, do it in My Name. Every person who passes near your path give them the sweetness of your smile. Give freely of the nectar of your cup of happiness, of kindness, of bliss. Give the warmth of your love. Extend your hand as I extend Mine to you.”

Once you get the hang of ‘thinking emotionally’, you will love how special it makes you feel. Unlike the game of cricket, this IPL has no season and no reason. Every ball you play, every opportunity you catch and every extra mile you run for the sake of another, adds up to your score! So keep your Intelligence Preceded by Love scoreboard ticking!

takes on a whole new meaning!

All the little things that make life worth it, are gestures of love, not logic.

*****************************

i am yours

DIARY OF A SEEKER

06

I WON again, Grandpa!” I boasted. “I challenge you to win at least one game of chess!”

Grandpa watched me as I gathered the pawns. Then, he softly said, “Neil, I too challenge you to win a game, albeit a different one!”

I jumped at the idea. I LOVED challenges! “Sure! Which one?” I asked enthusiastically.

“It’s called Val-One-Won!” Grandpa replied.“That sounds interesting! Tell me about it!” “I shall give you five values from which to

choose: Truth, Righteousness, Peace, Love, and Non-violence. You must unfailingly adhere to ANY ONE of these until next Sunday.”

“Just one? Oh, that’s going to be a cakewalk! Will you give me a bicycle if I win?”

Grandpa nodded in agreement.“I’ll pick the simplest value,” I told myself.

“TRUTH!” The next morning, Ms Rao asked for our

assignments. Oh hell! I hadn’t finished mine! I was so excited about beating Grandpa that I forgot all about the project!

My best friend, Akaash, hadn’t done his either. He lied to Ms Rao and said he wasn’t well. Since I had accepted Grandpa’s challenge, I told the truth. Ms Rao at once saw through Akaash’s lame excuse and ordered him to

leave class. She forgave me, with a warning of course! WOW! Telling the truth had its benefits! I was loving Val-One-Won already!

That evening, my buddies spontaneously planned a party. Since Mom wasn’t home, I left her a note: Will be late, don’t wait!

BOY! The party rocked! Dance, music, pizzas, cigarettes, beer! It was all a young man could ask for! With a loud “Cheers!” I raised my glass. Suddenly, I saw Mom’s face in my mind. How disappointed she would be to know I had been drinking! I put down the glass. I couldn’t bear the thought of hurting her. I just had to be true to Ma!

But, Aakash got smashed! On the way home, he lost his balance, fell, and fractured his ankle! He couldn’t move! I rushed him to the closest hospital and informed his folks.

I left after they arrived. Once home, I forced the chaos out of my brain, made up my mind to concentrate and finished writing my assignment. Ms Rao was happy with me! But she wasn’t the only one. After college, Mom welcomed me with open arms! She had received a call from Aakash’s parents. They had explained how my sobriety had saved the day! WOOHOO! I had made SO MANY people happy by being true to myself!I love this game! Gonna try ‘peace’ next week!

Sathya is what i teach; Dharma is the way i live; Shanti is the mark of my personality; Prema is my very nature. i have a Task: to foster all mankind and ensure for all of them lives full of bliss (ananda). i have a Vow: to lead all who stray away from the straight path again into goodness and save them. i am attached to a work that i love: to remove the sufferings of the poor and grant them what they lack. i have a reason to be proud, for i rescue all who worship and adore me, aright. i have my definition of the devotion i expect: those devoted to me have to treat joy and grief, gain and loss, with equal fortitude. this means that i will never give up those who attach themselves to me. i do not belong to any place; i am not attached to any name. i have no mine or thine. i answer whatever the name you use. i go wherever i am taken. this is my very first vow.

Quotation source: Baba’s letter to His elder brother, Sheshama Raju. Written on May 25,1947, when Baba was 20 years of age.

Eleven-year-old Dre Parker moves from Detroit, USA, to

China, only to realise life isn’t going to be easy. A slight boy,

Dre is immediately picked upon by a group of boys

who are taller, stronger and meaner than him. The

peace-loving sort, Dre is ill equipped to deal with

the bullies, and succumbs to their physical and

verbal attacks on several occasions. Tormented

by the six older boys, Dre lives each moment

in the shadow of fear.

The bullies remind one of the six shadripus

(the negative qualities of Lust, Anger, Greed,

Pride, Attachment and Covetousness), which

overpower those who lack the strength to fight

these base animal instincts.

Just when Dre thinks he’s done for, the salve

for his soul appears in the form of Mr Han, the

residential maintenance man. When the student is

ready, the teacher arrives! Mr Han agrees to teach

Dre Kung Fu, the Chinese martial art that translates

to the ‘achievement of man’.

Dre’s journey to the centre of his being

begins. Slowly but surely, he learns that

everything a teacher does is with purpose;

nothing is futile.

On the sacred occasion of Guru Poornima, we

present the lessons we learned from the teacher-

student duo:

LOVE THE BASICS

Han compels Dre to repeatedly take off his jacket,

drop it onto the floor, bend to pick it up, and stretch out

to hang it up. Dre despises

this ‘basic’ task and makes no

bones about it. Bhagawan

Baba taught us, “The secret of

happiness is not doing what

one likes to do but in liking what one has to do.” Without

his knowledge, this very task sharpens Dre’s reflex action

of blocking blows, ducking assaults and defending himself.

Notice the similarity between Han asking Dre to

perform just one task and Baba repeatedly asking us to

“Love All”. If we allow Love to become the keystone of our

lives, we will instinctively block everything that tries to cause

us harm!

DEVELOP THE RIGHT ATTITUDE

At the onset of his training, Dre doubts Han’s intention of

making him do the jacket job. Often, we question God’s doing.

Bhagawan Baba always said, “Don’t try and understand me.

Love my uncertainty.” Over time, Dre develops faith in Han

and performs every task given by his master with attention

to detail. Bhagawan Baba always said, “Put all your faith in Me.

I shall guide you and guard you.”

THE POWER IS WITHIN

As he climbs to the top of the Wudang mountain,

Dre is astounded to see men and women performing

unimaginable feats with utmost ease and

precision. Han reveals to him the secret

of Chi (Qi), the internal energy that gives

us power to do the impossible. On several

occasions, Swami reminded us, “You are

not human beings going through a spiritual experience.

You are spiritual beings undergoing a human experience!

You should make an effort to understand your innate divine

power, which is truly immeasurable.”

Outside the Dragon Well, Dre watches a

snake and a lady move in sync with each other.

He is amazed to learn from Han that

the cobra is merely copying the

lady’s actions! The lady is quiet

and calm. She is like a mirror –

and within

her, the

snake sees itself.

Han tells Dre

that the lady can

do this only because she has

emptied her mind of all thoughts and is perfectly still. Han

demonstrates how still water reflects life as it is. When the

water ripples, the reflection blurs. So also, when negativity

ripples within our heart and mind, we lose our ability to

see things as they actually are. Baba taught us, “There is

only one royal road for the spiritual journey. Be silent

yourself; this will induce silence in others.”

“YOU ONLY NEED TO CONTROL YOU” ~Han

In the climax of The Karate Kid, Dre fights

Chen, his archenemy and the most vindictive

of the boys who torment him. In the clincher

moment, Dre empties his mind and becomes like

clear water—so still that Chen copies his moves,

just like the snake copied the lady’s moves! Despite

a serious leg injury, Dre overcomes Chen. Having acted in

perfect union with his Chi, Dre becomes Kung Fu itself—the

achievement of man!

Of course, he could not have conquered his fears without

Mr Han, his teacher whom he loved like a friend.

This Guru Poornima, let us re-dedicate ourselves to our

dearest Guru, Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba! Let us know that

by following Him, our Master, we can face the devil, fight to the

end and finish the game!

MULTIPLEX MUSINGS

07

SOUL STORIES

HAVE A GOD-DAY

08

During the Mahabharatha war, Arjuna’s pride was humbled in an interesting manner by Lord Krishna. As the war was drawing to a close, Arjuna felt proud that Krishna was his charioteer and his servant. He felt that as master, he should step off the chariot after Krishna and not before Him.

One evening, he asked Krishna to alight from the chariot first. But Krishna was adamant; Arjuna must dismount first, He said. After pleading with Krishna and protesting in vain, Arjuna swallowed his pride and got off very unwillingly. Then, Krishna stood up. As soon as He stepped off the chariot, it burst into flames!

Krishna explained the reason for this shocking incident: The

enemy’s incendiary arrows and missiles that had struck the

chariot were powerless as long as Krishna was

aboard. Without the Lord’s presence, the chariot

was vulnerable and was immediately reduced to

ash.

Thus, Krishna taught Arjuna that every act and

word of the Lord has deep significance and a

higher purpose, which mortals cannot gauge.

Learning: Egoism is a constant threat and it requires eternal

vigilance to conquer it.

Ekadashi is the eleventh day of the fortnight after a new moon or a full moon and is considered auspicious for the worship

of Lord Vishnu. The Ekadashi month of Ashada is of special significance to the devotees of Lord Vitthal, a manifestation of Lord Vishnu.

For the thousands of Sai devotees in Maharashtra and Goa,

this sacred day is of added significance as we celebrate the occasion in Puttaparthi, in the Divine Presence of our most beloved Sai Vitthala. Every year, cultural programmes are lovingly performed at Prashanthi Nilayam by Bal Vikas children and the Sai youth. This year too, the little ones will enact for our Omnipresent Lord ‘Master the Mind’, a musical dance drama.

The Divine Charioteer Teaches Arjuna an Unforgettable Lesson!

Precious Moments Captured for EternityAshadi Ekadashi 2010

Dear Readers, email your feedback and suggestions to yesmag.feedback@gmail.comAll rights reserved by Sri Sathya Sai Books & Publications Trust, Maharashtra. This issue is not for sale.

Guru Poornima Celebrations

10:30am to 12:30pm6:00pm to 7:00pm

Spiritual Retreatfor Children

8:30am to 4:00pmBhakti Sarita -

Devotional Songs5:30am to 7:00pm

July

1July

3

July

15July

22 July

29

July

8Overnight

Sadhana Camp by Brother Murali Jaju7:00pm to 10:00pm

Worship of Goddess Lalita followed by a Musical Programme4:30pm to 7:00pm

For details, contact Shri Kumar Aklekar on98210 11192 or Shri Mehul Parab on 98202 51432

Youth Bhajan6:00pm to 7:00pm

Shramdaan8:00am to 12:00pm

Musical Evening - Jugalbandhi

5:30pm to 7:00pm

July

14