#SriSathyaSaiBaba

[priyastandon]

Holi Hai!

Holi, the festival of colours is coming up on March 8, 2023. This festival can be as spiritual and sublime or as rowdy and crazy as you want it to be.

(The painting above is my work from 2006.)

The festival dates back to the time of Radha and Krishna. Radha being fair complexioned, Krishna’s mother said that Radha would not agree to marry Krishna because he was dark skinned. Radha offered colours to Krishna saying that He could colour her in any hue He fancied! The famous bhajan, “Rang de chunariya He Giridhaari … apne hi rang mein, rang de Murari …” resonates the feelings of Radha and many a devout soul. The Holi of Vrindavan, Mathura and Barsaana (the village of Radha) is world famous.

My grandfather, a famous lawyer of Ferozepur, would always go to Mathura and Vrindavan for Holi. He was called ‘Bansuri waale bauji’. He would sit in the temple for days and play the flute for Krishna, during the Holi festival. He would sing, dance and play Holi with the devotees there. He would return, dyed in yellow, green, pink … much to the dismay of my simpleton grandmother! Just as Dussehra celebrates the victory of good over Evil, Holi too celebrates the same. The demon king Hiranyakashayapu, proclaimed himself to be God and ordered that everyone worship him. Everyone followed suit, except his own son Prahlada. Prahalada worshipped Lord Vishnu, but this did not go down well with his father.

Legend has it that Holika, the sister of Hiranyakashayapu had a boon that fire would not harm her. She sat on a pyre holding Prahlada, assuming that Prahlada would be burnt away, while she would be unharmed. But Holika was burnt to ashes whereas Prahlada was unharmed! In rejoicing over the burning of Holika, people played with her ashes and flung handfuls of it into the air. This too became a part of the tradition of Holi!

Hiranyakashayapu had a boon from Lord Brahma that he would not die in the morning or at night, on the Earth or in the sky, inside or outside, by Astra or Shastra, by a human or an animal. One day, Hiranyakashayapu hit and broke a pillar in anger, asking Prahalada that if your Vishnu is omnipresent, where is He in this pillar? Lord Vishnu incarnated from within the pillar, in the form of Narasimha (half man- half lion) and sat in the doorway (neither inside, nor outside). It was dusk (neither day, nor night). He put Hiranyakashayapu across his thighs (neither on Earth, nor in the sky) and tore open his body with his nails/claws (neither astra, nor shastra). 

After the horrendous death of the evil Hiranyakashayapu, people across the kingdom danced, sang and distributed sweets out of sheer joy. The Indian calendar is punctuated with festivals like Holi, Dusshera etc. wherein there are subtle reminders to check the path we are treading and if required, make amends. Holi also heralds in the spring season which signifies new beginnings and transformations along with prayers for a bountiful harvest. Let’s pause here to reflect on the power of devotion. It was because of Prahlada's devotion and love for Lord Vishnu that He assumed the intimidating form of Narasimha and annihilated Hiranyakashayapu.

With every festival, comes its share of sweets and goodies. Around Holi, Ghevar, Gujiya, Phirni and Pakoras are the favourites. Most people play with colours and enjoy the goodies, dance and music, while others consume all the wrong stuff and go berserk. They create a ruckus and are a public nuisance. Some dwell on the spiritual aspect, leading to introspection and self-improvement.

Well! Enjoy the fun and dance; gorge on the goodies to your hearts content but do find a moment to pause and ponder upon the real significance of Holi. Weed out your vices and start afresh like the blossoms of the Spring season! May your Holi be Happy and Holy!

(This article is published in the Hindustan Times today, 26.02.2023. I would be happy if you would share your thoughts in the comments section below.)

[kr1983]

Time to practice it! #quoteoftheday #puttaparthi #srisathyasaibaba

[cp-foundation]

We are Treating Covid19 patients at our mini covid care facility with beliefs & faith in Bhagwan Sathya Sai Baba ji, on the farewell of each person after thier recovery we present them Picture of Sri Sathya Sai Baba ji to bring positivity in mind & soul.

[quotepixel]

"Love is the rose. Lust is the thorn."

- Sri Sathya Sai Baba

[kr1983]

#quoteoftheday #srisathyasaibaba #lifeforce

[enlightenment21st]

I - Want - Peace, I is ego, Want is desire; Remove ego and desire and you have peace.

Sri Sathya Sai Baba

[priyastandon]

Bask in the Sun’s benevolence upwards and onwards

Benevolent Sankranti

Most of the festivals we celebrate are calculated in accordance with the Lunar calendar. Hence their dates are not fixed. However the Makar Sankranti festival is celebrated as per the Solar calendar and falls on January 14/15 every year. We offer obeisance to the Sun on Makar Sankranti. Why is that so? It seems that when man sought to find proof of God, he found it in the Sun. The Sun is said to be a Pratyaksh Devta because we can see it and feel its warmth and energy. We chant the Gayatri Mantra while praying on Makar Sankranti. Emulating the Sun’s benevolence towards all, we donate food, clothes, milk etc. The Sun doesn’t emit light for itself, plants don’t bear fruit for themselves … let us follow suit!

The Sun provides sustenance to all forms of life. It provides energy to plants for  photosynthesis. We get our food from the plants. So the Sun is an inexhaustible powerhouse of abundance and energy for all forms of life.

Makar Sankranti is considered most auspicious as it marks the upward movement of the Sun away from the Tropic of Capricorn; from the Southern Hemisphere, towards the Northern Hemisphere. It is also called Uttarayan i.e. the Sun moving towards Uttar Disha (North direction). It marks the entry of the Sun into Makar-Rashi i.e. Capricorn. This being the harvest festival in many states, the farmers celebrate their new crops and offer them to the Gods as thanksgiving and also share them with each other.

Makar Sankranti is also called Maghi, Bihu, Pongal, Shishur Saenkraat, Suggi Habba, etc. 

The celebrations vary slightly from state to state all over India. But they centre around prayers, feasting, dancing and singing. In the North, Makar Sankranti day is the day next after Lohri. We usually consume a lot of Til, Bhugga, Peanuts and Gacchak on Lohri as we huddle around a bonfire, sing and dance with family and friends. My mother would always make Chane ki dal ki khichdi and serve it with curd for breakfast on Maghi day. Til-Bhugga etc. generate a lot of heat in the body. And khichdi acts as a coolant thereafter!

This year being the International year of Millets, you can experiment with Bajre (pearl millet) ki khichdi which is definitely the yummiest khichdi in the world! Temper it with hot ghee and red chilli powder and have it with curd! Delicious!

In the run up to Makar Sankranti kite flying is another tradition. Besides the fun in flying kites, it compulsorily exposes us to the Sun. Having stayed indoors in the cold, foggy days of the North Indian winter, kite flying on a sunny Sankranti day is like applying balm on a wound! In the garb of culture and tradition, our health is also taken care of!

The best explanation of the word Lohri is Lo-Hari (Take Lord!), which translates to a prayer written by Sri Sathya Sai Baba, “Oh Lord! Take my Love and let it flow in fullness of devotion to Thee. Oh Lord! Take my hands and let them work incessantly for Thee. Oh Lord! Take my Soul and let it be merged in One with Thee. Oh Lord! Take my mind and thoughts, and let them be in tune with Thee. Oh Lord! Take my everything and let me be an Instrument for Thee.”

Our culture is designed such that after every few days/months there is a festival that brings an opportunity to celebrate life as well as thank God for His bounties and contemplate on the purpose of our Earthly sojourn.

The North is considered to be the direction of everything auspicious, so we celebrate the Sun journeying towards the North. Moving northwards means moving towards positive thoughts, good deeds etc. If man too starts moving towards thoughts of God, it amounts to the same thing. The real northward journey happens inside us!

What do you think? 

This article is published in Hindustan Times on 15.01.2023.

[priyastandon]

Celebrating the Song Celestial in today’s world

Did you ever ask yourself what the focus of your life is? What do you want? We may focus on and prioritise work, earnings, fun, travel, love, philanthropy, service, family, children, friends etc. Some focus on God. Their world revolves around Him.

Before the Mahabharata war, Arjuna and Duryodhana went to Krishna to seek His help.

Krishna was asleep. When He woke up, He first saw Arjuna, sitting at His feet. Arjuna got up and offered Namaskar. Duryodhana was sitting behind His head. Krishna asked Arjuna, "What do you want?" Duryodhana interrupted saying, "Krishna, I came before Arjuna." Krishna said, "I am not going to wield any weapon in the war. One of you can have my army comprising of 10 million soldiers and the other can have Me." Duryodhana opted for the army. Arjuna said, "Krishna, I do not need anything except You." Well! We all know how the Mahabharata war ended.

In one of His discourses, Sri Sathya Sai Baba said, “The Pandavas placed God first, the world next and the ‘I’ last. Hence they were successful. The Kauravas placed ‘I’ (the ego) first, the world next and God last. Hence, they lost everything!”

The Kauravas focussed their thoughts, words and deeds on themselves. Second place in their lives was given to others and God was given a poor third. The Pandavas stood firmly for Truth, Righteousness, Peace, Love and Nonviolence. They had Krishna as the focus of their lives. They kept others at the second place and themselves last. Krishna was their everything, so Krishna too stood by them like a rock.

Coming to today … What is the mindset of people today? What does the media propagate? What is the focus of our lives? All the focus is being directed to, ‘I, me and myself!’ We are encouraged to think like, “What are you doing for yourself?”, “Find time for yourself!”, “Get away and pamper yourself!” “You are the most important …” Everything is about self-gratification! Does this resonate with the Kaurava mindset or the Pandava mindset?

There can be no circle without a centre. Ask yourself this – “What/Who is the centre of your circle?”

The Bhagawad Gita was delivered by Lord Krishna to Arjuna on the battlefield of Kurukshetra. Krishna said, “Karmanye Vadhikaraste ma phaleshu kadhachana.” Meaning- Perform your duty without any expectation. He goaded him to prioritise justice over injustice, dharma over adharma, detachment over attachment. The Lord chose Arjuna as a medium to give the message of the Gita to all of humanity. Thousands of years later, the Bhagwad Gita has still not lost its profundity. Strangely it is more relevant now, than ever before, because of rampant greed and dereliction of duties. December 3, was Gita Jayanti. It is celebrated as the day when Lord Krishna sang the Song Celestial to Arjuna.

Practically speaking, if there is any one shloka of the 700 shlokas in the 18 chapters, of the Bhagwad Gita or thought in any sacred text of your religion that appeals to you; and if you can make it your life mantra, that’s enough!

And by the way, do you know what the essence of the Gita is? The first stanza of the Gita says, ‘dharma-kṣhetre kuru-kṣhetre samavetā yuyutsavaḥ māmakāḥ pāṇḍavāśhchaiva kimakurvata sañjaya’

The last stanza of the Gita says, ‘yatra yogeśhvaraḥ kṛiṣhṇo yatra pārtho dhanur-dharaḥ tatra śhrīr vijayo bhūtir dhruvā nītir matir mama’

When you combine the last word of the last stanza, with the first word of the first stanza, what do you get? Mama Dharma! Mama Dharma is the real essence of the Gita! Leading our life while feeling God’s presence and performing our Dharma, wherever and whatever we may be, without any expectation of returns, is performing Mama Dharma. And that is what the Gita is all about. So put God in the centre of the circle of your life and see the magic unfurl!

Look forward to your views on this in the comments section below. 

(A slightly concise version of this article is published in Hindustan Times today 4.12.2022.)

[priyastandon]

The Transformation of the Human Heart

The purpose of life is to find your purpose and then live it. At some time or the other, every human wonders, “Who am I? Where did I come from? Where am I going? Why am I here?” Questions such like, were answered simply, by Bhagwan Sri Sathya Sai Baba. He explained that every human is an infinitesimal part of God. Each Atma (soul) is a part of the Supreme soul (Param Atma). Someone asked Baba, “Are you God?” He replied, “Yes! And so are you! The difference is that I know it, but you don’t.”

Baba said, “When the sun rises and shines, Not all the lotus buds in the lakes and ponds bloom, Only those that are ready, do. The rest have to bide their time, But all are destined to bloom, All have to fulfill that destiny. There is no need to despair.”

Just as our children came from us; we came from our parents; our parents came from our grandparents; who came from our great grandparents … and so on till the family tree traces back to the first man created by God. So, we are children of God! The realisation is overwhelming, empowering yet humbling at the same time.

Baba explained the purpose of creation as, Ekohumbahushyaam! (I am one; I will be many!) God separated Himself, from Himself; so that He could love Himself! The Lord created man in His own likeness, so that He could love him!

Isn’t this exactly why we procreate? We have children and we love them. When they learn to walk, we feel like a part of us is walking outside our body. And that is how God feels too. He made us, we are His children; we are a part of Him! When our children do something nice, we feel happy and proud. So too, knowing that I am the child of God, I yearn to make Him proud of me, so I strive to be the best version of myself.

Humans are the jewel in the crown of God’s creation. Humans are blessed with the faculties of knowledge and the power of discrimination between right and wrong. Baba explained that life is a journey from me to Him. He explained that devotion is not a uniform worn on festivals or special occasions. Devotion is a way of life that happens only with the transformation of the human heart.

One of the most powerful teachings of Baba that is very dear to my heart is, ‘If you do everything with the awareness that God is listening to me, watching me all the time; He is privy to my innermost thoughts, then you shall never do anything wrong!’ This is not just living in the awareness of God; this is living with God!

The Sri Sathya Sai University at Puttaparthi offers free education, from school to post-grad level. Our children studied there for two years each. Two State of the Art Hospitals, offer free treatment to the underprivileged, who Baba referred to as Daridra-Narayans. These hospitals do not have a billing section! Some of the best doctors of the world, offer seva here. The Sai Ganga water project supplies clean drinking water to a few hundred villages.

Sri Sathya Sai Vidya Vahini is creating value based educational content for school children and sharing it on the PM’s DIKSHA portal free of cost. We have 1500+ professionals the world over, including myself, offering seva in this project. We have uploaded 7700+ assets on DIKSHA and have 40,000 assets on our website. All volunteers contributing are highly qualified professionals, educators, technologists, trainers and experts from different fields who feel blessed to serve. Baba inspired them to render free service; selflessly for the lesser fortunate.

As we gear up for Baba’s birthday on November 23, let’s appreciate His biggest miracle… the transformation of the human heart! I would love to know your thoughts about this. Do leave a message for me in the comments section below!

A slightly concise version of this article is published in Hindustan Times, HT Chandigarh on 20.11.2022.

[kr1983]

#quoteoftheday #srisathyasaibaba

[kr1983]

#quoteoftheday #foodforthought #srisathyasaibaba #puttaparthi