Ramadan Mubarak! Wednesday, July 31st, 2013 30 July 2013, Prasanthi Nilayam: Holy Quranic verses resonated throughout the Holy Prasanthi precincts with hundreds of men and women from Region 94 of Sri Sathya Sai Seva Organisations – Worldwide, comprising of the Middle East and Gulf countries assembled here greeting The Lord with ‘Ramadan Mubarak’ here in Prasanthi Nilayam today. It is Holy Month Of Ramadan, the Month of severe austerities to tread the righteous path towards Godhood. Worldover when Muslims are engaged in strict religious discipline, celebrating the Month, a miniscule of devotees from thef Middle East and Gulf countries, converged here singing paens to Him celebrating the Holy Month.
The word Ramadan is derived from the Arabic word Ramida, meaning scorching heat and dryness, symbolic of fire of hunger and thirst at a physical level while spiritually it connotes to intense spiritual yearning. It is only when one is turned away from senses, he is turned towards God; main principle behind Ramadan is the control of the mind. The programme for the evening had a mix of songs, commentary and narrations on Islamic Culture and interactive (recorded) conversations presenting ‘what entails the Holy Month. The programme commenced at 1700 hrs. with a greetings followed by a brief introduction about the Five Pillars Of Islam. The Five Pillars are Shahada, declaration of faith in Allah, as One God and Mohammed as His final messenger, Salah, the five-time prayer offered as per Islamic faith, month-long fast observed, and Hajj, the fourth pillar, holy pilgrimage to Holy Mecca and the fifth and final Pillar is Zakat, charity offered during the holy month as the very religion is based on love and surrender. Soulful rendering continued, some in Arabic, tuned to popular Indian devotional numbers. The songs were Azaan…, Alla Tero Naam…, Anta Bahural Hubbi…, Suno Ramazaan Ki Dastaan…, Indama Tafshal…, Chahe Ram Kaho Rahman Kaho…, Moula Moula Moula Mere Moula…, Love All Serve All – Listen To The Call Of The Lord etc. Even as the songs continued, it was intertwined with commentary and narrations speaking about the significance of fasting, abstaining from evils, walking the righteous path, importance of charity etc. The Sanctum Sanctorum bore festive decorations, symbolic of Arabic style, with lanterns and crescends and stars parading all over. The Holy Pilgrims ended their programme on a high note with a refrain, Love All Serve All, singing the final composition in English, Love All Serve All – Listen To The Call Of The Lord. Bhajans by the pilgrims continued and ended with Mangala Arathi at 1810 hrs. II Samastha Lokah Sukhino Bhavantu II sourced: http://www.theprasanthireporter.org/2013/07/ramadan-mubarak-2/ Ramadan - Cultural Program by Gulf and Middle East Devotees (13 photos attached with this mail) Video of Ramadan on 30th July, 2013 at Prasanthi Nilayam ..... Holy Quranic verses resonated throughout the Holy Prasanthi precincts with hundreds of men and women from Region 94 of Sri Sathya Sai Seva Organisations -- Worldwide, comprising of the Middle East and Gulf countries assembled here greeting The Lord with 'Ramadan Mubarak' The programme for the evening had a mix of songs, commentary and narrations on Islamic Culture and interactive (recorded) conversations presenting 'what entails the Holy Month. The Sanctum Sanctorum bore festive decorations, symbolic of Arabic style, with lanterns and crescends and stars parading all over. "Ramadan Mubarak" A Musical Program by the Devotees from Middle East Gulf… direct link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A2qaO9lTePo Be Exemplary Citizens… Tuesday, July 30th, 2013 An true seeker who follows Him and His teachings meticulously always stand with a chance to learn better lessons, at every turn of his life….out of His greater love and compassion He often chooses to teach such a devotee finer lessons, correcting and bringing him back to the right track…Dr A Adivi Reddy cites some such instances from His Story… A group of Sai devotees once requested Bhagawan to inaugurate a new temple in their town. But Bhagawan refused to comply with their request on the ground that black market cement was used for constructing the temple. When the devotees pleaded not guilty, Bhagawan revealed to them that the so called Sai devotee who had donated some cement bags for the construction of the temple had illegally saved them from out of the cement allotted to him as a contractor for constructing a dam. Hence Bhagawan’s refusal. A Vedic scholar was asked by Bhagawan to get out of His presence when he was seated in the midst of some students and other devotees at Whitefield. When the Pundit showed signs of bewilderment as to why Bhagawan was so harsh to him, He admonished the latter, saying that it was a crime for a Vedic Pundit to profess to be a Sai devotee and at the same time to indulge in illegal malpractices by way of lending money to poor and illiterate villagers without proper licence from the Government, and that too, at exorbitant rates of interest. The third incident relates to a Commercial Tax Officer in Orissa, who once made use of his official jeep to take his family and a few neighbours to visit a cave temple of Shiva in the interior of a dense forest on a 3000 feet high mountain. On their way back the jeep got stuck in a hill stream and refused to budge an inch. The dark night was gathering fast. An hour’s struggle to extricate the jeep was in vain. The officer was terribly scared, because the jungle was known to be infested with wild animals as well as dacoits, and his party consisted mostly of women and children. As he happened to be a Sai devotee, he fervently prayed to Bhagawan in utter desperation. Lo and behold! There appeared on the spot four Sathya Sai Sevadal volunteers who rescued the party by pulling out the jeep, and then vanished in a second. Thus, by Bhagawan’s grace, the officer and the party reached home safely. However, Bhagawan taught him a lesson not to misuse the Government vehicle for private purposes, by immobilising his jeep and thereby creating panic in him and his party. About a decade ago, a recluse of forty-five summers by name Kalpagiri came to Prasanthi Nilayam. No one could guess that this so called “monk” was a wolf in the garb of a sheep. Four years earlier, he committed a ghastly murder and to escape from punishment by due process of law, he made good his escape by donning the saffron robe and wandering in the Himalayas and other places of pilgrimage. As soon as the Omniscient Baba saw Kalpagiri in the darshan line, He called him inside and told him during the interview: “My dear Kalpagiri! How can the saffron robe or visits to Rishikesh and other holy places rid you of the sin of murder? Enough of your roaming in the guise of a Sanyasi for the last four years. Go now to the Police station and surrender yourself there. Experience your Karma by receiving the punishment due to you according to the laws of the land. When the death sentence is declared, file your clemency petition to the President. I will save you. You will not be hanged. You have My protection to atone for your heinous sin, through devotion, in this very birth. Come on, this sacred saffron robe does not befit you. Take this white cloth.” Saying so in a tone that combined love and sternness, Bhagawan gave Kalpagiri a white dhoti. Accordingly, Kalpagiri surrendered himself to the Police. The case was taken up. Though he confessed his guilt, the judge awarded him the capital punishment, as the crime was of a heinous nature. In line with Bhagawan’s direction, a clemency petition was submitted to the President of the Indian Union. Eventually, Kalpagiri received the President’s pardon. Death sentence was commuted to life imprisonment and Kalpagiri became an ardent devotee of Bhagawan, spreading his beneficial influence on the other convicts too. In conclusion, it may be seen from what is stated above that where there is a will, there is a way either to scrupulously abide by the Governmental rules and regulations or to violate them for selfish reasons, in disregard of the common good for which such laws are made by Government. II Samastha Lokah Sukhino Bhavantu II sourced: http://www.theprasanthireporter.org/2013/07/be-exemplary-citizens/ -- When my arms cannot reach people who are close to my heart, I always hug them with my prayers http://www.ssso.net http://www.dharmakshetra.org.in http://www.facebook.com/DeepakBharwani/ http://www.facebook.com/pages/Dharmakshetra/321631187878650 __._,_.___ Attachment(s) from Deepak Arjandas Bharwani 10 of 13 Photo(s) (View all Photos) 1.jpg2.jpg3.jpg4.jpg5.jpg6.jpg7.jpg8.jpg9.jpg10.jpg -- --- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "saimsg" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/groups/opt_out.
