Posted on: Sept 11, 2014 Natural Calamities: Who's Responsible? - A Panel Discussion part 01 Despite our technological and scientific breakthroughs, why does humanity appear so helpless in face of the punitive damages that Nature's fury is hitting us with? What did Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba say about natural disasters and man's responsibility towards the environment? Has this issue been tackled adequately in the ancient scriptures of India and if so, is that perspective still relevant to our times? And how is Adam Smith responsible for our rage to ravage our planet so ruthlessly? Two academicians from the Sai University, Prof. Gangadhara Sastry (GS) of the Department of Political Science and Dr. Deepak Anand (DA) of the Department of Management Studies take up the hot buttons issues that few dare to touch. Here are edited excerpts of their detailed discussion moderated by Radio Sai's Karuna Munshi (KM) on the topic of Natural Disasters. This was first aired on Radio Sai in its Thursday Live segment - Morning Glory of 25 July 2013. We All Our Connected KSM: This topic of natural disasters goes back to our understanding of nature itself. Let's go back to ancient times. Prof. Gangadhara Sastry, what is the importance of nature as revealed through our scriptures and our epics? GS: Sairam to everybody! From the very beginning of civilization, since times immemorial, Bharat or India has given the knowledge of nature to the entire world. Nature is worshipped as ‘Vishwa Swaroopa’, which is actually the entire universe. We don't talk about one planet or one continent here. ‘Vishwa’ is something about which Bhagawan Baba spoke on a number of occasions. Swami said that scientists are learning nowadays to realize that this is not the only galaxy; there are millions of galaxies like this outside and it is not possible for any of us to visualise all these galaxies in our mind. That is what is called as ‘Vishwa Swaroopa’. This ‘Vishwa’ is totally interconnected because the soul of the entire universe is related to every individual soul. KSM: That's deep! This is a vast universe. Are you telling me that all the galaxies and everything is interconnected and so am I to them? GS: Totally. That is the reason why in ancient times the sages and saints in India who were sitting in one place were able to connect themselves to the entire universe and describe the mysteries of the universe in their writings. Talking about the Vedas - we do not know the origin of Vedas even till today - the Apaurusheyas emanated just like that; where from and how all this wisdom emerged we don't know. In the same way when we talk about nature, there is a wonderful balance maintained and created by whosoever we call as the ‘Vishwa Virata Swaroopa’ - He is the one responsible for creating this balance between the various species. Sometimes we think that there are some species which are dangerous to us, but scientific investigations in modern times reveal that they help us in maintaining balance in the ecosystem. You may be scared of some wild creatures but there are many people in this world who live with wild creatures and consider them as members of their family. Just because we are not able to do it, we shouldn't think that it does not exist. KSM: A fantastic example that comes to mind is the monastery in Thailand, where Buddhist monks have wild cats, I think tigers, roaming around like pets. And because of that love energy, they are so peaceful and nonviolent. GS: Not only that, if we are familiar with our scriptures and the lives of our seers and sages like Vishwamitra, Vasishtha, Kashyapa and others who maintained ashrams in the ancient times, all creatures lived in peace and harmony with each other. And as recently as in the ashram of Ramana Maharshi, creatures which are naturally not poised to live together, considered to be enemies, maintained friendly postures towards each other. Adi Shankaracharya is believed to have started an ashram where a snake was holding its hood to a frog to protect it from the sunshine. All these things happen. In the ashram of Valmiki or Vasishtha, all the animals were living together. It is said that when Vishwamitra was about to leave his ashram and was walking towards the Himalayas for penance, the animals followed him to a long distance. Vishwamitra turned back and spoke to them and told them that he was not going to come back soon and it was good for them to go back and live in the ashram. So all the animals retreated to the ashram and lived there. <http://media.radiosai.org/journals/vol_12/01SEPT14/images/03_FeatureArticles/natural-disaster/rishi-at-harmitage-with-wild-animals.jpg> Questions are asked in modern times as to what language Vishwamitra spoke. Bhagawan Baba always said there is a language called the language of the heart. Just because we don't understand the language of the heart, we should not say that it is not there. We can speak when we have our hearts in place. We should really capture this most important message from nature. Tend to Nature as You Would Your Own Mother KSM: So what I am hearing is that nature is extremely intelligent and sensitive and this fact was recognized in the most ancient scriptures such as the Vedas. Now if India is hyped to be such a spiritually advanced civilization, what's going on now? Dr. Deepak Anand, your thoughts? DA: Thank you very much sister Karuna. I will first of all take it one step further from what Gangadhara Sastry Garu has just told us, about the morals that live in our hearts and what drew all these animals, which we say are a lower species, towards a great sage and made them follow him in obedience. These morals and values which live in our heart are most powerful and they connect with every being in the world - animate or inanimate. That is why I firmly believe, as Sastry Garu also said, that the Vedas are not only the primary source of moral enhancement for the economic man but also reveal the past for misguided ecology to achieve true sustainability. If we have to sustain ourselves in the long run, we have to trust our Vedas. When they say that it is our ‘Nadi Mata (Mother River)’ or ‘Bhu Mata (Mother Earth)’ or ‘Go Mata (Mother Cow)’, there is meaning. The Vedas tell us that ‘Mateva Putraan Rakshaswa’. The Rig Veda says that we should protect Mother Nature as our own mother itself; it is one of our mothers. KSM: One of the five mothers. DA: Yes, the five mothers that we have. How do we treat our mother? With great reverence and respect and love. And protect her in times of her need. When she is not well, we sacrifice even our lives to save her, but today we are violating her. In fact in Kautilya's ‘Arthashastra’ and in other scriptures, we always talk about the concept of ‘Mangalya’. What does a mother give you? She gives you her blessings - that you have ‘Mangalya’ or auspiciousness in your life. Let me list the five mothers. Veda Mata is the Vedas, the Upanishads or the ancient scriptures who are like our mother and guide us towards the right direction of our life, telling us the purpose of our life. Then we have Bhu Mata, Mother earth which sustains all of us. Then we have Desha Mata, our country which gives us sustenance and brings us up with protection. We also have Deha Mata, our actual mother. All these mothers give us protection and sustenance and our duty as sons and daughters is to give them protection in return. What I feel is that the external crisis we are today witnessing in the environment is a crisis of the internal lack of unity with our own mothers – with our own roots and our own culture. Bharath - The Spiritual Mentor KSM: So it is just an external manifestation of a much deeper problem at a deep spiritual level. We are analysing this problem from a deep spiritual perspective. Prof. Sastry, what would you say if someone argued that India as the spiritual engine of the world is overly hyped when you see the current situation here? GS: There is no question of overhyping - India is the spiritual mother of the world because the Vedas, the Upanishads and other scriptures are still very much vibrant in India. We go on performing lot of yagnas and yagas to propitiate the goodwill and blessings of sacred souls or angels - the supernatural powers which conduct the entire universe. In our country, we have the knowledge of everything that is happening in the entire universe in minute detail. Whatever is happening is described precisely to benefit humans. If you want to live in peace, what are you supposed to do? It is clearly given to us by the Vedas and Upanishads. It is very simple, as is repeatedly told by Bhagawan Baba - See Good, Do good, Think Good. Always think of the welfare of others before your own welfare. Today the problem is that everybody is becoming self-centred and wants to gain everything for himself, even at the cost of his own family. Selfishness is the root cause of all problems in the world. The second problem as pointed out by Swami is jealousy. Swami described jealousy as worse than cancer. Your bad thoughts are going to destroy nature. As I understand it - because it is revealed through Ramayana - the process of committing an evil begins with the emanation of the thought itself in your mind. If you get a bad thought, it is going to disturb nature because it pollutes the entire environment. That is the reason in Prasanthi Nilayam we start the morning with Omkaram, Suprabhatam, Vedam chanting and bhajans. >From morning till evening, all the time we are involved in some spiritual activity or the other. GS: Even a small thing like a Sevadal serving meal in the canteen saying ‘Sairam’, ‘Sairam’ is going to lend wonderful vibrations to the air. Do you know why you've got this body? Can you answer the question of why you got this body and who you are? KSM: Theoretically speaking, I guess I am God having a human experience through this body. GS: Yeah, but how many people think like that? KSM: And internalize it too. I am just saying it theoretically but to remember it at all times is definitely a challenge. GS: But where is the time for people to think of God in modern times? Bhagawan Baba went to the extent of saying that nobody wants to do namaskar to the other person, bringing both his palms together. He thinks it is below his dignity. Nobody understands that when you are doing namaskar to somebody, you are doing namaskar to yourself because you see God in the other person. The whole perception of life has to change. We have to go back to our ancient times when life was visualized as a part of the entire natural scheme wherein you are given an opportunity to spend the time allotted to you to work for the welfare of the entire universe without disturbing anything in it. This means you have a pure mind and a pure heart and you enjoy living. That is why the Vedas say ‘Sahana Vavatu, Sahanau Bhunaktu, Sahaviryam Karavavahai, Tejasvinavadhee Tamastu Maa Vidvishavahai’ (May God Protect us, May God Nourish us, May we Work Together with Energy and Vigour, May our Study be Enlightening and not give rise to Hostility.) KSM: You do it for the greater good of the largest number - mutual benefit - not only exclusively for yourself. part 02 Proper Study of Mankind is Man GS: Everything is included; every minute thing on the planet is connected to the entire Universe. You have to work for the welfare of everything in the entire Universe. KSM: How does one develop such sensitivity to know that whatever I think is going to react, resound and come back to me? How do we get there? Most people think they live in silos. When we hear of a catastrophe, we think they happen to somebody else – “Thank God I live in a safe place and it is all ok here. I live in a modern country where there is good disaster management.” How do we develop the sensitivity to know that the pain of a person in Uttarakhand is also my pain? Yes, Dr. Anand? DA: I will give a small example shared by Mr. G. Venkataraman in one of the moral classes. He was talking to us about what Swami always says – the proper study of mankind is man. He once asked Swami the real meaning of this particular phrase that Swami often used in His discourses. He was looking for an answer but Swami answered by means of a question. Swami asked him, “If you are going on a path barefoot and if a thorn pricks your feet, what will you do?” “Swami I will remove it.” Swami counter-questioned, “How will you remove it?” “Swami, with my hand.” Swami again asked him, “Why would the hand go and help the feet?” He said, “Swami, because it also feels the pain of the feet. The eyes also shed tears because it feels the pain of the feet.” Swami said, “This is the meaning of ‘The proper study of mankind is man.' The whole society is like a human being's body. When one limb is harmed, when one part of society is suffering, other parts should not feel that they are different from this part. We are all one.” Swami always wants to take us from Vyashti (Individual) to Samashti (Society) to Srishti (Creation/Nature) and then to Parameshti (God). As Sastry Sir said, they are not different from each other. KSM: Man, society, nature and then God. DA: In this continuum, nature comes just next to God. Swami says that we should not treat Mother Nature as an inanimate thing. She is alive and is the reflection of God; we have to protect her. In one of the man management discourses, Swami addressed the boys in the college. Swami took up the issue of pollution of the natural environment. Pointing a finger at the boys very sternly Swami said, “Boys, if you go out and think that you can pollute the environment and that this Sai Baba will forgive you, it is not true! Your punishment is manifold because you are devotees and students of Bhagawan. If knowingly you make a mistake of even working in organisations that pollute the environment, there is no forgiveness for you.” That is how careful we have to be! When you look at it today, because of our unbelievable greed, we are killing our villages, towns, cities, and rivers; we are killing our mountains, plants, trees, birds, and beasts. All in the name of development! Greed has Stolen Our Discrimination I don't know whether people are getting the message or not. When you talk about extensive usage of cell phones, in recent papers they say that sparrows are going to become extinct. It is such a beautiful bird which is very very important for all of us because it helps us a lot in living a good life. I am giving only one example but many species are getting extinguished from the planet and thereby the ecological balance is going to be destroyed. And whether man knows it or not, he is getting into something like suicide in the name of development. KSM: It is like a collective suicide pact we have and we are walking into this trap without paying any attention to where we are headed. And that is because of greed. How did we ignore these danger signals for so long? GS: This is because of capitalism, the capitalist way of thinking, and man becoming more and more selfish and forgetting God and nature. Let's look at something I firmly believe in. Show me something which is not worshipped on this planet since times immemorial in India. KSM: I know! We worship the trees, animals, stones, idols and however amusing it might be to people from other cultures, in this country we even worship an anthill! GS: Not only that, we even worship a snake on Naga Panchami. We worship snakes and our cows and cattle. We revere as sacred trees, plants, mountains... And we seek the blessings of snakes. We worship Sun God. I don't know whether people realise it or not - without the sun it is not possible for anything to exist on the planet. KSM: The Greeks worship the sun as well. GS: The sun is the source of sustenance of everything. All that is to be eliminated from the face of the earth evaporates because of the heat emanating from the sun. We have all the foliage and food because of Him. Water evaporates and comes back in the form of rain. We worship the sun and all the planets since ages. KSM: We have beautiful prayers and hymns glorifying the Sun God like the Aditya Hridayam. GS: We worship mountains too. In Bala Krishna's leelas, we say Krishna and all the Gopikas and Gopa Balas worshipped cows. Without cows where are we? Every blade of grass is worshipped. Even when a Raja (king) went to war, he would first bow down to the chariot before getting on. Then he would pray to the horses to take him safely. You have to also pray to the charioteer because the chariot is in his hands. So if you are able to just open up your mind, you can see that your well-being is in the hands of everything around you! If you are going to destroy everything around you, where is your well-being? KSM: You cannot live as an island and be happy in your expensive condominium or beautiful house when everything outside your gate is a mess. GS: That is what we are doing today! Bhagawan Baba once said, “In the name of exploiting mineral resources you are getting to the bowels of Mother Earth and are destroying them. Without your knowledge, this will ultimately cause terrible earthquakes.” DA: Absolutely, and it is coming to happen.! I was reading an article by Gaylord Nelson, a former Senator in the US, written in 1970. Let me quote what he says – “Let us all remember that the economy is a fully owned subsidiary of the environment and not the other way round. All economic activity is dependent upon the natural environment. And if you destroy the environment, you cannot have any GDP, GNP or any other major economic development because it is totally dependent upon that.” Some authors believe that the way humanity has destroyed the natural environment, it has set into motion a particular process that if on this particular day a miracle happens and everybody stops using fossil fuels, say becomes environmentally conscious and starts contributing with heart and soul, even then 90 percent chances are that humanity cannot survive the 21st Century. This is sincere research by great scholars and mathematicians. There is Still Hope, and He is the Hope It doesn't mean that everything is lost. We have our Bhagawan with us. We have the Parameshti with us, the Godhead with us, whose reflection is Prakriti; in His hands are all the powers. If we sincerely pray, everything can be changed. It has happened so many times in the past. For example, Bhagawan Baba declared that He would never leave the shores of the Indian sub-continent and go abroad but then He went to East Africa. When somebody asked “Swami, you had promised you will never go”, He said it was the devotion of that devotee. “I had promised him (a devotee by name Dr. Patel) that I would go to his house and have parting meals in his house. But by the time I could fulfil the promise, he had already gone to East Africa. To fulfil that true devotee's prayer, I changed all the rules.” In Hindi, there is a particular saying ‘Param Prem ke paale padkar, Prabhu ko niyam badalte dekha’ – ‘getting entangled in the great devotion of the devotee, we have seen God change the rules of creation Himself. ‘Apna maan bhale tal jaaye’ – ‘His honour may go for a toss but He doesn't bother.’ ‘Par bhakt ka maan nahin talte dekha’ – ‘He has never let the word or the true prayer of a devotee go false.’ We still have hope. All research may say that humanity cannot survive and we will become like dinosaurs in the 22nd Century but we have hope because we have a great God with us who has all the powers of the whole universe in His hands. KSM: That is reassuring to know and we all want to hold on to our faith and know that because we have known Swami and God has been on earth and has given us very good teachings to follow, anything can be averted; His Avataric incarnation is not going to be in vain . Having said that, all we are seeing of late is calamity after calamity, manmade. Even the so-called natural disasters, if we probe deeply as both of you are suggesting, go down to a cause by human beings. They've been caused by human beings collectively abusing and misusing Mother Nature. Where does the solution lie in your opinion for the larger humanity? It is at many levels. It cannot be simplistic, I understand, but starting from the spiritual going down to corporate and economic, where do you see the solutions? GS: The solution is given by Swami Himself. Today the problem is limitless desires. That is the only thing. We are running after so many things in the world and we want the whole world for ourselves. In the process, we don't mind going to any extent in destroying everything that comes in our way. Endless desires are responsible for such a bad situation today. We go to places and spoil them. Take the Himalayas for example. Our people go there and even destroyed the ecosystem there. KSM: And people who climb Mt. Everest leave tons and tons of garbage. They go to Manasarovar and litter it with plastic bags. If you go to the Nilgiris - the tourist spot in Tamil Nadu, South India - mountains have been cut into a little motels, trees have been destroyed; the same is true in parts of Himachal Pradesh, also Uttarakhand, where there is so much of lopsided development without any ecological considerations. The Importance of Morality in Society Must be Reinforced GS: The recent calamity in Uttarakhand is said to be because of this. People went on eliminating the forests there. The speed at which the rain water flows down is cut down because of the forests. Forests are eliminated because we want to make money in the name of tourism. We are playing with nature and nature is going to bounce back with reinforced power; it will settle scores with you. We are trying to harness all sorts of things such as energy. We want more and more energy; we are not satisfied with what we have. If you look at Prasanthi Nilayam, the spiritual centre established by Bhagawan Baba, in the ashram you have lots of people who are highly educated in all respects, well-versed in various walks of life, but living a simple life. You find them leading a simple life living in small accommodations whereas people outside run for huge buildings and facilities. Are we questioning ourselves whether it is necessary at all? How were people living in ancient India? KSM: The size of our carbon footprint has increased drastically over the centuries. Modern man's carbon footprint is huge compared to the Vedic man's. It seems to be like a cycle we are caught up in, trying to keep up with the Jones – trying to match other people; the advertising industry and consumerism is fuelling our desires. Somewhere there has to be a spiritual solution to this. Source: http://www.tagbauer.com/ GS: Are people ready to take to the path of spirituality at all? When I was a school student, we had moral classes. In every lesson that was taught, I was given some values relating to life and how I am supposed to live for society. Even today when you enter the Super Specialty Hospital in the central dome you have the Maha Ganesha statue and there it is written –‘Paropakarartham idam shariram’ - ‘This body is to be utilized…’ - maybe I can change it – ‘This body is to be destroyed in the service of the society.’ We will be able to realize this purpose when the fact sinks into our mind that we are going to vacate this planet one day or the other. KSM: We seem to forget everything about our mortality, thinking that we are here forever. You know what is the saddest part? In India when we exploit natural resources, often we mine them without regard for regulation. Every other day, we hear about another scam that has happened. Most of the time, people involved in this scam after making a few headlines and losing their ministership get away with it. In the meanwhile, millions of tons of coal or other natural resources are mined from Mother Earth and are lost without any ecological concern at all and often they are not diverted to our nation's treasury but siphoned off. We're becoming so insensitive. GS: This means the purpose of education, the road that education is supposed to take, is lost. Probably the worst-hit department in the entire country ever since independence is education. We are not imparting right education. That is why Baba started a University. The University's central focal point according to Bhagawan Baba is to produce good individuals, not great individuals. KSM: And not greedy human beings. But then what do you say to doctors and engineers who are so driven to get these degrees? They go to private colleges and their families have to pay huge amounts of money in India just to get them into a medical school or a private school. So as soon as they finish four or five years worth of professional education, their aim is to go back to society and start making the money to make up for the financial loss their families have suffered. They begin the profession from a place of greed – they have to get even and have to make up the loss. The whole system is so skewed and it is all driven by profits, not purpose. DA: Absolutely. I would like to share one experience that happened in Kodaikanal. In 1998, I was with Bhagawan in Kodaikanal. We proposed to Bhagawan to give us a topic for debate and the topic was ‘For all the ills of society, are the institutions more responsible or the individual?’ KSM: Which side were you on, Dr. Anand? DA: I was on the side that the individual is more important. He demands from the institutions what they have to provide to him – I go to the market and place a demand and some manufacturer seeing that particular opportunity provides what I am wanting. part 03 Social Responsibility Should be the Principal Focus of Corporates We fought ferociously and Swami was very intently looking at us. We finally did not come to a conclusion. We asked Swami, “What is Your final word on the debate?” Swami was very categorical. He said, “Institutions are more responsible because they create the overall environment where the desires of an individual are aroused. The kind of films that movie-makers make today is the kind of films viewers will see and demand.” We talk about the fundamental discrimination that man should have; man should have morals and ethics and self-responsibility. All these are great ideals that humanity has not yet evolved to. For ten years, I was living in the Sri Sathya Sai senior boys' hostel. I would see that many of the boys even at MBA level would come from non-devotee families. They had not heard of Swami and not had His darshan but just came for an MBA degree. But by Bhagawan's grace they are here. Morning we start Suprabhatam, then we chant Brahmarpanam and then we have breakfast. We then go and play as if we are playing for the team of Bhagawan. Next, we go to college and first pray to Bhagawan. After every class we have a prayer to Bhagawan. We then go for lunch and then go to play. The point is that every activity that a boy or a girl of the University goes through is oriented towards Bhagawan. The institution has been structured in such a way that even if a non-devotee comes from a family that has heard bad things about Swami, which they are not aware of but the media has been telling, even that student within a week or ten days is an ardent devotee of Swami. How does it happen? It is because the institution has an environment whereby he is automatically moulded. So I think it is more the responsibility of the institutions not to entice or arouse the greed of people and to instead focus upon their needs. Some people ask if all the institutions or all the organisations focus upon only the needs of people, can they make profits? Of course they can, because every organization must see what the real need of the nation is. They should not go for industries where they get maximum profit. They can go to industries where they can serve society best - where the real needs of people are! There are many organisations we can talk about - Tatas, Bharat Petroleum, Suzuki, and Hindustan Lever. They've made great profits but have also taken up very good projects that cater to the real need of the nation. It is a corporate responsibility. But what is happening today in the world, sister, is very unfortunate. We have a system called quarterly earnings reporting and earnings guidance. Every quarter, the CEO's fate depends upon whether the quarterly result is as good as the competitors or not. KSM: And the stocks fluctuate accordingly. DA: Yes. Swami says that the profit that an organization earns is only the result of the service it provides to society. But the long-term orientation and the noble vision of corporates is lost in the din of quarterly earnings reporting. That is why they are forced to become myopic in their viewpoint. This causes them to destroy the environment, create scams, fiddle with accounts and do everything that is not correct and immoral, adharmic, and still show higher profits. That is why the role of the institutions, the role of government, and the role of the regulators comes into picture. They must force organisations to create an environment where the long-term view or service-oriented view is given credit and not a short-term profit-earning view. KSM: So what I am hearing from you is that there is a need for Eco-centric leadership. But we are still lacking it. We have some institutions moving in that direction but overall we're still driven more by profit rather than purpose; we don't hesitate to flout a few guidelines or regulations because there are regulations in place. Even in India we have regulations, although I shouldn't be saying even in India with such disbelief. Every country has regulations and they can easily be flouted by means of rampant corruption and special interest groups and lobbying; net outcome is that effluents continue to flow into our rivers; mining and drilling happens uninhibited. DA: The model on which today's economies is working, as you rightly said, is incorrect. If today we have to develop India and China into Europe and America, we need resources of at least four earths put together. But we have only one planet. We have only one spaceship, Earth, of which we are all the passengers. If we destroy it, we have nowhere else to go in this whole universe. We have to understand that the parameters of growth and success will have to change in these current realities. We cannot say that GDP is a measure of growth. Today Bhutan is one example in the whole world. They talk about gross national happiness as an index of growth. Bhutan has made a firm commitment that 70 percent of its land will always be under forest cover. It is not dictated by any world organization. Bhutan has made its own dictate – “We want to live in tune with our own culture, with nature, and with the environment.” If we all change the parameters by which we judge success, I think the whole world can change into a much better and sustainable place to live in. It will be a joy to live in the world and we will not have such interviews on Radio Sai; instead we'd be talking about how happy we all are and what has resulted in that. We Need to Re-learn the Secrets of Happy Living Bhagawan Baba Himself was asking us to do something that would help us in leading a comfortable life. After all, the first point is how long will you go on pushing yourself in the game of making more and more profits? How long and how much? Is there any limit? You are going on playing a game where there is no end at all. Ultimately you succumb, get tired and you vacate. When you get old and look back, there is nothing you really did. That means your existence on this planet has not contributed any good to the planet or to the society. You have lived a life which is a big waste. KSM: Based on the mantra of ‘I, me and mine’ - which is what plagues modern society. GS: It is common sense. It doesn't require any explanations from Vedas and Upanishads. Bhagawan Baba said only one thing – “Question yourself whether what you are doing is right or wrong. You have to live a meaningful life; you have to lead a good life.” This is the only mantra given by India to the entire world through all the spiritual knowledge. Are you leading a good life at all? What is a good life? A good life is one where you keep yourself comfortable with the minimum that is required and lead a happy life. At heart are you really happy or not? You may be a multi-millionaire with lots of problems. What is the use? On the other hand you may be very satisfied, renouncing the entire world and wearing saffron clothes. In India the ancients wanted everybody to be satisfied with the minimum that is possible so that everybody has what is required. The idea is to keep the entire society happy. That is the reason in India we say that society is first and not the individual. Unfortunately when we get into economics and competitive production… In the capitalistic model, society is sacrificed. We are not bothered about society at all. The individual thinks of himself alone. But in India we never had such thinking at all. It is totally spiritual - every individual will be ready to sacrifice his own personal interest for the welfare of others. The supreme example for this principle is Bhagawan Baba Himself. Bhagawan Baba said, “I am offering Myself to the service of the entire society and I want everybody to understand me.” That is why always Swami said, “Whatever I am doing, try to do at least to some extent. Whatever you are thinking should be good, your looks should be good, your talk should be good, your thoughts should be good; then you will lead a comfortable, peaceful and happy life.” Even your thoughts can destroy nature. KSM: Nature is so animate that what I think right now affects nature - if I think a bad thought or if I feed my senses with, for example, some garbage from the media - it is having an immediate effect on my environment. GS: I was watching a picture today sent by mail. There is a monkey which comes to a small kid in a cradle and it is playing with the kid regularly in his house. What is it that makes an animal come and play every day with a small kid? Sometimes a lion doesn't attack an individual; it just goes back. What is so special about him? Why does it attack somebody and does not attack somebody else? All these things are very common. We see all these things happening every day in the entire world, but we don't get the message. A person who is pure is one with nature and nature is always with him. Valmiki describes in the Ramayana that when Shri Ramachandra went into exile, the minute Sita was abducted, the whole of nature came to a standstill. For a few seconds even the wind stopped blowing. The leaves of the trees did not flutter and the deer around had stopped grazing. Such a calamity had befallen the entire creation and it was a fantastic example given in the Ramayana. Valmiki Maharshi tells us how we are in tune with nature and how nature is going to respond. Also when Shri Ramachandra was in search of Sita, monkeys came and helped him. Monkeys are considered to be the most fickle-minded but even they will become most disciplined when on the righteous path. A bird like Jatayu, which knew the power of Ravana, attacked him even if it were a question of sacrificing its life. Valmiki says Jatayu did it because that was the right way of spending its life; its life got sanctified in the process. KSM: Because he was doing it for the right cause. GS: He died and it was a wonderful death! In Ramayana they say what a pious death it is! You pray for a wonderful death, not for a wonderful life. In India, we give special meaning to things which are neglected by most of society today. KSM: And if I may add, Baba has said that Sita represented Prakriti or nature. So when Ravana abducted her, he was violating nature and that is what led to his downfall. Now instead of violating Mother Nature, if he had embraced Dharma, personified by Lord Rama, his life would have been sanctified. And he would have achieved the goal of his life, which is immortality. But he chose to violate nature and that was the cause of his annihilation. GS: Swami explained that when Jatayu's wings were cut and it fell, it went on chanting the name of Rama. Shri Ramachandra arrived and pulled the bird holding its head on his thigh. He got some water and put it into its mouth. When the bird died, a pyre was arranged and Rama actually cremated the bird. The last rites for the bird were performed by Shri Ramachandra Himself. This opportunity was not given even to Dasharatha, His father. His own father did not get it, a bird got it! When Dasharatha died, Rama was not there. You have to read Ramayana and all the scriptures properly and understand the message that your life is meant to be utilized in the service of society; you don't have a separate existence. to be continued... - Radio Sai Team sourced: <http://media.radiosai.org/journals/vol_12/01SEPT14/Conversation-on-Natural-Disasters-part-01.htm> http://media.radiosai.org/journals/vol_12/01SEPT14/Conversation-on-Natural-Disasters-part-01.htm <http://media.radiosai.org/journals/vol_12/01SEPT14/Conversation-on-Natural-Disasters-part-02.htm> http://media.radiosai.org/journals/vol_12/01SEPT14/Conversation-on-Natural-Disasters-part-02.htm <http://media.radiosai.org/journals/vol_12/01SEPT14/Conversation-on-Natural-Disasters-part-03.htm> http://media.radiosai.org/journals/vol_12/01SEPT14/Conversation-on-Natural-Disasters-part-03.htm Posted on: Sept 11, 2014 "Thursday Divine Darshan" Short darshan Video Clip every Thursday Darshan - 10 When the compassionate Lord chose to move amidst us... even as He glided past us and before us, He silently slipped into our hearts too! The eyes that were intoxicated with the beauty of His Darshan and never satiated, unknowingly then, turned within in search of that divine glimpse. Isn't that how He purified us, isn't that how He made us seekers? That was the magic of our Sai's Darshan! Looking at Swami we wondered, was He more gracious or more graceful... nay He is verily grace itself - when He walks, when He talks, when He scolds, or when he gathers His robe's folds, when he smiles and beckons or in disappointment frowns... Seeing His grace our hearts gaped, 'How could one be so very graceful?' He could be, because He was as gracious as He was graceful, and to shower His grace was the very purpose of His presence. Darshan was that special moment when He allowed us to witness His gracefulness and graciousness. View the Video: <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tWARuatRUdU&list=UUJxHxs-4-O7qmlWgBn8pvsQ> THURSDAY DIVINE DARSHAN 10: Sri Sathya Sai Baba Darshan at Brindavan Whitefield Bangalore <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tWARuatRUdU&list=UUJxHxs-4-O7qmlWgBn8pvsQ> <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tWARuatRUdU&list=UUJxHxs-4-O7qmlWgBn8pvsQ> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tWARuatRUdU <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tWARuatRUdU&list=UUJxHxs-4-O7qmlWgBn8pvsQ> sourced: <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tWARuatRUdU&list=UUJxHxs-4-O7qmlWgBn8pvsQ> http://media.radiosai.org/journals/Archives/darshan-video/thursday-darshan-videos.htm <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tWARuatRUdU&list=UUJxHxs-4-O7qmlWgBn8pvsQ> Sathya Sai with Students - September 2014 <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tWARuatRUdU&list=UUJxHxs-4-O7qmlWgBn8pvsQ> <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tWARuatRUdU&list=UUJxHxs-4-O7qmlWgBn8pvsQ> The Story of Ratnakara <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tWARuatRUdU&list=UUJxHxs-4-O7qmlWgBn8pvsQ> <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tWARuatRUdU&list=UUJxHxs-4-O7qmlWgBn8pvsQ> Experiences With Sri Sathya Sai – By Sai Aditya Ba... <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tWARuatRUdU&list=UUJxHxs-4-O7qmlWgBn8pvsQ> <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tWARuatRUdU&list=UUJxHxs-4-O7qmlWgBn8pvsQ> You should add ‘Sri Sathya Sai’ in front of ‘Educa... <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tWARuatRUdU&list=UUJxHxs-4-O7qmlWgBn8pvsQ> <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tWARuatRUdU&list=UUJxHxs-4-O7qmlWgBn8pvsQ> Role of A Manager: Spiritual Outline <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tWARuatRUdU&list=UUJxHxs-4-O7qmlWgBn8pvsQ> <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tWARuatRUdU&list=UUJxHxs-4-O7qmlWgBn8pvsQ> Thiruppavai Mahotsava and Andal Kalyanotsavam at P... <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tWARuatRUdU&list=UUJxHxs-4-O7qmlWgBn8pvsQ> <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tWARuatRUdU&list=UUJxHxs-4-O7qmlWgBn8pvsQ> HEY PANDURANGA HEY PANDHARINATHA <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tWARuatRUdU&list=UUJxHxs-4-O7qmlWgBn8pvsQ> <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tWARuatRUdU&list=UUJxHxs-4-O7qmlWgBn8pvsQ> Lord Vamana and the Festival of Onam <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tWARuatRUdU&list=UUJxHxs-4-O7qmlWgBn8pvsQ> <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tWARuatRUdU&list=UUJxHxs-4-O7qmlWgBn8pvsQ> The Festival of Onam and His Love for His Devotees... <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tWARuatRUdU&list=UUJxHxs-4-O7qmlWgBn8pvsQ> <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tWARuatRUdU&list=UUJxHxs-4-O7qmlWgBn8pvsQ> The Human Body: An Ideal Factory in Action <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tWARuatRUdU&list=UUJxHxs-4-O7qmlWgBn8pvsQ> <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tWARuatRUdU&list=UUJxHxs-4-O7qmlWgBn8pvsQ> Conversations with Swami on the Onam Day <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tWARuatRUdU&list=UUJxHxs-4-O7qmlWgBn8pvsQ> <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tWARuatRUdU&list=UUJxHxs-4-O7qmlWgBn8pvsQ> The Onam Day in the year 1988 <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tWARuatRUdU&list=UUJxHxs-4-O7qmlWgBn8pvsQ> <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tWARuatRUdU&list=UUJxHxs-4-O7qmlWgBn8pvsQ> CHALLA GAALILO YAMUNA TATIPA <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tWARuatRUdU&list=UUJxHxs-4-O7qmlWgBn8pvsQ> <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tWARuatRUdU&list=UUJxHxs-4-O7qmlWgBn8pvsQ> For all the goodness we receive, do we express gratitude enough? Bhagawan lovingly reminds us and also teaches us how to express our gratitude. Today’s Sai Inspires from Prasanthi Nilayam, Thursday, September 11, 2014 <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tWARuatRUdU&list=UUJxHxs-4-O7qmlWgBn8pvsQ> <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tWARuatRUdU&list=UUJxHxs-4-O7qmlWgBn8pvsQ> <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tWARuatRUdU&list=UUJxHxs-4-O7qmlWgBn8pvsQ> Every object in the world, whether it is a bird or a sheep or anything else, has a value of its own. Man alone has lost his value because of his involvement in mundane pursuits. People have no gratitude to the five elements which confer on them gratis innumerable precious benefits like light, heat, air and water. You have to pay a price for so many small amenities like electricity and running water. But what price does you pay for the light of the Sun who illumines the world? This light is a gift of the Divine. What price do you pay for a soft breeze or a heavy downpour of rain? God is providing freely such precious benefits to you. What gratitude do people show to God for all these? The only way to show one's gratitude to the five elements is Smarana (to chant the Lord's name incessantly). - Divine Discourse, Sep 14, 1997. Body is a house given to you on rent. Live there so long as He wills, thanking Him and paying Him the rent of faith and devotion. -BABA Read full discourse here: http://www.sssbpt.info/ssspeaks/volume30/sss30-21.pdf Get 'Thought for the day' in your email every day. Subscribe to our newsletter http://krishna.radiosai.org/subscribe/?p=subscribe (Also called Sai Inspires from Prasanthi Nilayam, a free daily Inspirational Email service from Radio Sai) <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tWARuatRUdU&list=UUJxHxs-4-O7qmlWgBn8pvsQ> <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tWARuatRUdU&list=UUJxHxs-4-O7qmlWgBn8pvsQ> Download the special poster of Summer Showers 1990 Illustrated - Discourse 3 and read the full discourse here: http://media.radiosai.org/journals/vol_12/01AUG14/SUMMER-SHOWERS-ILLUSTRATED-1990-DISCOURSE-03.htm Radiosai facebook team <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tWARuatRUdU&list=UUJxHxs-4-O7qmlWgBn8pvsQ> <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tWARuatRUdU&list=UUJxHxs-4-O7qmlWgBn8pvsQ> <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tWARuatRUdU&list=UUJxHxs-4-O7qmlWgBn8pvsQ> RADIO SAI'S THURSDAY LIVE - SEPTEMBER 11, 2014 <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tWARuatRUdU&list=UUJxHxs-4-O7qmlWgBn8pvsQ> <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tWARuatRUdU&list=UUJxHxs-4-O7qmlWgBn8pvsQ> Dear brothers and sisters, Loving Sairam! ... With the Grace and Blessings of our Lord, the members of the Radio Sai Team host some Special Segments Live from Radiosai Studio, Prasanthi Nilayam, throughout the day. Here is the complete schedule for tomorrow's Thursday Live programme – September 11, 2014 <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tWARuatRUdU&list=UUJxHxs-4-O7qmlWgBn8pvsQ> http://media.radiosai.org/journals/vol_12/01SEPT14/11_09_2014_schedule.htm Here is the link to Tune in and Listen to the Live Programmes. http://media.radiosai.org/www/asia.html. Every Thursday from 6:30 AM to 9.45 PM you will have a member of the Radio Sai Team hosting the programme Live from Prasanthi Nilayam on Asia Stream. This live hosting of our Thursday programmes is our offering to our Dearest Lord Sai for giving us this opportunity to connect the world to Prasanthi Nilayam, which is truly the spiritual capital of the universe. Radio Sai will provide these various segments as downloadable files soon for those who could not listen Live and for those who wish to listen the programmes again. Given below the link to Thursday Live Archives to download the Programmes http://media.radiosai.org/journals/Archives/thursday_live_archive.htm Also do send us your feedback after listening to these programs by writing to [email protected]. We are eager to know what you feel about this initiative of ours. Radiosai Facebook Team. -- --- 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/d/optout.
