Sai Jewels Regional Newsletter—August 2000 SRI SATHYA SAI ORGANIZATION, REGION X Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, and Singapore SAI JEWELS REGIONAL NEWSLETTER Sri Sathya Sai Organization, Region X: Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, and Singapore YEAR OF HUMAN VALUES August 2000, No 04/2000 Inside this issue: The Krishna Avatar 3 Significance of Ganesha Worship 5 Inner Significance of Navarathri 7 Shirdi Sai Saga 9 Light the Lamp of Wisdom 11 Satwic Meal 12 SAI Youth Page 13 Children's Corner 14 Five Elements—Five Resources—Five Human Values 16 Activities Report 22 Thought For the Month Our mind is like the lens of a camera. If you want to get the picture of the people © Sai Jewels, Regional Newsletter is published by on the right side and you turn the camera the Sri Sathya Sai Organization, Region X. to the left, how can you succeed? Our Kindly send any material to body is the camera, our mind is the lens, The Chief Editor, Sai Jewels, Regional Newsletter our heart is the photographic plate, our c/o 33 Cauliflower Street, Valle Verde 5, Pasig, thought is the flash bulb, our buddhi or Metro Manila, Philippines, Tel: 63-2-631-1574 Email: [email protected] the intelligence is the switch. If you want peace and happiness imprinted on your We have limited copies. Kindly pass on to another heart, turn the lens towards the activities person after you have finished reading. and things that can give them, without Articles, photographs, drawings and feedback are wel- any mixture of sorrow and misery. come. We reserve the right of discrimination in select- ing and editing material for publication. - Sri Sathya Sai Baba Page 3 SAI JEWELS REGIONAL NEWSLETTER The Krishna Avatar Karma - The Path Endearing to God escape the consequences of his or her actions. It is impossible to say when, how and where Lord Krishna has said that Karma (Action) is one will face the consequences of one's ac- the root cause for both birth and death. Man tions. Why should one pray, meditate, or en- is bound by action in his daily life. Right gage in good actions when one is any way from birth to death, man spends his time in bound to face the consequences of one's ac- performing some activity or the other. The tions? The benefits derived from prayer or path of action is very endearing to God. In good actions may not be visible to the naked fact, He is the very embodiment of action. He eye. Yet they do accrue in the form of God's is present in every activity. Karma is respon- Grace. Here is a bottle of pills. The date of sible for birth, sustenance and death of every expiry mentioned on the bottle may be 1994. being. It is the cause for both pleasure and The bottle and its contents are intact even in pain. Kaala (Time) is very essential for every the year 1999. This does not mean that the Karma. Without these two, man cannot live pills will be effective, if used today. The pills even for a moment. These two are insepara- may exist, but do not have the power to re- ble and interrelated. Time is the link between lieve suffering, after the date of expiry. Like- the past, the present and the fu- wise, the consequences of ture. Multifarious activities take one's actions are inevitable, be place in these three periods of it good or bad, but Divine time. What is Time? What is Grace will mitigate the effects space? Here are two flowers. of evil actions. Mysterious are The distance between these two the ways of the Divine. It is flowers is space. They were buds indeed difficult to understand yesterday; today they have blos- how, when and where God somed and will fade away to- comes to the rescue of His morrow. A bud cannot become a devotees. Absolute faith in flower instantly and the flower God is essential for Him to does not fade immediately. The change takes manifest. God acts after taking into consid- place gradually. That which is the root cause eration the three aspects of Time, Action and for this change is Time. This world is a com- Cause. bination of Time, Action and Kaarana (Cause). Lord Krishna’s life was His message Every action has a reaction Every Avatar has two causes: prayers of devotees and atrocities of wicked people. When you cut your finger with a knife, blood Wickedness and devotion caused the Krishna oozes out immediately. Here the reaction is Avatar to manifest. The Divine effulgence of instantaneous. There is no time gap whatso- the child illuminated the surroundings. From ever. On the other hand, the food we eat, the moment of His birth, He was subject to takes at least two hours to be digested. A seed troubles. But, whoever cherished the name of sown today, takes three to four days to the Lord in the heart, was free from bondage. sprout. Here the time gap between action and His father, Vasudeva was a prisoner. But, the reaction is slightly higher as compared to the moment His mother placed the infant on her previous instances. On the other extreme, it husband’s head, he became free. The fetters takes years for a sapling to grow into a gigan- dropped away. He deposited the child in Ya- tic tree and yield fruits. Thus, the time gap shoda’s house, returned to the prison and be- between action and reaction may vary de- came bound as before. This means that as pending on the nature of action. But none can long as Divine thoughts fill our minds, there August 2000, No 04/2000 Page 4 is no bondage. But when you give up the Meditate on the Name and Form Lord, you get bound in every way. For At the time of Krishnavatara there were two Krishna, the Avatarhood was a Divine sport, sisters Radha and Radhika. Radha was con- a leela. In every Avatar’s life, the first 16 stantly remembering the name of Krishna, years are leelas, sports. From 16 to 35 while Radhika was engrossed in the physical years of age are miracles. From 35 to 75 form of Krishna. She was extremely de- years is the period of teaching. Every Ava- pressed because of Krishna's absence away in tar passes through these three stages. Mathura. She gave up food and drink and Will Power—Wisdom—Action said, "Krishna, I have been keeping your lo- Man has been equipped with Will power tus form fresh with my tears. Now even my (icchaa shakti); the power to Know (jnana tear glands have gone dry. How can I now shakti) and the power to Act (kriya shakti). preserve your form in me? My heart, which is These three are interdependent. For example: your gift, I am now returning to you. What You have a strong wish to drink coffee. But else is there that I can offer at your feet? Ac- mere Will (icchaa) cannot produce coffee. cept my salutations and myself.” She surren- Next you use your jnana (Wisdom) to pro- dered herself to Krishna. Radha saw this. She vide yourselves with a stove, water, sugar, had thought that worshipping the Formless milk and coffee powder. Your wish is still was superior to worship of the Form, but after unrealized until you use your kriya (Action) seeing Radhika’s ultimate self surrender, she to prepare the coffee and drink it. The icchaa constantly meditated on the Name and Form shakti wills to attain God. Mere wish is too of Krishna. Such constant devotion is rare weak to attain the goal. Jnana shakti advises these days. People merely say, "Krishna, you about the ways by which you can win; it Krishna" as they go round or pass-by a tem- lays before you various sadhanas. Kriya ple. Of what value is such part-time devo- shakti takes these up and inspires you to act, tion? You must strive to earn the great wealth to preserve and practice until you attain the of God's Love. God is omnipresent in all His objective. Unfortunately, 99 out of 100 men attributes. Devotees today have some form of use only the Will; they stop with the wish; Divinity in their mind, but without or consis- they do not pursue and attain the bliss that tency they perform rituals mechanically. waits. The Will prompts you to earn a first There is no tax on Love class in the exam, but the Wisdom is ignored All your charity and worship are of no sig- and the Action left undone. If a thousandth of nificance to the Lord. Show your charity and that eagerness is shown in Action, in the wealth to the income tax department. God exam the first class can be secured. needs only your love. You may face any Many devotees ask Me, "Swami, I want hap- amount of difficulty or hindrances. The Lord piness". Where is this happiness? Can you may Himself subject you to hardship. All is buy it in the market? No. It is very much in for one's good only. Do not grieve over any you. You are not able to experience it since loss or exult when there is profit. Equanimity you do not have faith in yourself. There is under loss or gain is true Sadhana. There are love in you, but you are diverting it towards those who sit in meditation, but their minds the world, not towards God.