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Showing posts from July, 2017

Comment exchange on Shiva Lingam, European Christianity, Syro-Malabar Indian Christians and USA Evangelical Christians

Last updated on 1-Aug-2017 Given below is a recent comment exchange I had on a Facebook post discussing the sensitive among Hindus issue of Shiva lingam being interpreted/misinterpreted as a genital organ. The Facebook post on which the comments were exchanged is not public but it is a share of this public post about the Shiva lingam interpretation/misinterpretation: https://www.facebook.com/Mahadevlok/photos/a.222432907885876.48201.221487684647065/1289472541181902/ dated 28th July 2017. C Andrew Barker wrote (and was OK with public sharing; slightly edited): Not sure what all the fuss is about. Lingam means phallus in Sanskrit, but hopefully not many rational people think of a penis when they see a Shivalingam. Being as how genitalia is the quickest way to distinguish masculine and feminine attributes, it make sense to have a Lingam representing Siva/purusha and yoni representing shakti/prakrti. Is there something inherently negative or evil about human genitalia in Hindu cult

Kejriwal denies asking lawyer Jethmalani to use offensive word against minister; Jethmalani disagrees and quits; Legally defensible public allegations in India today

Please note that this post is copy-pasted from  http://ravisiyermisc.blogspot.in/2017/07/arvind-kejriwal-denies-asking-lawyer.html  on 28-Jul-2017. I felt it appropriate to put a copy of that post in this spiritual blog as this blog does have some truthful, I repeat truthful, criticism of some named persons, most of whom are Indian citizens. Such persons do have the option of filing a defamation case against me in India but which I think will not stand in an Indian court of law as I am sure that my criticism of them is within what is permissible under India's freedom of speech and defamation laws. Also if they do file a defamation case against me I will surely consider filing counter defamation cases against those of them (who file a defamation case against me) who have maligned me and also record-tampering case against those of them who have done record-tampering against me. Whistle-blowing with an intent of long-term good surely has its risks with defamation case being one of th

Former All India President of Sathya Sai orgn. and former SSSCT trustee, V.Srinivasan, passes away

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Given below are the contents of my Facebook post, https://www.facebook.com/ravi.s.iyer.7/posts/1943757079174193 , dated today, 25-Jul-2017. [Note that this shares another Facebook post, most of whose contents are provided below.] May Bhagavan keep showering His Grace on the soul of V. Srinivasan sir! In the crucial first few years after Mahasamadhi (April 2011), V. Srinivasan sir seems to have played a key role as a senior trustee of SSSCT as well as the All India President of Sathya Sai orgn. to keep the Indian Sathya Sai orgn. ship stable as it faced enormous divisive challenges. I do clearly recall that in the first public media/press conference held by SSSCT in Prasanthi Nilayam a few months after Mahasamadhi, it was V. Srinivasan sir who was the leader taking on the very aggressive media questions then. I think that really showed great courage as well as determined leadership in the face of tremendous challenges. I think we Sathya Sai devotees owe V.Srinivasan sir a great deb

Very disturbed by brain-washing of small children to view Madhusudan Naidu as Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba

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I recently saw some pics of small children with Madhusudan Naidu (MN) where the small children were looking at him with worshipful eyes. Two of such pics are given below in this post. MN is signing a book for a boy on a page having Swami pic! He surely would have signed like Sathya Sai Baba. Another pic which is given below has an elder touching his head on the floor near the feet of MN. But one can see students behind him. These young students will consider that elder's behaviour, especially if he is a teacher in their school, as the way they should revere MN! That's it! These children will probably spend ten to fifteen years of their young life in MDH group free educational institutions revering MN as Sathya Sai. After that sort of long-term brain-washing, I guess at least a significant number of these children will, in their adult life, either continue to revere MN as Sathya Sai or be thoroughly CONFUSED about Sathya Sai. What a great spiritual tragedy! Th

How should Prasanthi Nilayam, Puttaparthi ashram system prevent future --Name1-snipped-- type staff suicide?

20th April 2020 Update: I had an inner urge to name-snip the names of some person(s) in this post and so have done so. [Warning: Those who don't like to read unpleasant news regarding Prasanthi Nilayam, Puttaparthi ashram may please skip reading this post.] Over the past few days I was expecting to see some report from Anantapur CCS police about their investigation of --Name1-snipped-- suicide case which got transferred to them from Puttaparthi Urban police station, on 28th June 2017 (the suicide happened in a Prasanthi Nilayam ashram project office on June 6th night/June 7th early morning (in) 2017; for more see http://ravisiyer.blogspot.com/2017/06/tragic-event-possible-suicide-in.html ). But so far I have not come across any report in local Telugu news media on the matter. Perhaps their investigation needs more time than the around three weeks that have passed so far since Anantapur CCS took up the case. Meanwhile the suicide matter is receding into the background as ne

List of posts related to --Name-snipped-- suicide in Prasanthi Nilayam, Puttaparthi ashram in June 2017

Last updated on  23rd April 2020 23rd April 2020 Update: I had an inner urge to name-snip the names of some person(s) in this post and so have done so. 1) Tragic event (possible suicide) in Prasanthi Nilayam, Puttaparthi ashram yesterday - 7th June 2017, http://ravisiyer.blogspot.com/2017/06/tragic-event-possible-suicide-in.html , dated 8th June 2017 2) In my interactions with Vidya Vahini management, including --Name1-snipped--, in 2010 and 2011, I found they were decent people, http://ravisiyer.blogspot.com/2017/06/in-my-interactions-with-vidya-vahini.html , dated 10th June 2017 3) Psychological trauma associated with job loss; Why I am publicly writing on Vidya Vahini lady suicide case, http://ravisiyer.blogspot.com/2017/06/psychological-trauma-associated-with.html , dated 11th June 2017 4) Is suicide note accusing a person enough proof to convict person of abetment of suicide? Indian Supreme Court seems to say: NO., http://ravisiyer.blogspot.com/2017/06/is-suicide-note-

Karanam Subbamma's donation of 33 cents land in 1945 for creation of first Sathya Sai ashram - Old Mandir in Puttaparthi

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Last updated on 21-Jul-2017 My comment on my Facebook share of post given below: Perhaps the first big step in the establishment of a mission Headquarters for Sathya Sai - the donation of 33 cents land in 1945 (72 years ago) by Karanam Subbamma for the Old Mandir! In public discourses that I have had the privilege to hear live sitting in Sai Kulwant Hall, Swami always had words of praise and love for Karanam Subamma. What a great donor-soul Karanam Subbamma was and how great was her love for the young Sathya Sai (who at that time would surely have had many detractors even in Puttaparthi village who would have been jealous of the importance being given to the young (boy) Sathya Sai)! --- end my comment --- From https://www.facebook.com/OldMandirPuttaparthi/posts/654030538120281 On this day in 1945 Karanam Subbamma donated 33 cents of land in Puttaparthi to young Sri Sathya Sai Baba. On this land was built the First Residence....The Old Mandir. =====================

What if a young male Sai devotee wants to become a sannyasi/monk? How do other family members, especially mother, handle it?

Given below is a modified version of a comment I made elsewhere, which I felt may be useful to some readers of my posts: Hindu astrologers refer to those whose destiny is to become a sannyasi (monk) as "sannyasa yogam" which I think translates to "good fortune of being a monk". However, in my considered opinion, vairagya (detachment/dispassion) from worldly temptations including name & fame is absolutely vital for anybody who wants to lead such a life. Many spiritual aspirants may strongly aspire to be a sannyasi but not really have the vairagya from worldly temptations to become one. I am given to understand that traditional Hindu ashrams having an order of sannyasis/monks, have a testing stage which I believe can be for some years, where a person is ordained first as a Brahmachaari. If the senior monks of the order, and the person himself, are convinced during these years of testing that the person has demonstrated that he is fit to be ordained as a sannyas

Total views of this blog cross 250,000 (quarter million)

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The two pics below, taken from this ravisiyer.blogspot.com blog today, give the details. Note that the second pic above gives the top ten countries from whom visits have been made to this ravisiyer.blogspot.com blog.

The dangers of XYZ country's president getting into Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD)

This post is copy-pasted from https://ravisiyermisc.blogspot.com/2017/07/the-dangers-of-xyz-countrys-president.html  on 17-Jul-2017. Note: XYZ refers to a particular country which I do not want to name. I would say that XYZ country's president seems to be getting into Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD) which seems to be getting HUGELY ENABLED by a support base that wants an Emperor to rule the country as per their wishes & agenda (as against a democratic President accountable to democratic checks & balances institutions of the country). My traumatic experience of NPD type people whose NPD got into full blown mode after they found themselves in UNACCOUNTABLE positions of power in the Sathya Sai ashram system (based in Puttaparthi, Andhra Pradesh, India) including the Sathya Sai university (Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Learning), after Sathya Sai's passing away (in April 2011), is that these NPD types think they have a god-given right to dominate over an

During testing times, truth-lovers sometimes have to walk alone; Tagore's Ekla Chalo Re

I think the current period has become a great test for truth-lovers, truth-seekers and truth-tellers in the USA. I pray to Almighty God to give strength and courage to these truth-lovers, truth-seekers and truth-tellers in the USA. Those who endure this period without losing their dedication to the truth, will, I am sure, emerge much stronger in their dedication to the truth. I look forward to celebrating, somewhere down the line, the return of truth in the USA. India's national motto is "Sathyameva Jayate" which means "Truth alone triumphs" and comes from one of the Upanishads, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Satyameva_Jayate . It is a revered mantra for most Hindus, even if many of them fail to live up to its calling. I am sure that in the USA too, truth will eventually emerge triumphant and this dark period where truth is painted as fake/falsehood, will go away. During the period that the Sai university came under the HIJACK of the dream-instruction medium

Shirdi Sai Baba: People come to us due to Rinanubandh; Let us love and serve each other and be happy; Look on calmly at passing show of world

From Shri (Shirdi) Sai Satcharita, Chapters 18 & 19, http://www.saibaba.org/satcharitra/sai18_19.html (slightly edited to fix what seems to be typo kind of errors): Baba's Advice Regarding our Behaviour The following words of Baba are of general welfare and invaluable. If they are kept in mind and acted upon, they will always do you good. "Unless there is some relationship or connection, nobody goes anywhere. If any men or creatures come to you, do not discourteously drive them away, but receive them well and treat them with due respect. Shri Hari (God) will be certainly pleased if you give water to the thirsty, bread to the hungry, clothes to the naked, and your verandah to strangers for sitting and resting. If anybody wants any money from you, and you are not inclined to give, do not give, but do not bark at him like a dog. Let anybody speak hundreds of things against you, do not resent by giving any bitter reply. If you always tolerate such things, you will certai

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