Ravi S. Iyer: Spiritual

With a lot of heat being generated over religious conversions/re-conversions in India today, and also conflicts in many parts of the world where religious differences play a significant role, though not necessarily the singular or most important role, today's thought for the day at PrashantiNilayam ashram is very apt. "Embodiments of Divine Love! Adhere sincerely to your faith and traditions. Wherever you may be, do not give room for religious or any kind of differences. When we examine the root cause for differences or conflicts, you will find that the real reason is selfish minds, wearing the garb of religion or any other cause, and inciting conflicts amongst the people. If you desire to secure genuine peace in the world, you must hold morality (neethi) as superior to your community (jaathi). Cherish good feelings as more important than religious beliefs. Mutual regard (mamatha), equal mindedness (samatha) and forbearance (Kshamatha) are the basic qualities necessary for...

From http://www.sathyasai.org/calendar/christmas.html Christ determined to make the giving and sharing of love his main objective in life. Such love was met with many obstacles and losses. Christ considered a true man to be one who could face obstacles and move forward in love. Don't give in to losses and pain. Don't be carried away with pleasure. Face everything with equanimity. Divine Discourse: 25 December 1995 ... As Jesus said, "I and my Father are one." Thus all persons are messengers of God. This means that they should divinise themselves. When can men call themselves sons of God? Recognize what pure actions are done by God, selflessly for the sake of all. There is no trace of self-interest in Him. Everything He does, says, or thinks is for the good of others. ...  Men can describe themselves as "sons of God" only when they are completely free from selfishness and become Godly. To call yourself the "son of God", you have to manifest...

Last updated on 2nd February 2015 This post became a longish one over time as I added material to the original post. It has been divided into the following sections: My comments mail to ICHR on Prof. Balagangadhara MAKA paper/presentation Prof. Harbans Mukhia's comments Prof. Rajaram Hegde's comments Prof. Romila Thapar's views on related matters & comments Chairperson ICHR, Prof. Y. Sudershan Rao's comments My comments mail to ICHR on Prof. Balagangadhara MAKA paper/presentation Given below is the text of an email I sent today (22nd Dec. 2014) to the Member-Secretary of the Indian Council of Historical Research,  http://ichr.ac.in/ I am a retired-from-commercial-work software consultant, and blogger on spirituality and religion, who found the discussion related to Prof. S.N. Balagangadhara's recent Maulana Abul Kalam Azad memorial lecture convened by ICHR, to be of great interest. I went through most of Prof. Balagangadhara's paper (37 pa...

The Hindu, dated Dec. 20th 2014, carried this article, "Bring back all converted Hindus, says RSS chief", http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/enact-law-against-conversion-says-rss-chief-bhagwat/article6711131.ece . I submitted the following comment to the above web page: In my view, converting people to another religion using material allurements is doing a great disservice to the prophets, mystics & founders of various religions. If proselytising organizations, no matter what their religion (even Hindu proselytising organizations), offer material allurements as a prize for religious conversion then such proselytising organizations should be strongly discouraged from such activities as these kind of activities will not only disturb the delicate harmony between followers of various religions & sects in India, it will also wreck the religious & spiritual life of those converted in this fashion. However proselytising organizations that win converts from other ...

Some short extracts (in quotes) from, and comments on, "Under Francis, a Bolder Vision of Vatican Diplomacy Emerges", http://www.nytimes.com/2014/12/19/world/europe/pope-francis-vatican-diplomatic-mediator-cuba.html * So Pope Francis stuck his neck out for amity and trust between USA & Cuba. Perhaps, like in business, it is the calculated risk taker who achieves great success, even in religious/spiritual movements. And, like in business, there will be failures which the religious/spiritual leader has to take in his/her stride, and perhaps learn from it. "Just as John Paul, the first Polish pope, had a unique credibility as a voice against Communism in Eastern Europe, so, too, does Francis — the first Latin American pope — now benefit from a unique credibility in the developing world." Ravi: Fascinating comparison! It seems to be quite valid. With a Latin American pope, are we in for a resurgence of faith in God in communist/socialist countries of Central a...

An extract from thought of the day at Prasanthi Nilayam (Puttaparthi ashram): Generally people get drawn to sense objects, for they are victims of instincts. And instincts come along with the body and aren’t derived by any training. The infant seeks milk from the mother, no training is needed for this. However for the infant to walk and talk, some training is necessary, because these actions are not automatic but are socially prompted, by example and by imitation of others. Training is essential even for the proper pursuit of sense pleasure, for it is the wild and untrained search for such pleasure that promotes anger, hatred, envy, malice, and conceit. To train the senses along salutary lines and to hold them under control, certain good disciplines like repetition of the name, meditation, fasts, worship at dawn and dusk, etc. are essential. (from Bhagavatha Vahini, Ch 1, “The Bhagavatha) The full thought for the day is available here: http://www.radiosai.org/pages/calthought2.a...

Yesterday I had sent a mail to some correspondents as follows: Around 27:50 in the video, Cold War 19 out of 24: Freeze (1977 - 1981), https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N7qFJQPjqPw , former USA president Jimmy Carter says, while reminiscing about a Vienna meeting in June 1979 to sign the SALT-II treaty, between him & his team and former USSR president Leonid Brezhnev & team, "When I proposed that we make these changes in nuclear weaponry he (Brezhnev) said, 'God will never forgive us if we don't succeed.' Coming from a leader of an atheistic, communist country, this surprised everyone. I think the most surprised person at the table was Gromyko who looked up at the sky like this (raising his hands with outstretched palms) and did his hands in a peculiar way as though this was a shocking thing for Brezhnev to say." Ravi: I find it utterly fascinating that the Soviet leader Brezhnev referred to God in this super-powers meeting. So even before the dissolutio...

Given below are short extracts from, and comments on, Harvard Prof. Diana Eck's book India: A Sacred Geography, Chapter 8, The land and story of Krishna: And they (village folk of Braj) were saved-as are those who love Krishna even today-not by the wisdom of the scriptures, not by the asceticism of the renouncers, not even by the ritual ministrations of priests, but simply by their unwitting and unconditional love for Krishna, by the relationships of love called bhakti. This word bhakti and all it represents in expressing human relatedness to God is surely one of the most important words in the Hindu vocabulary. The stories of the love of Krishna and Krishna's reciprocating love explore and expand the meanings of bhakti. The villagers of Braj, like Devaki and Vasudeva on the night of Krishna's birth, recognize, in one sense, that Krishna who lives among them is extraordinary. They glimpse his divinity in a religious world in which divine "incarnation" is not so...

I tweeted a few short quotes of Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba on Himself from "Who is Sai", http://www.srisathyasai.org.in/Pages/SriSathyaSaiBaba/Who_is_Sai.htm . I felt it appropriate to make a short blog post of them too. Please note that I added a few English words (translation) for Sanskrit words in the extracts below. Here are the quotes that I tweeted ( https://twitter.com/RaviSaiIyer ): * I can solve any problem however knotty. I am beyond the reach of the most intensive inquiry and the most meticulous measurement. * Only those who have recognised My Love and experienced that Love can assert that they have glimpsed My Reality. For, the Path of Love is the Royal road that leads mankind to Me. * Only those who have dived deep and contacted the underlying principle of Love can visualize Divinity with some clarity. * I am Ananda, Shaantham, Dhairyam (Bliss/Joy, Equanimity/Peace and Courage). Take Me as your Aathma thathwam (principle of your spirit/being); you wo...

Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba said: Keep the Name of the Lord always radiant on your tongue and mind. That will keep the antics of the mind under control. When the lamp is burning, darkness will not spread its fumes around you. When the word for Brahman (Supreme Universal Reality), Om, is spelt with the last breath by the one dying, they attain the Divine. To make that final utterance of Om, just as the flower blossoms on the creeper of life, you need to dwell upon Om all through the years of your current life. The Geeta advocates the process of continuous meditation in a neat little formula: mam anusmara yuddhya cha! - "Keep Me in your memory and fight!" The cue here for you is to fight the battle of life, have God in your consciousness as your Charioteer at all times. This is not merely a direction for Arjuna; it is a prescription for all humanity. - Divine Discourse, June 9, 1970. From http://media.radiosai.org/sai_inspires/2014/SI_20141209.htm . Ravi: In today's b...

I saw a recent short video message (1 min 17 secs) from Pope Francis on his twitter account, to Iraqi Christians, which touched me very deeply, https://twitter.com/Pontifex/status/541260856915292160 . Truly, the holy father, Pope Francis, is an inspiring religious leader whose compassion and Christian brotherhood for the suffering and the persecuted show us how genuine he is, as a true follower of the teachings of Christ. His words, taken from the English captions in the video, are as follows: "I wish I could be there with you. But since I'm not able to travel there, I am here with you this way. I am very close to you during these difficult times. When I returned from my visit to Turkey, I said that Christians are being driven out of the Middle East and undergoing great suffering. I thank you for the witness you are giving. And I know how much suffering there is in this witness. Thank you. Thank you so much. It seems like they do not want the presence of Christians in these...

Last updated on 8th December 2014 Ex-Supreme Court justice V.R. Krishna Iyer, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/V._R._Krishna_Iyer , passed away yesterday (Dec. 4th 2014) at 99 years of age. Tributes have poured in for him from across the political spectrum and from many legal luminaries. PM Narendra Modi tweeted: Fine lawyer,eminent jurist,incredible philosopher & above all a phenomenal human being.I bow to Justice Krishna Iyer and My association with Justice Krishna Iyer was special. My mind goes back to our conversations & the insightful letters he would write to me. --- Sri Sri Ravi Shankar tweeted: Justice VR Krishna Iyer was a man of unparalleled integrity & vision. (1) When I was reluctant to start an organisation,he insisted & was founder trustee of Ved Vignan Mahavidyapeeth(1st Art of Living Ashram).(2) My association with Justice VR Krishna Iyer goes way back to 1978.We would have hours of discussion on ethos,philosophy & future of India(3) ...

Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba has said, "The conflict between persons who accept God and deny Him, those who declare that God is to be found in this or that place and those who affirm that He can be found nowhere, is never ending; it has been continuing throughout the ages. Remember that it is unnecessary to awaken a person already awake and it is easy to awaken a person who is asleep. You cannot awaken, however much you try, a person not wanting to awaken! Those who do not know, can be taught by means of simple illustrations what they do not know. But those afflicted with half-knowledge and proud of that acquisition are beyond any further education. Your two eyes give a picture of a vast expanse of space, but they cannot see your whole body! For that, you need two mirrors – one in front of you and one behind. So too, to know your reality, you need the mirrors of Self-confidence (Atma-vishwas) and Divine Grace."- Divine Discourse 23rd Nov 1976, From http://media.radiosai.org...

"Always remember, Swami knows everything. I am always watching - not just from yesterday or day before. From several crores of years; from several past births of yours. Do not think you can cover my eyes and get away with doing whatever you want." - Sri Sathya Sai Baba, from https://sathyasaiwithstudents.blogspot.com/2013/04/i-am-watching-over-you-from-several.html . I would like to share that, in my slightly over eight years of serving in Prashanti Nilayam campus of SSSIHL (university founded by Bhagawan) when Swami was in physical form (Jan. 2003 to April 2011), and having quite regular darshan of Swami whenever he was in Prashanti Nilayam, there were many occasions when there was eye contact between Swami and me. It took me some time to become sensitive to Swami's facial expression when he looked at me. Over time it became very clear to me that when he looked at me even if it was just for a few seconds, he somehow knew what I was thinking then and what I had done ea...

I think today's thought for the day from Prashanti Nilayam is something that is very close to my heart. Have faith that Truth will save you in the long run; stick to it, regardless of what might befall. For if you are true, the sense of guilt will not gnaw your insides and cause pain. It is cowardice that makes you hide the truth; it is hatred that sharpens the edge of falsehood. Be bold and there is no need for a lie. Be full of love and there is no need for subterfuge. The easiest habit is speaking the truth, honesty; for if you start telling lies, you will have to keep count of them and remember how many you have told to whom, and be always alert not to contradict one lie with another! Love a person and you need no longer deceive the person with a lie; you will feel that the loved one deserves the truth and nothing less than the truth. Love saves a good deal of bother. (Divine Discourse, March 3, 1958) From Thought for the day for Nov. 28th 2014, http://www.theprasanthirepo...

Last updated on 30th Nov. 2014 In a mail exchange, a correspondent mentioned (includes a small later clarification from correspondent), "a small distance can separate a poor area (like a slum) from a wealthy area, yet people can live for years in the wealthy area without ever seeing a poor area." To this I (Ravi) add, or rather elaborate: without ever spending time in that poor area and understanding the challenges of living in that poor area (slum). I agree on the comments of the correspondent about living in a wealthy area without ever seeing a poor area. I think it is a great problem which exacerbates the rich/poor disconnect and which perhaps is a big factor contributing to social tension and strife, whether the country be a materially developing one like India or a materially developed one like USA. My experience in a spiritual organization with a lot of focus on service to the poor (Sathya Sai Seva Samithi), for nearly a decade, while I was in working in the softw...

A recent mail exchange with a correspondent triggered this post. My view is that Swami's (Sri Sathya Sai Baba's) public teaching, from Sanathana Dharma, is: Sathyam Bhruyath (Speak the truth), Priyam Bhruyath (Speak that which is pleasant/loving), Na Bhruyath Sathyam Apriyam (Don't speak the unpleasant truth). Now this is a general rule and, surely, there will be some exception cases. For example, when questioned in any investigation of fraud, it is far better to be truthful about any fraud one knows of, related to the investigation, than not speak about it as that will amount to concealing fraud in an investigation, and could land one into significant amount of trouble. But what about "harmless" lies used for the common good? Well, the danger is that what one views as harmless may not be viewed as harmless by others. Lying to get out of difficult situations is a common failing. So one could get into the spiritually very bad habit of lying to escape o...