Ravi S. Iyer: Spiritual

40 seconds video here: https://www.facebook.com/682644321771288/videos/857580210944364/ I have given below the English captions appearing at the bottom of the video (English translation of Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba message): With all love, do service. Importantly, serve the poor. It is this service that will protect you in the long run. Service to the poor is service to Rama (God). Therefore serve the poor. Be ready to sacrifice your life in service of the poor. I have no other desire. This service to the poor is the most important thing for me. I am ready to sacrifice My life also for the benefit of the poor. At least develop one thousandth of this ideal. This is what is supposed to be done by man today. [ (Ravi: This appears fleetingly as a caption in the video; the corresponding spoken part seems to have been snipped) Therefore, it is not important that we have built this hospital beautifully.] Along with beauty, we also need bliss. That bliss comes only when the poor are h...

Today I came across an article, http://hubpages.com/entertainment/Mahatma-Gandhi-and-Sri-Sathya-Sai-an-incident-with-insight-on-brutal-deaths , which quotes a book by a Sri Bala Pattabhi titled, Sri Sai Leelamritam, stating that in January 1948, Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba mystically became aware of Mahatma Gandhi dying (he was assassinated). Note that at that time Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba would have been 21 years old. I tried looking up other articles on this matter on the Internet. Here are some links which give slightly different accounts from different references. This link, https://sathyasaiwithstudents.blogspot.com/2013/01/on-day-when-mahatma-gandhi-was.html (a Prasanthi Nilayam, Sai university hostel managed blog), quotes Sri Sathya Sai Digvijayam (1926-1985). The short quote is given below: On the afternoon of the 30th of January, Baba led a few people to the Chitravathi river. He ran back to the Mandir all of a sudden and bolted the door. He stepped in and out of...

Here's a nice blog post about how Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba would (sometimes) respond to prayers in exactly the way a person has wished, https://sathyasaimemories.wordpress.com/2016/01/23/love-is-my-form-memories-of-sai-baba/ . The gentleman, a Mr. Himy, had prayed, "I dont want vibhuti or anything else,  Baba,  please just talk to me." When Baba was giving darshan, Baba spoke to him in three different languages (Telugu, English & Hindi), asking him the typical question, "Where have you come from?" Mr. Himy responded, "SAI, Mumbai" at which time Baba said, "Oh!! Bombay!" Fascinatingly, Baba then materialized vibhuti while being in front of Mr. Himy and gave it a few people around Mr. Himy but when Mr. Himy stretched out his hand for vibhuti, Baba turned away (not giving him any Vibhuti)! Baba had known Mr. Himy's prayer where he did not want any vibhuti or anything but just wanted Baba to talk to him, and so Baba gave Mr. Himy exa...

Last modified on  6 Jun. 2024 6 Jun. 2024: Sensitive content has been snipped. 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. [The contents given below are reproduced from this Facebook post of mine (slightly edited): https://www.facebook.com/ravi.s.iyer.7/posts/1695837060632864 .] My reading of the main issues of the Dr. Voleti letter, which I presume is from Dr. Voleti (I have to say, once again, it would be great if Dr. Voleti Chowdhary (also spelled as Choudary or Choudhary) himself puts it up on the Internet so that it is authenticated to be from Dr. Voleti), is as follows. [ https://www.facebook.com/notes/vr-ganti/rathnakar-vs-dr-voleti-note-from-dr-voleti-direct-questions-from-action-group-to/10205822137377281 has the letter supposedly from Dr. Voleti Chowdhary.] Dr. Voleti felt humiliated and insulted at the birthday function (Nov. 23rd 2015) as he was not given appropriate seating, did not g...

From http://www.aham.com/RamanaPeriyaPuranam/RamanaPeriyaPuranam.pdf , Pages 243 & 244 Once, I asked Chadwick, “Are you realized?” I have put this question to all of the old devotees like Muruganar, Cohen, Osborne, Sadhu Natanananda, Devaraja Mudaliar and others. None of them either said yes or no - all smiled. When I asked him whether he was realized, he did not say yes or no. Instead, he told me, “I will tell you what happened. After many years of my stay with Bhagavan - four or five years, I committed the mistake of trying to evaluate how much I have progressed spiritually. This is a thing any seeker should not do. I felt that I have not progressed. Many who saw me in Ramanasramam, looked at me like I was a sage or a saint saying, "Oh! He is so fortunate. He is so close to Bhagavan. He meditates so much. He is already in that state." This created a contradiction in me as I personally felt that I was not progressing spiritually. However, having left the material life...

Here's a short video featuring Prof. Jim Tucker, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QK9KvP4ZuAE , 6 min. Great to see such a strong affirmation of reincarnation from a researcher of a top USA university. Of course, his work will not be easily accepted by mainstream science in the USA (and the West in general). From around 5:00 in the video, Prof. Jim Tucker says: I don't think that we can just map these cases on to a mainstream materialistic view of the world. I think what they seem to indicate is that consciousness is not limited just to the physical brain but can continue on after the brain dies. I think there are reasons, other reasons, to consider that consciousness should be considered separate from the physical world, that it's a separate entity. And it's not necessarily dependent on the physical world. In fact, the reverse may well be true, that the physical world is dependent on consciousness. So, in these cases this consciousness has continued after the bra...

Thes pics given below of the Rangolis seem to have been done today (13th Jan. 2016). Sankranti, I am told, is tomorrow, 14th Jan. 2016. Sankranti is also known as Pongal (especially in Tamil Nadu). [To see above pics in original size (magnified), mouse right-click, open the image in new tab, and then click on image to zoom.] My Facebook post has more pics of the Rangolis here: https://www.facebook.com/ravi.s.iyer.7/posts/1694002637482973 . It seems that this Rangoli ( muggula pottilu in Telugu, it seems) drawings were part of a local competition. The winners (ladies) can be seen being felicitated here with prizes: https://www.facebook.com/ravi.s.iyer.7/posts/1694019384147965 . Some info. about Sankranti/Pongal from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Makar_Sankranti : Makar Sankranti is an Indian festival celebrated in almost all parts of India and Nepal in lots of cultural forms. It is a harvest festival. Makar Sankranti marks the transition of the Sun into the ...

Last updated on 15th Jan. 2016 I was asked for my view on this matter put up in a recent Facebook post here, https://www.facebook.com/sathyanarayana.raju.9/posts/720986948037792 . [Update on 15th Jan. 2016 Brother Hari Sivakumar on Google+ share of this post contents wrote (he also added the same comment as an anonymous user on this blog post): Sai Ram brother, Please see Divine Discourse - 3rd September 1996 - first broadcast on 2012-10-04 (Linked here http://dl.radiosai.org/DD_1996_09_03.mp3 ) Between minutes 18-21, Swami brings up this EXACT issue about societal norms (Samskriti), and a man of 60 marrying a girl of 20. ----- I responded to him as follows: Thanks a ton for giving the discourse audio reference/download link. Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba gives the example of a 60 year old man marrying an 18 year old girl as the man did not have any other helpmate at home. Bhagavan further says that when society sees them walking together on the street they will be vi...

I have been informed that the main entrance to Prasanthi Nilayam ashram in the olden days was the Gopuram Gate/Entrance (as against the current Ganesh Gate/Entrance). I believe that it was after the current Mamillakunta-Puttaparthi and Kothacheruvu-Puttaparthi road link was made which avoided the need to go to Bukkapatnam, that the main entrance became Ganesh Gate/Entrance. I do not know the year when that happened. Given below are some pics, courtesy: Puttaparthi Times and Radio Sai, https://www.facebook.com/ravi.s.iyer.7/posts/1693407854209118 , which show how the main Gopuram Gate/Entrance and the road in front of it looked in the 60s to the mid-80s. 1960s: Prasanthi Nilayam ashram gate/entrance before Gopuram gate/entrance was made (replacing the entrance shown above) 1968: In front of entrance of Prasanthi Nilayam ashram (what is Gopuram Road today) 1978: Gopuram entrance to Prasanthi Nilayam ashram and the road in front of it (what is Gopuram Road today). 1...

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. Sai university alumni official declaration (of 6th Dec. 2015) cannot be viewed as official declaration! What a murky state of affairs this Muddenahalli false belief has created in Prasanthi Nilayam ashram system! Over a month ago I was glad to be informed by a Sai university alumnus as well as a senior Sai fraternity person about "Official Alumni Stand on Muddenahalli", which was also put up on Facebook (and duly shared by me on Facebook, https://www.facebook.com/ravi.s.iyer.7/posts/1682681738615063 and on my blog here: https://ravisiyer.blogspot.com/2015/12/official-alumni-group-of-sathya-sai.html ). Today I had to update my share with the following message: Update on 10th Jan. 2016: As it is over a month since brother Sri Sudhir Joshi put up the FB post shared below about official alumni group announcement, WITHOUT any such announcement from offici...

From http://www.srisathyasai.org.in/Pdf/IMPORTANT%20COMMUNICATION.pdf 3rd January 2016 The Sri Sathya Sai Central Trust took note of the continued absence and non participation of Sri Indulal Shah and Sri S. V. Giri in the affairs of the Trust, its programmes and meetings and placed on record that on account of their physical and mental incapacity Sri Indual Shah and Sri S. V. Giri have vacated office as Trustees of Sri Sathya Sai Central Trust. The Trustees placed on record the long, distinguished and enormous service rendered by Sri Indulal Shah and Sri S. V. Giri to Sri Sathya Sai Central Trust, prior to the impairment of their health, and thank them for their services. --- end text from www.srisathyasai.org.in/Pdf/IMPORTANT%20COMMUNICATION.pdf --- Ravi: This is a very appropriate development in the Sri Sathya Sai Central Trust (SSSCT). Of course, both the revered elders, Sri Indulal Shah sir and Sri S.V. Giri sir have rendered invaluable service to SSSCT and Bhagavan...

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. Was Narasimhamurthy lying to Sai fraternity about July 2011 Guru Purnima dream instructions? Madhusudhan Naidu SUPPOSEDLY gets mind-to-mind communication from so called subtle body! The document, https://gallery.mailchimp.com/72d97e32d741a4b68382758b7/files/Sai_Baba_s_Exclusive_Interview_with_Global_Translators_of_SSSPP_24_November_2015.pdf (18 pages), states that it covers an event on 24th November 2015 titled "SRI SATHYA SAI BABA’S EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH THE GLOBAL TRANSLATORS OF SSS PREMAMRUTA PRAKASHANA". Of course, we know that it is not Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba who is speaking in Muddenahalli but Madhusudhan Rao Naidu (MRN) who may be getting coached by seniors of Muddenahalli group like Shri B.N. Narasimhamurthy (BNN). This document has important REVELATIONS by BNN in a reported talk given by him at that event, covered on Page 8 of the ab...

Note that there is no mention of religion or God in this talk (12 min. 46 secs)/transcript. So my view is that the loneliness mentioned in the talk may refer to people who did not/could not cultivate an inner relationship with Absolute God (Brahman) / Ishta Devata (favourite God e.g. Jesus, Krishna, Sai Baba) and/or those who were not associated with a religious/spiritual congregation. Few short extracts from the transcript link, https://www.ted.com/talks/robert_waldinger_what_makes_a_good_life_lessons_from_the_longest_study_on_happiness/transcript?language=en , filmed in November 2015, are given below: We've learned three big lessons about relationships. The first is that social connections are really good for us, and that loneliness kills. It turns out that people who are more socially connected to family, to friends, to community, are happier, they're physically healthier, and they live longer than people who are less well connected. And the experience of loneliness tur...