Ravi S. Iyer: Spiritual

Last modified on 26th June 2016 Minor update on 23rd April 2021 Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan Live: Allah Hoo (1993), [23rd April 2021 update: Working link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cj7roem9NRc (following link is now broken) end-update]   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kLBFmA87tyg, 28 min 33 secs. The spellbinding spiritual genius of the Late Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan Sahab and his team is on display in this song video (live performance). I loved the lyrics of this song (the English translation is put up as captions in the video). I have noted down the lyrics as it seems to have some additions to what is available on the Net for the seemingly popular Allah Hoo qawwali. I think the meaning of these lyrics are very powerful and give a superb unity of faiths take, without losing out on the core belief of ONE GOD. First I would like share what I came across on Allah Hoo which is the title of the Qawwali and is repeated many times in the song. From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A...

I had not known of Amjad Sabri, Sufi Qawwal singer from Pakistan, prior to reading about his tragic killing. Here's one of his qawwalis which seems to be quite popular. I found it to be very moving spiritually (even though I did not follow all the words of the song). Bhar do Jholi Amjad Fareed Sabri, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JD1k4_d0S1Y , around 15 min. What a loss!!! Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan sahab was a very famous Qawwali singer of Pakistan who passed away some years ago. Here's a report on Sabri's killing in Karachi, https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/worldviews/wp/2016/06/22/amjad-sabri-a-beloved-sufi-musician-is-gunned-down-in-pakistan/ , dated June 22nd 2016

Last modified on 24th Feb. 2020 In an autobiographical kind of document I have given some kind of account of my life from boyhood till I took retirement from commercial work and got on the train from Kalyan (near Mumbai/Bombay) to come to Puttaparthi in end Sept./early Oct. 2002 (and then settle down in Puttaparthi). I don’t know when and if I will add to these accounts in this document to capture Oct. 2002 onwards part of my life. The emphasis of this account is on sharing my journey through life so far and not so much on great English language or very good expression. I have tried to bring some structure and flow but have not spent too much time on it. The document is composed from a set of email conversations that I had with a leading Indian computer scientist, Mathai Joseph, whose memoir I was reading then. I have put in some effort to convert the set of emails into one document but may have slipped here & there, revealing the stitched emails history of this document. Rea...

This post uses photos and information kindly provided by (courtesy) SaiBliss Facebook page here: https://www.facebook.com/saimemories/posts/1112632575449981 . The photo below is of current Indian Prime Minister and then Gujarat chief minister, Shri Narendra Modi, with Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba in the interview room of Prasanthi Nilayam mandir, in 2003. The photo below is of a message written by Shri Narendra Modi about Prasanthi Nilayam (Puttaparthi ashram) in 2003 I have given below a text version of what is written in the message in above photo (slightly edited). This place is a Holy (spiritual) Centre of the whole world, which is (a) wonderful linkage of knowledge/wisdom, faith and science. This is loving. This is inspiration. This is Chetana (inner awakening). This is Experience. This is the inner force. This is mind entrance. This is the self liberation marg (way). This is the self merging effort. Sai Ram ...

Last updated on 21st June 2016 I do seek the kind indulgence of readers for blowing my own bugle in this post. But I felt it is necessary to record such success stories in software development education for rural and economically challenged students, and so have put up this post. In most of my stint as a teacher and technical consultant for software development courses and projects in the Sai university (Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Learning) as free service from Jan. 2003 to Mar. 2012, I came across very few students in my class or to whom I was a technical consultant, who were from in and around Puttaparthi. Most students that I taught seem to be have been from outside Puttaparthi area/mandal and even outside Anantapur district. D. Nihar Babu was an exception. He came from Kothacheruvu (or some other village/town near to Puttaparthi) and hailed from an economically challenged family. As part of his M.Sc. project work he sought to do a software development pro...

Given below are some Notes of mine. The flow may be a little abrupt at times. I do not have the time to fix any such issues. Readers may prefer to either skip reading the post or just browse through it. Some verses of Christian holy scripture do call for harm for (evil) opponents. From http://www.usccb.org/bible/psalms/109 Psalms, Chapter 109 1 For the leader. A psalm of David. 2 O God, whom I praise, do not be silent, for wicked and treacherous mouths attack me. They speak against me with lying tongues; 3 with hateful words they surround me, attacking me without cause. 4 In return for my love they slander me, even though I prayed for them. 5 They repay me evil for good, hatred for my love. 6 Appoint an evil one over him, an accuser to stand at his right hand, 7 That he may be judged and found guilty, that his plea may be in vain. 8 May his days be few; may another take his office. 9 May his children be fatherless, his wife, a widow 10 May his children...

Last updated on 21st April 2020 21st 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. A few of my comments made on Facebook post, https://www.facebook.com/kpuvirajan/posts/10208454960884915 , which have not been captured as separate FB posts: Ravi S. Iyer wrote on June 8th 2016: Well, I have a different view here. I have to do what I see as my duty to Bhagavan. You may have to do what you see as your duty to Bhagavan. Perhaps the key difference is that I have been through the wringer in this matter at Puttaparthi. So I am too deeply involved in it to put my feet up and watch the game. I guess I have to play my part in the game. Thanks. Jai Sairam! ---- Ravi S. Iyer wrote on June 8th 2016: Of course, MDH persons deserve to be happy. I have never ever said otherwise. But there seems to be some shake-up going on in PN now which does create some unpleasantness for some PN people. So I felt it appropriate to sugges...

6 Jun. 2024: Sensitive content has been snipped. 22nd 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. Given below is one of my comments (slightly edited) on brother Rajen Rajen's Facebook post, https://www.facebook.com/kpuvirajan/posts/10208454960884915 : In comments of his on this post, bro. VijaySai B.S. says (extracts of his comments), "Some of them had then believed and then decided not to believe. Others secretly believe but because they know that PN work is also given by Swami, they take the official stand. A few others pass on communication through many of us to Swami. Many directly call Madhu and talk to Him. For Swami, Parthi is His head office and has asked people to continue their service without breaking the rules. I am personally in touch with about 30 people and I know that 20 of them wholeheartedly believe in Swami's subtle form at Muddenahalli and I have passed on Swami's messages t...

I have given below a comment of mine (slightly edited) made in the Facebook post of brother Rajen Rajen, https://www.facebook.com/kpuvirajan/posts/10208454960884915  [Readers interested in this topic may find the Facebook post and other comments there to be interesting]: I would like to add my personal experiences & views in regard to the last few years of Swami's physical sojourn on earth. I don't clearly recall the year this happened but it surely was after 2003, and perhaps sometime between 2005 and 2009. In a discourse in Sai Kulwant Hall, Prasanthi Nilayam, when I was seated in Sai Kulwant Hall, I heard Swami say that from that day onwards nobody should take Padanamaskar of his. If I recall correctly, he said something on the lines of all of us being God and so it is not right for God to take Padanamaskar of God! Now from an Advaita THEORY point of view, I got his message all right. But what a vast gulf there was between most/all of us devotees (including me, su...

Last updated on  22nd April 2020 22nd 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. I felt it appropriate to mention that I appreciate and support the FIRM stand that the trustees of the Sri Sathya Sai Central Trust (SSSCT), Prasanthi Nilayam (PN), have taken in regard to PN institution staff visiting Muddenahalli group. It would have been very painful for the top functionaries of PN to have taken the FIRM stand in line with Sathya & Dharma, with the concerned staff. But I think it had to be done to ensure discipline in this serious divisive matter of Muddenahalli group which is impacting the Sathya Sai movement worldwide. PN being the birthplace, and in some sense, the headquarters, of the worldwide (official) Sathya Sai movement, has to take the lead in this matter. I also wish these PN institution staff who have belief in Muddenahalli group claims and visited Muddenahalli group recently, all the very...