Ravi S. Iyer: Spiritual

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. First some comments on Facebook pic shared in my Facebook post, https://www.facebook.com/ravi.s.iyer.7/posts/1915332898683278 , associated with this post (the pic shows Madhusudan Rao Naidu being surrounded by lady devotees in close proximity to him): Bhagavan expected teachers of his university to pull up students who were going astray. There is a Chinna Katha of Bhagavan where Bhagavan holds the parent(s) of a wayward boy guilty for the crimes that the boy commits later as a man because his parent(s) did not scold him as a boy when he was making similar but smaller scale mistakes. As a former (free service) teacher in Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Learning for nine years, I bore that in mind, and have disciplined/punished erring students firmly but with love. Prof. --Name1-snipped-- (former vice-chancellor of SSSIHL/Sai university from sometime in 2010 till...

https://www.facebook.com/DonaldTrump/videos/10159188076420725/ has a 19 seconds video of the meeting shared on Facebook by USA President Donald J. Trump, on May 24th 2017. The text of above post of President Trump states, "Honor of a lifetime to meet His Holiness Pope Francis. I leave the Vatican more determined than ever to pursue PEACE in our world." Ravi: Wonderful! All the best for such world peace efforts! Here is the full video, President Trump in Vatican. Pres. Trump meets with Pope Francis. May 24, 2017, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=46qzGgT1FDI , 46 min. 34 secs. I saw the whole video as I wanted to get a feel for this meeting btw USA President Trump and Pope Francis. At the beginning when they meet, Pope Francis seems serious though welcoming, with President Trump being friendly. After their private meeting, when Pope Francis meets Trump's delegation, Pope Francis is much more relaxed and happy. Trump presented the Pope works of Rev. Martin Luther Ki...

Last updated on 20-May-2017 I received my Sanathana Sarathi (English) print copy yesterday, 18th May 2017. I had read Ms. Terry Reis Kennedy's Facebook post, https://www.facebook.com/terry.reiskennedy/posts/10213166426374066 , dated May 13th 2017, sharing the text of the SSSCT notice condemning Muddenahalli group in the May 2017 issue. But I wanted to see the notice in the Sanathana Sarathi print copy to be sure, and then share pics of it with readers. So here are the pics (to see pic in higher resolution, right-click on pic and open in new tab/window, and then click to zoom): Above pic: Cover page of Sanathana Sarathi, May 2017 Above 2 pics: SSSCT notice condemning Muddenahalli so called subtle form group. I have provided below the text of the above SSSCT notice. I copy-pasted it from Terry's above Facebook post - Thanks Terry. But I also checked that the text matches the SSSCT notice in my Sanathana Sarathi print copy whose pics I have given above. NOTIC...

Last updated on 22-Apr-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. Given below are slightly edited comments (mostly mine) from Facebook post-comment branch https://www.facebook.com/ravi.s.iyer.7/posts/1902673919949176?comment_id=1906347692915132 , dated May 12th 2017: Ravi S. Iyer wrote: --Name-snipped--, Sairam! I believe you are from Australia. Yes, there is unfortunately a lot of division among Australian Sai devotees over Muddenahalli claims. However, Australian Sai orgn. people have openly countered the claims of Muddenahalli group and stated that Madhusudan Naidu's claims are false. It is a deeply emotional issue for many people. Prasanthi Nilayam ashram itself was terribly divided over the matter for nearly five years from Jul 2011 to mid 2016. Such is life! --- --Name-snipped-- wrote: Thank you,, Sai Ram.  It is deeply upsetting to me,as my very good friend Is so involved,,,it is...

Very happy to see the pics below of the inauguration of Sri Sathya Sai Chowk in Andheri (East), Mumbai, on 12th May 2017. I lived in Takshila complex (large housing society/ies) for perhaps 2 years or so in the early 1990s. Glad that the junction between Takshila complex and Mahakali Caves Road, Andheri (E), Mumbai has been named Sri Sathya Sai Chowk. Note that Dharmakshetra Sathya Sai centre is located on Mahakali Caves Road. Above pics courtesy: https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=128390787719026&id=100016443157316 of Facebook user Sri Sathya Sai Glimpses, dated May 13th 2017 

Last updated on 12th May 2017 https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10155103194116007&set=a.156952146006.151317.506841006&type=3&theater  dated May 11th 2017, has the pic which I copy-pasted below (Thanks to Dhardon Sharling for pic). The abovementioned Facebook post also quotes former USA Speaker and current House of Representatives Minority Leader (Democrat), Nancy Pelosi, as saying, "In our meetings with top government officials, our delegation expressed our gratitude to the government and people of India for hosting His Holiness the Dalai Lama in Dharamsala, and for the support of Tibetans living in India". Ravi: I think this gesture of Ms. Nancy Pelosi and the USA bipartisan Congressional delegation is a very nice one. Of course, I am very happy that my country, India, has provided a home to His Holiness Dalai Lama and other Tibetan Buddhists during their time of difficulty, and provided them complete freedom to practice their Buddhist faith. =...

Given below is an extract from the book, 'A Sadhu’s Reminiscences of Ramana Maharshi', written by Major Chadwick (Sadhu Arunachala), http://www.jainlibrary.org/elib_master/jlib/007501_book_english_41/Sadhus_Reminiscences_of_Raman_Maharshi_007606_std.pdf . The extract is from Page 90 (pdf page 96). One day someone remarked to Bhagavan, “There are many things that happen here of which Bhagavan cannot approve. Why does he remain here? He has no ties or desires.” “What can I do?” asked Bhagavan. “If I go off to the forest and try to hide, what will happen? They will soon find me out. Then someone will put up a hut in front of me and another person at the back, and it will not be long before huts will have sprung up on either side. Where can I go? I shall always be a prisoner.” --- end extract from Ramana Maharshi book --- Ravi: The burden that devotees put on a well known Guru which includes their superhuman expectations of what the Guru must do for them, is very scary. Ev...

Given below is a short message I received over email from Indian embassy in Zagreb, Croatia, which I felt is appropriate to share publicly: "The Indian Embassy in Zagreb has clarified that the Ananda Trust public event in Zagreb on 27 April 2017 was organized solely by Ananda Trust, Croatia, independent of the Embassy in Zagreb.  Focus of the Embassy remains promotion of bilateral relationship between India and Croatia in all fields."

Prior to extracts from Sadhu Arunachala's book, I felt it appropriate to share below the key part of Ramana Maharishi's Will from http://www.ramana-maharshi.info/forum/index.php?topic=5059.0 All the properties hereunder described and comprised in what is called Sri Ramanasramam (and the accretions thereto) are dedicated by me to the Idol already installed and consecrated therein, viz., Sri Mathrubhutheswara Swami and also to the Idol or Statue as my symbol to be installed and consecrated after my demise on my Samadhi at a suitable place in the Asramam itself. I appoint my brother, Niranjanananda Swamy, as the sole manager. After him his son, T.N. Venkatarama Iyer,will be the sole manager. This right of management or trusteeship will vest as a hereditary right in the latter's family so as to devolve successively on his lineal male descendants from generation to generation. --- end Ramana Maharishi Will extract --- The above link has other interesting information regar...