Ravi S. Iyer: Spiritual

Here's a very interesting article in The Hindu today, The problematics of genetics and the Aryan issue, by Michel Danino, http://www.thehindu.com/opinion/op-ed/the-problematics-of-genetics-and-the-aryan-issue/article19165320.ece , 29th June 2017. Ravi: Great to see Michel Danino rebut Tony Joseph's article. My belief is that the Hindu avatar Rama lived in Indian sub-continent around 20,000 years ago. Tony Joseph's article uses strong words like genetic research converges "on an unambiguous answer: yes, they did" to the question whether Aryans (Indo-European language speakers) streamed into India around 2,000 BC - 1,500 BC! But then Tony Joseph in not a scientist, I believe. So his assertion need not be viewed as coming from knowledge-authority. While I did not understand the details of the genetics arguments put forward by Joseph and its rebuttal by Danino, it is clear that Danino has questioned the limited data set used to arrive at wide-ranging conclusions....

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. I planned to wait for a few more days before putting up this post. But something prompted me to put it up today evening itself. Day before yesterday (24th June) I had put up the post, "We should wait for a few days more for --Name1-snipped-- suicide case investigation status update", http://ravisiyer.blogspot.in/2017/06/we-should-wait-for-few-days-more-for.html . So far I don't think there has been any sharing of --Name1-snipped-- suicide investigation status update in local (Telugu) print or TV media. Over the past few days as I reflected about no further update on the matter, I felt that it is really upto --Name1-snipped--'s close kin on what should be done. That close kin would be her parents and any siblings, I guess. I also read somewhere that a cousin of hers is an alumnus of Sai university. I think it is upto these persons to decide w...

Yesterday night I was (re-)reading Shirdi Sai Satcharitra and came across the Moolay [Mule] Shastri experience account. Given below is the extract from Chapter 12 of Shirdi Sai Satcharitra having that account, http://www.saibaba.org/satcharitra/sai12.html (slightly edited for small typos and easier readability): Moolay [Mule] Shastri of Nasik An orthodox Agnihotri Brahmin of Nasik, by name Moolay Shastri, who had studied the six Shastras and was well-versed in astrology and palmistry, once came to Shirdi to see Mr. Bapusaheb Booty, the famous millionaire of Nagpur. After seeing him, he and others went to see Baba in the Masjid. Baba bought various fruits and other things from vendors with His own money, and distributed them to the persons present in the Masjid. Baba used to press the mango on all sides so skilfully that when any person received it from Baba and sucked it, he got all the pulp at once in his mouth and could throw away the stone and the skin forthwith. Plantains wer...

In my Facebook share of Ramana Maharishi post, https://www.facebook.com/RamanaMaharshi/photos/a.10151536385544631.1073741831.9944414630/10155380754839631/?type=3 , which has a pic of Ramana Maharishi with the message, "Absence of thoughts does not mean a blank. There must be one to know the blank." attributed to "Talk 245". My Facebook share, https://www.facebook.com/ravi.s.iyer.7/posts/1927271467489421 , dated 24th June 2017, of the above post, has the following share-comment of mine: Superb! In my initial intellectual (as against experiential) understanding of such mind states of absence of thought, I did get troubled by arguments against it as being a negative approach where one is being escapist and embracing a void. Later I understood that it is not so. That when thoughts cease there is another awareness which was always there even when the mind was full of thoughts, but which one was not aware of (I think the pun is appropriate here). So when the thou...

Here's the video (an enhanced version of the original film video): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hx1EDw4jQCY , 3 min 4 secs. This is a Marathi Bhakti (Devotion) song that I have heard countless times, on radio and perhaps elsewhere too, as I was growing up in Mumbai and in Dombivli (town near Mumbai) (I was born in early 1960s), and has stayed in my mind as one of my favourite Bhakti songs. It is from the Marathi film 'Amhi Jato Amuchya Gava' released in 1968, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aamhi_Jato_Amuchya_Gava . The singer is Sudhir Phadke. My Marathi is middling type and I am badly out of touch for nearly fifteen years now since I moved to Puttaparthi, Andhra Pradesh from Maharashtra. So my translations given below of a few lines may have some mistakes. The song starts with the lines: "Dehachi tijori bhaktichacha theva Ughad daar deva aata ughad daar deva". I would translate that as: "Keep the valuables-locker of your body for Bhakti only/ma...

Note: I put up this post on my spiritual blog as the first two lines of the song mentioned below also can be interpreted in a human values/spiritual values sense. A 1952 Hindi film romantic-dance hit song which has stayed alive for generations. It certainly was very alive in the 1980s when I was a young adult. The first two lines of the song have been very catchy I think: "Bholi surat dil ke khote Naam bade aur darshan chote" which I would translate as "Innocent face (but) deceitful heart Big (in) name (& reputation) but small (in) reality" The original song with some touch-up of the video to improve it, I guess; video has a gap in the song: Bholi Soorat Dil Ke Khote | Albela Songs | Bhagwan Dada | Geeta Bali | C Ramchandra | Filmigaane, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H2uVRRFbJOU , 4 min. 34 secs. The same song redone recently in a movie released in 2016 (64 years later!): Bholi Surat | Ekk Albela | Video Song | Vidya Balan, https://www.youtube.c...

Given below are the contents of my recent Facebook post, https://www.facebook.com/ravi.s.iyer.7/posts/1926698500880051 : 'Pathetic' comment exchange led me to block somebody Just wanted to share with readers that last night I got into a comment exchange with a person (not a Facebook friend at that time), who is a Sai educational system alumna, who said I was pathetic (or words to that effect). In response, I told her that she was pathetic! This exchange happened on and in the context of my recent post, "Why are SAI social media activists SILENT on GREAT BETRAYAL by Sai university alumni-staff in period Jul 2011 to Nov. 2014, and COVER-UP & SILENCE thereafter?", https://www.facebook.com/ravi.s.iyer.7/posts/1926134624269772 dated 22-Jun-2017. I have since deleted these comment exchanges. Given that we had such negative views about each other, I felt it best to block that person on Facebook to prevent further "pathetic" exchanges :-). I do realiz...

Given below are comments I made on a Facebook post that shared this Facebook video, A Sikh prayer for America, Breathe and push: Sikh-American civil rights advocate Valarie Kaur's plea to her country in the times of Donald J. Trump., https://www.facebook.com/scroll.in/videos/1307124816037062/ , around 6 mins. [Note that as I have not provided the comments of the other person I was having this exchange with, readers will have to tolerate some lack of context while reading my comments below. Readers may please feel free to skip reading the post if that bothers them.] Ravi S. Iyer wrote: A very moving video! Thanks for sharing! I pray to Almighty God to shower His Grace on the USA and bring peace, love and joy to it. ---- Ravi S. Iyer wrote (slightly edited): --Name-snipped--, Undoubtedly the USA is going through a challenging period now where it needs more & more practice of Sathya (Truth), Dharma (Ethical living), Shanti (Peace) and Prema (Love). I don't know abo...

Last edited on 21-Apr-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. Today we have many Sathya Sai social media activists on Facebook attacking Muddenahalli group left, right and centre. They call them demonic. They call them BIG SCAMSTERS. They say they are going to run brothels and use that money to fund their social service activites - and when questioned to provide evidence for their brothels charge, they talk about sarcasm! I recently wrote publicly on Facebook (and blog) that I have a nuanced stand whereby (there may be minor differences in text and elaboration between what I have written below and my earlier stand but the intent is the same): a) I condemn their leader Madhusudan Naidu for going against Bhagavan's teachings by claiming to be a so called communicator and their leader Narasimhamurthy for going against Bhagavan's teachings by having claimed earlier to be a dream-instructio...

Last updated on 21-Jun-2017 1) I am NOT convinced that Muddenahalli group people are evil and demonic and are swindlers. Yes, some benefit of the money would be there for some leaders. But I can't view them as scamsters. So far at least I have not seen that evidence. 2) I am not willing to tar their entire free medical service to the poor as well as free educational service to the poor, as entirely Adharmic and therefore worthy of condemnation. It is not black & white for me but levels of gray. It may be a black and white picture to some. That's fine with me. We can simply politely agree to disagree. Note that Muddenahalli group have not had a single illegal funds collection charge proven against them anywhere in the world, as of now and as far as I know. I mean, it is not as if they are using illegal drug money or gambling racket or prostitution racket or extortion racket money and using their free service to society work as a cover to hide their illegal work. 3) T...

Last updated on 20-Jun-2017 Terry Reis Kennedy's post, https://www.facebook.com/terry.reiskennedy/posts/10213505788817915 dated June 16th 2017, had earlier stated that Muddenahalli group DID NOT MENTION name of Sathya Sai at the Harvard campus non-academic event on June 14th. She has since changed the post contents to say that HUGE MENTION of the name of Sathya Sai was made by Muddenahalli group! A video was shown of both official Sathya Sai orgn. institutions as well as Muddenahalli group Sathya Sai institutions like Sanjeevani hospital(s) without explaining that they are different set of institutions managed by two distinctly different groups which do not see eye-to-eye, and are fighting a court case in India. Now I had not noted the changes in the above mentioned post (of Terry). I came to know of it only a little while back through some other message from somebody else. I came to know from this other source that the Muddenahalli group speakers at the event INCLUDING Pr...

I recall hearing one discourse of my beloved and revered Gurudev, Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba, live sitting in Sai Kulwanth Hall, where Bhagavan sang of Sahanamu - Tolerance. He sang about how great a quality it is that Bharatiyas (Indians) have (referring to tolerance). Prior to listening to that discourse, I was of the view that tolerance of Indians of injustice of various kinds, in general, was too much and so was a flaw. Bhagavan praising the quality of tolerance so much on that day in a public discourse changed my view. I felt that I needed to make an effort to not only become more tolerant of others but also revere, I repeat, revere, tolerance as a sacred spiritual virtue. I tried looking up discourses of Bhagavan on tolerance. Here's one of them: http://www.sssbpt.info/ssspeaks/volume38/sss38-04.pdf , 8th Mar. 2005 (Sivaratri evening discourse). Given below is a short extract from it which is the English translation of the verse with which Bhagavan started the disc...

[Note: I have put this post up in my spiritual blog as, unfortunately, suicides do happen in ashram systems too.] The New York Times Facebook video, https://www.facebook.com/nytimes/videos/1875362036014643/ , dated 17-Jun-2017 (by Indian Standard Time), around 1 min 45 secs, seems to capture the key part of the court judge's verdict in a case of involuntary manslaughter in the USA associated with a suicide. I think such a case in the Indian legal context would be viewed as abetment of suicide. The lady, Michelle Carter, was charged with egging her boyfriend to commit suicide by Carbon Monoxide poisoning in a 'truck' through text messages and phone calls in 2014. ['Truck' in USA is also used to refer to pickups that have an open load bed that may be only slightly larger than normal cars, besides it ('truck') referring to the large load carrying vehicles that are referred to as lorry in India.] The case seems to have been tried in Taunton, Massachusetts, ...

Last updated on 20-Jun-2017 Given below are the contents of my recent Facebook post, https://www.facebook.com/ravi.s.iyer.7/posts/1923175077899060 . I have expressed my nuanced stand about Muddenahalli group many times in my posts over the past slightly more than two years. Today I had some discussion which has prompted me to repeat my nuanced stand. I have publicly praised Muddenahalli group's social service activities (health related as well as education related) in the past. I continue to be appreciative of these services of theirs. I wish them all the very best in these social service activities, especially medical services offered free to the poor and needy. But with Madhusudan Rao Naidu (and Sri Narasimhamurthy with his dream instructions earlier) my problem is that they are GOING AGAINST the teachings of Sathya Sai with their dream instructions claims and communicator claims, and misguiding  so many Sathya Sai devotees all over the world that they are passing on...

Last updated on 19-Jun-2017 UPDATE on 19-Jun-2017: I came to know only a little while back that Muddenahalli group DID mention name of Sathya Sai many times, in the Harvard event on 14th June 2017 The Facebook post  https://www.facebook.com/terry.reiskennedy/posts/10213505788817915  dated 16th June 2017 of Terry Reis Kennedy reflects that now (it was modified significantly from what it was when I first read and shared it). But I had not noted that change in the post. I came to know of it only a little while back through some other message from somebody else. As far as I know, one saving grace is that Madhusudan Rao Naidu did not speak at the event claiming to be a communicator/medium of Sathya Sai. Hmm. So Muddenahalli group has IGNORED the legal notice Attorney Robert Baskin sent them. Perhaps they are daring him and the USA Sai orgn. he represents to challenge them (Muddenahalli group) for UNAUTHORISED USAGE of name of Sathya Sai in a USA court of law. Let us see w...

Last updated on 16th June 2017 I had asked Terry Reis Kennedy some questions on the lines of: "Did Madhusudan Rao Naidu speak at Harvard University yesterday? If so, were his words projected as words of Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba?" on her post, https://www.facebook.com/terry.reiskennedy/posts/10213501386427858 . Given below are relevant parts of her response and my comments in response to that. Terry Reis Kennedy wrote (partial comment): Thank you , Ravi S. Iyer, The program was a collection of speakers from all over the world coming to speak about their individual projects that need financial support. There was nothing to do with GOD in these talks. Strictly business. It was sponsored by the Hope Collaborative which seems to basically fund anything that mentions poor people.....One of the co-founders of this collective is Kevin Sheehan .. ---end partial comment of Terry --- Ravi S. Iyer wrote: Thank you so much Terry Reis Kennedy for the clarification. 1) So o...

Last updated on 16th June 2017 Given below is a recent comment on mine on Terry Reis Kennedy's Facebook post, https://www.facebook.com/terry.reiskennedy/posts/10213501386427858 dated 15th June 2017, which states that Madhusudan Rao Naidu was on Harvard campus yesterday. I (Ravi) wrote: Thanks for sharing this update Terry Reis Kennedy. An earlier post of Terry indicated that Harvard was just renting out the facility to Muddenahalli group supporters, and Harvard also raised some issue of its name being WRONGLY mentioned or something like that (wrong contextually, I guess) in the advertisement. What I would like to know was whether any academic department of Harvard associated officially with this Muddenahalli group event. In particular, was any faculty/professor of the Harvard Divinity School involved in this event? Here's the list of faculty/professors of HDS, https://hds.harvard.edu/faculty-research/faculty-of-divinity (3 pages). Diana Eck, Professor of Comparati...

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. The recent tragic suicide of the young lady, --Name1-snipped--, has been very disturbing for many in Puttaparthi, including me. As far as I can recall, it has been the first such case of loss of life in this manner by a staff (she had resigned in March 2017, so technically ex-staff) of Prasanthi Nilayam, since I moved to Puttaparthi in Oct. 2002. I think I can say that many in Puttaparthi, including me for sure, are deeply sorrowful over this tragic incident. I personally would like to go further and seek forgiveness from the parents, other relatives and friends of --Name1-snipped-- for what happened to her in Prasanthi Nilayam ashram, Puttaparthi, the abode of the Avatar of Love, the Avatar of Help Ever Hurt Never, Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba. I do not know what really led her to take this drastic and tragic step of gi...

Last updated on 20th Nov. 2018 The contents of my recent Facebook post, https://www.facebook.com/ravi.s.iyer.7/posts/1921305678086000 , are given below: This post is based on a recent comment of mine elsewhere. I apologize to readers for not mentioning the name of the person referred to in the post below. That's because the matter referred to has not been confirmed officially though I have received the news from multiple quarters. --Name-snipped--, I appreciate the words of love and friendship you have expressed for the person who seems to have recently lost his job in Prasanthi Nilayam. That is so good of you bro. I don't know how many people will express such love and friendship for the person publicly on social media. Given what I experienced when I was forced out of the Sai university in period July 2011 to March 2012, I doubt many people in Prasanthi Nilayam system will dare to say anything publicly supporting him. As I digest this situation now, I am compelled t...