Ravi S. Iyer: Spiritual

Last updated on 1-Aug-2017 Given below is a recent comment exchange I had on a Facebook post discussing the sensitive among Hindus issue of Shiva lingam being interpreted/misinterpreted as a genital organ. The Facebook post on which the comments were exchanged is not public but it is a share of this public post about the Shiva lingam interpretation/misinterpretation: https://www.facebook.com/Mahadevlok/photos/a.222432907885876.48201.221487684647065/1289472541181902/ dated 28th July 2017. C Andrew Barker wrote (and was OK with public sharing; slightly edited): Not sure what all the fuss is about. Lingam means phallus in Sanskrit, but hopefully not many rational people think of a penis when they see a Shivalingam. Being as how genitalia is the quickest way to distinguish masculine and feminine attributes, it make sense to have a Lingam representing Siva/purusha and yoni representing shakti/prakrti. Is there something inherently negative or evil about human genitalia in Hindu cult...

Please note that this post is copy-pasted from  http://ravisiyermisc.blogspot.in/2017/07/arvind-kejriwal-denies-asking-lawyer.html  on 28-Jul-2017. I felt it appropriate to put a copy of that post in this spiritual blog as this blog does have some truthful, I repeat truthful, criticism of some named persons, most of whom are Indian citizens. Such persons do have the option of filing a defamation case against me in India but which I think will not stand in an Indian court of law as I am sure that my criticism of them is within what is permissible under India's freedom of speech and defamation laws. Also if they do file a defamation case against me I will surely consider filing counter defamation cases against those of them (who file a defamation case against me) who have maligned me and also record-tampering case against those of them who have done record-tampering against me. Whistle-blowing with an intent of long-term good surely has its risks with defamation case being one ...

Given below are the contents of my Facebook post, https://www.facebook.com/ravi.s.iyer.7/posts/1943757079174193 , dated today, 25-Jul-2017. [Note that this shares another Facebook post, most of whose contents are provided below.] May Bhagavan keep showering His Grace on the soul of V. Srinivasan sir! In the crucial first few years after Mahasamadhi (April 2011), V. Srinivasan sir seems to have played a key role as a senior trustee of SSSCT as well as the All India President of Sathya Sai orgn. to keep the Indian Sathya Sai orgn. ship stable as it faced enormous divisive challenges. I do clearly recall that in the first public media/press conference held by SSSCT in Prasanthi Nilayam a few months after Mahasamadhi, it was V. Srinivasan sir who was the leader taking on the very aggressive media questions then. I think that really showed great courage as well as determined leadership in the face of tremendous challenges. I think we Sathya Sai devotees owe V.Srinivasan sir a great deb...

I recently saw some pics of small children with Madhusudan Naidu (MN) where the small children were looking at him with worshipful eyes. Two of such pics are given below in this post. MN is signing a book for a boy on a page having Swami pic! He surely would have signed like Sathya Sai Baba. Another pic which is given below has an elder touching his head on the floor near the feet of MN. But one can see students behind him. These young students will consider that elder's behaviour, especially if he is a teacher in their school, as the way they should revere MN! That's it! These children will probably spend ten to fifteen years of their young life in MDH group free educational institutions revering MN as Sathya Sai. After that sort of long-term brain-washing, I guess at least a significant number of these children will, in their adult life, either continue to revere MN as Sathya Sai or be thoroughly CONFUSED about Sathya Sai. What a great spiritual tragedy! Th...

Last updated on 21-Jul-2017 My comment on my Facebook share of post given below: Perhaps the first big step in the establishment of a mission Headquarters for Sathya Sai - the donation of 33 cents land in 1945 (72 years ago) by Karanam Subbamma for the Old Mandir! In public discourses that I have had the privilege to hear live sitting in Sai Kulwant Hall, Swami always had words of praise and love for Karanam Subamma. What a great donor-soul Karanam Subbamma was and how great was her love for the young Sathya Sai (who at that time would surely have had many detractors even in Puttaparthi village who would have been jealous of the importance being given to the young (boy) Sathya Sai)! --- end my comment --- From https://www.facebook.com/OldMandirPuttaparthi/posts/654030538120281 On this day in 1945 Karanam Subbamma donated 33 cents of land in Puttaparthi to young Sri Sathya Sai Baba. On this land was built the First Residence....The Old Mandir. =====================...

Given below is a modified version of a comment I made elsewhere, which I felt may be useful to some readers of my posts: Hindu astrologers refer to those whose destiny is to become a sannyasi (monk) as "sannyasa yogam" which I think translates to "good fortune of being a monk". However, in my considered opinion, vairagya (detachment/dispassion) from worldly temptations including name & fame is absolutely vital for anybody who wants to lead such a life. Many spiritual aspirants may strongly aspire to be a sannyasi but not really have the vairagya from worldly temptations to become one. I am given to understand that traditional Hindu ashrams having an order of sannyasis/monks, have a testing stage which I believe can be for some years, where a person is ordained first as a Brahmachaari. If the senior monks of the order, and the person himself, are convinced during these years of testing that the person has demonstrated that he is fit to be ordained as a sannyas...

The two pics below, taken from this ravisiyer.blogspot.com blog today, give the details. Note that the second pic above gives the top ten countries from whom visits have been made to this ravisiyer.blogspot.com blog.

This post is copy-pasted from https://ravisiyermisc.blogspot.com/2017/07/the-dangers-of-xyz-countrys-president.html  on 17-Jul-2017. Note: XYZ refers to a particular country which I do not want to name. I would say that XYZ country's president seems to be getting into Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD) which seems to be getting HUGELY ENABLED by a support base that wants an Emperor to rule the country as per their wishes & agenda (as against a democratic President accountable to democratic checks & balances institutions of the country). My traumatic experience of NPD type people whose NPD got into full blown mode after they found themselves in UNACCOUNTABLE positions of power in the Sathya Sai ashram system (based in Puttaparthi, Andhra Pradesh, India) including the Sathya Sai university (Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Learning), after Sathya Sai's passing away (in April 2011), is that these NPD types think they have a god-given right to dominate over an...

I think the current period has become a great test for truth-lovers, truth-seekers and truth-tellers in the USA. I pray to Almighty God to give strength and courage to these truth-lovers, truth-seekers and truth-tellers in the USA. Those who endure this period without losing their dedication to the truth, will, I am sure, emerge much stronger in their dedication to the truth. I look forward to celebrating, somewhere down the line, the return of truth in the USA. India's national motto is "Sathyameva Jayate" which means "Truth alone triumphs" and comes from one of the Upanishads, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Satyameva_Jayate . It is a revered mantra for most Hindus, even if many of them fail to live up to its calling. I am sure that in the USA too, truth will eventually emerge triumphant and this dark period where truth is painted as fake/falsehood, will go away. During the period that the Sai university came under the HIJACK of the dream-instruction medium...

From Shri (Shirdi) Sai Satcharita, Chapters 18 & 19, http://www.saibaba.org/satcharitra/sai18_19.html (slightly edited to fix what seems to be typo kind of errors): Baba's Advice Regarding our Behaviour The following words of Baba are of general welfare and invaluable. If they are kept in mind and acted upon, they will always do you good. "Unless there is some relationship or connection, nobody goes anywhere. If any men or creatures come to you, do not discourteously drive them away, but receive them well and treat them with due respect. Shri Hari (God) will be certainly pleased if you give water to the thirsty, bread to the hungry, clothes to the naked, and your verandah to strangers for sitting and resting. If anybody wants any money from you, and you are not inclined to give, do not give, but do not bark at him like a dog. Let anybody speak hundreds of things against you, do not resent by giving any bitter reply. If you always tolerate such things, you will certai...

I was informed that the younger brother of Madhusudan Rao Naidu, Dr. (Ph.D.) Hanumantha (Hanu) Rao Naidu is getting married (or has already got married) today. I offer my congratulations and best wishes, as well as prayers to Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba for a happy married life to brother Hanu and his (would-be) wife. Hanu was my student for software Lab. courses in the Dept. of Mathematics and Computer Science (DMACS) of the Sai university (Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Learning), and later became a junior faculty (teacher) colleague doing teaching as well as research (as against some who did mainly research and were designated research scholars). I have had many happy interactions with him. He came into "form" with Bhagavan (physical form) and happily shared some details of his interactions with Bhagavan with me (and others), without any "form boy" arrogance. Hanu and I have even jointly taught a C++ programming course in DMACS (to M.Sc. students). I ...

These words, "Daivam manusha rupena, Sathya Sai Mahadev!" capture in a short phrase, the essence of my view of Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba based on my experience of him (at physical form level). My translation of these words in English: "Divine in human form, Great Divine figure Sathya Sai!" The word 'dev' means god in the sense of a being that is endowed with supernatural divine power, but which is different from Absolute Brahman which is God at a higher formless and attributeless (nirgun niraakaar) level. Interestingly today's (10th July 2017) Sai Inspires from Prasanthi Nilayam, Puttaparthi has Swami's words on "Daivam manusha rupena". From http://media.radiosai.org/sai_inspires/2017/SI_20170710.htm : Little minds with no faith may argue that God cannot come as a human being. Man can never describe or delineate the formless and the attributeless, the one beyond qualities. It is only by means of form and attributes that one can pr...

Above two pics are courtesy: https://www.facebook.com/RaviShankarPrasadOfficial/photos/pcb.10155423093998329/10155423077588329 Above two pics are stills captured from video mentioned below. From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ravi_Shankar_Prasad : Ravi Shankar Prasad (born 30 August 1954) is an Indian lawyer, politician and the current Union Minister holding Law and Justice and Ministry of Information Technology (India) portfolio in the Government of India. A member of the Bharatiya Janata Party, Prasad represents the state of Bihar as a Member of Parliament in the Rajya Sabha. During the NDA Government under Atal Bihari Vajpayee's prime ministership, Prasad held the position of Minister of State in the Ministry of Coal and Mines, the Ministry of Law and Justice, and the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting. He is also a designated senior advocate in the Supreme Court of India. --- extracts from wiki page of Shri Prasad --- Shri Ravi Shankar Prasad, H...

As tomorrow (9th July 2017) is Gurupurnima, I felt it appropriate to share some words about Guru from (Shirdi) Sai Satcharita. Above pic: Bhagavan Sri Shirdi Sai Baba Given below are extracts (slightly edited to fix what seems to be typo type errors) from Chapter 18 & 19 of Shri (Shirdi) Sai Satcharita, http://www.saibaba.org/satcharitra/sai18_19.html , dealing with Guru. [Hemadpant's (Govind Raghunath Dabholkar, author of Shri (Shirdi) Sai Satcharita) words about sharing Shirdi Sai Baba's teachings:] The Sadguru is like a monsoon cloud. He pours down profusely, i.e., scatters widely his nectar-like teachings. These, we should enjoy and assimilate to our heart's content; and then serve others with them, without any reserve. ... [Hemadpant's words again:] Like a loving mother forcing bitter but wholesome medicines down the throats of her children for the sake of their health, Sai Baba imparted spiritual instructions to His devotees. His method was not v...