Ravi S. Iyer: Spiritual

Above picture is of the samadhi of Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba in Sai Kulwant Hall, Prasanthi Nilayam (Puttaparthi), with recently added gold Sarva Dharma symbol and ornamental engravings. Pic courtesy: Anand Raghupathy, Facebook user. His post has been Facebook-shared by me here: https://www.facebook.com/ravi.s.iyer.7/posts/1733968976819672 , dated April 26th 2016. The share has a few more pics of the gold engravings. The Sarva Dharma (All Religions) symbol (logo) is explained in detail on the Sri Sathya Sai Central Trust (SSSCT) website Unity of Faiths page, http://www.srisathyasai.org.in/pages/his_teachings/Unity_of_Faiths.htm . The logo is shown on the top left of the page. I have given below a clearer image of the Sarva Dharma logo (courtesy: https://saiprema.files.wordpress.com/2011/11/sai-symbol.jpg ). I think the Sarva Dharma symbol engraved on the Mahasamadhi of Bhagavan in the picture above is similar to the Sarva Dharma symbol in the SSSCT webpage mentioned above a...

Last modified on 20th April 2020 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. Given below is a modified version of an email response of mine to a similar question raised by a correspondent. I faced a similar problem in 2011-12. Let me first tell you about the picture then even if some of my info. below is repetition. I went through my main trauma from Jul 2011 to around Jun 2012, when I had direct experience of the way Sai university became the KINGDOM of --Name1-snipped-- and those who collaborated with him. I saw that veterans like Prof. Anilkumar Kamaraju and Prof. Krupanidhi who were treated very well by Swami (Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba), were now treated very badly by then vice-chancellor --Name1-snipped-- and Registrar --Name2-snipped--, the two Hitler-Stalins of the Sai university after Mahasamadhi. Of course, I too was treated very badly by these two fellows and the DMACS HOD, --Name3-sni...

Last updated on 30th April 2016 In the Aradhana function (Mahasamadhi day function) held in Prasanthi Nilayam (Puttaparthi) on 24th April 2016, the morning program had a discourse clip of Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba where Bhagavan is very critical of wealth and power craze (Artha trishti adhikaara drishti) of people today. This can be viewed from around 2:25:30 in the video, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h09a02UdDpc , Aradhana Mahotsavam Morning Programme - 24 Apr 2016. I tried to locate the discourse text (English) corresponding to this discourse using Google search on sssbpt.info but failed to locate it. It seems to be a birthday discourse as Bhagavan is wearing a white robe. So if somebody shares which year the discourse was given, it should be easy to locate the discourse text. While doing this Google search on sssbpt.info I came across this very interesting discourse of Bhagavan on similar lines, http://www.sssbpt.info/ssspeaks/volume17/sss17-12.pdf . The pdf document s...

From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Venkaiah_Naidu : Muppavarapu Venkaiah Naidu (born 1 July 1949) is an Indian politician serving as the Union Minister of Urban Development, Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation and Parliamentary Affairs in the Narendra Modi government. A prominent leader of the Bharatiya Janata Party, he has also served as its national president from 2002 to 2004. Earlier, he was the Union Cabinet Minister for Rural Development in the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government. ... Both as a student leader and political figure, Venkaiah Naidu gained prominence as a brilliant orator, who vigorously championed the cause of the farmers and the development of backward areas. His oratory skills and political activism propelled his political career and he was elected as an MLA to the Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly twice from Udayagiri constituency in Nellore district in 1978 and 1983. He rose to become one of the most popular leaders of the BJP in Andhra Pradesh. ... Follow...

An extract from discourse of Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba on 7-4-1997, http://www.sssbpt.info/ssspeaks/volume30/sss30-08.pdf : Everyone goes about trying to see what he can get from society. Today, thanks to the influence of the Kali Age, two kinds of diseases have grown. One is the insatiable thirst for wealth. In every city there is a mad rush for making money. Everyone is caught up in this craze for money. No doubt money is necessary, but only up to a limit to meet one's needs. Owing to excessive desire people lose all sense of proportion. Men turn into demons in the pursuit of wealth. It may be asked whether at least they make good use of their immense wealth. No, ultimately, the money may fall in the hands of robbers or others. What you get from society, give it back to society. That is the primary value to be cherished by every one. The second malady is the thirst for power. The thirst for power and position is unquenchable. Afflicted with these two maladies man is co...

Given below is an extract from the book, The life and teachings of Sai Baba of Shirdi by Antonio Rigopoulos. The extract is from the chapter titled, HIS LAST THREE YEARS, page 233 and can be viewed in Google Books here, https://books.google.co.in/books?id=8cMAumAoZe0C&pg=PA233 : Ramalingaswami offers some important information about Baba's last years: When the Almighty Shri Sai Baba was in flesh and blood, there were other Sai Babas. One Sai Baba was in Kopargaon, called as Kopargaon Sai Baba. One Sai Baba was in Bandra called as Bandra Sai Baba. One Sai Baba was in Nagpur called Nagpur Sai Baba. They were all telling their devotees that they were Shri Sai Baba, thereby making their own ends meet. Even knowing all their acts and affairs, Baba tolerated and allowed them to go on in their own way as he pretty well knew the ins and outs of their actions. Gradually, all [Ravi: these other] Sai Babas vanished without leaving trace. [Ravi: end of Ramalingaswami's account] ...

Please skip reading this post if you prefer not to read about this tragic accident. http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/andhra-pradesh/woman-crushed-to-death-in-puttaparthi/article8501215.ece , dated April 21st 2016 An extract from the article: According to the police, as she was about to go for Seva, she stepped into the lift cavity accidentally, believing that the lift had stopped at her floor. As she stepped into the cavity, she plunged down to the ebb of the cavity severely injuring herself, even as the lift came down on her in the space of a few seconds, killing her on the spot. --- end extract --- Ravi: Elevator system maintenance (including door locks when the elevator is not on the floor corresponding to the door) is a serious challenge in Puttaparthi. One needs to ensure that regular (monthly ) elevator maintenance (which will check for these problems) is done by experienced and capable maintenance persons. ======================================= Given below ar...