Ravi S. Iyer: Spiritual

I recently watched a video where a quite well known Conservative values speaker in the USA, Mr. Glenn Beck, was focusing on the phrase, "firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence" in the founding documents of the USA. The speaker also claimed that he places a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence for his business activities (radio talk show host, book writer and more). I found it quite interesting that USA founding documents had such content, and so decided to do some reading up on it. It is the USA Declaration of Independence on July 4th 1776, that has this phrase as well as some very lofty phrases. This document seems to be main formal document with names & signatures where the leaders of the American revolutionaries wanting independence from their then ruler, Great Britain, openly and boldly proclaimed their independence and seem to have indicated their willingness to fight a war of independence with Great Britain to protect/achieve their i...

Last updated on 29th Sept. 2016 A correspondent from a foreign country (not India) wrote the following to me over email (slightly edited; correspondent was OK with public sharing): --Name-snipped-- claims that Prashanti Nilayam is losing its glory. What does he base this on? When did he last come to Prashanti Nilayam? What facts did he observe that led him to this conclusion? I’ve been to Prashanti Nilayam more recently than --name-snipped-- and found the Divine Glory of the Avatar’s abode just as powerful as when Swami was physically present. Not only that, when our youth went for the World Youth Festival they came back filled with stories of Swami’s miracles which they experienced in Prashanti Nilayam, including having His darshan. Yet --name-snipped-- and his ‘friends’ and ‘sources’ in Puttaparthi see only human dramas and politicking. How sad for them. To be in the holiest place on earth and utterly waste that rare and Divinely granted opportunity. Swami said that the world...

Firstly, I am NOT a supporter of Muddenahalli group. I publicly write that belief in so called communicator, Madhusudan Rao Naidu, is a FALSE BELIEF, and write against the SERIOUS DIVISIVE THREAT Muddenahalli group has become for Sathya Sai movement worldwide. However, I would like to keep a balanced and truthful stand, and so am putting up this post. Today I had a meeting and conversation with an elder who interacts with Shri B.N. Narasimhamurthy at Muddenahalli. Recently I saw a photograph (see attached pic) of somebody doing Sashtanga Namaskar to Shri B.N. Narasimhamurthy sir (BNNM) and was wondering whether BNNM had now acquired a Swami kind of stature among Muddenahalli group. I frankly asked this elder about it. The elder dismissed it and said that, in this matter, BNNM is like the warden (sir) that he was before Mahasamadhi and that he speaks to people with love and respect. In fact, the elder shared with me that in end 2012 he himself wanted to do Sashtanga Namaskar to ...

Last updated on 28th Sept. 2016 Given below is a comment I made on Mr. Ganti's Facebook post, https://www.facebook.com/notes/vr-ganti/is-prashanthi-nilayam-losing-alebit-slowly-its-glory/10207607441408766 . I live in outside ashram Puttaparthi and am not associated with any Sai institution in Puttaparthi (or elsewhere) since March 2012. Prior to that I was offering free service in the Sai university from Jan. 2003 to Mar. 2012 with designations of Honorary Staff, Honorary Faculty and Visiting Faculty. Mr. Ganti writes, "I am told that the entire town of PUTTAPARTHI is gripped by FEAR and people are, just not only hesitant but are afraid to voice their views. When will PARTHI VASIYO (residents of Parthi) get freedom is the question I have." I am NOT gripped by FEAR!!! Mr. Ganti seems to live in some imaginary world of his when he uses such words. However, I do not typically publicly criticize Sri Sathya Sai Central Trust or Swami family members. This is how it ...

7 Jun. 2024: Some sensitive content has been snipped. Given below is a comment (slightly edited) I made on Facebook post, https://www.facebook.com/notes/vr-ganti/chethna-garu-did-she-realize-her-mistake-and-come-back-to-parthi-for-good/10207594525325872  [Swami refers to Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba]: --Name-snipped--, Since you have tagged me in a comment, I am responding. Otherwise I would not have liked to respond to this matter. My stand on Muddenahalli group belief in so called communicator, Madhusudan Rao Naidu, that it is a FALSE BELIEF, is a public and clear stand. Further, my stand is that office bearers of official Sai orgn. should not associate with Muddenahalli group, and that is also the official Sai orgn. stand, I believe. --snip-- Of course, it would be wonderful if Smt. Chetana Raju, as an important Swami family member, clearly states her stand publicly. That will help Sai fraternity to know whether she continues to be a supporter of Muddenahalli group and a...

A correspondent passed on this very interesting article from the leading science journal, Nature, titled, Religion and science can have a true dialogue, http://www.nature.com/news/religion-and-science-can-have-a-true-dialogue-1.20627 , dated 22nd Sept. 2016 A short extract from it: They [group of UK church leaders] were frustrated by the task of engaging seriously with science against the backdrop of a popular narrative of science–faith conflict that pervades contemporary culture. Too often, this simplistic claimed tension is used in the media, for instance, to pigeonhole ethical arguments from (even highly scientifically literate) religious figures as being relevant only to those ‘of faith’, rather than expressing a broader concern for human welfare. --- end short extract ---

How sensitive the topic of abortion is in the USA can be sensed from this article where a pastor advises his congregation to vote for the Republican party as its platform is against abortion: [Please note that this is a sensitive matter. Readers who prefer to avoid reading about such sensitive matters may please skip reading the remaining part of this post.] From the Heart of a Pastor: What I Am Telling My Congregation About the Election, http://www.charismanews.com/politics/opinion/59867-from-the-heart-of-a-pastor-what-i-am-telling-my-congregation-about-the-election , dated Sept. 13th 2016. Please note that I have a PUBLICLY NEUTRAL informal-student-observer role in these posts that I put up about the USA presidential elections. Of course, as I am an Indian citizen living in India, there is no question of me voting in these elections. ------------------------------------------------- Ravi: I find abortion to be a very complex topic from a spiritual point of view. I don't...