Issue 260 - January 16, 2022 |
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ātmano mokshārtam
(Emancipation of one’s self)
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On this very auspicious saṅkrānti day, where saṅkrānti is the moment when the sun starts rising northwards, upwards. It is a very important festival in our country. Across the country, from North to South and from East to West, everybody celebrates this event because this festival brings light and warmth. After a cold winter, it brings a longer day with the warmer weather. People come out and do their chores with new energy. Sun is known as a source of energy. It brings a new energy and enthusiasm in the lives of people to take upon new endeavors in their lives. It could be studies, a new project, building new houses, marriage, etc. I would call it the saṅkrānti movement in our healthcare mission because for so long we have been running hospitals, absolutely free-of-cost, with high quality care. What's next? What's new on a saṅkrānti day? The new is that healthcare is not just being now the field of delivery, but it also the field of education that we're going to get into, which is the first of its kind. So, the inspiration for this comes to us from several of those stalwarts of doctors who have worked in Sai Mission for decades and have given their everything for the sake of fulfilling the wish that all should have access to free quality healthcare, irrespective of caste, creed, economic or social status. So, one such a project in the early 70s was undertaken by the very devoted and very capable and efficient, doctor Dr C Rajeswari. When we thought of building a medical college where the next generation can be trained as doctors, the first thing that occurred to me, and rightfully so, was that of Dr C Rajeswari. It is not because Mr C Sreenivas is a part of the healthcare mission, not because he is always in front of our eyes and in our minds. She was a person of a great calibre, somebody who was willing to sacrifice for the sake of the greater good of society. She was a woman of substance. She was a woman, as in today's parlance they say, has broke many glass ceilings in her career. In those early 60s and 70s, she had worked and rubbed shoulders with the best of the physicians in the world. For such a lady, who was at the peak of her career, to leave everything and come to a remote rural hamlet of Whitefield is remarkable. She came, set up and what started as a small clinic, where she was cleaner, compounder, the doctor, the one dispensing medicines, a counsellor, etc., you name it. It can be called as ‘One-man or One-woman army’, in this case. Until her last breath, she worked for the welfare of the people. Not even for a day she would take off. That is why she was known as ‘amma’. People would fondly call her ‘doctor amma’.
She became doctor and mother to all. It feels like our own kith and kin and not somebody who’s waiting to fleece us with the false diagnosis, unnecessary tests and unwanted procedures. But somebody who really wants to work for the welfare of the world. I think that is the inspiration for this medical college and the building. I’m sure the generations of students who will join here, will derive inspiration from such stalwarts. I'm so glad that this is happening on a saṅkrānti day because both festival wise as well as from the point of view of a philosophy of transcending the ordinary and entering the realms of extraordinary, is true saṅkrānti. This is what we are doing now. Giving free healthcare seems ordinary to me now. It is a habit for me, which may be puzzling or perplexing many people outside who ask—How do we do it? What is the model? What is the source of sustenance? To all of them, how do we explain to them that love is everything for us? And if you truly live in that love, everything just happens. How do we explain to the world which does not understand what love is? Due to this the ongoing work has become a regular and ordinary for us? The extraordinary thing is to transcend from this level to the next, which is to provide this facility of gaining a good quality medical education for free, making it accessible to the poor and the needy in the remote rural areas of the country. As we know, it’s not a level playing field at this point in time when it comes to medical education. People who have been educated in English medium schools in cities have access to coaching, and some guidance. They are better prepared to crack the exams and get into a medical college or those who have enough wealth to pay for it can also get into that. But the real India lives in its villages. That's where patients are, and that's where we need doctors. How can an urban doctor go to a rural village and work? Very few people would do that. You can't take one or two example and generalise it. It doesn't happen this way. So, we have to pick up our children from the rural areas, give them whatever is required. We will have to provide them training, even to get into a medical college and once they get into our medical college, we have to give them enough inspiration and knowledge to go out as very efficient, good doctors with a compassionate heart which bleeds for the pain of others. They will put service before self, and that is how we will transform the society and the way healthcare is delivered, is received, taught and learnt.
Definitely, it is a step that nobody has taken so far and we are the first. There will be a lot of unknowns in this journey, but that should not frighten us or make us feel uncomfortable. Doing something which is never been done is an adventure and a challenge. It's fraught with fears. But more importantly, it's an adventure and life is all about an adventure. Take it like somebody, who conquers a big Himalayan peak. It's an adventure that an ordinary look. What kind of risk is that if you fall from that? If there is an avalanche, if something happens? For that mountain climber, it's an achievement, an adventure, so we must take it like an adventure.
उत्साहम साहसं धैर्यं बुद्धिः शक्तिः पराक्रमः |
Wherever these six qualities are present—utsāhaḥ (enthusiasm), sāhasaṃ (courage), dhairyaṃ (forbearance/patience), buddhiḥ (intelligence), śaktiḥ (strength) and parākramaḥ (a sense of adventure);
षडेते यत्र तिष्ठन्ति तत्र देव उपस्थितम ||
ṣaḍete yatra tishtanti tatra deva upasthitam ||
Wherever these six qualities are present, God Himself is present. We must manifest these qualities and this is our Himalayan peak to conquer. This is our summit that we must scale. To build an institution in record time in a remote village, which is going to provide high quality free medical care to all. And what better day to choose than to start on a saṅkrānti day. The word has krānti in it, which means a revolution. A revolution has changed the course of history of humankind. This is a revolution that is beginning today. And I must remind you, while you are as a team on the ground working here in a direct way, there are thousands of devotees from around the world who are supporting this noble cause, who also resonated with this idea that yes, it should be done. I think in the background of this COVID pandemic, it has become even more pronounced the need for such a college, it has become even more important. That's for a lot of people from around the world, I've been talking to them and telling them about this idea and they all have so well taken this idea and said they all will work for it. Everything has to come together. All are equally, partners in this great Mission. And it's not just about me or you, it's about all of us. And when we work together, only this can happen. So, for those who have come and advised me, why do you want to get into this another thing and it may or may not succeed? I want to prove them wrong, and I want to prove them wrong with your help because I alone can't do it. I want to tell them that no, it is possible. It can be done. Many people have advised me. Why don't you charge for some seats and make some seats free? Why do you do to do this? Subsidise a few. I directly declined to them. Education is basic, right? It should be made available to all for free. Just because you're born to a rich parent or a poorer parent, it shouldn’t be the reason why you should or should not get education. On this auspicious day, auspicious beginnings have happened. A new venture has started and it's a wonderful culmination of both the healthcare and education. Mr C Sreenivas is the representative of healthcare mission; Mr Narasimha Murthy is the representative of the education mission, and I am a representative of everybody. On this moment, both the verticals are coming together. While this college will be under the Sri Sathya Sai University for Human Excellence, which stands for the word ‘excellence’, which means the best that it can do. Nothing less than best would do. The children in the University are being trained already as teachers who have already shown great results in terms of going out and working in our own campuses and training their next generation, inspiring them. It's already yielding results. We have already succeeded there, which was an experiment that started a couple of years ago. So, with that confidence, we thought why it cannot be replicated in the healthcare side also. That is why this was contemplated upon and now it’s being executed. I must say that you are part of a great revolution in the history of health care in the history of mankind, and I cannot emphasise more about how privileged is each one of us to be a part of something like this. Where it will go from there - nobody can guess. How the childhood this and comes out and what it does to the world we never know. We can never assess the truly true impact of what we are doing today. But it is a bridge that is being made like the army of Sri Rama which had built the bridge to Lanka. I call the Reddy brothers (the Engineers for the Medical College), who helped me build bridges to connect the haves and the have nots; to connect those in need of medical care and those who can provide. And today, another bridge is being built between those who want to study medicine, but they can’t afford to. Those who can, who want to give education in medicine, but they are unable to get to the right people. It is building a bridge to connect both. Many more bridges will be built in the times to come.
I want to convey to all the devotees on this saṅkrānti day – like the sun that never stops rising every day and works selflessly for the sake of others; burns himself out to give light, life energy, warmth to thousands of beings, all creatures (small and big); and is never tires himself of doing good to others. saṅkrānti is about that sun. We worship that sun for what it does for the world in a silent way, consistently, perennially. We must derive inspiration from that sun god who doesn't mind burning himself. But I know one day the sun will be exhausted. It will become another dark black mass, bereft of all its heat and light. The give oneself away is the essence of life. To hold is death. To share is life. Sun is all about life on this Earth, and sun is all about sharing at any cost. We must derive some inspiration on this saṅkrānti from the sun god whom we worship on this day and try to lead our lives selflessly, fearlessly, which is being Divine. I define Divinity as selflessness and fearlessness. Anybody who is expressing these two qualities, they are already becoming Divine. This is a Mission that we have to be selfless. We can’t see the clock and work sometimes enough to keep our personal things, our personal priorities aside and work for the greater cause. I'm not saying you should spoil your health. You shouldn't be the first patient to be admitted. But at the same time, you will have to prioritise. Everything else in life at this moment. Even it means the loss of a little leisure or personal time, or maybe some finances here. Anything and everything is fine as long as we are able to execute this.
Second thing, I would also tell you that you must be fearless because you're doing something for the good of others and you should never be afraid. The great things have happened in this world, only by fearless people. Somebody had ventured out into the sea and found newer lands and created new countries. That is fearlessness. Everything is about fearlessness and the God by our side. We can afford to be selfless. We can afford to be fearless without efforts. Once again, I remember our most dearest Dr C Rajeswari amma and whose name adorns this edifice and whose life would continue to inspire many generations of medical professionals and in her memory, we dedicate this building and what better way to do it than on this auspicious day. I again wish you all very best for this wonderful venture and on behalf of everybody, I also want to convey gratitude to all of you for having taken up this task and to all the devotees who are a part of this great venture to all of them. saṅkrānti blessings, best wishes and lot of fearlessness and selflessness for this year.
Divine discourse delivered by Sadguru Sri Madhusudan Sai on the auspicious festival of makarasaṅkrānti – January 14, 2022.
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The Truth
Dhiraj Patel,
Doctor, United Kingdom
What is there to be transformed when we are ‘The Divine Light itself?’ Transformation is but a foolish man’s tale of the ‘journey’ from light to Light. When the reality of everything is pure Consciousness, then what is there to be transformed? Therefore, our stories must be that of realisation – realising the unchanging, untainted, unsullied Truth.
I do not wish to waste time describing life experiences which may be deemed ‘nice’, ‘good’, ‘kind’ – for all these still rouse the sensation of doership and where there is doership there is duality. Where there is duality there is no clarity. And where there is no clarity there is only misery and confusion.
The Supreme Consciousness reflected and poured into the most effulgent, sweet and graceful form of Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba has been the living message and personification of sevā.
sevā is not an activity. It is not a ‘good’ thing to do. It is neither a means to achieve anything. sevā is verily Consciousness itself.
We need to smash the muddy glass of ignorance in anything this body and mind conduct. It is easy to go through the motions and do great things. Unfortunately, service has now become a spiritually marketized endeavour such that, if not done with the correct intentions, leads to toxic exhausts of doership and further ignorance which is the complete opposite of the goal that one should be moving on.
To feed a hungry, to shelter a homeless, to provided healthcare for those with illness are few of the seva activities done by me. As ‘good’ and ‘noble’ as these acts may be, unless fuelled by divine intentions, the whole exercise and game of this was a waste of time.
yad bhāvam tad bhavati – You are what you believe.
Life is not about results. Life is not about an outcome. Life is dimension and phenomenon which is dynamically the journey itself!
How many times in life have we had seemingly pure intentions, yet the outcome was not good. How many times in life have we had not so good intentions, and yet the outcome was good. Which therefore was the ‘right’ action? - is the question we must ask ourselves. Swami always says that the intention behind any action is all that matters.
The one who serves is the one being served. The act of service, the object of service and the witness to all of this is one and the same. This is the Truth, the unchanging, untainted, unsullied Truth. We must dissolve all these false identities to realise this Truth. This is the only purpose of embarking on this journey of Seva. Everything else is a sheer waste of time.
We often think, ‘oh, poor children – no health, no wealth, no education, no quality of life.’ We exclaim and pat ourselves thinking what a great thing we are doing by helping others for which God will be so happy. The height of foolishness is a man with such thoughts. Baba once declared that all those in poverty, need, and ill-health are all great rishis who have incarnated to give us all the opportunity to serve. What a revelation indeed! What an inspiration indeed! What a clarification indeed!
Therefore, let us discard the deceitful, dangerous and deviating thoughts of doership that we carry within us, thereby allowing us to truly see and experience the Truth.
Coming back to the question, ‘what is my self-transformation through service?’ I courageously answer that I am not transformed, but I am rather in the process of disregarding the falsehood of what this body and mind have injudiciously gathered.
Let us not waste precious time and energy with such petty thoughts of what ‘we’ have done or where ‘we’ have come. Neither is true. For, we have done nothing and we are going nowhere.
From The Light, to the Light, by the Light, with the Light, for the Light. This is the Truth – the unchanging, untainted, unsullied Truth.
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To help reach Sri Sathya Sai Baba’s human values-based education to the world, and to resuscitate the humanness of humanity, the Sri Sathya Sai University for Human Excellence launched a unique, first-of-its-kind Institute of Human Values, to offer tailor-made courses totally free of any charges, curated by experts from around the world. The Vision of the Institute is to make better humans in their personal and professional spheres, by making them more sensitive towards society’s needs and exploring ways of their contribution to society in a meaningful and selfless manner, thereby creating a sense of global citizenship and responsibility.
The courses will help an individual balance the inside and outside, while progressively being a better human being, that will ultimately help him or her unravel the true meaning and purpose in life.
Learning from the heart is spiritual awakening, Baba would say. The Institute of Human Values is the first step to help lead the world into the beautiful awareness of its heart – a heart that operates from the universal human values of Sathya, Dharma, Shanti, Prema and Ahimsa.
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If you want amṛtatva (immortality) and if you are a dhīrā (courageous), treading the path to self-realisation, you must not be full of miseries and sorrows. Only when one adheres to all the precursors in realising this goal of finding the true divinity within, can one reach and experience the oneness with the supreme Consciousness.
Despite of the innumerable hindrances and challenges, this path must be trodden with utmost acceptance, happiness and contentment. Until and unless one is self-driven, it is next to impossible to attain the highest.
As rightly quoted by Lord Sri Krishna in the sacred Bhagavad Gita, उद्धरेदात्मनात्मानं – uddhared ātmanātmānaṁ, one should work for one’s own emancipation. Following a path should be from the source within and not because of the force outside.
In the episode 40, Sadguru Sri Madhusudan Sai proffers the power behind all the senses in the spiritual journey.
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INSPIRATIONAL QUOTE FOR THE WEEK |
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“Let us learn to live with kindness, to love everyone, even when they do not love us.”
– Pope Francis
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jagat hitāya
(Welfare of the World)
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Food Distribution
A group of Sai youth, for the last two years, have a monthly co-operation with a Christian charity association. Sai youth have been participating in helping and packaging food for homeless individuals and families in need, which are then distributed at the city’s main station.
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In the month of December, on the evening before the New Year’s Eve was marked by another joint action. Christian association prepared sandwiches for 150 people, and Sai youth prepared 400 cakes and arranged 150 apples, oranges, bananas, bonbons of yogurt and milk spreads. Everyone's hearts were filled with faith and the hope that at least for a short time, the ones in need would not feel alone and left out when the entire world was rejoicing for the upcoming New Year.
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