Monday, February 05, 1990 to
Saturday, February 10, 1990
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| Sri Sathya Sai Darshan from Sundaram Balcony |
Bhagavan left Brindavan for Madras early in the morning on 5th February 1990. Enroute, He visited Vellore and inaugurated the Sarva Dharma Dhyana Mandapam to fufill the yearning of Sri Jayarama Chettiar. Bhagavan visited the Chettiar’s house and dined with the family. He visited the free medical clinic and blessed the visually handicapped children. He also visited the Shirdi Baba temple at Kalasapalayam and lit the holy Dhuni (fire). He moved to the Thenkadappanthangal village and accepted Arati from the devotees. Bhagavan arrived at Sundaram at 4 pm on the 5th, and was welcomed with Poorna Kumbham amidst Vedic chants. He went around the enclosures, blessed the devotees and sat for an hour enjoying Bhajans, giving Darshan to all. During His stay at Sundaram, Bhagavan gave Darshan during early morning Nagar Sankirtan on all days.
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| Sri Sathya Sai with Bal Vikas students |
Bhagavan witnessed an impressive rally presented by the Bal Vikas students of Tamil Nadu on 6th February. He blessed the children and distributed gifts and sweets to them at the end of the rally. Bhagavan awarded prizes to the winners of various Bal Vikas competitions that evening.
Bhagavan gave Darshan at Abbotsbury on the 7th and proceeded to Tirumangalam, an adopted slum of the Anna Nagar Samiti. Bhagavan performed the Pratishtha of Nava Graha idols in the Amman Temple that had been inaugurated by Him a few years earlier. He then visited Bharati Nagar, another adopted slum near Mambalam that afternoon, blessed all the residents and distributed clothes to the poor and the old. The well-known singers, Smt. P. Suseela, Sri Ramakrishna, Smt. Vani Jayaram and Sri Krishnachandra presented devotional songs that evening.
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| Sri Sathya Sai at Sundaram Entrance |
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| Divine Darshan at Abbotsbury |
Bhagavan gave Darshan at Abbotsbury on 8th morning. He then proceeded to the adopted village Ayyapakkam, beyond Ambathur, and showered His benediction on the large gathering of villagers and distributed clothes. Bhagavan addressed a public meeting after Bhajans at Abbotsbury that evening. Bhagavan’s Discourse was interpreted in Tamil by Sri Srinivasa Raghavan. The Tamil Nadu Trust Convenor, Sri Arjun Raja, and Justice Ramalingam, Judge of Madras High Court, also addressed the gathering. In His Divine Discourse He elaborated on the eight forms of Divine Wealth. He said:
“The Supreme, who is the embodiment of Ashta Aishwarya (the eight forms of Divine wealth), permeates the cosmos through eight potencies. This vast universe of animate and inanimate objects is called Vishwam. Vishwam is the epithet applied to the Divine who enters into every part of the cosmos. "Vishwam Vishnu Swaroopam" (The cosmos is the manifestation of Vishnu). Vishnu means the One who pervades everything. Vishnu is the Cause, Vishwam (the cosmos) is the effect. The universe is manifestation of the creator and the creation. It is because the Lord is manifest in the Creator-Creation relationship that we are able to recognise the Divine.
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| Sri Sathya Sai delivering the Divine Discourse |
In the cosmos, the first manifestation of the Divine is as water. Man cannot live without water. Water is present everywhere, though in some places it will be visible on the surface and below the ground in others. The Divine is protecting all living beings in the form of water. Water is known by another name as Jivanam (Life). God is making His presence manifest in the world in the form of water.
The second manifestation is Agni (fire). It is on account of fire that everything is illumined and can be perceived. The same fire is present in man as the Jatharagni (digestive fire). It is this fire that enables the conversion of the food one consumes into blood, flesh, bone and other things (seven basic constituents) and sustains the body. Without these seven primary constituents life cannot exist for a moment. For all of them, God in the form of fire is the basis.
The third manifestation is the earth. All living beings flourish on the earth. Birth and death go on the earth. The phenomena of birth, growth and death testify to the manifestation of God in the form of the earth. Man secures all the things needed for living from the earth. Hence the earth must be regarded as a manifestation of God. As God cannot be experienced in any specific form, He must be recognised in manifestations like the earth.
The fourth manifestation is air. Every moment we are engaged in breathing air. We are sustained by the oxygen in the air. Man inhales and exhales air 21,600 times a day in 24 hours. While inhaling, the sound "So" is produced. In exhaling, the sound "Ham" is produced. Together, they make up the term "So-ham", meaning "He is I", proclaiming the inherent divinity of man. God is to be recognised in the process of inhaling and exhaling. That being so, what is the need to go in quest of God elsewhere? When the Divine is within us and present in the form of the Pancha Bhutas (five basic elements), men strive to search for God everywhere else.
When the Lord is present everywhere, within and outside you, why go in search of Him anywhere? In this context, the question arises' Is it true that devotees are going in search of God or is God searching for devotees? In my view, it is God who is searching for devotees. Akasha (space) is the fifth manifestation. The distinctive quality of Akasha is Shabda (sound). The cosmos is filled with sound vibrations. Sound is the means of cognising most things in the world. The entire cosmos is permeated by sound waves. Creation itself has originated from sound. When man inhales air, it is this sound that emanates from him in the form of So-Ham--Ham-So. Where is this Akasa? People imagine it is somewhere high up. Only the clouds are above. Wherever you have sound vibrations, you have Akasha (space). When I speak, it is Akasha. When you strike this table, you can experience Akasha. Akasha is present in the clapping of hands during the Bhajan. Akasha is present in the process of breathing. It is because of Akasha that living is possible.
The sixth is the Sun. All living beings are able to survive because of the Sun. Birds, beasts, trees and crops, all thrive on the energy got from the Sun. The world will cease to exist without the Sun. Human intelligence is a reflection of the effulgence of the Sun. The enquiring nature of the intellect is derived from the Sun. Without the power of discrimination man will be a moron
The Moon comes seventh. The moon principle confers tranquillity on man. The mind is reflection of the moon. Man's primary goal is to secure peace of mind. The earth came from the Sun and moon from the earth. The Sun, the earth and the moon are forms of the same substance. These three find their expressions in man in the form of mind, intellect and Vijnana (consciousness).
The eighth element is the authority of the Veda (Veda-Pramanam). The Vedas proclaim the eternal Truth. There is the saying: There is no greater Dharma than Truth. God, who is embodiment of Truth, though eternal and formless, manifests Himself in the eight forms in the cosmos. When the Divine is recognised in these forms, man will realise his true nature.”
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| Sri Sathya Sai at the Guindy Shirdi Sai Mandir |
“There are many ways in which the basic human values - Truth, Righteousness, Peace, Love and Non-violence can be practised in the day-to-day conduct of business. There are different aspects of management such as marketing, finance, industrial relations, etc., but the most important aspect is ‘Man Management’. Each country has its own historical and cultural background and Indian managers should not mechanically copy practices imported from abroad but should keep in mind the Indian milieu and our national ethos.
There is specific need for MBA students of the Sathya Sai Institute to infuse management practices in India with the cardinal values of Sathya, Dharma, Shanti, Prema and Ahimsa. All the values are interrelated. For example, a burning electric lamp, can be compared to Prema. For the lamp of love to burn, there should be a bulb. That bulb is Shanti. The bulb had to be connected to an electric wire. That wire is Dharma. And then the current has to flow in the wire. The current is Sathya. With the current of Sathya (Truth) flowing in the wire of Dharma (Righteous conduct), connected to the bulb of Shanti (Peace), the lamp of Prema (love) burns and sheds its light. Sathya, Dharma, Shanti and Prema constitute a single whole and not separate values. All the four values have to be adhered to equally.
With regards to Truth, it is often said that to be truthful in business will result in loss. This is not so. Though initially there may be some difficulty, in course of time integrity and honesty will bring their own reward. The MBA students must convince their chiefs in their respective firms how truth in accounts and audit helps to raise the image of the firm. They should be content with reasonable profit margins. Even if this policy does not pay in the beginning, in the long run it will be most rewarding. This is the way to inspire confidence. Running a business honestly must be regarded as a form of social service and spiritual Sadhana. In the practice of Dharma, marketing practices should be fair to the consumers and there should be justice in the dealings with the workers. In the observance of peace, the MBA students should realise that they should not get ruffled by any kind of difficult situation. They have to maintain their calmness and try to pour oil on troubled waters. They should use the weapon of love in such situations.
Prema must express itself in the business world by the executives developing the feeling that all engaged in the business - managers, workers and others--are members of one family. They must develop fraternal feelings towards all. With mutual love and regard, industrial harmony can be achieved. As regards Ahimsa, in the context of industrial management, it has a wider social meaning than merely avoiding causing harm to others. The avoidance of pollution of the atmosphere or of natural resources like rivers is one of the ways in which an enterprise practices Ahimsa.
In these different ways, a great deal of good can be done to our people and nation by business managers who adhere to basic human values and who adopt a spiritual approach to the tasks of the business world. MBA students should develop firm faith in God and carry out their duties in the businesses in which they may be employed with a sense of dedication to the business and a spirit of service to the community.”
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| Darshan at Sundaram |
Bhagavan blessed the devotees with His morning Darshan at Sundaram on 11th and left for Bangalore at 10 am.
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