Bhagavan reached Madras on 18th January 1985. He visited Anantapur and Madanapalli en route. Bhagavan blessed the devotees with His early morning Nagar Sankeertan Darshan at Sundaram on 19th morning. Later that morning, He distributed prizes to Bal Vikas students who had distinguished themselves in various contests.
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Sri Sathya Sai giving prizes to Bal Vikas Students
in the Sundaram Bhajan Hall |
Bhagavan blessed the Narayan Seva organized on the 19th as part of the anniversary celebrations of Sundaram.
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| Sri Sathya Sai at the Bal Vikas programme at the Abbotsbury |
He witnessed a Bal Vikas rally, a dance drill and a cultural programme presented by the Bal Vikas students at Abbotsbury that evening.
Bhagavan addressed the Bal Vikas teachers of Tamil Nadu at Abbotsbury on Education in Human Values on 20th morning. Sri V. Srinivasan, Vice President of the World Council and Prof. M.L. Leela, Coordinator of Education in Human Values programme for Tamil Nadu, also spoke. In His Divine Discourse, Swami said:
“Man should not behave like animals which pursue a mirage in the hope of quenching their thirst. Man's primary duty is to realise his Divinity. The delusion that he is the body is the cause of his bondage. Atma Jnana (Self-realisation) destroys that delusion. As a seed finds fulfillment by growing from a sapling into a tree blossoming with flowers and fruits, man should find fulfillment by achieving fullness and ripeness as a human being. God is the seed for creation. The cosmos is the tree. Humanity represents the fruits in that tree. In each of these human fruits, there is a seed. That seed is the Atma. That Atma is the Primal Cause. It is Divine. In each individual, the Divine seed of Atma is shining with effulgence. This profound truth is not being realised by every person.
Man is an amalgam of body, mind and Atma. Without the existence of all three man cannot accomplish anything. Both the body and mind are associated with the Atma, without which neither of them can function.
Reconcile sacrifice with desire for comforts
To comprehend the unity of body, mind and Atma is to realise a fundamental truth. The body is gross. The Atma is subtle. It is the mind that links the two. If the Atma is ignored, man is reduced to the level of the animal. When the body and the Atma are ignored and the mind alone is active, the humanness comes to the fore. When the body and the mind are kept out and the Atma alone is experienced, Divinity is attained.
How is this to be achieved? An essential requisite is Tyaga, the spirit of sacrifice. How is sacrifice to be reconciled with man's incessant activity and his desire for comforts and conveniences? The gulf between Tyaga (sacrifice) on the one side and Bhoga (enjoyment of material comforts) on the other, seems to be unbridgeable. The Vedanta has resolved the conflict between the two by pointing out that material objects can be enjoyed with a sense of detachment and a spirit of renunciation.
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| Thousands gather for the Divine Darshan in Madras |
If the ego is eliminated in the performance of actions and attachment is renounced in the use of material objects, there will be no difference between Tyaga (renunciation) and Bhoga (enjoyment). Pleasures which are experienced with a sense of detachment cease to be Bhogas and become a form of Yoga. After enjoying all the pleasures and comforts we seek, what is it that remains? The body decomposes into five elements. What is basic is the Atma principle that sustains the body and all the senses. When the Atma leaves the body, neither the sense organs nor the mind can function. The Atma is eternal and omni-present. It is self-existent. The spiritual quest is to understand and realise the nature of the Atma. This is Brahma Jnana (knowledge of the Brahman). Every individual should regard the enquiry into nature of the Atma as the primary purpose of life. Purity of thought, word and deed is essential for this enquiry.”
Bhagavan consecrated the idol of Thiruveedhi Amman in the renovated temple at Tirumangalam colony, Annanagar, amidst Vedic chants and Nadaswaram music on 21st January morning. The ‘Kumbhabhishekam’ of the temple Gopuram was performed simultaneously by the priests. He addressed the residents of the colony and distributed clothes to the old and the handicapped in that colony.
A meeting of the active workers and representatives from the 300 adopted villages in Tamil Nadu was held in the Divine Presence at Sundaram on 22nd January. This meeting provided an excellent opportunity for the villagers to receive the blessings of Bhagavan for their developmental activities. Bhagavan moved amongst them and spoke to some of them.
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| Sri Sathya Sai with the village representatives in the Sundaram Bhajan Hall |
Bhagavan inaugurated at Abbotsbury on 25th morning, a workshop for Seva Dal, on ‘Health and Hygiene’, and addressed them in Tamil. Bhagavan released a booklet describing the working of study circles in Tamil Nadu. He then distributed Prasadam to all the participants. After the meeting, Bhagavan visited the Technical Training Centre at Perambur which was run by the Southern Railway Worker’s Union.
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| Sri Sathya Sai at the Guindy Shirdi Sai Temple |
Bhagavan installed the ‘Navagrahas’ in the Guindy Mandir on 25th January 1985, thus fulfilling His promise to Smt. Leela. He materialised a ‘Navagraha Chakra’ with the figures of the nine planets inscribed on it and nine gems set on it, and placed it in the pit of Lord Surya and then installed the Sun God. Bhagavan blessed the devotees with His Darshan at Sundaram on the 26th and left for Bombay.
A meeting of the active workers and representatives from the 300 adopted villages in Tamil Nadu was held in the Divine Presence at Sundaram on 22nd January. This meeting provided an excellent opportunity for the villagers to receive the blessings of Bhagavan for their developmental activities. Bhagavan moved amongst them and spoke to some of them. 
OM SAI RAM:)
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