Wednesday, April 27, 2011

Bhagavan Baba's Maha Samadhi

Wed, April 27, 2011:

Puttaparthi that sung lullabies to infant Sathya, that fondled and nurtured Little Sathya to Sri Sathya Sai and that received the abundance of His love and care over and over again during the past eight and a half decade finally earned a day to grieve, though the day will be marked in the annals of Divine History as the most significant of the day, when Avatar of the age was laid to rest. ...This is definitely not of her choice, but as fate would have it, a grieving Puttaparthi had to accept this present as well, as she has been receiving over the past eight and a half decade, in abundance.

It was a Divine Script that was written by Him alone and executed in His own inimitable fashion. For all the glory, happiness and bliss that she has received over and over again, when the final moment arrived, to bid farewell to the Soul of entire creation, she grieved and so were millions upon millions around the world.

Bhagawan who left His mortal coil on the 24th April 2011 was laid to rest in Sai Kulwant Hall this morning in presence of a huge assemblage of devotees, also attended by a host of political luminaries.


Earlier, the function commenced with an aalaap bhajan by noted classical vocalist Pt. Jasraj, that was followed by an hour-long bhajan by students. A host of prayers representing various religions, that included Jewish, Christianity, Islam, Buddhism and Sikhism followed before a set of selected bhajans, that were so dear to Beloved Bhagawan, was rendered by students bringing tears in the assemblage, taking one and all to nostalgic happy days with their Beloved "Swami".

Among the dignitaries present were both Governor and Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh, EVL Narasimhan and Kiran Kumar Reddy, Senior BJP leaders L K Advani and Venkaiah Naidu, former Union Home Minister and Governor of Punjab Shivraj Patil , Karnataka Chief Minister B S. Yeddyurappa, Telugu Desam Supremo and former AP Chief Minister, Chandrababu Naidu, former Maharashtra Chief Minister Ashok Chavan, veteran VHP leader Ashok Singhal, AP Ministers Geeta Reddy, Raghuveera Reddy etc.

The Divine Physical Frame that was draped in Bhagawan's favourite orange colour was lowered into the Samadhi amidst vedic chanting. In a symbolic gesture, the ceremony was marked with gifting of a cow and clothes (godhaana and buudhaana). Special water collected various holy rivers across India was also sprinkled on the Divine Frame sanctifying the occasion.

Even as the first set of rituals were completed the curtain came down for the finishing touches of the tomb where Bhagawan was laid to rest. Incessant Sai Gayathri chanting continued for the next more than half-an-hour before the curtains went up for the public to have their maiden view of the Tomb of the Avatar of the Age...


As fragrant Vibhuti smell wafted in the air granting the nostalgia of golden days when Beloved spent time amidst on the same dais, and announcement came that darshan would commence at 11:45 hrs. As is the case in Shirdi, this Tomb of the Avatar of the Age would start speaking to His chosen devotees now on...and would be the solace for grieving devotees from around the world. Puttaparthi beckons, with much more intensity as our Beloved Lord Sri Sathya Sai would speak from His tomb from now on!!!

On this first evening of Maha Samadhi of Beloved Bhagawan, there was a change in programme scheudule. One hour Vedam chanting began at 1600 hrs. followed by bhajans at 1700 hrs. to end with Mangala Arathi at 1800 hrs.

As darshan of Maha Samadhi commenced this forenoon at 1145 hrs. a continuous stream of devotees are pouring in to have a precious glimpse of the Maha Samadhi in Sai Kulwant Hall. Many faces are writ with deep emotion and suppressed feeling burst open at the site of Maha Samadhi.

At the end of Mangala Arathi, an announcement was made on the darshan schedule for the next two days. Darshan of Maha Samadhi, for tomorrow and the day after will commence at 0800 hrs. till 1200 hrs. and in the evening from 1600 hrs. till 2000 hrs.

Saturday, April 23, 2011

Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba has left His mortal body

24 April 2011- Puttaparthi: Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba has left His mortal body at the Sathya Sai super speciality hospital at Puttaparthi in Andhra Pradesh's Anantapur district today

Dr APJ Abdul Kalam on Sathya Sai Baba

Sathya Sai Baba : A divine legend

I admire Bhagwan Sathya Sai Baba for his selfless work and contributions to the welfare of the people by providing drinking water for the rural population, free healthcare facilities for the rural poor and free higher education. The major factors in human resource development are value based educati on and quality healthcare. In addition, the infrastructural requirement like availability of potable water is an essential need of the human resource. While the government is actively engaged in providing these resources to the citizens, Baba has been sensitive to these essential needs of the Indian population, particularly of the people living in Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka, for over four decades.

Keeping this in mind, he has created vast infrastructure for providing value-based quality education to children from primary to university level, established super specialty hospitals in rural areas - as early as 1991 when there were no corporate hospitals in such interior regions - and worked on a project to provide potable safe drinking water for people of Anantapur district of Andhra Pradesh. I would like to discuss the unique characteristics of these institutions.


Value-based education
The best part of a young person is his or her childhood in school and the best time spent is 8am to 4 pm each day in the school. This is applicable for all children in the age group of five to 20 living in both urban and rural areas.
Baba has realized the problems of the rural poor and has made it a point that education is absolutely free in all the schools and colleges established by the Sathya Sai Trust.

Interestingly, the Sathya Sai Educational Institutions cater equally to the development of the mind, heart and the body. This is achieved through integrated education, which lays equal emphasis on keeping the body healthy, the mind active and sharp and the heart pure. Baba, being the Chancellor of the institute, spends substantial amount of time with the students to groom them into ideal citizens.

Sri Sathya Sai Baba says, "Students are the foundation of the nation, the only wealth that I cherish. Students are my all; my entire property consists of students. I have offered myself to them." He also says, "The end of education is character and the end of knowledge is love." This is the reason why Sri Sathya Sai Institute of higher learning emphasises character building as an important component of education apart from acquiring academic excellence.

Nobility in character comes out of humility, generosity, compassion, helpfulness and respect for moral values. The single thread that runs through all the activities of the institute, curricular, co-curricular and extra-curricular is that education is for life and not for mere living. Experience has shown that leading organizations and companies in the country absorb Sai students. It is claimed that the students so recruited bring about a quiet change in work ethics and inject team spirit as well as a value-based approach to all aspects of organizational activity.

Water mission
In 1994, Baba made a moving reference to the difficulties experienced by the people of Rayalaseema region in getting safe drinking water and suggested that the century-old problem needed urgent attention. In 1995, he added a new dimension to his societal mission by the trust, undertaking work to provide good and safe drinking water to as many people of Anantapur district as possible in the shortest possible time, irrespective of the difficulties experienced and the cost.

Tapping ground water was considered as an option, but was ruled out because of the fluoride problem. It was decided to use rainwater by drawing water during the monsoon and storing in special reservoirs or tapped from the riverbeds.

Most of the water sources were in the northern part of Anantapur district and the terrain to the south sloped upwards. Hence, bringing water to the southern region needed creation of large number of pumping stations to pump water against gravity. This called for extensive civil and engineering work. In spite of all the difficulties, the water was made available to Anantapur district in 18 months. After a year of regular operation, the entire water works was handed over to the people of the state as a gift. The scheme covers 750 villages and provides water to over one million people.

India needs a thousand such organizations to provide cost effective potable drinking water to the billion people spread in different parts of the country.

Healthcare
During the 1980s, a substantial number of super specialty corporate hospitals came into being in our urban areas. However, due to commercialization, they could cater only to the needs of urban rich people. There was wide gap in the availability of medicare for the rich and poor and between rural and urban population. Keeping this in mind, Baba declared on November 23, 1990, there would be a world-class hospital in Puttaparthi area within a year and it would offer free treatment to everyone who come there, especially the poor.

This hospital was inaugurated on November 22, 1991. After its inauguration, the super specialty hospital has conducted many major heart surgeries and catheterization procedures. Specialist surgeons from reputed hospitals, both from India and abroad, voluntarily take leave from their regular work and come to Puttaparthi and perform operations free of cost. Same is the case with nursing services.

I understand the convalescing patients provide voluntary help to the new patients who come to the hospitals for operation. Also the hospital premises are maintained in a clean, calm, serene and divine atmosphere. We can see the power of service consciousness flowing in the entire hospital environment.

Project management
Whether it be a super specialty hospital at Puttaparthi or provision of safe drinking water for Anantapur or provision of drinking water to Chennai by solving the problems associated with Kandaleru reservoir, all projects have been completed to meet the specified objective within the prescribed time and cost. How this has been possible? I was thinking about it.

The major reason appears to be that the projects have been entrusted to socially committed project managers, contractors and sub-contractors. They have executed the project with a spirit of co-operation, the spirit of sacrifice and dedication.

The programme chiefs have followed the five core human values - truth, right conduct, non-violence, love and peace -while executing the projects. Can there be a better role model than this for promoting a nationwide selfless, societal transformation mission?

Wednesday, April 20, 2011

Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba is very critical as at 21st April Morning

The health situation of Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba is very critical. All the organs are showing very poor response to the treatment.

Non-functioning of the liver and persistent episodes of low blood pressure are causing great worry to the doctors.

However, most of the parameters have still been kept at nearly normal levels by the use of appropriate medicines.

The breathing is still ventilator dependent. And the process of slow haemodialysis has been started in the morning to assist the kidneys.

The doctors are putting their best efforts to improve His clinical condition.

The World over and Puttaparthi continued with prayerful mode, pleading and praying to their Beloved Bhagawan

The Govt is putting all efforts to keep the environment calm with beefed up security cover all around

Balakrishna Pillai out on parole; flays VS for hardship in jail

Thiruvananthapuram: Former Minister and Kerala Congress (B) leader R Balakrishna Pillai, who is serving one-year rigorous imprisonment awarded in the Idamalayar case, was let out on parole for 10 days till April 30. The grant for parole to Balakrishna Pillai was given on Tuesday night and he was freed on Wednesday morning.

Immediately after coming out of the Poojapura jail here, he told mediapersons that he had a tough time in jail. He flayed VS for not providing any facilities in jail. He also said despite media reports of being given `A' class facilities, he did not receive any special treatment. 'Though I had been jailed during emergency period, this was the worst treatment I had ever received in jail,' Pillai complained. He also added that he had lost 5 kg during the jail term. He was all praise for the jail officials whom he said had treated him well.

The parole was granted to Pillai to attend to his wife's medical needs. Since he had filed a plea for parole before the election itself, the EC felt that granting parole during election time would be inappropriate as he might try to take part in election activities.

Along with Pillai 100 others were also granted parole. Pillai has been asked to report to the jail authorities on April 30 after the end of parole. If further extension of parole period is needed Pillai has to file a petition again.

Pillai is the first former minister to be sent to jail in a graft case.

Sunday, April 17, 2011

“My body may be suffering but my atma is unharmed. My devotees’ prayers are my medicine.” Baba

It is Pain full to see People talking about Swami's Wealth instead of His Health.

Please remember "This is not the time to talk about the trust or its finances.Swami's wealth is his innumerable ardent devoties from the world over who is praying for his recovery and waiting to have a Darsan of their beloved Bhagavan.

You will witness this Puttaparthi becoming Mathura Nagar. No one can stop this development or delay it. I will not give you up, nor can anyone of you give Me up. Even if you loose faith, you will repent and come to this refuge very soon, clamoring for admission. I shall be in this body for 58 more years: I have assured of this already Swami told in 1961 (50 years back).

Yes see what is there in Puttaparthi once a remote village called Gollapalli.

The Sathya Sai Central Trust manages medical and degree colleges, schools, a books and publications Trust, a Women’s Welfare Trust, Super speciality hospitals (in Puttaparthi and Whitefield in Bangalore), General hospitals and drinking water schemes in Anantapur, Medak, Mahbubnagar, East and West Godavari and Chennai. Its presence extends to 186 nations and it has 1,200 organisations worldwide. In Puttaparthi itself, there is a huge Sathya Sai University complex, a Chaitanya Jyoti museum, a planetarium, indoor and outdoor stadiums, a hospital, a music college and an airport, apart from the superspeciality hospital and the main Prashanti Nilayam complex.

The Trust is offering free services to all the needy in these institutions irrespective of the cast creed or nationality.


Every project is managed by the central trust which is exempted from taxes as it is registered as a charity. While Sathya Sai Baba is the chairman, retired IAS officer K. Chakravarthi is the secretary. He grew close to Sathya Sai Baba when he was Anantapur collector and has been associated with the swami since the 1980s.

Any close on lookers can find that no government can run the trust with the kind of discipline with which it is now run.

The following Trust members are Hand picked by Bhagavan Baba

Sri Sathya Sai Baba - President

•K. Chakravarthi: Secretary, former IAS officer
•V. Srinivasan (Madras Srinivasan): Member, an industrialist
•S.V. Giri: Former CVC
•Indulal Shah: Trust member and chartered accountant from Mumbai
•Justice P.N. Bhagwati: Former Chief Justice of the Supreme Court
•Nagananda: Trust member. A reputed lawyer from Karnataka.
•G. Venkataraman: Renowned scientist. Vice-chairman of overseas wing of Sri Sathya Sai Organisation.
•G. Srinivasan: (Popularly known as ‘Bangalore Srinivasan’).
•Michael Goldstein: Chairman of the International Sathya Sai Organisation
•John Hislop: Writer and one-time head of the Sathya Sai Organisation in the United States

•Isaac Tigrett Burton: A big donor to the Sathya Sai Trust
•R.J. Ratnakar: Son of Sathya Sai Baba's younger brother R. Janakiramaiah, and the only family member on the board (Inducted only in 2010 )

Donations pour in from various quarters.Even last year, there were two huge donations: an NRI donated Rs 300 crore for the hospital and a foreigner Rs 200 crore.

In fact you can not see any Hundi anywhwere in these institutions or any sign boards seeking any donations.

Where as any devotee or visitor deserious of making any donations to the central trust for the good services offered to the public can deposit their donations through State Bank of India account by Deposits or any other designated Bank for the purpose.

It is more or less evident that all the receipts are accounted
on a day to day basis since all transactions are made through banks only.

The trust’s activities are an ocean and there may be some negligible flaws.

But remember who on earth will provide so many services for free?

|| Samastha Lokaaha Sukhino Bhavanthu ||

Athirathram Brings in Rains - Proved the power of Vedas

Panjal : About 200,000 people watched in utter astonishment as the starry night suddenly turned cloudy and a heavy downpour, accompanied by strong winds, drenched the 'yagasala' altar in this Kerala village before and after it was set afire Friday to mark the ceremonial end of Athirathram, the ancient Vedic fire ritual.

Rain appeared miraculously because the weather throughout the day was blistering hot and dry and the sky remained starry and clear in the evening.

It changed in five minutes as the sky turned dark and a strong wind built up at around 9.30 p.m.

All areas in the village of Panjal in Thrissur and also in Kochi, the port city, received the rain in a repeat to the 1975 Athirathram, said the organisers.

'The rain was caused by the strong convection current generated by the smoke rising from the altar and the continuous chanting of the mantras,' V.P.N. Namboodiri, head of the research team of the Panjal Athirathram, told IANS as people milled around the venue enjoying the cool rain.

Namboodiri is a former director of the International School of Photonics at Cochin University of Science and Technology (CUSAT) and emeritus scientist at the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR).

The altar was set on fire at 10 p.m. followed by a fresh wave of rain.

Nearly 200,000 people had gathered on the concluding evening of the 4000-year-old fire ritual. They erupted into thunderous applause as the first drops of the rain fell.

While the priests claimed it a 'miracle', scientists said the Vedas were far ahead of its time in generating local rainfall, a practice that has gained ground of late with chemical nucleation in many parts of India's drought ravaged areas.

The 12-day fire ritual for peace, purification, fertility, health and rain began April 4.

It was organised by a local non-profit group Varthathe Trust to revive dying Vedic traditions in the country.

Panjal is one of the key bastions of the 'Samavedis' and 'Rigvedis' - practitioners of the ancient Hindu scriptures Sama Veda and the Rig Veda - who have kept the two living traditions of Vedic chants and 'yagnya' (worship of elements) alive for nearly 4,000 years.

The village was host to four major Athirathrams in 1901, 1918, 1956 and 1975.

Sunday, April 3, 2011

Sreesanth is India's lucky charm -You can not Ignore him

The one thing which went in India's favour is the inclusion of Sreesanth in the team in place of the injured Praveen Kumar initially and instead of injured Ashish Nehra at the end. He is India's lucky charm. India won the ICC World T20 when he was in the team and then lost the next two editions and the ICC Champions Trophy when he wasn't there and thereafter whenever he has been in the Indian team the team has given a good account of itself.
You may or may not like S. Sreesanth, the mercurial medium pacer from Kerala, but you simply cannot ignore him. Even after India's semi-final win nobody was speaking about him and few expected him to play in the final.

He was sidelined, his critics may even say rightly so, after just one match in the World Cup in which he was a bit expensive. In the semi-final India opted for Ashish Nehra as the third seamer ahead of Sreesanth, a decision which was questioned by many. India won the match and Nehra did well and nobody questioned the decision.

Nehra injured himself ahead of the final. But few people expected Sreesanth to play in the final. Many thought Piyush Chawla will be the preferred man for the final because of his ability in ground fielding or the Tamil Nadu off Spinner R. Aswin, who can also bat a bit down the order. But India went for Sreesanth. Dhoni had this to say after the match on the decision to bring in Sree:

"Whatever we know of the Wankhede wicket, there is some help for the seamers. If it does not turn a great deal, it's difficult to manoeuvre the bowling attack with just two seamers.

"With Sree coming in, I thought we could put pressure on the opposition because their middle order has not been tested."

Dhoni was painfully aware of his decision to include Sree: "I took a quite few decisions tonight, if we hadn't won I would have been asked quite a few questions -- why no Ashwin and why Sreesanth?

Yes. It would have been quite different if India had lost the final. Both Sreesanth and Dhoni would have been at the receiving end.

Indeed Sreesanth did not play any crucial role in the match and appeared to be a bit of a weakling in the bowling line up at the initial stages. If he had taken a few wickets that might have been more than useful for the team. As the much- maligned Indian bowling looked very tight at the initial stages Dilshan broke the stranglehold by hitting the first boundary of the innings in the 5th over by pulling Sreesanth to the square leg fence. In the same over, he also produced a delightful cut to the point for his second boundary.

Generally he was not at his best in the match. But take nothing away from Kerala's 'kochan' as Sreesanth has this uncanny ability to spring a surprise or two every now and then: even if he did not make his World Cup final spectacular, special or memorable as a player, he can proudly say that 'I am the first to play in a cricket WC final'. Who can question that? Wasn't that a surprise?

Hopefully Sreesanth will soon find his ODI form too.

Friday, April 1, 2011

Opinion poll predict UDF victory

Asianet Seaford survey predicted that UDF would come to power in the coming elections in Kerala. As per the survey, UDF would win 80 to 90 seats. LDF might get 50 to 60. But at the same time the survey also predicted that V S Achuthanandan is best suited for the post of CM. The UDF led by Congress would get 49% votes. LDF would get 41 % votes. Survey also predicted 0-2 seats for BJP.

Another survey conducted by the Institute for Monitoring Economic Growth (IMEG) predicted 72 to 82 seats for UDF and 58 to 68 seats for LDF. The survey predicted a close competition between both the fronts and also failure of some prominent personalities. Though BJP would improve its performance it would not be able to open its account this time too.