Service

The service of sai youth.

Modified the old house of poor family by the sai youths. it is a very good service and now we are planning for another one.

EHV Programme

Education ?

"The end of education is Character" Baba

EHV........ "Education in human values" the concept of swami is now accepeted all over the world. It is nothing but the study of Human values which was described in the Veda " Satyam vada dharma chara sadhyayan ma pramadhah"
we know that the 5 values are satya, dharma, shanthi, prema and ahimsa. the practical application of these values is called Educare.

HIV Programme

Swami says" the sai youth should be a role model for the society". Based on this the kottayam district sai youth now tries to make a complete transformation in the society. Few years back we are started a plan for helping the AIDS patients who were ignored and rejected by the society. As Jesus says " Hate the sin not the sinner" the sai youth have no hatreds to any fellow beings. they love the entire living and non living creatures. "Sarva bhoodastham ekam narayanam" ( the entire things contain only one lord the narayana------ VEDA) so how can we hate each other. so "love all serve all"

Narayan seva

Narayana Seva..........

swami says " nara seva narayana seva" means the service to humanity is the service to lord.

The sathya sai samithy of changanacherry doing narayana seva in Govt, hospital in every second saturday for the last 13 years. along with this they are doing the same in many orphonages and schools and nurseries.

YOUTH CAMP 2009

OM SRI SAI RAM

With the grace of swami the district youth camp of kottayam was a great success. The camp was inagurated by the MLA of Ettumanoor and followed by the amazing speech of Dr. N Gopalakrishnan. Then the service held at the Govt. Hospital was a memorable one.
we are very happy and also thankful to our most beloved sai mother for giving such an opportunity. We also thanks to all the sai youths for their participation in the entire programme. We pray to swami that " Please guard us and guide us so that we are always with swami, for swami and in swami"

Jai Sai ram

This is the sacred month of Christmas. Let us recollect what Baba told us just three years ago on the holy day of Christmas.... Emulate the Noble Qualities of Jesus Jesus Christ developed such noble qualities. He gave protection to several poor and destitute people with a loving heart. In fact, several such people sought refuge in him. In the process, he had to face the wrath of several enemies. You should help people even if you have to undergo some difficulties. Never indulge in reviling others, for the same Atma (spirit) is permeating every living being. If you abuse others, it amounts to abusing your own self. If you do not like them, keep yourself away from them, but never abuse them. Any amount of good work done by you will be of no use, if you do not give up bad qualities. If you cannot do good to others, at least speak good words. You cannot always oblige, but you can speak always obligingly. If you find someone suffering, try to help him. Today it is his turn, but tomorrow it could be yours. Always keep this in mind. Nobody can escape from pain and suffering. Always pray for the welfare of all. It is only in this context, the universal prayer of Loka samasta sukhino bhavantu (May all the people of the world be happy!) is addressed… Everyone must cultivate such divine love towards others. Always tread the path of truth and morality. A nation without morality is bound to degenerate and disintegrate. It is not enough if you have patriotism; along with it you should have morality too. Merely giving lectures on morality will not suffice; it must permeate every activity undertaken by you. Acquire Goodness along with Greatness Embodiments of Love! God is not moved simply by sweet words. You must translate those sweet words into action. You may be a great hero in giving lectures on a platform, but if you are a zero in putting them into action, it will be of no use. You must become heroes in practical life. That is what gives Me happiness. Jesus Christ and Mohammad were highly noble. How could they acquire such greatness and goodness? It was only by their good deeds. Therefore, you must acquire goodness along with greatness. In fact, goodness is greater than greatness… Pray for the Welfare of Others Today, you do not find peace anywhere in the world. You see only pieces! In fact, people are breaking their heart into pieces. How then can peace be acquired? There is only one solution to this problem. Love God. Have faith in God. Surrender unto Him. Dedicate your whole life to God and carry on every activity of yours as an offering to Him. Let all your activities be helpful to others. Help ever, hurt never. You cannot say that you are leading a problem-free life. Who knows what is in store for you the next moment! If you wish to be always happy, pray for the welfare of others. This is the real Sadhana (spiritual practice). Spirituality does not mean simply doing bhajans and performing some acts of worship. Cultivate noble qualities. Always be helpful to others and earn a good name. Jesus earned such a good name by sacrificing his body on the cross. You also must be prepared for such a great sacrifice. If you give up thyaga (sacrifice) and indulge in bhoga (sensual pleasures), you will end up with roga (disease). In fact, thyaga (sacrifice) is true yoga and bhoga is roga (Sensual pleasures lead to disease). Do not become a victim of roga (disease). Develop thyaga (sacrifice) and achieve yoga.

THE VEDAS - THEIR EVOLUTION AND SIGNIFICANCE
By Prof. G Venkataraman

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Loving Sai Ram and greetings 

Let me start with what Swami has said about the Vedas. This is what He says:
The Vedas are the most ancient among the world’s scriptures. They are a vast storehouse of wisdom. Manu has declared, “Everything is derived from the Vedas.” The Vedas are immeasurable, unrivalled, and filled with Bliss. The word Veda is derived from the root word Vid, which means to know. Knowledge of the Supreme is Veda.

The Vedas – A collection of Divine Revelations

The Vedas consist of hymns, thousands and thousands of them. They represent an ocean to which countless Sages have contributed, going back to a period when there was only the spoken language and no script. The hymns of the Vedas represent thoughts and revelations that came to the Sages of yore during their meditations. These revelations were in the form of hymns, which the Sages transmitted to their disciples. Thus it was that they were passed from generation to generation. For centuries, all this happened entirely by word of mouth. The written version came much later. Thus the growth of the Vedas is like a series of small streams joining to form tributaries that feed big rivers, the rivers all finally merging into the ocean. This analogy is very apt, because the water that the streams get is from the rain, whose source is really the ocean. In the same way, the revelations that the Sages had were from the Divine; and the Ocean made up by the collection of revelations that constitutes the Vedas, is also Divine.

The Sound Aspect of Vedic Hymns – It’s Significance

I must pause here to make a few important comments. The first is that the Vedas exist in the form of chants, and the sound aspect is therefore very important. The Vedic hymns must be chanted properly and there is a spiritual significance to the chant, which the late Paramacharya of Kanchi explains as follows: Vedas must be chanted with grandeur so that the sound can be properly heard. Vedic Mantras not only produce beneficial vibrations in the pulse of the one who chants them properly, but also similar vibrations in those who may hear them. Since it is spread in the atmosphere, it ensures wellbeing here and hereafter. The outstanding feature of the Vedas lies in the fact that the sound of the Mantras by itself when chanted has a meaning, apart from the words themselves, which too are pregnant with significance.

The sound aspect has been preserved from very ancient times and that is something remarkable. The sound aspect is linked intimately to the words, and the two, namely the sound and the word together have been so intertwined that over time, Vedic hymns have defied corruption and mutation. This is an important point and needs some reflection.

Let us take any language, including English. All languages have evolved. If say, an Englishman who lived fifteen hundred years ago were to suddenly appear before us and start speaking, I am sure most of us would not be able to understand what he is saying. The words would be different and so also the style. This is true of almost all languages. Languages evolve with time, these days over even short periods, but the Vedic language has remained invariant over the several thousand years during which the Vedas evolved.

How Have the Vedic Hymns Remained Uncorrupted

I once asked a scholar how this was possible since languages have all evolved the world over. The answer he gave was interesting. He said that the Vedic hymns have remained uncorrupted because of the sound aspect. They had a particular metre and when chanted, they had a certain completeness of their own. Any mutation or distortion of the words would severely disturb the sound aspect, and this disturbance could be easily detected. Since the sound aspect was dominant, corruption could be spotted and eliminated immediately; this is how, I was told, the pristine purity of the Vedas had been preserved. Sounds plausible I would say.

Anyway, the fact of the matter is that the way the Vedas are chanted now, as, for example, in Swami’s presence everyday during Darshan, is the same as the way they were chanted thousands of years ago. I must of course qualify this by adding that there are some special schools of Vedic chanting but I am not considering that here; rather, I am confining myself to the standard method of chanting.

Just to make myself clear, let us say there is a Vedic Pandit from the East Godavari District in Andhra Pradesh and another from Kerala. East Godavari District and Kerala are at least a thousand kilometres apart. The respective Vedic scholars would have imbibed their tradition from their ancestors in those two widely separated parts of the country, parts, which, until recently, did not have good communication between them.

Suppose these two scholars meet and one of them starts chanting say the Taittriya Upanishad. The other would have absolutely no difficulty in joining the first scholar in the recitation. That is because the recitation tradition is the same for both, and that is because the recitation is fixed and has remained invariant through the ages. I hope you get the point. If you reflect on it, you would find this aspect unique.

Swami On Why The Vedas

Let me now go back for a minute to the Divine revelation aspect. Such revelations are not as rare as people might imagine, and have occurred to people in various places at various times in history. Indeed, even in science, such revelations have occurred. Of course, historians of science would not record it that way. They would instead say that Archimedes had a flash of discovery, Einstein had a flash of intuition, and so on. However, these flashes are nothing but the revelation of the Divine, maybe in relation to the material world, but revelations nonetheless. Back to Swami and let us find out what more He has to say about the Vedas. Here is a quote: The Vedas took form, only to demonstrate and emphasise the existence of God. The Veda is a collation of words that are the Truth, which were visualised by sages who had attained the capacity to receive them into their enlightened awareness. In reality, the Word is the very Breath of God, the Supreme Person. The unique importance of the Veda rests on this fact.

Why are the Vedas called Sruthis

Because the Vedas originally existed only in sound form, they are sometimes referred to as Sruthi. In scriptures, Sruthi means that which is heard. The real reason for giving the name Sruthi to the Vedas is that Cosmic Vibrations which are inaudible and cannot be seen were heard by the mediating Sages as sound. That is also one of the reasons why the sound aspect is given so much importance. Great stress is therefore laid by the teachers of Vedas on the correct pronunciation of the word and the intonation while chanting. Listeners who have heard the extended Vedic chants by students before Swami, would be able to appreciate what I mean.

The ancients of India devised elaborate recitation drills so that through the ages, the chants would remain the same, without mutation and corruption. This is something remarkable, and I am not sure if there is any other comparable example.

The Structure of The Vedas

I must now say something about the structure of the Vedas. It is usually said that there are four Vedas. Yes there are, but this classification came after several thousands of years. Before that, it was, shall I say, a period of discovery? Revelations came to people belonging to different times, and these were encapsulated into Vedic hymns. There were thousands and thousands of hymns but unfortunately, most of them have been lost in time. What has survived is only a small part. Even so, they are not only grand in themselves, but tell, in their own way, the story of the evolution of human thought. I shall come to that aspect a little later but for now, I shall stay with the topic concerning the structure of the Vedas.

Today we recognise four Vedas, the Rig Veda, the Sama Veda, the Yajur Veda and the Atharvana Veda. Apparently, it was Sage Vyasa who made the compilation and classification of Vedic hymns in this manner. It is customary to identify in each Veda, three portions known respectively as: Samhita, Brahmana and Aranyaka. Thus, the Rig Veda has its own Samhita, its own Brahmana and its own Aranyaka. The same holds for the other three Vedas also.

The Division within Each Veda

Now what do these three portions signify? Why this division? That is the question I shall address next. In a sense, the three portions are indicators of evolution of Vedic thought. The word Samhita means that which has been collected and arranged. The Samhita portion of a given Veda contains the Mantras belonging to that Veda, arranged in a systematic manner. These Mantras comprehensively convey the main objective or the purpose of that particular Veda. The Vedic Mantras that we often hear come mainly from the Samhitas.

Turning next to the Brahmanas, these spell out how certain rituals ought to be performed. About the Brahmanas, Swami has this to say:

The Brahmanas constitute an important part of the Vedas, and deal with the correct procedures for performing rituals like the Yajnas and Yagas. Being ceremonial rites for acquiring mundane pleasures, such ceremonies, however, cannot offer Atmananda or the Pure Bliss of the Atma. They can only enhance sensory enjoyment and provide epicurean pleasures, which are intrinsically transient. The search for pure abiding Bliss of the Atma led the ancient Rishis to the solitude of the forests.

This leads me on in a quite natural fashion to the Aranyakas. This word is derived from the word Aranya, which means forest. Thus, the Aranyakas are sometimes referred to as forest books and with good reason. As already pointed in the quote from Swami, neither the Samhitas or the Brahmanas ask a person to give up everything and retire to the forest in order to contemplate on God and focus totally on spiritual development. No doubt chanting Mantras from the Samhitas does promote some purity of mind, but where spiritual development is concerned, they can take a person only so far.

The Aranyakas have a different objective. They are meant for people who wish to reach higher levels of development through intense contemplation and meditation of the Supreme One in His most abstract aspect. The famous Upanishads come at the end of the Aranyakas and represent the quintessence of Vedic Knowledge. As Swami puts it, “Ancient Sages have communicated the spiritual wisdom revealed to them through the Upanishads.”

Evolution Of Vedic Thought – The First Step

The above brief introduction to the Vedas also enables me now to comment on the evolution of Vedic thought. If one goes carefully through the Vedic texts that span the ages, one can see a clear line of evolution. The very early hymns are in the Rig Veda, and they not only express ancient man’s sense of wonder but also reveal how he identified specific deities like Indra, Agni, Vayu and so on with forces of Nature. About all this, Swami says,

The very first experience in Indian thought is the thrill of wonder. This is expressed in the hymns or Riks found in the Rig Veda. The Riks are all about the deities or the Devas, like Indra, Varuna and so on.

From this we see that the very early seekers did not straightaway understand Brahman, the Ultimate and all that. Like people elsewhere, the ancients of India also were struck with wonder about Nature and all the forces that formed a part of her, like thunder, lightning, wind, rain, etc. They also understood, perhaps in their own imperfect way, that there was a subtle synergy between the various agencies of Nature that promoted the sustenance of life on earth.

Everything from the ant to the elephant was seen as a part of some mysterious Cosmic cycle. And so, the very first thoughts related not only to the inevitable sense of wonder but also to an important question of logic. If there were forces in Nature, there ought also to be agencies that controlled these forces. It is these that were identified as Devas, and the Devas in charge of different departments, shall I say, were given different names like Indra, Agni and so forth. This is what I would call the first level of thought in a long evolutionary process.

It is interesting in passing to note that the Greeks also went through almost a similar thought process. As would be recalled, the Greeks too had a god of fire, a god for this, a god for that and so on. In fact, tribes everywhere had their own spectrum of deities or spirits, be it in Africa or North America. What this shows is that ancients everywhere had the implicit belief that there was something in the Universe more that what one could merely see with the eyes and experience with the senses.

The Second Step – Worshipping the Elements

Having decided that there were Devas who controlled various aspects and forces of Nature, the next task was to worship them and perform various rituals to propitiate them. Thus it was that rituals came into existence, almost soon after the Devas were accepted. Listeners may recall, for example, that Emperor Dasaratha performed a ritual called the Putrakameshti Yaga for having children. By the way, this ritual is sometimes performed even these days by the childless.

So the first step in the evolution process was to identify Devas and worship them. In due course, the more intensive of the Vedic seekers decided to probe further beyond the Devas and concluded, in the first instance, that there must be an overlord for these deities. The deities were like Viceroys, and there must be a Rex or a King who ruled over them. Thus it is that they convinced themselves about a Power superior to the deities. That power was called God.

Now arose an issue. Whom to worship? Some said, “Worship the deities for particular favours, and worship the God who ruled them when the deities were unable to deliver the goods.” Thus in ancient India, many started worshipping Varuna the God of Rain when the monsoon failed but prayed to another God when they wanted progeny or cure from illness and things like that. This is like going to different counters in a bank when one needs different kinds of service.

At this stage, some thinkers said, “Hey wait a minute. Let’s examine this business in some more detail.” They did so and came up with an answer that is best illustrated by using the analogy of a Bank. Just go to, say, the main office of the State Bank of India in Prashanti Nilayam during the working hours. You will find that many customers are seated with the Manager. Often, these are people from overseas who have big deposits in the Bank. They may have things they want to do like withdrawing some money, getting some foreign currency cashed, making new deposits and so forth. For every such activity, there is an assigned person and a counter for conducting the transaction; yet the VIP customer gets all his jobs done simply by sitting with the Manager. In the same way, these profound thinkers in ancient India came to the important conclusion that though there were deities who took care of limited portfolios, all the favours one wants can in fact be granted directly by God who ruled all the Devas, and that there was no need to separately take these issues up with the lesser deities or Devas.

The Final Understanding – The Existence of The Supreme One

In short, step by step, the seekers realised that there is a Supreme One who is beyond this world, beyond the Universe in fact, and beyond Space and Time too. The seekers also realised that this Supreme One who was beyond Space and Time itself, could not be described in words, and could not be cognised by the Mind too. We have heard so many speakers quote this Vedic phrase:

Yato vaache nivarthante aprapya manasachaha.

This phrase refers to Something that is beyond description and even thought.

Space-Time is a curtain that divides the Creator from the Creation. Creation is on this side of the curtain, while the Creator in all His absolute and pristine glory is on the other, so to speak. In short, slowly but surely, the seekers were zeroing on the existence of the curtain and the presence of something Supreme beyond that curtain. That something is God, whose children we all are, irrespective of race, religion, creed or nationality.

The Vedas Are Universal

In this sense, the Vedas are Universal and it is for that reason that Swami makes it a point to draw attention to the Vedas, and NOT because they are Indian in origin.

To repeat, the Vedas focus on a MYSTICAL ETERNAL SOMETHING that is beyond this world, beyond this Universe, beyond Space and Time itself, and is changeless. It is that Something beyond words and even the Mind that the Vedic seers were in quest of, and with good reason too. Indeed, across the ages, seekers elsewhere too have been engaged in this very quest, though by different means. Einstein was one of them, and he gives expression to this beautifully. Explaining why he pursued Science, Einstein once said: A knowledge of the existence of Something we cannot penetrate, which only in their most primitive forms are accessible to our Minds – it is this Knowledge and emotion that constitute true religiosity. In this sense, I am a deeply religious man. Einstein tried to catch a glimpse of Cosmic Infinity through Science while the seekers of the Vedic age sought that very same ETERNITY via the path of devotion and Spiritual inquiry.

The Supplementary Units of The Vedas

I will have more to say about the Vedic concept of God and related subjects later, but for now, let me for the record mention that in addition to the four main Vedas, there are many supplementary units that include six Vedaangas and four Upaangas.

The word Anga means a limb; thus the Vedaangas represent, so to speak, limbs of the Vedas while the Upaangas represent subsidiary limbs. I shall not go into details concerning these but I must mention one important Upaanga, and that is the Puraanas. The Puraanas are important because they cater to the masses. The late Paramacharya of Kanchi has this to say about the Puraanas: The Puraanas can be called the magnifying glasses of the Vedas as they magnify small images into big images. The Vedic injunctions which are contained in the form of pithy statements are magnified or elaborated in the form of stories or anecdotes in the Puraanas. This is an important point. Take Sathya or Truth, for example. The importance of adhering to Sathya come what may is wonderfully exemplified by the story of King Harishchandra, which, until recently, used to be regularly performed as a drama in villages all over India. That is how ordinary folk learnt the importance of abiding by Truth. I have myself seen unlettered villagers say, “I am bound by Truth.” We should also not forget that it was one such village drama depicting the story of Harishchandra that made a profound impact on Gandhi when he was a young boy, making a difference not only to his own life but, in some measure, to humanity as well.

Swami on How The Vedas Help Man

I think it is best for me to bring this talk to a close with a quote from Swami: The Vedas teach man his duties. They describe his rights and duties, obligations and responsibilities, in all stages of life – as a student, householder, recluse and monk. In order to make plain the Vedic dicta and axioms and enable all to understand the meaning and purpose of the do’s and don’ts, the Vedaanagas, the Upaangas, the Puraanas and the Epic texts appeared in course of time. Therefore, if man is to grasp the significance of his existence and his own reality, he has to understand the importance of these later explanatory texts also. I guess that places the Vedas and all the supplementary compositions in their proper perspective. Next time, I shall give you a glimpse of one of the interesting Upanishads.

Jai Sai Ram.

A conflict of duties

Mr. Dev Taneja,
Toronto , Canada

An ardent of Bhagavan Baba who came into the Sai fold in 1996, Mr Dev Taneja currently works as a Senior Tax Auditor with the Ministry of Revenue, Ontario, Canada. Additionally he has been a volunteer Yoga teacher for Hath Yoga and Pranaya Yoga for the last five years. An inspiring personality, he is also a team member of trained volunteers for Dynamic Value Parenting program and has conducted numerous workshops on this subject.

Sometimes it is difficult to make a choice between one’s material progress and our duty or dharma. I am the eldest son in a family of 6 children. My father passed away when I was 31 year old, but I undertook the full responsibility of my father’s duties and tried my very best to help and assist my mother in the upbringing of my brothers and sisters in New Delhi, India.

In my endeavour to help the family, I immigrated to the UK and finally to Canada and pursued the career of Certified Accounting. In 1988, I was in the final year of my accounting designation of Certified Management Accountant (CMA) program, at which time I received the news from India that my younger brother was getting married around the same time as the final examination I was required to take in order to complete my CMA degree. 

For various reasons my family in India had no option to change the date. The schedule conflict seemed inevitable. I had the dilemma of either attending the wedding and shouldering my responsibilities as an older brother in the absence of our late father, or pursuing my career goal.  If I missed the final examination I would have to take four more courses to finish my degree as the Society of Management Accountants changed their rules and restructured the program after that year.  I appealed to the Director of the Education Department of the Society to make an exception, but my appeal was denied.

Meanwhile, my family depended on me to attend this wedding to fulfill the role of a father.  I was caught up in a dharmic dilemma. I had to prioritize.

Prioritizing Life Effectively

With the grace of God who guided me, I followed my dharma and decided to attend the wedding at the cost of my career goal.   My wife, two young children and I took a flight from Toronto to Delhi to fulfill this responsibility and my mother felt so relieved and happy to have us beside her on this very important occasion in her life. Everyone in the family in India was overjoyed. Obviously, I never got a CMA designation.

Although my career has suffered due to the professional sacrifice I made, today, in retrospect, I have no regrets as I feel absolutely gratified to have fulfilled my dharma. It is my conviction that because I did the right thing, Swami has helped me in numerous ways to grow and succeed in my career despite the fact that I missed my professional goal by just one paper. With His grace, I currently hold the position of a Senior Field Auditor with the Ontario Government’s Ministry of Revenue. Had I continued my career goal, I could probably have climbed the ladder more swiftly and would be holding a more Senior Managerial position but I would have lost my peace of mind and my family would have had to suffer due to the longer hours of work.

Swami has kept my life in balance – physically, spiritually, and financially.  He has given me inner-peace, has provided me with numerous opportunities to engage in acts of service whereby I have been His instrument to inspire and help others. He has brought numerous special people closer to me who have helped me stay focused on the ultimate goal of life. With Swami’s grace I have a loving family. Hence, ultimately, what Swami has given me is more important and valuable to me than anything else.  

As Bhagavan says, everything happens for the good. In my case, the scheduling conflict between my duties to my family and my dream of a professional designation gave me the opportunity to prioritize and choose what I thought was right for my conscience, even if not for my career goals or ambitions. The fact that I sacrificed self-interest over the larger good of the family proved to be the best move I have ever made.

Righteousness Protects the Right

Perhaps due to the blessings of my mother and God, today, I continue to pursue my Sai activities with a passion, taking the universal message of the five human values into the larger community where I facilitate Dynamic Value Parenting Workshops for various schools and temples in the Greater Toronto Area.

I am also able to devote my time and energy to many wonderful and gratifying activities within our Sai centre and the community. The joy of living a purpose-driven life, in sync with Bhagavan’s teachings is the ultimate dream that I thoroughly live, enjoy and am grateful for. I can vouch the validity of the Vedic dictum Dharmo Rakshate Rakshataha. I adhered to dharma and dharma protected me too many times to even enumerate.

Although there are many incidents where dharma or righteousness has safeguarded me, one of them, in particular, stands out more. A few years ago, we were involved in a litigation case for a period of seven years. Sustaining a legal battle for such a long duration of time was a financial drain. Given the circumstance, it was obvious to us that we had no chance of winning the court case.  The odds were against us.  Losing the case would also mean losing everything we had, including our house.  This is where the umbrella of divine protection came in to shield us.

In the year 2006, I visited Bhagavan Baba in Whitefield, Bangalore.  That was my first visit to Him, and I had joined the Sri Sathya Sai Organization of Canada only two months earlier.  During this visit I was more of a curious George than a devotee.  However, on my return to Toronto, within 30 days of my arrival I received a good news letter that the court case had been withdrawn, and in addition, we would be reimbursed $7,500!  As you can imagine, our joy knew no bounds.  We heaved a huge sigh of relief.

In my view that miracle was an affirmation of all my efforts in life to stick to doing what was right and good over what was more attractive and appealing. For attempting to adhere to righteousness, I had earned its protection in return. Can I ever forget this?  Never!

Every word that Bhagavan utters is the gospel truth. If only we adhere to it, we can enjoy ultimate freedom from worries and anxiety. Thank you Swami for guiding me to follow my dharma.

Conversation With Swami

Prof. Anil Kumar: Swami! Why and how do we get evil feelings such as jealousy, envy, pride, egoism, attachment and so on? How are we to get away from these evil feelings?

Bhagavan: The main cause for all these evil feelings is your body attachment. These feelings are born in your mind. They depend on your interactions and relationships with others.

A small example: Suppose you have a very intimate friend with whom you agree on everything. By chance, if you toss a rose flower at him, he will be immensely happy for your love and reverence. As ill luck would have it, if you do not see eye to eye with each other due to some differences, and if you toss a rose at him, he will totally misunderstand you. He will think that it is a deliberate action on your part to harm him, for your friend is a sugar patient (diabetic) and as such if a thorn of the flower by chance pricks him, it may cause an injury that never heals and even further complicates leading to the amputation of his hand.

See the difference. The two individuals are the same. So also is the rose flower. But during the period of friendly terms, the act is viewed positively, and in the unfriendly period the same actions are viewed negatively. You will now know that everything lies in the mind. The rose flower that gives happiness to your friend creates suspicion in the mind of the same person during the period of animosity.

Then, let me tell you about your next weakness, anger. Why should you and what for should you be angry with anyone? You tend to lose your energy due to anger. You become weak subsequently. The energy you have gained out of the food you have consumed during a couple of months is lost by a single fit of your anger. Here, enquire into the matter clearly. What exactly makes you angry? If anyone criticises, reprimands, accuses, or blames you, naturally you are angry with that person.

Calm down for a moment and investigate clearly. Why should you be angry with anyone who points out your mistakes or defects? Are you not guilty? Are you angry because your faults are pointed out? Why? You need not be angry if your faults are pointed out.

Suppose you are faultless and not guilty, even then there is no need for you to be angry; because, it is only a false allegation.

If anyone says that my head is bald, I am not angry with him because there is no truth in what he says, as I am not bald. If anyone comments that I have a mop of hair, even then I am not angry because the truth is said. So let them say that I am a battatala Baba (bald-headed Baba) or buttatala Baba (Baba with a mop of hair), I am not angry either way. If you think in this way you will not be angry and annoyed with anyone.

There is the worst form of disease for which there is no cure. It is envy or jealousy. Hatred ruined powerful kings like Hiranyaksha, Hiranyakasipu, Sisupala, Dantavaktra as mentioned in our epics like the Mahabhagavatham and the Mahabharata. Envy ruined the entire clan of Kauravas. Envy, pride, ego, jealousy and anger are demonic qualities.

No one ever thinks of those with these evil tendencies. Have you met anyone by name Duryodhana who is the very personification of jealously in our epic Mahabharata? Have you met anyone by name Sisupala who is the embodiment of hatred in our scriptures? None. Why? It is a shame to be named so. There is then Mandhara, a woman character in the Ramayana, the very emblem of jealousy. She brought a bad name even to queen Kaikeyi. She was responsible for sending Rama to the forest and for Bharata's reign. Have you come across women by name Mandhara and Kaikeyi? No. Never. Why? They represent evil traits that ruin anyone.

Never be egoistic. Egoism is another trait that will lead to disrepute. Examine yourself when you feel egoistic. Why should you have ego? On what grounds should you be egoistic? In the entire world, India is of the size of an ant. There, in India your state of Andhra Pradesh is the size of an eye of the ant. Your Anantapur district is but a speck in the eye of the ant. Then, how about Puttaparthi and what are you and your standing in your family? Practically nothing. So don't give any scope for ego and pride. Of course, if at all you want to be egoistic and proud, you can be egoistic about your ignorance and proud of your foolishness! Attachment and self-interest may make you egoistic on false grounds.

Attachment and feelings of “I and mine" are not in your own interest. The feelings of thine and mine arise out of abhimana (attachment)and ahamkara (ego). An example: Your neighbour has a daughter who was seriously ill for quite some time. You were not bothered or worried about her health. A year after her illness it so happened that you married her. Thereafter even a slight temperature or cold in her body makes you apply for casual leave and stay away from office. Why? She is your wife and no longer the daughter of your neighbour. The difference is only due to attachment.

Never feel that the world is permanent and that your relationships with all around you are lasting. No. The second point is that you should not forget God under any circumstances. The third aspect is to remember not to fear death.

It is mamakara, the feelings of mine, that made Dhritarashtra, the old king of the Mahabharata support all the misdeeds of his sons and led to the total ruin of the entire clan. Though he had one hundred sons, he was left with none even to perform his last rites. To this state one will be reduced due to the feelings of 'I' and 'mine'.

When these traits find a place in you, repeat ten times "I am a man, not an animal", "I am a man, not an animal" so that you can get rid of the animal qualities like ahamkara, ego, asuya, jealousy, irsha, envy, dvesa, hatred, abhimana, attachment, and mamakara, feelings of 'I' and 'min

Work for Peace

Cities have become stormy seas agitated with violent waves, and the residents move in tossing boats surrounded by darkness. For these desperate people, the spiritual ideal shining bright is the only guide to safety. The countryside is fast getting tinted by the culture of the cities and distress is spreading everywhere. This is the spirit of the times. Entangled in this spirit, man accumulates all types of desires in his mind, and when he cannot fulfill them, he becomes desperate and his life ends in unspeakable distress. Man forgets that his innermost desire which has to be cherished is the desire for God and for Self realisation. All others are mean and meaningless. Man has been endowed with the power of discrimination between the essentially good and the superficially pleasant, but he does not cultivate that faculty and benefit from it. The Pandava brothers were highly fortunate. The eldest Dharmaraja, rose to be the Emperor. The second was the indomitable Bhima, armed with the terrible mace. The third was Arjuna, son of the Lord of the Gods, Indira. The Lord poured His Grace on Arjuna and deigned to serve him in battle as his Charioteer! In spite of all these advantages, they were subjected to the severest tragedies in life. What is the lesson that their lives teach? No one can predict which calamity will overtake whom at what time. Everything lies in the Will of Providence:it all happens according to the Divine Plan. Where exactly does God reside? He is everywhere, in all beings. He is termed omniscient. Really speaking, He is Love, and Love pervades everywhere. That is all we need to know. There is no being without a trace of love. Love leads to ananda, pure and lasting. Many seek this ananda through relations with individuals: others try to attain it by amassing fame,power,riches etc: a few attempt to gain it by renunciation of material possessions and the desire for worldly pleasures. Detachment alone can confer ananda. The Upanishads proclaim that thyaga alone can grant Amirthatwa( Renunciation alone can bring about the Bliss of Immortality.) One has to ignore all bonds of kinship and comradeship: one has to give up all attachment and affection, and in the heart thus liberated, one has to install God in all His Glory. This is the only means to earn everlasting, undiminished Ananda.

Swami does not...!

Swami does not waste WATER

During a Verandah session with the boys, Bhagawan once was clarifying why His eyes were particularly red that day. Apparently Swami had some soap get caught in the eye while washing His face. This happened not due to carelessness, but precisely because Swami was so keen on conserving water even while washing his face, that He kept shutting off the tap between the regular acts of rinsing and applying soap!!

Swami indeed does not waste water!

Swami does not waste PAPER

Once our brothers had a personal letter to offer to Bhagawan. Swami, during the course of Darshan, walked to him, received his letter, looked at the unmarked envelope covering the letter, pulled out the contents, kept the contents and returned the unmarked envelope for reuse! Moreover, quite often one may observe Bhagawan reusing the backside of envelopes for writing small notes.

Swami indeed does not waste paper!

Swami does not waste ELECTRICITY

Have you noticed how our beloved Swami switches the fan while going in and out of the interview room, even if he does this quite frequently?? This is to teach us that we must conserve energy.

Swami indeed does not waste electricity!

Swami does not waste SELF ENERGY

It is quite evident to anyone in Darshan how controlled Swami is in his movements, looks and speech. Even when conversing with someone, it is easy to notice that Swami does not use any more volume than needed by the devotee to hear Him. Institute boys are often commanded by Bhagawan by eye movement alone!

Swami indeed does not waste His energy!

Swami does not waste MONEY

In what way can Bhagawan waste money on himself? He neither wears slippers, watch or trendy dresses. He is simple and complains that even the buttons on his robe have become too heavy for His taste. If we calculate, Swami’s daily expenses, it may be less than Rs 10 per day. However, when Swamy is doing something for others, he spares no expense. Has he not spent several crores of rupees building educational institutions and hospitals, and doing water projects? None for himself and everything for others - that’s our Swami!

Swami indeed does not waste Money!

Swami does not waste TIME

Each minute of Bhagawan’s schedule is spent in meaningful activity. Assuming He sleeps, He gets up early, gives quick morning Darshan, gives interviews, spends time with officials and follows-up closely on service being rendered. Evening is also equally packed. Our Swami, in His dubious spare time, has been a prolific writer, great orator, global level inspiration and most definitely a unique global phenomena. Since His childhood, Has he ever taken any time off for Himself? Even at Kodaicanal he is swamped with devotees.

Swami indeed does not waste Time!

If Bhagawan himself does not waste anything, why should we???

Grama Seva

Dear sisters and brothers,

I think this article will help the youth to do Gramaseva more effectively.A detailed overview on how to carryout Gramaseva is given in this article. Please let me know your comments.

Grama Sevaye Sai Seva

G - SING THE GLORY OF THE LORD

R - ENCOURAGE RURAL LEADERSHIP

A - AGRICULTURAL ADVICE

M - MEDICAL ACTIVITIES

A - ANIMAL HUSBANDRY

S - SOCIAL SERVICE ACTIVITIES

E - EDUCATIONAL ACTIVITIES

V - VALUE BASED EDUCATION

A - ANANDA (BLISS)

Introduction

Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba in his infinite compassion, grace and unfathomable love has bestowed upon the youth of this country a wonderful opportunity in the form of GRAMA SEVA, to serve their mother land so as to realise the presence of the Divine in every being.

As 80% of our population is in villages, where basic amenities are scarce and awareness about many life issues is poor, it is all the more necessary to take up Grama Seva on an active and continual basis. The ever-increasing size of Sevadal and Devotees enables to achieve the end result with ease.

Selfless Service is synonymous with Sri Sathya Sai Seva Organisations. The Sevadal members take up Grama Seva activities in far-flung villages of this country spreading the message of brotherhood of man and fatherhood of God.

Concept & Theme

Grama Seva is one service that is ideally suited for youth. The village service that is recommended by Swami now, is different from the concept of Village adoption, which was in vogue in the past. The directive given now, is to visit and serve intensely a village only once or twice and move to the next village. Follow-up visits may be planned after a gap of 3-4 months.

This exemplary service must be done in association with the villagers. Every attempt should be made, at every stage to motivate the villagers by explaining that our coming is not going to be a regular feature and it's the village elders and youth who should join hands and make efforts to improve not only the sanitary and living conditions, but promote human values of Love, Non-violence and Peace in the village.

Service, Spiritual & Educational Wings are three components of Sri Sathya Sai Seva Organisations. All these three wings or units should find expression and hence there should be a harmonious integration of the three in any village activity. The motto is Serve the body, Educate the mind and Awaken the spirit - all by self example.

The activities thus selected are, for example:

• Service activities include Free Medical &Veterinary Camps, Physical Work- Sanitation, road leveling, tree planting, Renovation of places of worship, Borewell repairs etc.
• Spiritual Wing - Bhajan/Grama Sankeertan, Palanquin Processions, Pictorial Exhibition on Bhagawan's Life & Teachings.
• Educational Wing - Bal Vikas, Door-to Door interaction, Exhibition on Health & Hygiene, Street plays on eradication of social evils like Smoking & Alcohol.

To list the items again:

• BHAJAN / GRAMA SANKEERTAN
• MEDICAL CAMP
• VETERINARY CAMP
• EXHIBITION- 1) ON HEALTH & HYGIENE 2) BHAGAWAN'S LIFE & TEACHINGS
• PHYSICAL WORK - TREE PLANTING, SANITATION, ROAD LEVELLING ETC.
• BALVIKAS
• DOOR-TO-DOOR INTERACTION
• SPORTS FOR YOUTH
• PALANQUIN PROCESSION (PALLAKI SEVA)
• EVENING PROGRAMME

The evening programmes include:

• Educative Programmes (a) Playlets on harmful effects of Smoking/ Alcoholism with suggestive solutions (b) Doctor's advice on Health problems in the village - Suggested preventive measures.
• Entertainment programmes like Mimicry, Mono acting, Ventriloquism, Miming, Magic shows etc., imparting human values and also to cheer up the villagers who have very little scope to witness such programmes.
• Devotional Programmes: (a) Slokas recitation by village children (b) Playlets on themes like Prema, Bhakthi and Seva (c) Slide shows and video shows on Life & Teachings of Bhagawan.

Grama Seva Types

The service activities listed under Grama Seva can be done in an intense one day or two days programme. District / Mandal based Samithis may do Grama Seva in a phased manner i.e. 1 or 2 activities every week over a period of 3 to 4 weeks since distance is not a constraint for these Samithis.

Type A

Half-day programme - Small Samithis with limited resources may plan in this way. The village selected is generally small (less than 1000 population) within a distance of 20-30 Km. A formal survey and interaction is required and the campaign about the Medical camp may be limited to only the village in which the activity is being taken up.

• Bhajan
• Bal-vikas: Gather 40-50 children , and then conduct the Bal vikas in a slightly different way i.e. more of moral stories and games, less of Slokas, noting down addresses of a few children of 8th or 9th class and subsequently communicating with them through post, identifying the school teacher and explain to him/her our ideas i.e. sole emphasis of moral values, presenting the teachers with Chinna Katha ( Short Stories) and other books of Bhagawan, and follow-up by postal communication. All these can make Bal-vikas, though done even at short notice, a satisfactory exercise.
• Medical camp: General or only Eye or Eye + General + Gynaec + Dental + Homeo wing also may be kept and it would be immensely useful.
• Veterinary camp: Preventive vaccination and treatment of livestock.
• Door to door interaction: On Health & Hygiene, Nutrition.
• Physical Activities: Temple cleaning, white washing, Sanitation etc.

The half day programme can end with a small Bhajan, a short talk on Bhagawan/ Video cassette (1/2 an hour) followed by Harathi to Bhagawan.

Type B

Bigger Samithis or two small Samithis may join together and conduct these activities. The village selected can be of a slightly larger size, 1500 - 2000 population, more remote within a distance of 50-70 Kms.

• Medical camp being more extensive in terms of Doctors, specialties, medicines available, things like Dental fillings, Extractions, Supply of Spectacles, referral cases follow-up etc., can be done.
• One doctor may be earmarked to talk to patients /children in Bal-vikas on Health & Hygiene, Nutrition, bad effects of Smoking, and Alcoholism.
• Veterinary camp - FMD vaccination is done in September to March.
• Physical work- In addition to temple, Church, Mosque cleaning and white washing, other activities like tree planting as advised by Swami (Curry leaves, Drumstick, Neem, Papaya, Guava, Lemon etc) can be taken-up, keeping in mind the utility-angle.
• The programme may end with Pallaki Seva
• Greater interaction and involvement of Local samithi is essential.

Type C

2 or 3 Samithis may combine and select a backward, interior village with good interaction and involvement of local samithi. An in depth survey is required. Setting up Bhajana Mandali, subsequent follow-up of such villages where intensive service is done, is desirable.

Flow-chart of steps followed in "Grama Seva"

1. Identification.
2. Liaison & Survey.
3. Finalisation.
4. Manpower - Arrangement.
5. Materials - Arrangement.
6. Previous Day Visit.
7. Grama Seva Day.
8. Follow- up Visit.

Details of each of these steps are as follows:

1. Identification of village: The village that is chosen should preferably be...
   • Medium sized (Population between 1500-3000).
   • Should be relatively away from the main road.
   • Absence of Medical/Veterinary service, so that our services are channelised to the most needy.
   • It is good to have, a couple of acquaintances in the village.
   Every Samithi should have a detailed map of the surrounding Districts. Information regarding population size, available Medical facilities, Veterinary services etc. may be obtained from the concerned Mandal Revenue office. City based Samithis may seek the guidance of the concerned District/Mandal Samithis in selecting a village. City based Samithis should request the Samithis near to the village, to get involved in the programme from the survey stage itself.

2. Liaison & Survey: The identified village is surveyed. The team leaves early in the morning informing the acquaintances in the village, before-hand. The aim of the survey is to introduce ourselves to the villagers, explain to them why we have come and tell them what we intend to do. The cross section of the villagers to be consulted are: (a) Sarpanch and other elders (b) School teachers (c) Youth (d) Spiritually inclined individuals (e) Temple, Mosque, Church heads - explain to them clearly our respect for all Faiths. During the course of the survey ,the places where the activities are to be conducted, need to be identified.
   • School for Medical camp.
   • Suitable place for Veterinary camp.
   • Suitable place for Balavikas.
   • Temple/Mosques/Church-plan for cleaning, white washing etc.
   • Tree Planting plan.
   • Place for conducting Sports for the Youth.
   • Route for Pallaki Seva.
   • Centre place for erecting stage for evening cultural programme.

3. Finalisation: The date is finalised and arrangements for transport and food are done. (As per Swami's directives we have to make our own arrangements for food and not give, even the least trouble to the villagers). A detailed planning (followed by execution of the plan) is then done of the activities which are contemplated.

4. Manpower - Arrangement: A totally committed core team, Doctors (Medical & Veterinary), Balvikas teachers, individuals with special talents - like those good in Monoacting, stage drama, Street play, Stage compering, etc. - add up to the success of the programme. The required no. of Doctors are:
   • Eye Specialists - 2.
   • Dental Doctors - 1 or 2.
   • Lady Doctors - 2.
   • Pediatrician - 1.
   • General - 2 to 3.
   • Veterinary Doctors - 2.
   • Pharmacists - 4.
   And the required number of Sevadal:
   • Medical camp - 10.
   • Balavikas - 2.
   • Bala vikas teachers - 2.
   • Door-to-Door interaction - 6.
   • Tree Planting - 9.
   • White Washing - 3.
   • Cleaning, Levelling - 30.
   • Veterinary Camp - 4.

5. Material - Arrangement:
   • Bhajan:
     • Bhagawan's Photo with garland.
     • Neat table cloth.
     • Lamps with wick and oil.
     • Candle, match box for lighting the lamp.
     • Camphor, Agarbhathi, Holders, Vibhuuthi cups.
     • Swami's chair with foot rest, kerchief , Small table, A glass of water covered with lid.
     • Musical instruments - Kanjira, Cymbals, Harmonium, Tabla, Naal etc.
   • Bala Vikas:
     • General puja items
     • Biscuits, sweets etc. for children.
     • Chinna Katha books may be given to the school teachers.
     • The Bala Vikas teachers may attempt to identify some interested person who will continue the classes periodically and guide them further, later by post.
   • Door-to-Door interaction: Three small plastic boxes containing the following material for the three teams (for interaction on Nutrition, Health & Hygiene & Spirituality).
     • Small plastic containers having Ragi, Ragi flour, Soyabeans, Chikki (Groundnut with Jaggery).
     • Sample Sai Protein packets with explanatory literature.
     • Small posters on health and hygiene, immunization, dangers of tobacco, alcohol.
     • Small photos of Bhagawan, Vibhuuthi packets, Hanuman chalisa books etc.
   • Veterinary Camp:
     • Veterinary medicines/vaccines.
     • Small separate kit having puja material and Swami's photo may be given to them since they start their work early.
   • Tree planting/white washing/other physical chores:
     • Implements like crowbars, Spades, Mud carrying baskets.
     • 3 big plastic containers having saplings of Curry leaves, Drumstick etc. 2 small packets of Gamaxene.
     • White cement for white washing - about 25 kgs.
     • Long sticks with jute tops for white washing.
     • Black board paint.
   • Medical Camp:
     • General - Tent of 18/36ft with 4 side walls & 4 carpets (for patients in-waiting).
     • Registration box - Small plastic box having register, out-patient slips, referral letters, pens etc.
     • Medicines - in attractive small labeled containers carried in trunks. Empty bottles (50-100), Covers (Small & Big) for dispensing loose medicines, Vibhuthi packets for distribution along with medicines, scissors for cutting strips.
     • Eye refraction charts, mirrors.
     • B.P. apparatus - 4 no's. stethoscopes - 5 and torches - 5.
     • Dental suitcase, having required instruments, Micro-motor, filling material, disposable Gloves, Mask, Sterilizer.
     • Basins, Dettol,Savlon, liquid soap, towels.
     • Gynaec instruments box.
     • Dressing box- Sterile Dressing pads and cotton, bandages, elastoplaster, surgical spirit, Tincture Iodine, Hydrogen peroxide, Scissors, Ointment Soframycin, Suturing Set.
     • Emergency injection box with disposable syringes.
     • Injections - Adrenaline-Avil-Decadron-Deriphyllin-Perinorm-Buscopan-Diazepam-Voveran-Lasix.
   • Sports:
     • Volleyball, Net.
     • Small prizes - Swami's books, pens etc.
   • Pallaki Seva:
     • Swami Photo - Pallaki- Decoration flowers - Sarva Dharma Placards - Vibhuthi packets.
     • Swami's photos for distribution in houses.
     • Hurricane lamps/ Torches.
   • Stage Programme:
     • General - 12ft/24ft tent, 6 big cots - usually available in villages (6ft/4ft each) with carpet for making an improvised stage, Back drop cloth, Table with Swami's chair with foot rest and small table ,water glass with lid, Sarva Dharma Banner pinned on back drop cloth.
     • Lighting and audio systems - 3 Nos. mikes with amplifiers, stands, 3 Nos. focussing lights (Halogen lights), wires and other electrical equipment especially, generator.
     • For Bala vikas play - small presentation items to children.
     • For doctor's talk - Over head projector with transparencies, small screen(4ft/6ft).
     • For Drama/Magic Show - Artist's required items, Back ground cloth.
     • For Film show - Slide projector with arranged slides/ LCD Projector with Video Cassette/CD.
     • Miscellaneous items: Banners, Country twine, Mango leaves, Tool kit having, Nails Cello tapes etc.

6. Previous Day Visit: A small team of 10 members may reach the village a day prior to the main programme to create the required atmosphere in the village and to complete works like:
   • Transport of articles.
   • Tying of banners, erection of tents.
   • Cleaning all places of activity.
   • Creating a festive look at all places of activity - tying Mango leaves, displaying relevant catch saying of Bhagawan etc.
   • Arrangements in Doctor's rooms - neatly arranged tables. Each table should be covered with a clean white cloth and should have all required items like Torch, Stethoscope, B.P apparatus, paper weights, lists of drugs folder. Eye doctor's room should have Refraction charts and mirrors. Dental Doctor's room should have Sterilizer connected to power source or stove with basin to sterilize the instruments.It is ideal if one or two Doctor's can join this team and do Medical check-up and treatment of the school children. Children with special problems may be given referral slips to the main camp on the next day. A small, simple talk on Health and Hygiene may be given to these children in a loving way. The children are also briefed about the next day Bal Vikas programme so that they come enthusiastically and look forward to the programme. This team may do Bhajan along with the villagers in the evening and stay back for the night.

7. Grama Seva Day: The main team should ideally leave early in the morning, latest by 6.00 am, since the journey may take 1-3 hours.
   • Simple break fast may be served in the bus itself.
   • The programme coordinator delegates the work to the volunteers.
   • On reaching the village, all the members should quickly assemble in the tent erected near the Medical Camp in the school, for Bhajan.
   • Many villagers usually wait here, for Medical consultation and they're encouraged to sit with us for Bhajan. The village head is generally asked to light the lamp.
   • The Bhajan is brief, for 10 minutes, after which the members go for their respective activities. The villagers are requested to join the SevaDal in Physical work, like tree planting, white washing, road cleaning etc.
   • Devotees in 'Q' regulation in Medical camp should be very courteous and polite and should not lose their temper under any circumstances.
   • Health & Hygiene - Simple things like importance of keeping the house and surrounding clean, throwing wastes in a common dug pit, (serves as source of manure in course of time), keeping both cooked and uncooked things always covered to prevent access to houseflies, teaching proper ways of cleaning hands after going to toilet, encouraging them to use Slippers (especially for children), creating awareness about timely immunization of their children, explaining the harmful effects of Tobacco, alcohol etc., all these topics are good. For any detailed clarification, they may be asked to meet our Doctors in Medical camp.
   • Nutrition - Demonstration, with practical kits to convince them about, (a) Low cost Nutritious foods, within available resources - especially to be fed to children, pregnant and feeding mothers. (b) Absence of justification to take Non-veg food.
   • The Nutritious foods that can be told about are:
     • Ragi - Ragi flour gruel with sugar, Ragi roti or a preparation called Ambali, - usually known to villagers. Ragi is rich in protein and very rich in calcium. It's especially useful for growing children.
     • Soyabeans - Very rich in proteins. It can be soaked overnight in water, cooked the next day (like rice) and light fried (not compulsory). It is tasty and is especially useful for growing children.
     • Soya flour can be mixed with wheat flour (say in ratio of 1:5) for making chapatis.
     • Sai Protein - 4 parts of Roasted wheat, 2 parts of Channa dal, 1 part of Ground nut, All mixed and made as flour, mixed in 2 parts of Sugar or Jaggery. Can be stored in bottles and given daily mixed with water and milk. It is very rich especially in protein.
   • Spirituality: Informal discussion on importance of individual prayer, family prayer, and community Bhajan. The efficacy of Namasmarana while crop harvesting or during periods of crisis in the village or periods of individual sickness has to be stressed with conviction.
   • Swami's photos, Vibhuthi packets, Hanuman Chalisa Books, Likhitha Japa books etc., may be given to those interested.
   • All activities are simultaneously stopped for 20-30 minutes at 1.30 p.m. and lunch is served at a common place.
   • Medical activities Registration are generally closed at 3 p.m. so that the camp can end by 4 p.m.
   • Sports for Youth is generally held between 4-5 p.m.
   • Decoration of the Pallaki and other arrangements for Pallaki Seva and Cultural Programmes starts by 4 P.M. Pallaki seva is usually for 1 hour from 5.30 P.M. to 6.30P.M. depending on the season.
   • Stage Cultural programme is generally from 7 p.m. to 8.30 p.m.
   • Grama Seva concludes with Harathi to Bhagawan and vibhuti distribution at 9.00 p.m.

8. Follow-up Visit: A follow-up visit may be planned the next week to...
   • Get a feedback about our programme - Our short falls, deficiencies and lapses, if any.
   • Distribution of spectacles to those prescribed by the Eye Doctors.
   • Explore the possibility of opening a Bhajana Mandali.
   • Invite the villagers to come to the programmes at our main centres. Guidance should be given for those interested in going to PUTTAPARTHI for Bhagawan's Darshan.
   • A few selected individuals, especially youth may be made subscribers to Sanathana Sarathi from our side for one year.
   • One or two individuals may be identified who can continue conducting Bal Vikas classes and they may be guided by post by our Bal Vikas Teachers.
   • A full-fledged visit may be planned to the same village after a gap of 6 months.
   • NOTE - Discussion on politics, different religions, different saints, may please be avoided and no commitments may please be made.