Watch: July 2019

In this edition

Upcoming Events

  1. Tuesday July 16, 2019 Guru Poornima Celebrations
    • Devotional Program
    • Time: 07:30 PM – 10:00 PM
    • Venue: Sant Nirankari Mandir, 1S750 Route 59, West Chicago
  2. Friday – Sunday August 09 – 11, 2019 Zone 1 Zonal Young Adult Festival (ZYAF)
    • Theme: Dare to be Divine
    • Time: August 09: 04:00 PM onwards
    • Venue: Camp Henry Horner, Ingleside IL
  3. Friday – Monday August 30 – September 02, 2019 Region 5 Annual Retreat
    • Theme: Pathways to Purity
    • Time: August 30: 06:00 PM onwards
    • Venue: Camp Henry Horner, Ingleside IL

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Geetha Vahini

In seventeen verses, from the 56th to the 72nd, Krishna described in the second chapter the characteristics of the Sthithaprajna, and the excellence of that stage. Then, saying that He Himself had established Jnana Yoga for the Sankhyas, and Karma Yoga for the Yogis, as means of attaining Liberation, He spoke of the importance of karma.

Everyone has to bow to the demands of Nature and engage himself in karma. It is inevitable. Therefore, Krishna said, “Do the Karthavya Karmas, karma that is your bounden duty. Being engaged in karma is to be preferred to not being so engaged. If you desist from karma, the task of living becomes difficult, nay, impossible.

“The karmas that do not bind by consequence are those referred to as Yajna (sacrifice). All the rest are bondage-producing ones. Therefore, O Arjuna, give up all attachment and engage in acts, as if they are each a Yajna, sacrifice dedicated to the Lord.” Krishna taught Arjuna the origins of karma, the roots from where the urge to do karma sprouts and grows. He taught them so clearly that Arjuna’s heart was really moved and modified. “The Vedas emanated from God; karmas emanated from the Vedas; from karma originated Yajna; from Yajna, Rain; from Rain grew food; from food came all living beings. This is the cycle that has to be accepted and honored.

“Consider this, O Arjuna, I have no need to do any karma, no not anywhere in the three worlds. I am under no compulsion. Still I am ever engaged in karma. Think of this. If I desist, the world will be no more. Have steady faith in the Atma; then dedicate all acts of yours to Me: with no desire for the fruit thereof, no egoism and no sense of possession or pride, engage in battle,” said Krishna.

If the wheel of Creation is to move smooth, each one has to keep on doing karma. Whoever he is, he cannot get around this obligation. Even he who has achieved the highest Jnana has to observe this rule. Eating and drinking, intake and release of breath—these too are karmas. Who can exist without these acts?

“You derive benefit from the world and from the community and so some activity on your part is their due. This Brahmaanda (Supreme Bliss), this Viswa (creation), is really speaking a huge workshop. Every human being is a limb in this organization. The limb is allotted a task in accordance with its structure and it must find its fulfilment in doing that particular work. Whatever work one has been allotted has to be done as an offering to God. There is no single thing in the Universe that does not engage itself in this great task. Plant and insect, stone and stump, wind and rain, heat and cold, if each of these does not work as per Plan, the world cannot subsist. The Sun and the Moon carry on their routine tasks. If the earth and sun refuse to do the allotted duties what is to happen to the world? So, there is no one who is karma-less, but yet with body! It is only when each performs his task without fail, and with care, that the wheel will move quick and smooth.

“You may wonder why Jnanis (liberated persons) should still do karma; not only you, but many others may be worried at that statement. Well, people usually follow the ideal set by those in higher levels. Their acts form the basis of Dharma for all. If Jnanis are inactive, how are ordinary mortals to save themselves? They have no guide and so they lose themselves in the easy paths of sensory pleasure. The duty of the wise is to foster the right and to practice it before others, so that they too may be prompted to follow, drawn by the hope of becoming as contented and as joyful as they are. The wise have to do and get done, so that the rest might be persuaded to follow the example set by them.

“Arjuna! pay attention to just one fact! How warm is your body now? It may be about 98 degrees. How did it happen? Because, the Sun bears many million times this heat at that distance, is it not? Now if the Sun feels that it will not put up with all that fire and becomes cool, what will happen to mankind? Again, if I desist from karma, this vast Viswa Karma of working in and through this Universe, imagine what will be the fate? That is why I am engaged in karma, not to derive any profit thereby

-Excerpts from Geetha Vahini

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Divine discourse on occasion of Guru Poornima (July, 1963)

(Baba was brought down the winding stairs to the room on the ground floor, since He insisted on giving Darshan to the thousands of devotees who had come on that auspicious day. He had an attack of cerebral thrombosis and tubercular meningitis and was in bed for eight days from the morning of Saturday, 29th June to the evening of 6th July. His left hand, leg and eye were affected; His right hand had also slight palsy; the words were indistinct and the face was twitching. He was placed on the Silver Throne in the Prayer. As soon as He was seated, He communicated the following message which was interpreted and announced.

This is not Swami’s illness; this is an illness which Swami has taken on, in order to save someone. Swami has no illness, nor will He get ill at any time. You must all be happy; that alone will make Swami happy. If you grieve, Swami will not be happy. Your joy is Swami’s food.

Then, Baba indicated to Sri Kasturi to speak, and after his short speech was over, Baba wanted the mike to be held before Him. He asked, “Vinipisthundhaa?” (Do you hear Me?) But though He asked again and again, the voice was so indistinct that no one could make out what it meant. He then signaled for water and when it was brought, He sprinkled a little with His trembling right hand on the stricken left hand and on His left leg. He stroked His left hand with the right. Immediately, He used both hands to stroke His left leg; that touch was enough to cure it. He doffed the disease in a thrice! He started to speak! It was the same musical voice.)

“Dhikkulenivaariki dhevude gathi” – “For those who have no refuge, God is the refuge.” That is exactly the reason why I had to take on the disease that one helpless Bhakta (devotee) was to get. He had to suffer this dire illness, as well as the four heart attacks that accompanied it; and he would not have survived it. So, according to My Dharma of Bhakthasamrakshana (protection of devotees), I had to rescue him. Of course, this is not the first time that I have taken on the illness of persons whom I wanted to save. This is My Leela: My nature.

You all know that I belong to the Apasthamba Suthra and the Bharadhwaja Gothra (lineage). This Bharadhwaja was a great sage. Sage Bharadhwaja decided on performing the Yagna as per Indra’s instructions and made all preparations. The sage wanted that Shakthi (the consort of Lord Shiva) must preside and bless the Yagna, and so he went to Kailash (the abode of Lord Shiva). But the time was not opportune as Shiva and Shakthi were engaged in a dance competition. Eight days passed thus, before Shakthi noticed Bharadhwaja standing in the cold. She just cast a smile at him and danced along as before! The sage mistook the smile as a cynical refusal to notice him; so, he turned his back on Kailash and started to descend. To his dismay, he found his left body paralyzed by a stroke. Seeing the sage collapse, Shiva came up to him and consoled him and assured him that Shakthi had indeed blessed him and his Yagna. Then, Shiva revived him and cured him, sprinkling water from the Kamandalu (a kettle-shaped container used by ascetics). Both Shiva and Shakthi presided over the Yagna. After the Yagna was over, Shiva said that they would take human form and be born in the Bharadhwaja Gothra thrice: Shiva alone as Shirdi Sai Baba, Shiva and Shakthi together at Puttaparthi as Sathya Sai Baba and Shakthi alone as Prema Sai, later. He gave another assurance, “As expiation for the neglect which Shakthi showed you at Kailash for eight days, this Shakthi will suffer the stroke for eight days, when we both take birth as Sathya Sai. On the eighth day, I shall relieve her from all signs of the disease by sprinkling water, just as I did to cure your illness.” The assurance given in the Thretha Yuga had to be honored. You see, a railway engine is not made available to haul just one bogey; they wait until a number of bogeys are ready to be taken along and only then do, they put the engine into action. So too, the disease had to be gone through, the Bhakta had to be saved, the assurance to be carried out, the mystery had to be cleared, the Divinity had to be more clearly announced by the manifestation of this grand miracle. All these were accomplished by this one incident.

–Baba’s Divine Discourses

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Every material object has qualitative and quantitative difference

By reading many books and developing an argumentative tendency, it is quite common today that young people get into argument with others. Once a young man aged 22 years went to Sankara and asked Sankara if all human beings in the world shouldn’t be regarded as equal since the same kind of blood flows in all of them. Sankara smiled at him and said that the blood flowing in that youngster is hot and fast and so he was trying to push things too far. One can adopt the notion of non-duality or Advaita in one’s own thought but it is not possible to equate everything in the world in practice. The young man insisted that this does not seem right. He stated that to him, the proper thing appeared to be to treat all living things in the same manner. Sankara recognized that if this young man was likely to reach some absurd conclusions. Sankara asked whether he had a mother. The young man replied that he had a mother he respected. Sankara again asked if the young man was married. The young man replied that he was married. Sankara then asked him if he had a mother-in-law and sisters. The young man replied that the mother-in-law was quite healthy and that he had two sisters. Sankara asked if all these people were women. Sankara asked if he regarded all of them as equal and was treating his wife as his mother and his sister as his mother.

In this world of multiplicity, one has to recognize qualitative and quantitative differences. Each electric bulb is varying in power and wattage and so the difference in the light from the bulb is not due to the electric current. The current is the same everywhere but the difference arises from the bulbs with different intensities. God’s power is like electric power and our bodies are the bulbs.

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Devotional Activities in Chicago and Suburbs

  1. Every Monday
    • Bhajans in Aurora Shirdi Mandir from 07:00 PM – 08:00 PM
  2. Every Wednesday
    • Bhajans in Hoffman Estates from 07:30 PM – 08:30 PM
  3. Every Friday
    • Bhajans in Oak Brook from 08:00 PM – 09:00 PM
  4. First Saturday of the month
    • Bhajans in Glenview from 04:30 PM – 05:30 PM
  5. Saturday July 20, 2019
    • Paduka Puja in Bolingbrook from 10:30 AM – 12:30 PM
  6. Tuesday July 23, 2019
    • Bhajans in Naperville from 07:30PM – 08:30 PM

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