{"id":453,"date":"2019-03-03T05:17:36","date_gmt":"2019-03-03T05:17:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/centers.saimedia.org\/chicagometro\/?page_id=453"},"modified":"2019-04-03T05:03:02","modified_gmt":"2019-04-03T05:03:02","slug":"watch-march-2019","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/centers.saimedia.org\/chicagometro\/watch-march-2019\/","title":{"rendered":"Watch: March 2019"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"PageTop\">In this edition<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li><a href=\"#InUpcomingEvents\">Upcoming Events<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#GeethaVahini\">Geetha Vahini<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#RamaNavami\">Rama Navami<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#WorldlyPleasures\">Worldly Pleasures are like a serpent&#8217;s grip<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#DevotionalActivities\">Devotional activities in Chicago and Suburbs<\/a><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"InUpcomingEvents\">Upcoming Events<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\"><li><strong>Monday, March 4, 2019<\/strong><ul><li><strong>Maha Shivarathri celebrations<\/strong><\/li><li>Time: 07:00 PM &#8211; 11:00 PM<\/li><li>Venue: <a href=\"https:\/\/goo.gl\/maps\/8EihXpWkYWQ2\">Sant Nirankari<\/a>,  1S750 Route 59, West Chicago <\/li><\/ul><\/li><li><strong>Shri Sathya Sai Aradhana Mahotsvam<\/strong><ul><li><strong>Saturday, April 6, 2019<\/strong>: Special service project at <a href=\"https:\/\/goo.gl\/maps\/NnQ1kcoJFtw\">FMSC<\/a>, Schaumburg from 07:00 PM &#8211; 09:00 PM<\/li><li><strong>Wednesday, April 24, 2019<\/strong>:  Special Devotional program at <a href=\"https:\/\/goo.gl\/maps\/8EihXpWkYWQ2\">Sant Nirankari<\/a> from 07:30 PM \u2013 10.30 PM <\/li><li><strong>Saturday, April 27, 2019<\/strong>:  Mini Retreat with Prof. Anil Kumar (Swami\u2019s divine discourse translator) at <a href=\"https:\/\/goo.gl\/maps\/8EihXpWkYWQ2\">Sant Nirankari<\/a> from 10:00 AM \u2013 04:30 PM<\/li><\/ul><\/li><li><strong>Sunday, April 14, 2019<\/strong><ul><li><strong>Ugadi, Vishu and Rama Navami celebrations<\/strong><\/li><li>Special Devotional Program by YAs<\/li><li>Time: 09:30 AM &#8211; 01:00 PM<\/li><li>Venue: River Forest Community Center<\/li><\/ul><\/li><li><strong>Sunday, April 21, 2019<\/strong><ul><li><strong>Easter Celebrations<\/strong><\/li><li>Special Devotional Program<\/li><li>Time: 09:30 AM &#8211; 01:00 PM<\/li><li>Venue: River Forest Community Center<\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p style=\"text-align:right\"><a href=\"#PageTop\">Back to the Top<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"GeethaVahini\">Geetha Vahini<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>When the\ndesire to attain the fruit of action is renounced with full intellectual\nawareness, then, it becomes what Krishna calls, \u201cBuddhiyogam.\u201d The intellect\nhas to be purified and trained. Otherwise, it is impossible to give up\nattachment to the fruits of action and to continue doing things, as either duty\nor dedication. Such a purified intellect is named \u201cYoga Buddhi.\u201d cultivate it and\nthen, through it, liberate yourself from the bondage of karma. Really speaking,\nyou, the true you are above and beyond karma.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nYou\nmight say that you will desist from karma rather than practise the difficult\ndiscipline of renouncing the fruits thereof. But that is impossible. No, Karma\nis inevitable. One has to do some karma or other. Not for a single moment can\none free oneself from karma \u201cnahi kaschith kshanamapi\u201d says Krishna, in the\nthird Chapter of the Geetha.\n\n\n\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em><strong>\u201c\u201cArjuna! Every karya (deed) or karma (activity) has a beginning and an end. But Nishkama Karma (desireless karma) has no such. That is the difference between the two. When karma is done with a view to the gain therefrom, one has to suffer the loss, the pain, and even the punishment. But Nishkama Karma frees you from all these.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\u201cDesire the fruits of karma, and you get born\nagain and again, caught up in that desire. Give up that desire, you are\nliberated from the flux. The practice of this type of renunciation ends the\nstate of bondage. The main point is to stick to the goal. The goal is karma,\nnot Karmaphala (Fruit of action). Let me tell you that the desire or the fruit of\none\u2019s acts is an indication of Rajo Guna (passion), which does not befit you.\nPerhaps you will prefer to remain inactive. Well, that is an indication of\nThamo Guna (dullness, ignorance)! It is even worse than Rajo Guna.\u201d The Lord has\nlaid down four commands: the first one a \u201cdo\u201d and the other three \u201cdon\u2019ts.\u201d The\nfirst is insisting on the cultivation of strength, the rest requiring the\navoidance of weakness.\n\n\n\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Of course, it\nis not Arjuna alone that got such advice. The whole of mankind needs it. Arjuna\nis only the representative \u201cMan.\u201d Students of the Geetha must learn this lesson\nfirst: that the Geetha is primarily for every seeker.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Another point\nto be noted is this: Geetha is addressed to Man, not to birds and beasts or to\nthe gods or devathas. Man performs acts prompted by the desire for the fruits thereof.\nIf the act does not yield fruit, he will not do the act at all. But this rule\ndoes not apply to those who take the Geetha in their hands to drink the nectar\nof the Lord\u2019s Message. Not all do yearn for the nectar. If you do so, it is\nevident that you aspire for eternal joy, eternal liberation. Then you must give\nup the desire for the fruit of action, and dedicate everything at the Feet of\nthe Lord.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you have\nan eye on the fruits of your actions, you are liable to be affected by worry,\nanxiety and restlessness. The question may arise: if the fruits have to be\ngiven up, how can one manage to live? But why this weakness of heart, this\nnervousness? He who has assured, \u201cYoga-kshemam vahamyaham\u201d (I will absolutely take\ncare of your worldly and spiritual needs), will certainly look after that. He\nwill give the wherewithal and the means. After all, you have to consider, \u201cIs a\nhappy life important or is liberation from the circle of life and death more\nimportant? Happy living is only of short duration. The joy of liberation is\neternal, unshakeable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>On this point\nmany commentators have exercised their intelligence and written differently.\nMany have said that the giving up of Phala or fruit is advised because there is\nno right or authority for the doer to desire the fruit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This is a\ngreat blunder. The Lord has said in the Geetha, \u201crefuse the fruit\u201d (maa\nphaleshu), that is to say: the deed yields results, but the doer should not\ndesire the result, or do it with the result in view. If Krishna\u2019s intention was\nto say that the doer has no right for the fruit, He would have said, \u201cIt is\nfruitless\u201d na phaleshu, (na, meaning no). So, if you desist from karma, you\nwill be transgressing the Lord\u2019s Command. That will be a serious mistake.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p style=\"text-align:right\"><strong><em>-Excerpts from Geetha Vahini<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p style=\"text-align:right\"><a href=\"#PageTop\">Back to the Top<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"RamaNavami\">Rama Navami<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The sacred epic Ramayana is verily the Veda descended\nfrom heaven to earth. The Veda is classified into four: Rig Veda, Yajur Veda,\nSama Veda, and Atharvana Veda. The Rig Veda helps, sustains and protects the yajnas\nand yagas. In the Ramayana, Rama symbolises Rig Veda. Lakshmana signifies Yajur\nVeda, which contains mantras chanted during the performance of yajnas and\nyagas. When Rama was away in the forest, Bharata stayed in Nandigrama singing\nHis divine Name day in and day out. Hence, he symbolises Sama Veda. Satrughna\nwas the one who annihilated the satrus (enemies) and protected the pious. He\nwas obedient to his brothers. He stands for Atharvana Veda. The essence of\nAtharvana Veda lies in destroying wickedness and fostering sacred feelings and\nactivities. The Ramayana is verily the Veda. The Veda is not different from the\nRamayana. True humanness lies in understanding this.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em><strong>Rama, Lakshmana, Bharata, and Shatrughna are the four sons of Dasaratha. Merely knowing this will not suffice. One should enquire and understand the inner meaning. Who is Dasaratha? He represents the human body consisting of ten senses (five senses of perception and five senses of action). Strictly speaking, Rama, Lakshmana, Bharata, and Shatrughna are not the sons of Dasaratha and his three wives. We should not think that they were born like mere mortals. They are the chaitanya swarupas (embodiments of divine consciousness) who emerged from the sacrificial fire. They set an ideal to parents, brothers, and sisters in every family and to humanity at large.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Today, due to the impact of Kali age, there is no unity\nand love among brothers in a family. On the contrary, Rama, Lakshmana, Bharata,\nand Shatrughna had total unity among themselves. When Lakshmana fell\nunconscious in the battlefield, Rama was crestfallen. He considered Lakshmana\nas His very life. He lamented, &#8220;If I were to search in the world, I may\nget a mother like Kausalya and a wife like Sita but not a brother as noble as\nLakshmana.&#8221; The four brothers had such unity, harmony, and love among\nthemselves.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>When Bharata returned from Kekaya kingdom, he came to know from sage\nVasishtha that Rama had gone into exile and would not return for fourteen long\nyears. He was disconsolate. He went to the sage, offered his respects and said,\n&#8220;Oh venerable preceptor, I do not want this kingdom, which has caused the\nexile of my brother Rama. Being the eldest son, only Rama has the right to rule\nover the Kingdom. Hence, at this very moment I shall go to the forest, fall at\nthe feet of Rama and plead with Him to come and take over the reins of\nAyodhya.&#8221; In this manner, each of the four brothers was ready to make any\nsacrifice for the sake of the other.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In order to uphold the plighted word of His father, Rama was ready to go\ninto exile. He donned the clothes made of tree bark and went to the residence\nof mother Kausalya to seek her permission. Mother Kausalya, being unaware of\nthe sudden turn of events, was eagerly awaiting Rama&#8217;s arrival. She was\necstatic thinking of Rama&#8217;s coronation and expected Him to come to her in royal\ngarments. She was very much worried to see Rama and Sita in bark clothes.\n&#8220;Rama, is this the type of garment you should wear on the day of your\ncoronation,&#8221; she asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Rama smilingly replied, &#8220;Mother, I have been coronated as the king\nof Aranya Rajya (kingdom of forest) by My father. I am going to the forest to\nprotect sages and saints who are being put to suffering by the demons. Hence,\nkindly do not raise any objection to My sacred mission. I have to obey the\ncommand of My father.&#8221; So saying, He prostrated before His mother and\nsought her permission to go to the forest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Hearing the words of Rama, mother Kausalya was overcome with sorrow. She\npleaded with Him, &#8220;Son, You are talking of obeying only the command of\nfather, what about the command of Your mother? I will not come in the way of\nYour going to the forest, but let me also accompany You. I cannot live without\nYou even for a minute.&#8221; Rama said, &#8220;Mother, it is not proper on your\npart to leave your husband in this old age. At this juncture, you should\ncomfort and console him with soothing words. That is your foremost duty. For a\nwife, husband is God. He is the only refuge for her.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p style=\"text-align:right\"><strong>&#8211; <em>Baba\u2019s\nDiscourses on Rama Navami<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p style=\"text-align:right\"><a href=\"#PageTop\">Back to the Top<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"WorldlyPleasures\">Worldly pleasures are like a serpent\u2019s grip<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>One\nperson came to Me and prayed that he should meet his examination with success\nand secure a high first class. I told him that there will have to be effort and\nthe result will be according to God&#8217;s will. With My blessings he did secure a\nhigh first class and came to Me again after passing his examination and asked\nfor My blessings so that he may get a job. He did get a job within a month. He\nagain came to Me after a few months and he wanted to marry a typist girl in his\noffice. I told him that if it is agreeable to his parents, he may do so but\nthey may not like it. He said that even if it meant transgressing the wishes of\nhis parents, he was determined to marry that girl. I told him that he must\nconvince his parents before entering into such an alliance. He brought a lot of\npressure on his parents and they finally agreed to the marriage. After the\nbirth of a son his expenses multiplied, his wife gave up the job, and he came\nto Me desiring a promotion. He had great faith in regard to matters relating to\nSwami. I gave him My blessings and he got a promotion. He did not turn up\nthereafter for over five years. They had four children. He came again to Me\nafter five years and said that he was fed up with the family, said that he\ncannot bear the burden of the family. He said that he wanted a small job in the\nashram and said that his family has now got a hold over him like a big serpent.\nI asked him if the serpent caught him on its own or whether he let the serpent\ncome to him and get hold of him. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p style=\"text-align:right\"><a href=\"#PageTop\">Back to the Top<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"DevotionalActivities\">Devotional Activities in Chicago and Suburbs<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\"><li><strong>Every Monday<\/strong><ul><li>Bhajans in Aurora Shirdi Mandir from 07:00 PM &#8211; 08:00 PM<\/li><\/ul><\/li><li><strong>Every Wednesday<\/strong><ul><li>Bhajans in Hoffman Estates from 07:30 PM &#8211; 08:30 PM<\/li><\/ul><\/li><li><strong>Every Friday<\/strong><ul><li>Bhajans in Oak Brook from 08:00 PM &#8211; 09:00 PM<\/li><\/ul><\/li><li><strong>First Saturday of the month<\/strong><ul><li>Bhajans in Glenview from 04:30 PM &#8211; 05:30 PM<\/li><\/ul><\/li><li><strong>Saturday March 9, 2019<\/strong><ul><li>Paduka Puja in Bolingbrook from 10:00 AM &#8211; 12:00 PM<\/li><\/ul><\/li><li><strong>Saturday March 23, 2019<\/strong><ul><li>Bhajans in Burr Ridge from 06:30PM &#8211; 07:30 PM<\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p style=\"text-align:right\"><a href=\"#PageTop\">Back to the Top<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In this edition Upcoming Events Geetha Vahini Rama Navami Worldly Pleasures are like a serpent&#8217;s grip Devotional activities in Chicago and Suburbs Upcoming Events Monday, March 4, 2019 Maha Shivarathri celebrations Time: 07:00 PM &#8211; 11:00 PM Venue: Sant Nirankari, 1S750 Route 59, West Chicago Shri Sathya Sai Aradhana Mahotsvam Saturday, April 6, 2019: Special &hellip; <\/p>\n<p class=\"link-more\"><a href=\"https:\/\/centers.saimedia.org\/chicagometro\/watch-march-2019\/\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading<span class=\"screen-reader-text\"> &#8220;Watch: March 2019&#8221;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-453","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/centers.saimedia.org\/chicagometro\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/453","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/centers.saimedia.org\/chicagometro\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/centers.saimedia.org\/chicagometro\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/centers.saimedia.org\/chicagometro\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/centers.saimedia.org\/chicagometro\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=453"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/centers.saimedia.org\/chicagometro\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/453\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":480,"href":"https:\/\/centers.saimedia.org\/chicagometro\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/453\/revisions\/480"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/centers.saimedia.org\/chicagometro\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=453"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}