"FAITH is the basis of every act. You do not run away from the barber because he is armed with a sharp razor. You place faith in him and allow him to cut your hair, quietly submitting to his idiosyncrasies. You give away costly clothes to the dhobi (laundry man) since you have the faith that he will return them washed and ironed. You have faith in the driver of your car, in the engineer who built your house. So, too believe in the Inner Motivator, the Atma within, the Voice of God. That is the reason why one saint advised his followers, "Do not ask God for anything. Let Him deal with you as He Wills." 

-Swami (Source: Sai Baba's Divine Birthday Discourse, 23rd November, 1978)

Jaga's seva of Love in Poland 

Date: 6/4/02

Dear Sai Family, I have just returned from this country (Poland) national meeting of Sai devotees (which
was announced in SaiNews earlier last month). I joined the meeting only on the third day (on Saturday,
the 1st of June). Here are a few short notes of information and some impressions. All these are
'unofficial' (I am not a member of the Organisation) and typed from still fresh memory.

The meeting of about 300 devotees (this number is, I believe, greater than for any of 9 previous such
meetings) was dominated by Dato' J. Jagadeesan who, according to the programme, was to have four talks
in the first three days, but has agreed to lead yet one more session of Q&A today, the fourth and final
day of the meeting. So I was lucky to listen to two long talks (over 6 hours) instead of only one that
initially seemed destined for me! Although each of Jaga's lively lectures lasted 2-3 hours he never
slowed down or displayed other signs of fatigue. This is still more significant when taken into account
that he left Malaysia with a flu or something similar and medicines would not help much. It looked as if
the soring throat will spoil his participation, so he earnestly prayed to Swami for a grace of just
being able to speak. And what performances he presented! You wouldn't belive. It was love, teachings and
fun for hours non-stop. To illustrate one point he went as far as perfectly singing ... guess what ...
quite a few lines of one of Elvis Presley's hits of 1960's! By the time I arrived he already could sing
in ... Polish! It was a beautiful three language bhajan (in Sanskrit or Tamil, English and Polish).

At the conclusion of the Sunday's session, Jaga moved many devotees assembled literally to tears by the
way he lovingly treated the President of Organisation in this country who (I learned later) had serious
problems to deal with within the Organisation. The President himself, who until now served tirelessly as
the translator, henceforth out of emotion could not continue this seva. I was talking to many oldtimers
on their opinion about this meeting and they invariably expressed words of genuine appreciation stating
that it was best one in recent years. This was attributed primarily to Jaga's presence, however the
organisation of the event was also praised highly. I have got a feeling that this meeting is potentially
a breaking point to a better future for Sai devotees in Poland after a few last years of trials and
tribulations, which begun with the 'revelations' of Conny Larsson and last year led as high as the
Parliament forum. Should my hopes come true, the success would be in a great measure thanks to this
wonderful guest speaker. On Saturday evening I was leaving the place (only to return next morning) with
a devotee who said (I noticed tears welling up in her eyes when she spoke) she have seen a true Apostle
in Jaga.

You will appreciate yourself how busy is this saintly man if I mention after him that only in the last 3
months he travelled to two different African countries, USA, Australia, New Zealand, Fiji and Poland,
each time for about a week.

To have an idea on sort of the stories he presented refer to an earlier interview with him by David
Jevons which is available at

http://www.ramalacentre.com/newsletter01.htm

and the interview with Jagadeesan is specifically here:

http://www.ramalacentre.com/newsletter09_01_03.htm

If you did not read it yet, do so and you will not be disappointed. Necessarily, at the meeting there
was much, much more then in the source indicated. Among more significant things Jaga tried emphatically
to imprint on hearts of the leaders of Sai Organisation and the devotees at large during his last two
talks (and presumably earlier as well) were these concerned general policy of Organisation of a country
in view of attacks from forces opposed to Sai Baba and problems inside the Organisation itself. As a
rule there should not be any advertising Sai while doing social seva. Let people and politicians
recognise the goodness of the Sai movement by the work and fruits, then they will themeself happily
spread the Name. Paraphrasing Jaga humorous presentation, when they ask who is this Sai Baba, tell them
'I cannot say this', 'Tell, please!', 'No, no!', 'Oh, please, please!', 'I'd better not' ... finally the
devotee may graciously succumb to the pleadings: 'OK! Since you insist, ...' The idea is never talk
unasked to nondevotees about Sai Baba. He spoke firmly on improper habit in our (in the West) regular
meetings to have a big Sai portrait, as the main or only item on the altar. That repels e.g. Catholics
(these are in overwhelming majority in this country) who hold dearest forms familiar to them rather than
that strange figure of dear to us Sai. No wonder outsiders might develop unfriendly attitude. We know
that what is important in Sai Mission is not that much His Person but rather the teachings, the human
values. On similar lines we were advised to sing more songs/bhajans in native language rather than in
Sanskrit or English but in this particular respect am not quite sure now - it could well be that
somebody else so argumented during discussion. In Q&A session Jaga said it is quite bad practice to
organize Sai events during national religious holidays since religious leaders (Chirch) would regard it
as intentional means to draw their flock away from their faith (note that this meeting in Poland, as
usually, begun on possibly third in importance holiday of Corpus Christi!). There were also strong words
of Jaga about unity in the Sai Organisation. Members are free to suggest proposals for seva activities
to their leader but here their role ends. One lider - one voice. What the leader decides must be
respected by the members implicitly. Group/Centre leaders collect such proposals and alone decide which
to submit to the national committee which may in turn choose a few from the pool submitted by the
leaders. The chosen ones are then launched 'globally', on country scale. This way, if the seva is
carried out systematically for a sufficiently long time, it must bear fruits on a coutry scale and will
inevitably find recognition by one and all unlike many dispersed activities carried out locally. He
underlined the importance of nishkama karma in seva - acting without expecting any form of personal
reward, recognition or fruits.

Sai Ram, Kazik

God is Love, Live in Love

In one of the His Divine discourses, Bhagavan declared that He is the richest person in the world, nay,
in the universe itself, richer than Kubera, the Lord of wealth. Swami further clarified that His
richness does not consist of money or materials; the most valuable asset of Baba is Love. He is the
embodiment of Love itself.

The whole world is an expanse of love enveloping all the living beings, one-way or the other. Even the
most dry hearted human being or for that sake even any wild animal exhibit sparks of love in their own
way. Such love may be of selfish nature with attachment or bondage to their kith and kin or to
outside people who are admired or revered. It is only the consistent spiritual sadhana which slowly and
steadily leads us up to a level in which we are able to transcend the narrow frontiers of selfish love
into the vast expanse of divine love enveloping the whole of humanity. 'Premaswarupullara' addresses
Swami very often, while delivering Divine discourses to the gathering. Because, this is the real nature
of mankind.

Swarm's advent of this present Avatar hood is to regenerate the mankind, with the human values informing
both our view and way of life. As all of us know, what these values are viz.,, Sathya, Dharma, Shanthi,
Prema and Ahimsa. If only the prime value of universal Prema is fostered and developed in our life, it
will be very easy and almost automatic to develop the other values. How do we go about it ? According
to Bhagavan it is very simple; it only requires a degree of earnestness in our efforts.
Man is by very nature love personified. But the self and the desires of the self have come to grip our
thoughts and actions in our lives, past and present. Our efforts, therefore, should be, to purify our
chitha by removing the accumulated dirt slowly so that the ever present quality of love surfaces in
all our thoughts and deeds. Swami is, in fact, making us aware of the inherent LOVE in us by subtle
methods of spiritual sadhanas inculcating in us.

To develop universal love, we have to first realize that the universe is only a manifestation of
Divinity, and that Divinity is inherent in all living beings, what Swami call as Resident Divinity
We should extend our love to every living beings as a manifestation of the same divinity, and in the
same way, as we love God Swami also invariably emphasizes the need to have expansion of love and not
contraction of love which means that love should be selfless and with not selfish motive.

We love our family members, because they happen to be our wife/husband, son, daughter, father or mother.
The love extended to all these relatives is only selfish in nature. Our love is conditional based on our
relationships. We even find variations in the intensity of love towards different relatives, depending
upon the degree of attachment with each one of them. But the divine love is not conditional It is
selfless.

Our love to God should also be selfless. "Love is selflessness and self is lovelessness. Love is a
mutual feeling. Love generates Love. When you love somebody it is always reciprocated. Even a person of
very hard nature responds to love. I remember a story narrated by a senior devotee in Madras, during
one of his discourses,. in a study circle meeting.

It was said that during period of His boyhood, Sri Krishna was undergoing Gurukula Vaasam (living in the
hermitage of the Guru) with Guru Sandeepini Maharshi along with Balarama and Sudhama. In the
performance of the chores all the three used to go to the forest to fetch firewood for the Ashram. One
day it was too late in the night, they were still in the forest and they had to camp there. They
decided to take turns so that one could be awake, while the other two could sleep under the tree. First
it was the turn of Sudhama to keep vigil. While doing so, he noticed that a gang of tribal men were
passing by, closely where they were resting. Sudhama thought that they might cause harm to them and
tried to scare them away, by angry gestures. The tribal folk did not mean any harm to Krishna and
company. And yet when Sudhama tried to threaten them by gestures, they also reacted likewise. Luckily,
without much ado they moved away.

Next, it was the turn of Balarama, to take over from Sudhama. He also noticed the tribal folks moving
about in the area. Balarama too tired to scare them away by angry gestures to which they responded
angrily. Balarama did not leave them at that. He gestured that he would attack them if they did not
move away from that place. The tribal folk responded in the same manner and measure. They got nearer to
Balarama and beat him brutally and then moved away. Balarama took it quietly and retired for the night
after his time was over.

Last it was for Sri Krishna to take over. The other two could not forget their respective encounters and
were not able to sleep. To their horror, they found that the tribal people were once again passing
through the place. They were very eager to watch how Krishna was going to tackle them. On seeing the
tribal folk, Krishna waved His hands towards them smilingly conveying His good wishes. They also
responded smilingly. Krishna then, by His gestures, invited them to come nearer. They came nearer and
were all in smiles. They hugged each other reflecting warmth and friendship. After a while, they went
their way.

The devotee, in his talk, was further trying to explain to us, how our own feelings get reflected in
others. When you show hatred to any one, the other party also responds with hatred. When you show
love, they also extend their love to you. Love is reciprocated by love Swami often points out the
simple analogy of a person looking at the mirror. If the person puts on an angry face, the reflection
is also the same. If, one smiles, the reflection also smiles !

Thirty thousand feet above the earth, when an aircraft was being high jacked, the devotee heard the
command of Swami, to "love the highjacker". How could you love a 'high jacker', when he was threatening
to blow up the plane killing every body on board. And yet this was the command. The lady devotee, on
hearing the message, mentally extended her love towards them. It was reported that they, the
'highjackers' subsequently, lost their nerves to live through the tension drama and ultimately
surrendered to the authorities.

It is not enough if you say that you love somebody. In case of pure love, we follow it up with positive
action. When we love our child, we try to express our love by purchasing and presenting something for
the child to bring joy. Any sincere feeling of love manifests itself into an action.

When we love God, God's love also manifests. In fact, God is ever loving and at times we are not able
to feel and enjoy that divine love because of certain inherent blocks in our feelings of love. The
magnetic power in iron automatically attracts the ordinary iron. But in case the ordinary iron is
densely covered by rust and other impurities, the magnet can not attract it. The rust in our feelings
has to be removed and our chitha purified to be able to absorb the abundant love from God. And we
too should love God unconditionally.

When once we develop love towards someone, we start listening to him or her with interest and act in
the best way possible to please the party, whom we love. When we say we love God, it implies and
involves total commitment to the Divine Commands and direction. We can then claim that we love God,
unconditionally.

What Is it that Swami is instructing us? "Start the day with Love spend the day with Love and End the
day, with Love." We hear the sayings of Swami several times, but we fail to put it in practice in our
daily life ‘Start the day with love.... But what do we do? A slight delay in getting our morning
coffee, or in sighting the newspaper boy, makes us agitated. We have sharp remarks in reserve, for the
maidservant if she comes late or slips up, in work. In our conversations we exhibit irritation,
because it has been our way of life all along. We seem to have lost the faculty of tolerance and
softness in speech. Only when we are free of mental agitation, we can speak softly and sweetly.

Swami has been teaching to mend our habits and has shown us the ways too. Early morning, if we sit for
meditation followed by Japa and pooja, our mind becomes calm and gets itself conditioned to accept the
events as they come and to develop tolerance, which in turns removes anger and hatred. Love resumes its
place in our mind. This is what Swami wants from us, under item No I of 9 point Code of Conduct which
has been prescribed for all the devotees.

As we go out into the world during the day we come into contact with various personalities. Some of
them, you may like and many others you may not like. We react differently to different people. You feel
happy to see and talk to the one whom you like. You breed a sense of aversion to those whom you do not
like. It is very difficult to condition the mind. Yet, we have to try and attempt to foster and
develop a proper balanced attitude and behavior towards every one. Constant remembrance of Swami, in
such situation, to some extent direct us to stick to proper behavior. Swami teaches us to extend
mentally our love towards such persons. Our smiling face would elicit the same smile from the other
party too.

However at times, when we are engaged in conversation with someone, the subject matter quite often turns
to those on whom we may have reservations. We pass comments and criticize them. Swami warns us to be
cautious and careful about this habit and behavior. Remember Swami's dictum in the 9-Point Code of
Conduct, which says "Don't talk ill of others, especially in their absence".

As the day closes in, we prepare ourselves to retire for the day. While doing so, we should spend a
while in self-retrospection. What are all the mistakes we have done during the day? Have we strayed away
from the path of Love any time during the day? We should contemplate, and try to improve our performance
the next day. It should be a continuous process. This is the sadhana of self-discipline.

As long as hatred and anger prevails in our mind, it is very difficult to cultivate love in our hearts.
Anger and hatred have to be eliminated gradually by constant practice and tolerance and love assumes
its place automatically.

The most tolerant person may encounter a very difficult man who may even inflict mental or physical pain
on us. Then what are we to do? Here too, Swami says that we should not act in the manner of 'tit for
tat'. For all the pain inflicted, it is our duty to pray for forgiveness and for his welfare in spite
of all that he has done to you. This pleases Swami very much.

Swami wants us to live happily for ever, with overwhelming love in our heart, for God is Love !

(From the book "Hrudaya Nivasi". To read the other chapters in this book, click on http://www.bombaysrinivasan.com/hrudayanivasi.html

- Bombay Srinivasan

Sai Links

Sai Samchar : http://saisamachar.com/saipranaam/june-2002/cover.htm

Buddha Poornima Festival Photos : http://www.srisathyasai.org.in/Photos/2002/pages/Buddha_poornima1.htm

Thought for the day (as written in Prasanthi Nilayam board, updated everyday): http://www.srisathyasai.org.in/pages/Thought_main.htm

Interview to devotees from USA: http://www.sathyasai.org/organize/conferences/in020727.html

What's new on the International Sai Org. website? : http://www.sathyasai.org/whats.html

"Today many people are fear-stricken thinking that there is going to be a war between India and Pakistan. No such war will take place. Bharat will be blessed with auspiciousness. Bharat is a sacred land and will be safe always. There may be minor skirmishes here and there. These days there is no unity even in a small family consisting of four members. In such a situation, how can a country with crores of population be free from minor conflicts? But there will be no war. All will stand united as one family."

- Swami from Sankranthi discourse : http://www.srisathyasai.org.in/Discourses/2002/makara_San.htm

Gurupoornima 2002 at Prashanti
(Notes from April, a devotee from USA)

Gurupoornima 2002 was low key compared to some of the other festivals I’ve attended at Prashanti -- but not the crowds! There were plenty of devotees! I left my room at 2:20 am for the token lines. When my friend and I got to the main street of Prashanti (where the autos come in), the token line was already up to Round house 3. There were only a few seva dals on duty at that time, so one of them asked me to
direct ladies to a second line. I did that for a some time then, they had us move into two lines as more seva dals arrived to help. We all sat for over an hour and a half before they let us move up to where the token lines normally line up (by the Poornachandra Auditorium) at 4 am. It was! surprisingly calm at the front of the line where I was seated. But the back of the line was a different story! As the women began to feel they might not get inside the hall or be part of the tokens, they began to push forward. I was lucky to miss all that. At 4:30 am tokens were pulled and my line was 9. I was through security and seated by around 5:10 am. By that time the hall was already 1/2 full! I took a seat near the far side aisle and looked around.

A Sai video was playing on the TV monitors for our enjoyment while we waited. More decorations had been
put up in the hall. The mandir exterior now had new multi colored, multi looped garlands along the roof
edge (hung over the red and gold decorations that were already there from several days ago). The floral
arch of yesterday had been replaced with a triple arch covered with multi colored Gerber daisies, red
and white tropical flowers and carnations. The pillars one either side of the arches had been refreshed
with new flowers. Round floral balls hung along the curved roof edge over Swami’s gold/beige swivel
chair. Many more floral decorations were hung around the hall and on the façade of! the mandir. The
front of the verandah looked like a lush garden.

The gate leading to the Poornachandra Auditorium was decorated with new mult-colored, multi-looped
garlands. A new floral arch had been placed outside that hall gate and in front of the gate to Swami’s
residence. It was twice as wide as the one that was there a few days ago. The fence in front of the
Poornachandra, the façade and balconies were lavishly draped with colorful garlands some looped and some
vertical. It looked very rich and colorful.

The arch that was inside the main driveway gate, had been changed overnight to burgundy with gold
letters saying Gurupoornima Festival on one side and Om Sri Sai Ram on the other. Strings of U and V
shaped flags in red and white with various designs were strung around the main driveway. There were a
number of video cameras set up to record the event.

By 5:40 am the hall was full. Indian ceremonial music began - horns and drums. All the lights in the
hall were turned on at 6 am. I could now see that the ceremonial music was coming from the verandah –
all the band members were women! They began to play Manasa Bhajare. Some of the devotees in the hall
started to clap and sing along.

On the middle of the verandah was a large cylindrical shaped object covered in orange cloth and tied at
the top like a present. We all wondered what it was. No one knew in the audience. The lady musicians
ended their performance and some men took over (seated in the main driveway).

The VIP ladies were seated up front near the verandah – some on the floor and some in white plastic
chairs (normally they sit way over by the gate to the Poornachandra). The verandah itself was
overflowing with VIP men, almost not enough room for them all.

At 6:30 am all the students from the local Sai schools came into the hall to be seated. I was seated
near a TV monitor, so I had both live and TV views.

At 6:45 am a loud noise began to come from the crowd as the TV monitors showed Swami coming slowly
toward the hall from the Poornachandra. Then He came into physical view and the noise got even louder. I
could not hear the darshan music. He was followed by 3 men - one was Indulal Shah and the other two
are named Srinivasan. All three of these men spoke yesterday at the Valedictory event. In the past,
Swami would often be preceded by one of the Sai School bands and followed by another band - coming into
the hall with great pomp and stirring music. Sometimes even Sai Gita would come into the hall with the
bands following. This year was very low key.!

Before entering the hall, Swami turned off the carpet and went over to an area outside the hall where
the women line up for tokens. Ladies were seated there who could not get into the hall (no more room).
Swami kindly went over to give them darshan, waving a blessing to them several times. Such love. At
this point, some of the ladies in the hall got up on their feet to see what He was doing. The seva dals
had to work to get them reseated, so everyone in the back could see.

Then Swami came back over to the carpet and into the hall. I could see that His face was still very
swollen, especially on the right side. He walked along the main aisle between the ladies then, cut
across to the verandah. He stopped to talk to some of the VIPs along the way. Next, He went over to the
orange covered object and pulled a string to open up the cloth covering. A statue/sculpture of Swami was
revealed. It showed Swami standing on an open lotus, raising the energy with His right hand and holding
a letter in the other – a classic pose. The crowd gasped and then started to clap. The statue was a
dark gold/bronze color. Swami was very happy with it and materialized a chain for the sculptor, putting
it around the fellows neck and patting Him gingerly on the arm in a gesture of appreciation. The fellow
(sorry, don’t know his name) smiled broadly. This is the first official statue made of Swami.

Now the mandir priest began to put garlands on the statue -- first, a long pure white one, then a
shorter red one, and another red one. He started to put on a fourth red one, but Swami stopped him.
Three was enough. (The priest had an entire plastic bag of garlands, so he took the remainder back to
the mandir.)

At 6:55 am, music came on over the loudspeaker, then singing (Indian language). Swami went over and sat
in His swivel chair. A podium was brought over and some young male students in white (with a white
cloth and red stripe hanging over their right shoulders) came up to chant for us. When they finished,
they bowed to Swami and left.

The MC (Srinivasan) came up to the podium and introduced two men who would speak before Swami. The
first speaker was Dr. Michael Goldstein and the second, Sanjay Sahani (not sure of the spelling). Dr.
Goldstein came up to Swami, bowed down and then went to the podium. His talk was short, only about ten
minutes. Swami listened from His swivel chair, turned slightly to His right, so He could see Dr.
Goldstein.

After Dr. Goldstein finished, Sanjay Sahani came up to Swami, gave a flower then, went to the podium.
His talk was also brief. As he left the podium and Swami’s desk was being brought out, I noticed that
devotees were peering over the fences that surround the hall. There were many, many outside – all along
the East,West, and North sides and on the 2nd floor of the East building.

At about 7:30 am, Anil Kumar came up to the podium to translate for Swami, bowing to Him first for
blessing. With His desk in front of Him, Swami began, singing the introduction as usual. Here are
some highlights (To read the complete Gurupoornima discourse, click on this link : http://www.srisathyasai.org.in/Discourses/2002/Guru_Poornima.htm)

During the day, it is the Sun that sheds its light and helps all the beings in this universe. It is themoon that shows the path to all the beings in the night time. It is dharma that shows the light on the path to all the worlds. It is a true son, who sets a good example – a light for His family and
colleagues

Swami spoke for sometime about a fellow named Karnada (don’t know the proper spelling). Swami had to repeat this name to Anil Kumar several times before He was able to understand. Karnada, it seems, was the first to talk about atoms. Swami spoke at length about atoms. He said “God is smallest of the small and biggest of the big. Everyone is a combination of these atoms. Man never made an attempt to
know the mystery of the atom.

He said He has had swelling of teeth for 10 days, but has taken no medicine. Yesterday, after His discourse and during bhajans, He said He went inside (the interview room) and focused on all the prayers that were being said for Him by devotees. Those prayers were able to help Him and when He woke up the next morning no more pain whatsoever. I and you are one!

At 8:30 am Swami stopped His discourse and began to sing Vahe Guru interjecting several verses with the
different names of God including His own (Krishna, Rama, Sathya). Ocassionally He wiped His mouth off
with a cloth.

He stopped singing this bhajan and began to talk again about the Guru and the So Ham principle. About
8:40 am, He begain to sing Hari Bhajana Bina, followed by Subrahmanyam. The devotees sang along
enthusiastically. Then, He stopped singing again and had Anil Kumar make an announcement: There would be
a cultural program in the Poornachandra Hall at 6 pm put on by the Bal Vikas and devotees of Canada.

He lit 3 arti lamps as we began to sing and the big bell was rung. While we were singing, Swami went to
the back of the verandah and blessed some of the men there. Then He came back up front bringing some
young boys along. Anil Kumar went back up to the microphone and spoke first in Telegu, then in English
saying that these young boys were orphans and Swami had adopted them all! He would see that each had 1
lakh rupees. He would take care of them in every possible way. The children then filed off the
veranda.

Swami went to the interior of the veranda again and lit the candle on a large cake that was on a table
with wheels. Helpers brought out prasadam in big silver bowls for the school children and VIPs and a
few lucky devotees. Meanwhile, Swami began to hand out gifts to the VIPs on the veranda from a basket.
It was something wrapped in green.

The Indian ceremonial music began again. The male band came around from behind the mandir on the ladies
side with all the orphans following in a mini parade. They moved in front of the veranda, then over to
the men’s side and disappeared. Swami finished handing out the gifts and began to walk toward the exit.
At the end of the veranda, He was greeted by two Indian ladies, one held a ceremonial bowl/pot with a
candle stuck in the top for Him to light. The other had a coconut. He lit the candle then, continued
along the side aisle toward the Poornachandra. The sacred conch was blown and large cymbols were
played. ! ; Guruproonima 2002 had concluded.

For the sake of the large crowd of devotees, Swami had several temporary “canteens” put up at strategic
locations throughout the ashram. Food was available in any of these, as well as the regular canteens.

In the afternoon, darshan was back to the normal routine although the crowds were still very large and
filled the hall. It was a hot day. The TV monitors were still in place and turned on. Swami came at
around 2:30 pm. He walked through the ladies quickly, then up to the verandah. He had helpers give more
prasad to the VIPs and students while He supervised from the door of the interview room (we could see
this because of the video cameras!). Eventually Swami went inside and darshan was over.

Bhajans began early (4 pm) because of the cultural program at 6 pm. I did not attend either bhajans or
the cultural program because I was extremely tired. But, I could hear both events from my room over the
loudspeakers that are set throughout the ashram.

My dears, this has been a most incredible, inspiring and sacred four days (the conference and
Gurupoornima). I hope I was able to convey some of that to you in these emails.

At His Feet Love,

April 

"For the last four days, many devotees are very much worried that Swami is suffering because of the pain He has taken upon Himself. Understand that Swami has no pain at all because He has taken it upon Himself out of His love. How can I have pain when I have alleviated the suffering of My devotee? However, there are certain rules and regulations to be observed in this regard. I have taken it from somebody. Hence, I have to put up with this for as many days as the person would suffer in the normal course. I have no difficulty whatsoever. If I were really suffering due to pain, would it be possible for Me to speak to you at this length? I have no suffering, it has dissolved in My love. All should be happy, blissful and comfortable. This is what I desire. Do not be worried over this matter. I have no suffering. In fact, I am ready to accept all your sufferings. Be happy always."

- Swami, from the Sai Seva discourse, click on link : http://www.srisathyasai.org.in/Discourses/2002/Seva_Conference_22-07-02.htm

Spiritual Effort - 1 The matters which concern man and occupy his mind are normally so trivial and he wastes much of his life worrying about them. In fact, they are unimportant and of no lasting consequence. God is Love, and yet true love is absent in so many of your lives. How can there be all these stupid petty jealousies, even within the Sai Organization? What have you learnt by becoming devotees? How many of you are progressing spiritually? Do you realize I am here always, watching every movement, every thought of each one of you? Examine yourselves and make a real effort to start again, this time on the right lines, and live a life so full of Love that all negative thoughts are eliminated from your mind for ever. I give My Love and Blessings to all of you.

Spiritual Effort - 2 Change does not come overnight but change can be set in motion this very moment. The momentum will increase as each day passes. But, old habits die hard and great determination is required. I am always there to help, if you turn to Me. Take one step towards Me, and I wil take a hundred towards you, but you must make the FIRST move. Is that not a SOLUTION to many of your problems? However, man has freewill and nothing will happen unless he exercises that freewill. Awaken, My
children, and see the Light that shines so strongly once you open your eyes. Start afresh today and determine to live your life in harmony with God. My children, I wait for you patiently while My Love flows constantly all over the world. 

Excerpt from the book "Sai Messages for you and me - Vol 1", Lucas Ralli

(Most of the Swami photos on this page were sent by Bombay Srinivasan)