Sprituality and Religion - understanding for betterment in life

Spirituality is the one which fills the human life with contentment, eternal happiness and peace!!

In today's world, spirituality has become synonymous with temple or mosque or church or some religious symbol. It has become synonymous with religion. This is what makes a person averse to the word spiritual or spirituality and discourage younger lot from talking or knowing more about it, unfortunately. Are they same or is spirituality different from religion?

Sankranthi - a bountiful and joyful festival!

Wish everyone a wonderful time during this pongal! Happy Sankranthi!!

A normal wish goes this way for all. However, with the changing times, more urbanisation, least preference is given to this first festival of the year, which is infact, need to be celebrated with more sincerity.

Sri Sai Master in his article about Sankranthi says sharing of joy, being together, helping others within means, praying to God and serving the Guru are some of the important pointers of this festival. (Article in January 2012 Sai Baba Magazine - http://issuu.com/saibabamagazine/docs/sai_baba_magazine_january_2012)

Welcoming new year@Nilayam, Nagole

This is how it started at Nilayam, where Divyajanani is staying currently. The function started around 11 pm. It was rather a colorful start...All resources pooled in and the result is ---beautiful and colorful start.

Happy New Year....how does one make it?

Wish you a wonderful new year ahead and may Sri Sai Master bless you and your family with the best!


This is a wish that is going to innumerable friends and near and dear ones of mine. This is the same wish that I have for every year. However, is there anything that I can share really that makes all those benefit from? Yes. The message of yesterday's satsang at midnight that went well past 2 O' clock with many still hanging around. It was a simple message - What do we need ? What does spirituality mean and how to live spiritually? Why should one live spiritually?


Is carrying out pooja every day for sometime suffice? If we are going to the temple on the best days that we think suffice one to say they are spiritually oriented, while doing everything that is against or not doing as what is given in the scriptures (of any religion)?  When I meet people, this is one question that is posed quite commonly - why am I living spiritually or oriented spiritually. While I would be happy to live like that, the point that I am not living or oriented spiritually.......STILL...even after reading Sri Sai Leelamrutam or Sri Gurucharitra for quite long time, shows that I am way off from what is expected of such readers or people doing parayana every day. 


To live spiritually means, to live like a HUMAN BEING. Caring, loving and behaving....everything will be like a human being. When we say Lord Rama is a real MAN, we have set our bench mark. Jesus Christ, or Buddha, or Prophet or any other such Mahatmas have clearly mentioned what is means to be a HUMAN BEING. With that, let me start comparing myself to understand how far I have to travel. Will my current "Janma" or so called time till death be enough to become a human being? I am not worried. But would like to start walking towards that GOAL. That is the only wish that I have starting this year. Probably, let that be the only GOAL that I will have for every new year. Try and try till I succeed. Rest in Sri Sai Master's hands.

JAI SAI MASTER!!

Messaih arrives !!

Then Jesus said to his disciples, "I tell you the truth, it is hard for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of God."

On a day, when the Messaih's arrival is being celebrated across, let us ponder a bit on the verses of Sermon of the Mount, for they are the crux of HIS teachings.

Sri Sai Leelamrutham in Braille - A moment to cherish for SMBT!



Sri Sai Leelamrutham - Vol 1 (Braille version)

Sri Sai Leelamrutham is a daily parayana book used by many Sai devotees across globe.

Sri Sai Master, after attaining siddhi at Shirdi, penned this after more than 15 years of searching for various informations on Sri Shirdi Sai Baba. Today, this is being used widely across to know more about Sri Sai Baba of Shirdi. In an effort to reach out to blind people, Sri Manga Bhradwaja Trust has brought out this in Braille form. This was released during Datta Jayanti day, on December 10th, 2011 by Divyajanani Alivelu Mangamma in the divine presence of Lord Dattatreya, Sri Shirdi Sai Baba and Sri Sai Master.

Datta Jayanti - A great day for humanity !

To understand the importance of Datta Jayanti, any human being need to understand the purpose of life and try to understand the creation. To understand the same, one needs to read scriptures and it is same in any religion.  The other easiest way is to follow a Guru. This is mentioned in every religion and followed by Lord Rama and Lord Krishna to show as a best example to the human kind.

In today's world (not to mention the times of Lord Krishna when Pondarika claimed himself to be an incarnation) where many "claim" to be Gurus, how can one identity the right Guru?

Colors of fire !

"Flames are the tongues of fire"

While trying to understand more and more on fire worshipping, I have come across an interesting piece of information and it is from the book " At The Eleventh Hour" - A biography of Swami Rama.

Once Swami Rama was talking Sombari Baba, asks about the colors of flame to understand why they change from time to time. To this query, Sombari Baba says they are tongues of fire and there are seven in all with different color with specific functions. Before starting the fire ritual, the fire with all those tongues was invoked. Depending on the intention of offering and characteristics of the offering, specific tongue comes forward to accept it.

Fire Worship - Dhuni Pooja Day 4

Standing before an eternal flame reciting a manthra is one way to contemplate the nature of God's creation and how to work in concert with HIS creation - an act of piety and worship.

Fire represents eternal energy of the Universe and worshipping the fire is one way of acknowledging the universal law that everythign is a form of that energy and it pervades the material and living creation though the various forms of energy. It is considered a transition between spiritual and material creations.