Deepavali with Gurukulam Kids@Nagole

Jai Sai Master!

It is probably the only festival which kids will look forward to either fire crackers or to watch their elders go nuts with the crackers. Whatever it is, this is best remembered for how much they enjoyed and every year will give them a chance to erase a previous record.

 This year, at Nagole, the Ananta Bhradwaja Gurukulam kids had a wonderful festival on both Chathurthi and deepavali days. On the day one, it was their turn to start the proceedings and on day two, it was their Gurus who started the same. The show went on for couple of hours with sparklers to pots to shots giving away array of colors and wonderful designs lighting up the night sky.

All, the elders, youth and the kids, were wonderstruck at the way the crackers were made which gave colors after colors, in nice floral designs.

A fun filled tuesday for all Nagole members who went back home thanking the Sai Master for giving an opportunity to be around with Ammagaru and Babugaru to enjoy along with every other family member, enjoying every bit of the color and for the wholesome fun with all the kids and young lot.

May we look forward to another such great day next year!

Jai Sai Master!!

Deepavali wish - Sai Reham Najar karna bacchon ka palan karna!

Jai Sai Master!

It is that time of the year, when everyone looks forward to a great time. Starting with Dussehra, each of the festivals bring in more and more cheer culminating in Sankranthi, when the bounty comes home. Each festival has a speciality and particularly Deepavali with so much excitement, especially when kids are around.

Deepavali, is a festival of lights helping us bringing in more and more light in to our lives thus helping us dispel the darkness. Everyone must use the light to throw out the sorrows and desires out of our lives to lighten up our lives in all sincerity. This festival helps us to prepare for the Karthika pournami which is around the corner, when we go in search of our GURU who can light up the lamp of Jnana. These festivals must encourage us to look deeper and deeper in to us to find answers for the questions like, who are we? where are we? what is the purpose of living? Is there a better way of living? What is that we need from this life?

Lifetime Teachings 13- SAI MASTER SAYS.....

Jai Sai Master!

One day, suddenly Sri Shirdi Sai Baba indicated to people around to go and pray to the pillar supporting the masjid, Dwarakamai. No one understood the meaning of the same. They said, they would do puja to HIM and not to the pillar. But why did Sri Sai Baba say that? Was there any indication of the same? The explanation is beautifully given by Sri Sai Master as:

Sri Shirdi Sai Baba, indicated that the stronger the pillar the better support it can give to the body called Dwarakamai. HE indicated indirectly that the strength to the house comes only through the pillar which is deeply seated in GURU BHAKTHI. HE indicated to all the pillar itself represents Guru Bhakthi and only when it is properly prayed, the disciple will get benefited. 

Mother, Father, Guide, True Friend, Philosopher, Mentor...many words, one form - SRI SAI MASTER !!

Jai Sai Master!

Everyone needs a GUIDE in their life, without whom we can not go ahead in life. 

A statement that reminds us the need to chose the RIGHT guide to achieve progress in life. If one carefully looks at his / her life, they understand how many hands helped them to reach that stage. Without any, no one can. It is just that at different times, different names are given to those helping hands, but nevertheless there are those helping hands to whom we must be thankful at all times.

This is what Sri Shirdi Sai Baba said.

HE said - "once four of us were walking in a jungle discussing after reading holy scriptures and trying to understand them. While doing so, they found a person who enquired where they were going. They did not reply but continued. That person, looking like a coolie, warned them that they might lose their way if they do not have a person to guide them through that jungle. But they did not heed to his words and continued and lost their way. By sheer grace, they returned to the same spot and again the person appeared in front of them and said - "It is not proper to depend only on your intelligence. For everything, one needs a guide. Without the grace, no meeting happens with others. You must take it as a good omen if someone gives food and should never say no. With empty stomach no one can go on searching. One must be patient and calm"

(From Sri Sai Leelamrutam - a holy biography of Sri Shirdi Sai Baba written by Sri Sai Master)

A Vijayadasami wish - Let us cross the line!

Jai Sai Master!

There is a real meaning behind celebrating every festival around the year. Particularly for a festival like Vijaya Dasami, there is a lot of meaning and infact, a new life starts on this day for many. Those who are aspiring for success in something, start in right earnest on this day. If we look back at some of the great people as to what they did, it gives us an idea what we should be aspiring for. Leave aside progress of mankind or progress of science to prove the existence of God or such. Let us for a moment think simple and straight to understand what a human being needs to live without any frustration or to live with love and compassion emulating the great nature around us. Probably, a leaf out of Sri Shirdi Sai Baba gives us an idea what we should aspire for and probably that can inspire us to set out on the path for this Vijaya Dasami.

Vijaya Dasami Celebrations@Nagole

Jai Sai Master!

For every Shirdi Sai devotee, Sri Sai Satcharitra is nothing new. This is a book written by Sri Hemadpant, but infact, was written by Sri Sai HIMSELF as mentioned by Sri Hemadpant. When Sri Hemadpant asked for permission to pen HIS life history, BABA asked him to collect and put them together. This very much indicates the desire of Sri BABA who wanted the leelas to help every seeker. HE never felt HIMSELF as a body, but gave enough evidences to prove the ultimate truth or the omnipresent. 

Lifetime Teachings 12- SAI MASTER SAYS.....

Jai Sai Master!

All through the life, everyone tries to find the right focus and if one is fortunate, will get that focus in the minute before last breath. Rarely, people get that focus right. Why does this happen? Not because of too many distractions that we all think. But because of our own distractions, or the distractions that we created in some form or other. 

Today, in the name of socialisation, we are ending up with this kind of distraction, which consumes lot of our energy and more importantly...our time. We never think how critical is that distraction. In between, when the stress levels go up (a commonly used word of "Professionals"), we turn our attention to a thing called GOD. Otherwise, we feel like GOD. We have no time to understand, nor time to seek answers from the right person, due to which many of our good old traditions are coming under attack. Generation to generation, the gap is increasing and knowledge transfer is ceasing. 

For all these, there is only one remedy and that is with every individual. SELF. One needs to gain control on the most important organ, which ironically can not be pointed out as HERE...THE MIND. Today, every other person has taken control of our mind, rather than ourself, and is getting filled with information which we can not use, but can impact our health. As we hear more, we feel "frustrated", and as alternative turn our attention to cheap enjoyment, like movies or television. Is it that difficult to gain control on mind? YES. with so many distractions and conditioning in schools, one needs to unlearn all that first and start filling self with good information or gain knowledge. This gives rise to right thinking or acting right. This in turn helps us to find the right people around us and live right, to promote right thinking and developing right perspective about society. As we try moving ahead in life in this direction, with effort on controlling the mind to think right, at some point of time, it might become possible. If any one of the above mentioned does not happen, then we go back to square-one. 

Why and how to celebrate birthday- A message on Ammagaru's birthday!!

Jai Sai Master!

Celebrating birthday...everybody does in their own way. As we grow, sometimes, the intensity comes down and picks up as we live more than expected life time. But, why do we celebrate this day as a big day? If we deserve to celebrate, then how does one spend that day? To make it more meaningful, see some of the people who live life in meaningful way.

Amma puttinaroju - Remembering Omnipresence of the Energy!

Jai Sai Master!

It is energy everywhere. The ever dynamic and appearing in various forms. For those who can "see", it manifests in different forms. Since everyone can not see, the same manifested in the human form, with different names. One can call it with any name, the same energy responds with the intensity with which we call. Deeper the intensity, better response. But to have the deeper intensity, we need to rise ourselves above the way we are living now, with a perspective limited to self or to the near and dear ones. It has to become much wider and wider and encompass the larger society, then the intensity becomes more and the manifestation appears in the form that gives what we are looking for...THE WHOLESOME HAPPINESS AND CONTENTMENT.