Summer Course In Indian Culture and Spirituality – Day 2
Sunday, June 19th, 2016
The second day of the Summer Course in Indian Culture & Spirituality, after the invocatory Vedam Chanting, started with a session on ‘Living with God is True Education’. Teachers and scholars recollected the beautiful memories and lessons learnt at the Lotus Feet of Bhagawan when He blessed a drama—Bhaja Govindam—that had a prestigious ten oncores in different places. These included the fact that feelings are more important than the paraphernalia, Swami did not select the qualified, He qualified the selected and Sai’s philosophy is not about running away from the world. It is about discovering the immanence of the Creator in the world.
A presentation on ‘Bhaja Govindam’ by students of Muddenahalli, Anantapur and Brindavan Campuses; and Sri Sathya Sai Higher Secondary School (Boys) then highlighted life lessons such as Man is born to learn, not to be born again, Nothing lasts forever, Realize your true inner reality & identity, Enjoy every moment and the The only way to be desireless, is to desire for GOD.
The last session before lunch was a talk on the ‘Mind and its Mysteries’ by H H Sri Sri Sri Jayendra Puri Mahaswamiji, Sri Kailash Ashram Mahasamsthana and Sri Raja Rajeshwari Devasthana, Bangalore. The Swamiji highlighted that thinking, unlike taking action, requires no effort. Thoughts are free, they keep on coming like waves in the ocean. He told students that worry arrests over 99% of the world and that most of us are privy to some sort of fear, such as that of disease, old age, intelligence, etc. and that the only notion that doesn’t have fear is the notion of vairāgya (dispassionate renunciation). Mind is the cause of both bondage and liberation, reminded the Swamiji. The world appears to catch us but it is we who are caught and bound ourselves. He concluded by saying that If we make up ours minds, we can change anything in the world. The mind has to regulate the food that goes into the senses.
In the Sai Kulwant Hall, four speeches, an introductory address, a report presentation followed by two subject-oriented talks, followed before the grandfinale of a theme-oriented bhajan-cum-devotional programme. The speakers were Dr (Mrs) Maitali Verma (introductory talk), Ms Shivani Shivsagar, Ms Prachi Bulbul and Mr Deveet Auddy. True wisdom lies in knowing who we are, reminded the introdcutory speaker, narrating the scriptural anecodote of the famous ’10-men story’, who, after crossing a river, felt one short of the total number, each one foolishly forgetting to ‘count respective individual self’. Ms Shivani Shivsagar then presented the report on the second morning session at the Poornachandra Auditorium. Ms Prachi Bulbul, deliberating on ‘Insights From Srimad Bhagavatam’ presented the genesis of the epic, divulging into wisdom-tales before summarising saying, Bhakti leades to Virakti that in turn leads to Mukti. The final speaker Mr Devjeet Auddy, an exceptional talent from Nepal, spoke on ‘Love – The Basis Of Indian Culture’. Delivering his flow of confidence and conviction, faith and surrender, the erudite student speaker debated on how to evoke pure love for the Supreme Divine. He divulged into the three identified attributes of this Pure Love — as opposed to worldly love — are… that it is Selfless, Assuaging and Invigorating… summing up as S-A-I.
The young speaker also narrated a beautiful experience of a student from yester years, depicting the all-conquering love of Mother Sai, that Bhagawan had once noticed a boy with a fractured leg during one of the Janmashtami celebrations at Prasanthi Nilayam. Bhagawan subsequently called the boy inside the interview room and materialising a special liquid started applying the same on the fractured leg. Emabarassed he was, sensing the same Bhagawan said, “Had you been at home your mother would have done the same. Am I not your Mother?”
A bhajan-cum-devotional programme continued next, wherein the Institute men students presented a journey through the famous Indian pilgrim centres, singing paeans to the respective Godhead. Beginning their journey fron the hallowed Prasanthi Nilayam, they journeyed through Tirupathi, Arunachala, Guruayoor, Pandarpur, Amritsar, Juma Masjid, Ayodhya, Dakshineshwar to end up at Puri Jagannath, airing and reiterating the message of Brotherhood Of Man and Fatherhood Of God, as preached and ‘practised’ and thus exemplified by Beloved Bhagawan. This was followed by a medley of Sai Bhajans.
Mangala Arathi at 1900 hrs marked the end of the second evening’s presentation.
II Samastha Lokah Sukhino Bhavantu II
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