One day a jeep-driver crossed the river bed and walked the streets of Puttaparthi, trying to locate Swami. His master, a young English sub-divisional officer, had gone for Shikar (hunting) to the forest on the other side of the Chitravathi, and while returning to Anantapur the vehicle had stopped right opposite Puttaparthi village.

The driver did his best, as did the officer, to get the vehicle moving, but failed. The driver suggested that there was a ‘Boy’ at Puttaparthi who could materialise Vibhuti (sacred ash). Yes, “create, by a circular movement of His palm, the very panacea for all ills, even for the jeep!” Stranded halfway, the Englishman agreed and let the driver go to the village, while he himself sat in the jeep.

The driver bumped into the Boy at last, but was astounded to hear Baba say, “I Am coming, myself, to the jeep.” He walked across the sandy bed, and on reaching the road, peeped into the vehicle and saw the carcass of a tiger that the officer had shot barely two hours ago.

Swami’s deep love for all beings could not tolerate animals being killed or tortured. He said, “I stopped the jeep at this place, for it is a mother, whose three small cubs are at this very time loudly wailing and calling out to her, that you are carrying. Go back! Recover those cubs and gift them to some zoo where they will be well looked after. And do not shoot wild beasts again, for they have caused you no harm. Why do you kill them, surround them and lay traps to catch them. Shoot them instead with a more superior weapon, your camera. That won’t maim or kill them.”

The Englishman was at once enlightened, and he never carried a firearm again. Shooting wild beasts armed with a camera, he discovered, was far more adventurous and sathwic (pure). He presented the orphaned cubs to the zoo, and when the tiger skin came back from the taxidermist, he brought it to Puttaparthi. Prasanthi Mandir was then under construction. He met Baba and placed the skin at His Feet. Sakamma of Coorg pleaded with Him to sit on it in Yogic fashion, with a rosary between His fingers. She had a photographer ready. And Baba obliged, though He has never sat in Dhyana (meditation) or held a rosary!

(PS: Tiger skin in Indian spirituality signifies overcoming animal, beastial tendencies, vasanas.)

II Samastha Lokah Sukhino Bhavantu II

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Once, Mrs Tarkhad was staying in a certain house in Shirdi. At noon, meals were ready and dishes were being served, when a hungry dog turned up there and began to cry. Mrs. Tarkhad got up at once and threw a piece of bread, which the dog gulped with great relish.

In the afternoon, when she went to the Masjid and sat at some distance, Sai Baba said to her, “Mother, you have fed Me sumptuously up to My throat, My afflicted pranas (life-forces) have been satisfied. Always act like this, and this will stand you in good stead. Sitting in this Masjid I shall never, never speak untruth. Take pity on Me like this. First give bread to the hungry, and then eat yourself. Note this well.”

She could not at first understand the meaning of what Baba said. So she replied, “Baba, how could I feed You? I am myself dependent on others and take my food from them on payment.”

Then Baba replied: “Eating that lovely bread I Am heartily contended and I Am still belching. The dog which you saw before meals and to which you gave the piece of bread is one with Me, so also other creatures (cats, pigs, flies, cows etc.) are one with Me. I Am roaming in their forms. He, who sees Me in all these creatures is My beloved. So abandon the sense of duality and distinction and serve Me, as you did today.” Drinking these nectar-like words, she was moved, her eyes were filled with tears, her throat was choked and her joy knew no bounds.

II Samastha Lokah Sukhino Bhavantu II

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“Learn lessons from every living being, everything that you find around you.  Learn faithfulness and gratitude from the dog, patience and fortitude from the donkey, perseverance from the spider, farsightedness from the ant, and monogamy from the owl.”  – Sri Sathya Sai

Since the beginning of man’s friendship with dogs, there must have been simply millions of tales of doggy devotion.  Anyone who has loved and cared for a dog will know how much love and adoration a dog can have for his human owner. They live for their human companions and many dogs will even die to protect those they love.  The following stories, although only the tip of the iceberg, demonstrate the depth of this love.

In Edinburgh in Scotland, there is a statue of a dog called Greyfriars Bobby. The people of Edinburgh made a statue for Bobby after he died because he was so faithful to his master and lived on his master’s grave for fourteen years after his master’s death until he, too, died.

What happened was this: Bobby was a lonely stray dog and because he had nothing to eat, he had to try and find food every day.  Most of the time, people treated him cruelly. One day, an old shepherd befriended him and from that day on, he fed little Bobby. They became best friends and were always together. Finally, his master died and Bobby was heartbroken. For the next fourteen years, he stayed by his master’s grave both day and night, in all weathers, whether it was boiling or freezing, only leaving once a day to beg for some food. Nothing and no one could make Bobby leave his master’s graveside. Even the gravediggers who kicked him and threw stones at him when they dug the grave could not make him stay away. Sometimes children came to play with him but after playing for a little while, he always went back to his master’s last resting place. The local people were so moved by his love, loyalty and devotion that they built a small shelter for him next to the grave.

Also, because he touched the hearts of so many people, when he died in 1872, they built a statue for him in Edinburgh with a large drinking fountain for dogs! Today, you can still see Bobby’s collar and dinner bowl in Huntley’s Museum in Edinburgh.

How many human beings would be so very loyal?  The following story adapted from ‘Peaceful Kingdom: Random Acts of Kindness by Animals’ by Stephanie Laland shows how a dog will literally risk its own life to protect the ones it loves.

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On August 29th, 79 AD, an enormous volcano erupted in Pompeii. It happened so suddenly that no one had any warning. Most people died in the eruption and their bodies were not found until almost nineteen centuries later. At that time, archaeologists discovered about 2000 skeletons. One body told a very moving story. It was the body of a dog which was stretched out protectively over the body of a small child. The faithful dog was trying to protect the child from harm even until its own last breath. The archaeologists were even more moved and amazed when they read the inscription on the dog’s collar. The inscription on the collar stated how the dog had saved the child’s father, Severinus, three times, once from drowning, once from thieves and once from a wolf.  Finally, its dying gift was to try and save the child it loved.

“For He makes us aware that the God we adore, the God we love, the God we live by, is in every other being as LOVE. Thus Love expands and encompasses all creation.” – Sri Sathya Sai

I knew a little dog well once that, because of sad circumstances, had to be given away to another person. Luckily that person and the little dog fell in love with each other at first sight and the little dog had a happy home. In spite of being tiny, she soon became the ruler of the roost, and the roost included some very big dogs indeed… but they knew who was boss… tiny Dolly. Despite being very happy and loved with her new mistress, she still showed the most enormous loyalty to her previous owner. Whenever he came to visit her… when it was time to go, she would leap onto his shoulder as she always had done, as if to say: “Well, come on, let’s go… I’m coming back home with you” but it could never be. That is not all. For several years, at the end of the afternoon, Dolly would go down to the bottom of the drive and wait and wait and wait… it was the time that her previous owner used to come back home from work. After long and patient waiting, when he did not appear, she would finally give up and go back inside with a loud, sad sigh. No matter how disappointed she must have felt, she kept up her patient vigil for a long time.

“If you develop love for all beings, in the faith that God resides in all, you may be anywhere else, but your prayers would reach Me and My Grace will reach you.  While in My previous body, I told Nanasahab that I Am in ants, insects and animals, besides all men.  When a dog ate all offerings intended for Baba, it was declared to have reached Baba, for he had eaten it in that form. “Nana says he is giving me food, but when I go in the form of a dog, he drives Me off.”

“Follow what I say wherever you are in the world, if you do then I Am near you always, I Am there always where My words are followed.”

Apart from these three touching stories above, there are many, many others, some known about and many more unknown.  It is truly humbling to become aware of the great love and loyalty many dogs feel for their human companions, even when they are treated badly. Hundreds of these loyal and loving creatures worldwide are cruelly treated or simply dumped on the roads each day, by callous and cold-hearted owners, abandoned and left to fend for themselves, in spite of their loyalty and love. Imagine the hurt and distrust created in those souls’ memories for lifetimes to come. Luckily, there are some truly loving human beings who are willing and able to adopt ‘rescue’ dogs with physical and emotional scars and give them the healing love and care they need. While all dogs are not the same, just as people are not, the love that they receive or not from human beings… as well as the correct training… has a profound effect on them and an enormous bearing on their subsequent behaviour.

“Compassion towards all creatures is the greatest virtue, wilful injury to any creature is the worst vice. Have full faith in this; spread love and joy through compassion, and be full of joy and peace yourself.” – Sri Sathya Sai

II Samastha Lokah Sukhino Bhavantu II

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“Once Baba (Shirdi Sai) was sitting in the Masjid (Dwarakamayi at Shirdi).  A devotee sat in front of Him, when a lizard tick- ticked.  Out of curiosity, the devotee asked whether this tick-ticking of the lizard signified anything; was it a good sign or a bad omen?  Baba said that the lizard was overjoyed as her sister from Aurangabad was coming to see her.

The devotee sat silent, not making out the meaning of Baba’s words.  Immediately, a gentleman from Aurangabad came on horse-back to see Baba. He wanted to proceed further, but his horse would not go as it was hungry and wanted grams.  He took out a bag from his shoulders to bring grams and dashed it on the ground to remove dirt. A lizard came out therefrom and in the presence of all, climbed up the wall.  Baba asked the questioner devotee to mark her well. She at once went strutting to her sister.  Both sisters met each after a long time, kissed and embraced each other, whirled round and danced with love!”

Our Beloved Bhagawan reminds us: “For He makes us aware that the God we adore, the God we love, the God we live by, is in every other being as LOVE.  Thus LOVE expands and encompasses all Creation.

I would like to start with Susie Bear, a remarkable big black bear who so loved her human carer that he, Steve Karlin, seemingly an angel of compassion in human form and founder of Wildlife Associates in California, a sanctuary for animals and humans where animals are the teachers, wrote this:

“Susie Bear and I would go on walks together, and when we would sit together on the trail, she would put her arm around my shoulder and kiss me on the face. We would talk a lot, and she would fall asleep with her head in my lap. I would fall asleep with my head against her chest. She would hug me. I wasn’t sure if this was a platonic relationship or any other, because she seemed to be teaching me lessons all the time. Even today I wake up sometimes and I thank Susie Bear, because I finally understand something that she taught me. It took me years to finally reach a point where I saw what a lesson it was”.

Steve Karlin was so grief-stricken when Susie finally died…she herself gave warning of this the night before… that he could not speak about it for a long, long time.  This is how he describes her last moments: “… The next day, we came with the veterinarian and we gave Susie Bear a shot to relax her a bit. And I put the leash on her and she walked out and lay down. I was not telling her where to go. With both of her paws, she grabbed my hand. She held onto it and looked me in the eyes and told me it was time to go. I tried to pull my hand away and she grabbed it, hard, and held it close to her. Then the doctor gave Susie Bear the shot, and she held on and looked me in the eyes until she left her body, and then her eyes closed. And she still held onto me for maybe twenty minutes, until it loosened up. I was so attached to her; I didn’t know how to let her go at the time. That part of me tore away and went with her. I couldn’t talk about it for years and years.

For months and months and months, I was a different person, depressed and something was missing; a hole was there….and yes, I tested Susie Bear’s love. Even at the time of her passing, after 13 years, I still did not believe it. I moved my hand away, and she grabbed it, pulled it back. So even then, I was thinking, our relationship can’t be that strong, loving me so much, she can’t be so conscious and aware that she is dying, she can’t be wanting to hold onto me until her last breath before leaving her body because I was so important to her. I pulled back and said, “Oh my God,” and she pulled me into her embrace.” Thus showing us how deep an animal’s love can be and how they have an innate wisdom and a knowingness that goes far beyond words and man’s own clever intellect.  Sri Ramana Maharshi knew this when he said: “Some animals have so much love for their masters that they bypass human birth and go directly to God. Some Masters take birth as animals to teach humans how to deepen their love life.”

II Samastha Lokah Sukhino Bhavantu II

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“Foster the tiny seed of Love that clings to ‘me’ and ‘mine’, let it sprout into Love for the group around you, and grow into Love for all mankind, and spread out its branches over animals, birds, and those that creep and crawl, and let the Love enfold all things and all beings in all the worlds.  Proceed from less Love to more Love, narrow Love to expanded Love.” (Sathya Sai Speaks, Vol. 8, ch. 16)

Once, when presented with seva projects for human beings, Bhagawan said: “What about the animals?  They need help too.  My love embraces the animal kingdom as well as the human kingdom and so should yours……….it should not just be limited to human beings.” (source: Dr. Narendranath Reddy,UK medical conference, September 2011).  To another devotee, He has said, “Real Seva is animal seva”.

Bhagawan tells us that we can learn many good qualities from our animal friends and below, you can see a remarkable act of kindness by one of them:

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“Two blind people wanted to drink water at the RagiGudda temple, Bangalore. When they were unable to operate the tap, this mother monkey opened the tap for them, allowed them to drink water, drank some water herself and then closed the tap before leaving the scene.”  (extract from an Indian newspaper)

Please note well!  If a monkey can do this act of kindness for human beings, then can’t we humans also do this for our animal brothers and sisters?  Many people do feed stray animals and wild creatures and birds,  while many more never think of it…………..but hey, what a shining example this monkey is to the human beings who don’t ……she is clearly not ‘speciest’ like many humans or prejudiced against members of other species in need.

No life can be sustained without water or food.  This applies to all life forms and while humans suffer terribly when they do not have enough water to drink or food to eat, so do our fellow creatures…especially in extreme weather conditions such as the intense and simmering summer heat of summer or freezing winter. And the love and care that we give towards those in animal form is never wasted for the same Atma flows through us all.    As Bhagawan says:

“When you love and look after an animal, you help to lift the whole of creation.  If you cannot care for an animal, then at least feed the birds and wild creatures.” (‘Sathya Sai Speaks’ – vol 10/chapter 36)

While they may not be able to thank us in words, those who have fed and cared for animals, wild or domestic,  have often experienced their loving gratitude in other ways.  Our love attracts their love and helps us to realise the Oneness behind all forms.

A small example of this occurred at the time of the passing away of Lawrence Anthony, a highly regarded and remarkable conservationist and environmentalist who could communicate heart to heart with elephants.  He had been particularly successful in taming and ‘normalising’ a herd of wild, traumatised and rogue elephants, ‘delinquents, every one of them’ in Zululand, South Africa.  Although he had not seen the elephants for 15 months as he had had to distance them for their own safety, on the day that he died without warning in March 2012, the whole herd appeared out of nowhere and stood silently outside his house as if to pay homage to the human being who had so loved and understood them.  We know that elephants mourn their loved ones and to them, he had become a beloved family member. Somehow, on their jungle telegraph, they had intuited that he had passed away.

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A kind and loving soul who has kept a small animal sanctuary for years told me the following story:  Alerted by her dog’s barking one day, she found a wounded baby pigeon beside him which had fallen out of a tree.  She rescued and hand reared it while it lived with her and her other pets for about five weeks…then one day, it was ready to leave and join others of its kind.

For 4 years it lived freely, often in her garden.  She could tell which pigeon it was because it recognised its name and was not afraid of her dog, with whom it had lived before.  Then one day, it appeared at her patio door, very sick, walked in, greeted her, the dog and the resident crow in turn and then went into its old cage which was still there.

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It settled down and the next day, quietly passed away.  It had come home to die where it knew it was loved and safe.   A few days before it reappeared, she saw the outline of a pigeon on her window pane…photo below…rather like an angel bird…perhaps an omen of what was to come.

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An old neighbor of mine used to feed some badgers every night, as indeed many people do……….and I know, because I saw it with my own eyes, that these badgers would announce their arrival in the dark by banging on his patio door.  The food was then served and once they had finished it, they would bang on the patio door again, indicating that they would like a second helping!……..Their visit and their playful antics gave him such delight that it was not a one-way giving…

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“When a devotee seeks with humility and purity to give seva and prema to My creatures who are in need of such selfless service and sublime love;  when he considers all creatures as My children, as his beloved brothers and sisters, as the blessed manifestations of My immanence, then in fulfilment of My role as Sathya Sai,  I descend to help, accompany and carry that yogi.  I Am always near such a yogi to guide him and to shower My Love upon his life.”

When Australia had a horrendous heat weave in 2009, something happened that had never happened before…Koala bears, dying from thirst, emerged from the bush and approached human beings asking for  water, so desperate were they to drink that they overcame any fear of humans . Luckily, some humans obliged as can be seen in the pictures below…

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They entered houses to drink and ended up cooling down in baths…

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Like Sathya Sai Baba and Shirdi Sai Baba, St Francis, the Christian saint,   felt great tenderness for the whole of creation.  He not only fed poor and vulnerable people but always fed the birds and other creatures around him too.  At Christmas, he asked the local government to make sure that all the animals around were really fed well, especially ‘my sisters, the larks’…

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Another love-filled soul, Ramana Maharshi, attracted to him through his love, not only human beings but all kinds of animals and birds who also made their home in his ashram.   He even allowed the squirrels to make nests for their families behind his pillow.   Daily, he used to ask “Have the lads been fed today?” referring to the dogs.    At dinner-time, the dogs had to be fed first.  …then, the beggars and then the devotees…Here, he is, feeding a monkey:

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Shirdi Sai, in His love, was happy to share the food on His plate with stray dogs …We know how many times He scolded His devotees when they behaved harshly towards a hungry animal and how many times He manifested in that animal form to teach them that God dwells in all forms and to have the same love and respect for all of them.

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As everyone knows, our own Sathya Sai Baba loved and kept many animals over His lifetime and there are many stories in which His great love for the animal kingdom is clearly demonstrated.

Lastly, Mohammed, in one the Hadiths, tells the story of an adulterous woman about to be horribly punished.  However, her sin was forgiven her in Allah’s eyes when on seeing a very thirsty dog, she took off her shoe and filled it with water from a well for the dog to drink.  This act of kindness more than compensated for any past wrongdoing.

Anyone deciding to feed stray animals should take note of the fact that onions, garlic, coffee, raisins, grapes, beans, chocolate and some other foods (lists are available online) are dangerous for dogs and cats. While dogs are omnivores and can eat anything, cats are carnivores (sorry! – God made them like that!) and although they may eat anything when very hungry, really need their own kind of food…….  Birds generally eat seeds and nuts.  Water provided should be clean.

II Samastha Lokah Sukhino Bhavantu II

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True to the famous Biblical saying, … ‘as you sow so shall you reap’ (for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap) and true to the epochal scientific invention of Newton’s Third Law that declares, ‘for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction’, in this vast world of multitudes of beings… in millions, billions and gazillions… and ‘infinitely’ more, man, who is rated intellectually the best,  is bound by karmic pronouncements for every single action he undertakes. He is bound by karmic pronouncements until that day, when a shift of consciousness comes upon him, dawning the wisdom that ‘he is not the doer’, and there is a ‘Higher Self’ That is in action. Living out the most ordinary way, at a time when Age Kali is raging with fierce passion, where does he, man, stand today? Leaving the rest, when talking about ‘him and his’ from the  context of vegetarianism, contrary to what most he has been conditioned to believe, Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba exhorts that:

“Animals did not come for the purpose of supplying food for human beings. They came to work out their own lives in the world. When a human being is dead, the foxes and other animals may eat, but we have not come to provide food for those that eat the dead body; we have not come for that purpose. Similarly, man eats the animal but the animal has not come to provide man with food.” (Conversations With Sathya Sai Baba)­­­­­­

One so often hears that ‘it is only natural’ to eat meat. The habit is so ingrained and so ancient that most people never think to question the fact that animals might actually have another purpose in incarnating other than providing fodder for human beings. Anyone who thinks otherwise is liable to be dismissed as a sentimental fool. The fact that farm animals form lifelong friendships and deep attachments shows us at least one example of other reasons for incarnating, even though one could say they would not be here at all were it not for the fact that they have been bred for the food chain.

Another surprising reason is the fate of the animals consumed. – Something that would literally astonish most of us. It is as follows:

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“Man consumes as food many living beings. These are born as human beings, on account of this act of consumption.  But since they have not had the education which can reveal the God within, they vegetate or stay brutish, without appropriate ticket or passport for rising higher than the human status in which they have been hurriedly placed. Like most men, they roll along from womb to tomb, bond slaves to the senses and the ills that the bondage inevitably brings in its train.” (Sathya Sai Speaks-12)

“For the purpose of feeding ourselves, many lives are being sacrificed. Because these various living things are being sacrificed and are merging with human beings, they have also been acquiring human lives in their rebirth.  None of these jivas is getting any chance of rising higher than human lives. The entire life is being spent in making an effort to be reborn after one’s death, thus repeating the cycle of birth and death.” (Summer Showers in Brindavan’ 1974)

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Whoever would have thought that the souls of creatures whose flesh is eaten by mankind would then be embodied into a human form long before they were ready to behave in a truly human manner! Remember, according to Sri Sathya Sai Baba, a human being should be a truly noble creature. He tells us how hard it is to acquire a human form, what a great opportunity it is, and how even angels would love to have one! Yet, in the case of animals who ‘provide’ food for humans, the whole situation is reversed. And while they achieve a human vehicle far too early in their evolution, they cannot benefit from it, nor apparently, ever attain self-realisation through it. So not only do we deprive them of an conscious evolution and eventual liberation once in a human form, we also sentence them to aeons of lives lived miserably. One could also wonder whether some of the less than noble behaviour demonstrated in this Kali era can be explained thus.

Meat-eating not only adversely effects the meat-eater, making it more difficult for him or her to truly rise spiritually, although there are no doubt exceptions to this, it also adversely affects the creature eaten, not just in the sense of the suffering caused at the time, but by interfering with its natural evolutionary progress.

When human heart declines to promote righteous action, it results in individual and societal degeneration. From this point of view the profundity of the following  statements demands earnest human attention:

“He demeans himself by his evil habits. He kills animals and eats their flesh. When individuals take to evil ways, the entire society degenerates.” (Sathya Sai Speaks-13)

And the epochal Indian epic with cosmic profundity  Srimad Bhagavatam of the lore speaks thus:

“To be non-violent to human beings and to be a killer or enemy of poor animals is satan’s (devil) philosophy. In this age, there is always enmity against poor animals and therefore the poor creatures are always anxious. The reaction of poor animals is being forced upon human society and therefore there is always the strain of cold or hot war between men, individually, collectively or nationally.”

Sadly, it seems nothing has changed, and there are as many wars now as there ever were.

So if most of the human race adhere to meat eating, not only are they participating in creating enormous karma which creates a ‘boomerang effect’ on us in the form of wars and other disasters, but by eating a heavy meat diet, they are also preventing themselves from purifying and so they remain less sensitive spiritually. Lack of sensitivity to spiritual truths can be the outcome, even in the best of people, and spiritual dullness of mind can turn a blind eye to a whole host of cruel and unholy practices, and that is one reason why it is linked with the degeneration of society. So, while mankind continues to kill and eat animals on the massive scale that it does, the state of society will continue with its struggle to truly improve.

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In spite of all that has been said above, it is really important to emphasise that we all know that many, many meat-eaters are very good, even holy people, and certainly not all vegetarians are angels. We need to keep that firmly in mind when tempted to judge another person by their diet and remember the following:

“The learned man who has acquired humility through vidya must treat the cow, the Brahmin, the elephant, the dog and the eater of dog-flesh with equal compassion and consideration. Uniform compassion shown in this manner transforms itself into uniform welfare for the recipients. Wishing well for all is a sign of the one who has earned vidya.” (Vidya Vahini)

It is relevant in this context to quote a wise one here, that… whatever you receive in your life, let the source be love… it should come with love. Your money should come with love. Your clothing should come with love. Your food should come with love, not violence. It all should be a love offering. Unfortunately, a non-vegetarian diet never comes to us with love. Have you ever heard of an animal coming to you with love and saying, “Here, please, take my thigh and make your soup”? No. The animals don’t offer their body parts to us in this way. They even try to escape. They hate us because we cause violence to them. Non-vegetarian food is not a love-filled food.”

II Samastha Lokah Sukhino Bhavantu II

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Temperatures are soaring; the rays of the Sun are getting more scorching and intense, leading to that ordeal of a parched, thirsty feeling that seeks appeasement urgently. And so, come summer, there are many water supply projects at various places to cater to the needs of thirsty travellers, wherein volunteers willingly and lovingly distribute this most precious liquid with a smiling ‘SaiRam’. Water crystals are transformed into Prasadam!

However, what about animals and birds…four legged, tailed or winged children of Beloved Mother Sai…who can’t express how thirsty they are…and so, silently face the harsh heat and severe dehydration? Veterinary doctors have sadly expressed how so many birds and animals collapse due to heat strokes. Deeply understanding and keeping in mind their pressing need, we should keep bowls of water for birds, dogs, cattle, etc…a project that should conjoin supply of drinking water for human beings. This loving service would have a wider reach if some of us could keep bowls of water near our homes – in the balcony or in the garden, going a step further to convincingly request shop owners in the vicinity or those that are doing business in areas that are frequented, to do so too.

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How many more souls would be benefitted!

Water bowls can be cemented into the earth and then on all we need to do is refill the bowls with fresh water.

“Whosoever extends a hand to quench the thirst of another, especially the craving of those fellow beings that cannot help themselves, immense is the grace and manifold the blessings that descend to envelope such a sensitive soul.”

Besides, myriad are the forms Sai Narayana assumes to give us an opportunity to serve Him. Come let us rise to the occasion. Water is the elixir of life…let all forms of life have easy access to this elixir!

(We have personally experienced this a few summers ago, when a pair of bulbuls flew into the society compound…into a room that serves as an office. One could clearly make out they were very thirsty…and they seemed very flustered too. Our Vet advised us about ‘heat stroke’ for birds – cool place for rest and some water. They were kept within the enclosure they had flown into…for the night, along with a bowl of water and some seeds of grain. They had perched themselves on a picture of Swami. The room was properly ventilated and secured to keep cats out. Next morning, as we opened the door, much to our relief, they flew away to freedom! As of now, innumerable birds, dogs, cats come along to the bowls kept in our society. It is a pleasure, so refreshing a sight, to see the birds satiate their thirst, play in the water and stay around to chirp melodiously, so too, to silently watch the animals as they sip away and sometimes even sit or take a dip in the water container!)

II Samastha Lokah Sukhino Bhavantu II

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“Foster the tiny seed of Love that clings to ‘me’ and ‘mine’, let it sprout into Love for the group around you, and grow into Love for all mankind, and spread out its branches over animals, birds, and those that creep and crawl, and let the Love enfold all things and all beings in all the worlds.  Proceed from less Love to more Love, narrow Love to expanded Love.” (Sathya Sai Speaks, Vol. 8, ch. 16)

Once, when presented with seva projects for human beings, Bhagawan said: “What about the animals?  They need help too.  My love embraces the animal kingdom as well as the human kingdom and so should yours……….it should not just be limited to human beings.” (source: Dr. Narendranath Reddy,UK medical conference, September 2011).  To another devotee, He has said, “Real Seva is animal seva”.

Bhagawan tells us that we can learn many good qualities from our animal friends and below, you can see a remarkable act of kindness by one of them:

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“Two blind people wanted to drink water at the RagiGudda temple, Bangalore. When they were unable to operate the tap, this mother monkey opened the tap for them, allowed them to drink water, drank some water herself and then closed the tap before leaving the scene.”  (extract from an Indian newspaper)

Please note well!  If a monkey can do this act of kindness for human beings, then can’t we humans also do this for our animal brothers and sisters?  Many people do feed stray animals and wild creatures and birds,  while many more never think of it…………..but hey, what a shining example this monkey is to the human beings who don’t ……she is clearly not ‘speciest’ like many humans or prejudiced against members of other species in need.

No life can be sustained without water or food.  This applies to all life forms and while humans suffer terribly when they do not have enough water to drink or food to eat, so do our fellow creatures……..especially in extreme weather conditions such as the intense and simmering summer heat of summer or freezing winter. And the love and care that we give towards those in animal form is never wasted for the same atma flows through us all.    As Bhagawan says:

“When you love and look after an animal, you help to lift the whole of creation.  If you cannot care for an animal, then at least feed the birds and wild creatures.” (‘Sathya Sai Speaks’ – vol 10/ch 36)

While they may not be able to thank us in words, those who have fed and cared for animals, wild or domestic,  have often experienced their loving gratitude in other ways.  Our love attracts their love and helps us to realise the Oneness behind all forms.

A small example of this occurred at the time of the passing away of Lawrence Anthony, a highly regarded and remarkable conservationist and environmentalist who could communicate heart to heart with elephants.  He had been particularly successful in taming and ‘normalising’ a herd of wild, traumatised and rogue elephants, ‘delinquents, every one of them’ in Zululand, South Africa.  Although he had not seen the elephants for 15 months as he had had to distance them for their own safety, on the day that he died without warning in March 2012, the whole herd appeared out of nowhere and stood silently outside his house as if to pay homage to the human being who had so loved and understood them.  We know that elephants mourn their loved ones and to them, he had become a beloved family member. Somehow, on their jungle telegraph, they had intuited that he had passed away.

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A kind and loving soul who has kept a small animal sanctuary for years told me the following story:  Alerted by her dog’s barking one day, she found a wounded baby pigeon beside him which had fallen out of a tree.  She rescued and hand reared it while it lived with her and her other pets for about five weeks……………..then one day, it was ready to leave and join others of its kind.

For 4 years it lived freely, often in her garden.  She could tell which pigeon it was because it recognised its name and was not afraid of her dog, with whom it had lived before.  Then one day, it appeared at her patio door, very sick, walked in, greeted her, the dog and the resident crow in turn and then went into its old cage which was still there.

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It settled down and the next day, quietly passed away.  It had come home to die where it knew it was loved and safe.   A few days before it reappeared, she saw the outline of a pigeon on her window pane………..photo below………..rather like an angel bird……………perhaps an omen of what was to come.

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An old neighbour of mine used to feed some badgers every night, as indeed many people do……….and I know, because I saw it with my own eyes, that these badgers would announce their arrival in the dark by banging on his patio door.  The food was then served and once they had finished it, they would bang on the patio door again, indicating that they would like a second helping!……..Their visit and their playful antics gave him such delight that it was not a one-way giving……..

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“When a devotee seeks with humility and purity to give seva and prema to My creatures who are in need of such selfless service and sublime love;  when he considers all creatures as My children, as his beloved brothers and sisters, as the blessed manifestations of My immanence, then in fulfilment of My role as Sathya Sai,  I descend to help, accompany and carry that yogi.  I Am always near such a yogi to guide him and to shower My Love upon his life.”

When Australia had a horrendous heatweave in 2009, something happened that had never happened before……….Koala bears, dying from thirst, emerged from the bush and approached human beings asking for   water, so desperate were they to drink that they overcame any fear of humans . ……..luckily, some humans obliged as can be seen in the pictures below…….

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They entered houses to drink and ended up cooling down in baths…………..

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Like Sathya Sai Baba and Shirdi Sai Baba, St Francis, the Christian saint,   felt great tenderness for the whole of creation.  He not only fed poor and vulnerable people but always fed the birds and other creatures around him too.  At Christmas, he asked the local government to make sure that all the animals around were really fed well, especially ‘my sisters, the larks’………..

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Another love-filled soul, Ramana Maharshi, attracted to him through his love, not only human beings but all kinds of animals and birds who also made their home in his ashram.   He even allowed the squirrels to make nests for their families behind his pillow.   Daily, he used to ask “Have the lads been fed today?” referring to the dogs.    At dinner-time, the dogs had to be fed first.  ……then, the beggars and then the devotees….Here, he is, feeding a monkey:

Shirdi Sai, in His love, was happy to share the food on His plate with stray dogs ………..We know how many times He scolded His devotees when they behaved harshly towards a hungry animal and how many times He manifested in that animal form to teach them that God dwells in all forms and to have the same love and respect for all of them.

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As everyone knows, our own Sathya Sai Baba loved and kept many animals over His lifetime and there are many stories in which His great love for the animal kingdom is clearly demonstrated.

Lastly, Mohammed, in one the Hadiths, tells the story of an adulterous woman about to be horribly punished.  However, her sin was forgiven her in Allah’s eyes when on seeing a very thirsty dog, she took off her shoe and filled it with water from a well for the dog to drink.  This act of kindness more than compensated for any past wrongdoing.

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Anyone deciding to feed stray animals should take note of the fact that onions, garlic, coffee, raisins, grapes, beans, chocolate and some other foods (lists are available online) are dangerous for dogs and cats. While dogs are omnivores and can eat anything, cats are carnivores (sorry! – God made them like that!) and although they may eat anything when very hungry, really need their own kind of food…….  Birds generally eat seeds and nuts.  Water provided should be clean.

II Samastha Lokah Sukhino Bhavantu II

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Temperatures are soaring; the rays of the Sun are getting more scorching and intense, leading to that ordeal of a parched, thirsty feeling that seeks appeasement urgently. And so, come summer, there are many water supply projects at various places to cater to the needs of thirsty travellers, wherein volunteers willingly and lovingly distribute this most precious liquid with a smiling ‘SaiRam’. Water crystals are transformed into Prasadam!

However, what about animals and birds…four legged, tailed or winged children of Beloved Mother Sai…who can’t express how thirsty they are…and so, silently face the harsh heat and severe dehydration? Veterinary doctors have sadly expressed how so many birds and animals collapse due to heat strokes. Deeply understanding and keeping in mind their pressing need, we should keep bowls of water for birds, dogs, cattle, etc…a project that should conjoin supply of drinking water for human beings. This loving service would have a wider reach if some of us could keep bowls of water near our homes – in the balcony or in the garden, going a step further to convincingly request shop owners in the vicinity or those that are doing business in areas that are frequented, to do so too.

[media id="I2" type="image" mediahost="http://www.sssbpt.org/images/2015/" url="QuenchingTheThirst.jpg"]

How many more souls would be benefitted!

Water bowls can be cemented into the earth and then on all we need to do is refill the bowls with fresh water.

“Whosoever extends a hand to quench the thirst of another, especially the craving of those fellow beings that cannot help themselves, immense is the grace and manifold the blessings that descend to envelope such a sensitive soul.”

Besides, myriad are the forms Sai Narayana assumes to give us an opportunity to serve Him. Come let us rise to the occasion. Water is the elixir of life…let all forms of life have easy access to this elixir!

(We have personally experienced this a few summers ago, when a pair of bulbuls flew into the society compound…into a room that serves as an office. One could clearly make out they were very thirsty…and they seemed very flustered too. Our Vet advised us about ‘heat stroke’ for birds – cool place for rest and some water. They were kept within the enclosure they had flown into…for the night, along with a bowl of water and some seeds of grain. They had perched themselves on a picture of Swami. The room was properly ventilated and secured to keep cats out. Next morning, as we opened the door, much to our relief, they flew away to freedom! As of now, innumerable birds, dogs, cats come along to the bowls kept in our society. It is a pleasure, so refreshing a sight, to see the birds satiate their thirst, play in the water and stay around to chirp melodiously, so too, to silently watch the animals as they sip away and sometimes even sit or take a dip in the water container!)

II Samastha Lokah Sukhino Bhavantu II

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Having been born here on Earth, growing here, are we ever grateful to Mother Earth?…the mother that grants us everything, wherewithal for our daily living…are we humans ever thinking of the pristine selfless love Mother Earth holds for her children? Humans were not doing so need to change their perceptions and look upon Mother Earth with love, respect and reverence…Worshipping Bhumata…Mother Earth…an interesting article depicting human love and concern for Mother Earth and Mother Nature…an interesting article by Sri Sai Santosh, published on behalf of USA Sai Region 4 Young Adults, on www.sailoveinaction.org, an off-shoot of the official website of Sri Sathya Sai Seva Organisations – Worldwide.

“Approach Nature in a humble, prayerful mood; then your future will be safe. Ravana coveted Sita, who represents Prakriti (Nature), and stealthily brought her over, but that selfishness and greed led him to the deepest fall. If only he had coveted the God behind Nature, Rama, he could have earned eternal joy.”                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   —Sathya Sai Baba, 27 Mar 1967 [1]

I recently moved to a new apartment right opposite a beautiful park in Knoxville, Tennessee. One day on my nature walk I noticed a lot of trash floating in the waterways and wetlands surrounding the park. Looking at the way the trash had seeped into the soil, I deduced it must have been around for a while. The park is generally well populated with children playing and adults jogging around, and I wondered why the trash had not been cleaned up.

Aahhhh . . . just as I was enjoying a nice long Sunday shower, the inner calling became so strong I couldn’t ignore it any longer. Cleaning myself (every day!) while my Mother (Earth) remained polluted felt highly inconsiderate and unloving. Non-action no longer seemed to be an option. As if the Universe were supporting me in my intention, the Sai (God) within shouted, “Hanuman [2] always jumped to Rama’s service without thinking twice!” True! No denying, there!

Then memories of an experience at Trayee Brindavan (Sai Baba’s former summer residence near Bangalore, India, at which I had been blessed to work as a service volunteer) came flooding in. It was a warm summer afternoon. Trayee Brindavan was full of devotees gathered for darshan (opportunity to see a holy person). How graced I was feeling at the opportunity of serving Swami at his residence in Bangalore! It was surrounded by a beautiful garden.

On that particular afternoon, Sai Baba walked out of darshan and headed to the gardens. He seemed to be feeling for the trees that stood silently bearing the scorching sun. He stopped near the tall ashoka trees. I imagined he was being reminded of the magnificent trees in the demon Ravana’s ashoka gardens in Sri Lanka, which provided comfort and solace to Lord Rama’s grieving wife Sita, while she was held captive there under the vigilant watch of the demons. With his most merciful eyes fixed on the fortunate trees, Swami remarked, referring to humans,  “Mother Sita is the Earth, and we are Ravanas destroying her.”

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Hanuman earned eternal joy from finding and saving Mother Sita, because it was in serving her that he could serve his Beloved Lord (Rama) – serving God being the only activity capable of conferring everlasting joy. Upon seeing Mother Sita in the gardens – tired, weeping, sad, and unable to see her way out of her plight – Hanuman jumped right into action, consoling her by narrating the glorious tales of Rama and his monkey friends.

As these memories infused me with the much-needed love to embark on my task, I got out of the shower and started getting ready to head to the park.
So, chanting the name of my superhero – “Hanuman!” – I armed myself with a crispy-clean, white, “Love All, Serve All” T-shirt, gloves, a mask, and some trash bags. To call on this superhero, I didn’t need to eat spinach or wear special wings but just say, “Jai Sai Ram!” (“The Lord is ever victorious!”)

I went out into every possible accessible area of the forest and streams for the next couple of hours or so, picking up beer cans, straws, bottles, polystyrene foam, and rubber.  Some of the curious onlookers wondered what I was doing. The “Love All, Serve All” T-shirt must have explained my actions and intentions, for many of them smiled and said thank you.
The cans had seeped into the soil, but Green Hanuman gave me the strength to pull them out. He also showed me intuitively where the trash was! To love is to know, I guess.

I caught sight of so many cans down the hill in the water stream. Oh, wait! As I stepped, I fell down the hill. Lying in a pool of water and mud, in the middle of nowhere with excruciating pain in my shoulder, I called out, “Rama!”

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Gently the birds started chirping, “It’s okay . . . you are not alone . . . we are with you.” If Earth is my Mother, then the birds are my siblings! I have only fallen into my Mother’s lap, and my siblings are comforting me. Lying there in the middle of nowhere in a knee-deep ditch filled with muddy water, I understood that the energy I have to serve Her comes from Her. The pain vanished magically, and I resumed picking up the trash.

To return, I had to walk a mile uphill through the forest with two tall heavy trash bags, and Green Hanuman was very happy to assist his little brother in performing this tiny act of love. He filled me up with the necessary strength to walk back home. Then all I had to do was sort and recycle the trash (smile).

Oh, there is more work to be done, like the huge tire and the shopping cart in the stream, but I know that Green Hanuman is ready to help and guide – one park at a time – one river at a time – one community at a time!

If I have faith that can move mountains but do not have love, I am nothing.”   —Holy Bible, 1 Corinthians 13:2

II Samastha Lokah Sukhino Bhavantu II

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