IN SAI GHT In sight into Sai by Glance Heart & Thought. Volume-1 March15, 2015 Issue-2

Transcription

1 Volume-1 March15, 2015 Issue-2

2 Table of Contents The Essence of Vedas... 3 Sanskrit and Computer Science... 6 Telephone Line Mystery... 8 Action and Intention My Unforgettable Memory MDH-NWZ... 17

3 The Essence of Vedas Vinayak Narayanankumar (I BBM) The Vedas today are being misused for gaining monetary benefits. People have reconciled themselves to this situation. They do not demonstrate the value of Vedic study in the peace and harmony of their lives and win reverence for the Vedas. The vedas are being misused by the people for earning a pittance, rather than moksha and mental peace. In such a situation, we (students of Bhagawan) must restore dharma by preserving vedas by chanting them not only for ourselves, but also for others. For this task, we have to first understand the importance of the vedas.

4 Vetti ithi Vedah - Knowing knowledge is Veda. Man can know from the vedas the way to perform Right Actions, and acquire the Body of Right Knowledge. The other name for Vedas is Shruti, the one which is heard and learnt. The significance is that the sages heard the Vedas coming from God during meditation and by hearing they started transferring this Vedic hymns to their disciples. Although the Vedas had many branches (Shakhas), only few of them are left and others are unfortunately lost. Efforts are being made to preserve them through written scripts. Vedas describe the rights and duties, obligations and responsibilities, the dos and don ts. They are the source of spring in Bharathiya culture. They are the recordings of visions and divine experiences. The vedangas and other related texts were taught as compulsory subjects in the Gurukulas or Hermitage (Schools of the past). In today s modern world, it has been found that the cells get activated all over the brain and has a positive effect on the environment while chanting Rudram. Bhagawan stressed on chanting Rudram both morning and evening. He made it compulsory for His students to know Rudram and Purusha suktam. In the month of August, when Muddenahalli was facing water scarcity, the chanting of Rudram everyday eventually solved the water scarcity with adequate rainfall in the coming months. Also, the campus was mysteriously blessed by a two and a half feet Shivalinga for the Ekadasha Rudra Abhishekam. In short, it must be realized that the Vedas are very important for man and they cover the entire range of Knowledge. The Vedas also say that those who protect Dharma are indeed protected by it.

5 It s true that man is evolving. Everyone s life style is changing. We are falling for the western culture, while they are gradually comprehending the magnitude of our culture. In Kulwant Hall, we even notice some foreigners sitting beside us and chanting Vedas with more intensity than us. We possess the greatest wealth of mankind- The Vedas. It s a pity to notice that we are neglecting and ignorant of it while the foreigners have become conscious of this treasure and are yearning for it. We cannot afford to forget our rich culture. Let s pray to Swami requesting him to use us in some way in this vital mission. Giving my personal example - In my childhood, I was pressurized by my parents to learn Vedas but I did not show any interest. The realization dawned upon me when I joined Sri Sathya Sai Higher Secondary School for my class 11 in There was a feeling of contentment when I heard the Vedic mantras. As I showed interest, my Vedam teacher inspired and taught me more Vedas explaining the importance of it. Through this, I was able to represent my school and institute in the Vedam chanting and processions. I know from my heart that it was Bhagawan who had willed it. I am ever grateful to him for giving me the opportunity of learning Vedas and serving him by teaching others. Reference: Sathya Sai Vahini

6 Sanskrit and Computer Science -SHRAVAN SAI (I MCA) Sanskrit is one of the most ancient languages we have known. In fact, in India many of the languages are said to have their roots in Sanskrit such as Hindi, Odiya, and Bengali etc. But, still many Indians find Sanskrit very difficult. There are hardly any Indians who understand Sanskrit, not to mention speaking. And that is what made me think over 'programming in Sanskrit'. I had been reading an article on 'esoteric programming languages' or 'esolangs'. Unlike many other programming languages which are written with the intention of ease of use, esolangs are created with the intention of 'Complex to use'. There are so many of these languages which are very difficult and some of them cannot be called as programming languages because they don't pass the Turing test. There is an esolang which would look like nothing on paper (blank sheet) because the language is written with spaces (tabs and spaces). There is a language called Piet which would look like an abstract painting because it is written with blocks of colours. Another language would look like a sonnet of Shakespeare, this language itself is called 'Shakespeare'. The best thing about the esolang is that these are used to improve one s IQ as they make you think a lot about how to write a simple program and churn your brain to a great extent. Unfortunately, all the esolangs are western; there is no esolang which is Indian made or in Indian language. This being the case, I think that one can definitely make a programming language in Sanskrit. You might ask me how it is going to help anyone. Well, it can be of great use because writing a program

7 in an esolang is a big deal and they are used to measure IQ. I believe a Sanskrit esolang would be a great contribution because one might learn a bit of Sanskrit for the sake of programming. But, actually, he will be learning a bit of a language which is ancient. It may even enable him to read and understand some Sanskrit phrases. Of course, it also depends on the way one would frame an esolang on Sanskrit. But, since the correctness of the program would be the measure of IQ, the programming can be framed in a way that the correctness of the program is directly proportional to the correctness of the Sanskrit language. I am telling you about how a new esolang can make someone learn Sanskrit through programming in Sanskrit. In the field of natural language processing, Sanskrit is considered as the easiest language to be understood by a computer. Perhaps it is because of the intonations in Sanskrit. Most of the languages are continuous in nature. Whereas, in Sanskrit, you would find there are high and low notes rather than a continuous wave of sound. Since computer is based on 0 and 1, it can easily understand a language which is not continuous. Rick Briggs, a researcher, cites in a paper that Sanskrit grammar can be easily translated into a form that is understood by a computer. Yes, there has been a debate on how fast a non- Sanskrit speaking person can pick up the language and why he must do so? I don't know. It depends on the individuals. There are various formulas or sutras in Vedic maths such as Anurupyena, ekadhikena purvena, Ekanyunena Purvena and many more which can enable us to perform various mathematical operations orally, and very fast, and of course easily. You must watch the video on ted talks by 'Arthur Benjamin'. It is a performance on Mathematics, in which this man performs mathematical operations faster than the calculators. And this is indeed possible by using the sutras of Vedic maths. I wonder if the computers can perform faster by using these sutras, but man can definitely become faster. And the roots of Vedic maths are in the Sanskrit language. You see the relation between the science and an ancient language? There is much more than what I have penned, Research is still on in this area. I wonder what kind of revelations will come out of it. But, surely it will be something which we know and have just missed to notice.

8 Telephone Line Mystery

9 Why are these phone cables hung up so high? Hahaha So that when people are talking, no one can hear them. -Jitendra & Suvam

10 Action and Intention Foyer Talk by Basanta Sharma, I MCA on 4 th Feb., 2015 Dearest Swami, I pray that you be by my side and guide me all through. Respected teachers and all my dear brothers, Sai ram. The foyer talk coordinators were approaching me for quite some time saying, Brother, here s an opportunity waiting for you. Why don t you grab it? I had absolutely nothing in my mind which I thought I could share with you all. Initially I managed to run away. But when I found that they were not going to give up, I started asking myself, Why do I need to stand here and speak at all? Is it not enough if I sit down there as an audience? Then I started looking for the answer to my question. But before I realized the solution to the question bothering me, I found the topic for this talk. My topic for the day is Action and Intention. Let me start by posing this (probably the most confusing) question, yet which needs to be answered by each and every one of us in each step of our life. What is good and what is bad? It s the question we need to ask ourselves everyday so that we can segregate them, accept the good and reject the bad. But sometimes it gets tougher when the same thing becomes good some times and bad the other times. In such moments, how do we know whether something is good or bad? Let us analyze this question with the help of few examples. A soldier kills, and so does a murderer. But a soldier is conferred the most prestigious awards for killing his enemy. Even if he happens to lose his life during the combat, his mortal remains is covered with the national flag. On the other hand, a murderer is caught and thrown into the prison for his act. As an award, he receives the punishment of death. If he dies in the process of killing, he is not sure even of getting an ordinary coffin to cover his mortal remain. What is it that makes the seemingly same action so vastly different?

11 Let us go a bit deeper. All of us firmly believe that Krishna was the incarnation of the Supreme Himself. Yudhisthira, the eldest of the Pandavas had maintained that he would never lie in any form, at any situation, ever. Then why is it that Krishna, The Lord, asked Yudhisthira, the embodiment of truth to lie, which is considered to be the greatest of sins, and whose consequences Yudhisthira anyway had to face later. I think the answer to these questions are quite plain and simple. The intention behind an action matters as much as the action itself. Maybe, even more. It is intention behind the action that makes a seemingly undesirable action meritorious, and a seemingly bad action undesirable. In fact, it is intention that defines or gives meaning to an action. Let us now see what our beloved Lord has in store for this topic. For Swami, nothing else mattered more than the intention behind an action. Here, Swami illustrates on how intention gives a different meaning and value to the same action; Swami says, You can clap your hands to keep in tune with the Bhajans, you can also clap your hands to squat mosquitoes. A patient is forced to fast because of the illness that is afflicting him, but a devotee fasts with the purpose of penitence. Which action gives merit, which action does not? Nothing else could please our dear Lord more than an action done with good intention. This, He has demonstrated probably a million times over. I will mention a few of those demonstrations here. During a convocation ceremony, the late President of India, Dr. Shankar Dayal Sharma, was the chief guest. Before the convocation drama in the evening, there was a heavy downpour. Swami sent a word to the chief guest saying, Since it is raining, you may choose not to come, it is all right. But Swami would not miss the drama at any cost. Being an ardent devotee of Bhagawan, he was aware of this. Thus, the President followed Him to Mandir. In the car, he asked Swami, Swami, why are you choosing to go even when it is raining? The ever loving Lord replied, For the last twenty days my boys have been struggling giving up their food, giving up their sleep, with the sole intention to make me happy, with the sole intention of receiving one word, Chaala Bagundi. When they have worked so hard for me, how can I let them down? Rain or no rain, I am going. Another incident shows how a similar action with different intention was rewarded. (The facts and figures may not be accurate as I am narrating it solely based on my memory. But I have tried my best to

12 put forth the message effectively.) The Chennai Water Project was in a full swing and many people wanted to help Swami by contributing their might in the historical project. But intention behind their contributions were varied. One mandir session, a wealthy man was sitting in the Mandir with an envelope in his hands containing a cheque worth 1, 00,000 (rupees one lakh) in it. Swami came for Dharshan, passed him without even casting a glance at him, and went straight to a small boy who had a similar envelope in his hands. Swami received the envelope and blessed him profusely. Later, it was found that the envelope contained a currency note of 100. What made Swami receive a small sum of 100 and ignore quite a huge sum of 1, 00,000 which would have served him better in the project? It was the intention with which the contributors offered. The rich man was under the impression that he would be recognized and welcomed for the huge sum. But the little boy was different. He had earned that amount with a lot of effort and wanted to give that to Swami out of his sheer love for Swami. Who, other than Swami, can understand the innermost intention behind each action? Now I would like to illustrate how different people give different purpose to the same action even when they do it together in the same setting using a story compiled by Paulo Coelho. Immediately after the bombing of Dresden, a man was walking past a plot of land covered in rubble when he saw three workmen. What are you doing, he asked. The first workman turned around and said, Can t you see? I m shifting these stones. The second workman said, Can t you see? I m earning a wage. Can t you see? I m rebuilding the cathedral, said the third workman. Although those three workmen were all engaged on the same task, only one had a sense of the real meaning of his work and his life. Now, having understood that the importance of the intention shaping our actions, we can start developing right intention behind every action we undertake, and make them successful. Be it a routine work or a work you are doing for the first time, it can be refined by refining the intention behind it.

13 Now, I would like to share with you all a Christian prayer written by Paulo Coelho, which I found to be very different than any prayer I have come across. I request all of you to join me in the prayer as I recite it. Lord, protect our doubts, because Doubt is a way of praying. It is Doubt that makes us grow because it forces us to look fearlessly at the many answers that exists to one question. And in order for this to be possible Lord, protect our decisions, because making Decisions is a way of praying. Give us the courage after our doubts, to be able to choose between one road and another. May our YES always be a YES, and our NO always be a NO. Once we have chosen our road, may we never look back, nor allow our soul to be eaten away by remorse. And in order for this to be possible Lord, protect our actions, because Action is a way of praying. May our daily bread be the result of the very best that we carry within us. May we, through Action, share a little of the love we receive. And in order for this to be possible Lord, protect our dreams, because to Dream is a way of praying. Make sure that regardless of our age or our circumstances, we are capable of keeping alight in our heart the sacred flame of hope and perseverance. And in order for this to be possible Lord, give us enthusiasm, because Enthusiasm is a way of praying. It is what binds us to the Heavens and to Earth, to grown-ups and to children; it is what tells us that our desires are important and deserve our best efforts. It is Enthusiasm that reaffirms to us that everything is possible, as long as we are totally committed to what we are doing. And in order for this to be possible Lord, protect us, because Life is the only way we have of making manifest your miracle. May the earth continue to transform seeds into wheat, may we continue to transmute wheat into bread. And this is the only possible if we have love; therefore, do not leave us in solitude. Always give us your company, and the company of men and women who have doubts, who act and dream and feel enthusiasm, and who live each day as if it were totally dedicated to your glory. Amen.

14 My Unforgettable Memory - Sai Shyam Sundar (I BBM) In my very 1 st grade, I applied to reside in the abode of Swami. But Swami had other plans for me. Once again, I applied in my 8 th class for both Swami s school and Music College. I never wanted to join Music College, but something made me pray for an admission there. By His grace and will, I got selected for the Music College in Though I was a music student, I never sang before Swami. It was my talent in drawing that took me near Him. Through this writing, I wish to share two of my sweet experiences with Swami and re-live them. In the month of January 2011, on Vasant Panchmi, I drew a portrait of Saraswathi Devi to offer at His lotus feet. Swami has his own way of ignoring people. For over one and half months, Swami ignored me. I was very upset and even stopped taking the picture to Mandir. But one day, Swami blessed around 30 boys whom He had been ignoring previously. I felt that I had missed the opportunity, but a new ray of hope emerged. My normal way of turning Swami s attention towards me was through fasting. Sometimes with one meal a day or 2 glasses of milk at night. I fasted. On March 10 th, I took my picture to the mandir and sat in the Birthday block (the block left to the Vedam group). The line leader gave me a shock informing the new rule that has descended from the administration block. When Swami Calls for the birthday boys, only the first nine boys are supposed to go for blessing, others remain until Swami specifically calls for you. Swami came in His car, Bhajans were going on. I held the painting and was praying intensely for Swami to call me. And the most awaited moment came, Swami gestured me to come.

15 Swami saw the picture and asked, Evvaru adi meaning who is that? I answered, Swami, Saraswathi Devi. He gestured, Face has come out well. I gave a bunch of letters to Swami containing letters from Samithi members and other family members. Swami lifted his eyebrows looking at the number of letters. I got some photos blessed by Swami, and 4 vibhuthi packets. Before I could even react, Swami gave another 4 packets. I said in my poor Telugu, mere amma, eppudu natho undandi (I wanted to mean you are my eternal mother, be with me all the time as a mother always stays with a small child). The very next day, one of our faculty members, Dr. Vasant Lakshmi, asked me to draw Mother Eshwaramma s portrait and show it to Swami. I started drawing again. On March 20 th, Swami came for Darshan in His car. He blessed three of our faculty members with vibhuthi packets. Dr. Vasant Lakshmi was one among them. Swami came for two rounds, I somehow managed to get a good place. After Swami came to stage, he blessed 9 boys. I was praying intensely and once again the golden moment came. When Swami called me, the boy before me got up. Swami asked him to sit and he pointed at me. As Swami was keenly observing the picture, He said something. Although he told me twice, I couldn t grasp it. The third time I figured it out.

16 He said mukku peddadiga undi sannaga veyyali (You have drawn the nose big, draw it thin). I felt upset for what I had done, but Swami gave me a beautiful smile and lovingly patted my cheek. I wanted to take padanamaskar, but as Swami s hand remained on the chart I could not pull it. After sometime he took some akshada (which had fallen on his lap when those nine boys were taking birthday blessings) and blessed the picture. After this, I took padanamaskar and blissfully sat in my place. Every Darshan when people chant Samastha Lokha Sukhino Bhavanthu, Swami usually blesses people. But on that day, Swami did a Namaskar to all which puzzled everyone.

17 -R M V S K Paramahamsa (I BBM) The Gift from God for the Valentine s Day: The meaning of Valentine s Day for a Sai Student is enormously different to what other people perceive. For the Sai Community, the love between a Mother and her Child, master and His student is regarded superior, and is contemplated on this day. For us, this is the day we concentrate on the eternal source and strengthen our bond. On this day, Swami brought a few souls on the face of the earth into his fold by laying the foundation stone for the fourth campus of Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Learning at the serene and lovely village of Muddenahalli, the birth place of Dr.M.Vishveshwaraiah.

18 On Feb 13 th, as people were in the midst of preparing to celebrate the campus founding day, our Asst.Librarian, Shri. Manjunatha Sir along with a few workers, hearing about a Shiva-linga immersed in the near-by lake, dived and found it at a depth of 6 feet. Early morning on Feb 14, this linga was offered a ceremonial and traditional Ekadasha Rudra Abhishekam. This was solely performed by the students of Sai Shiva and their teachers marking the founding of our campus. The 3 rd Management Development Program, too, commenced on the same day. In the present corporate world, values of the firms or organizations are truly at stake. Our beloved Lord instructed five major values to the world- Sathya, Dharma, Shanthi, Prema and Ahimsa. To become a good manager, one requires these important qualities. Developing these qualities was the primary theme behind this year s MDP topic, Power of Values. Many alumni participated and shared their corporate knowledge and experience. Many hundreds of hands went into the success of these two days. Many sacrificed hours of sleep; mind enchanting work, unity of thought for achieving the goal and many more values displayed by everyone made this possible. We thank everyone who had helped us enjoy this. This Shiva Linga is offered Abhishekam every day. It was a wonderful prelude to the celebration of Mahashivaratri at Prashanti Nilayam a few days later. On this same day, we had the pleasure to welcome our Registrar Dr. Naren Ramji and the Director of the Prashanti Nilayam Campus, Sri Radhakrishnan Nair. Our Newsmagazine, too, was launched the same day. We thank Sai Rudra for bestowing us with such an opportunity. We pray that He prepares us to become His Pracharakas in the world and gives us the strength and courage to spread His message to every corner of the planet.

19 Muddenahalli Football Association - MFA: This year, winds of change were blowing on the football ground. Steve Jobs had expressed that there is no need for market research. He believed that people don t know what they want until they see it. The MFA (Muddenahalli Football Association), too, held a similar belief, they wanted a change. They remodeled the traditional 5 s football. They substituted the standard 5 s post with a much smaller one. There were to be no Goal Keepers. And there would be no Rolling Substitutions. When the ball ends up in a corner, obstruction from the opposition is ruled out, the ball is passed to the half-court from where the shot is taken to the no-man s post. Penalty, too, is taken from the center of the court in a no-man s post. People don t readily accept these kind of changes. But even while the tides were flowing against their course, they stood firm, united, waiting for the sea to subside. They were bold and confident in their decisions which made so many appreciate them. But it has to be brought to light what the football critics think. A critic who didn t want to be named expressed: This is an arena believed to pass opportunity to everyone interested. But this very objective of the tournament was ignored when they refused to consider the rule of rolling substitutions. As a result

20 IN SAI GHT Insight into Sai by Glance Heart & Thought of this, several players hardly got playing time in the matches. Further, fewer goals were scored in the normal play because of their newly devised post, and this failed to appeal to the crowd. A cricket tournament s success is hugely based on the big total of the teams. The same way, people expect more number of goals in a football match. But, maybe, the organizers felt it better to have a small post to reduce the intensity of the game, bearing the injury concerns in mind. On the whole, the tournament was a huge success. Six teams-thunders, Pirates, Warriors, Sultans, Titans and Shadows fought each other to set themselves at a position eligible for the title. Mind blowing strategies, overwhelming team spirit, and fearsome play with amazing speed made the tournament lively. The Managers did a great deal motivating their players, solving conflicts, making the right changes and getting the best out of their teams. In the Semi-Finals there was Shadows vs Titans and Sultans vs Thunders. The Sultans sealed their place in the finals with a debutant scoring the game s only goal in penalty shoot-out. The final on 3/3/15 was a challenging battle where Shadows dared themselves in front of the light and showed their true potency winning the penalty shoot-out 2-1. Win or lose, the experience gained from this was remarkable. If we look past the invisible cloak of the tournaments achievement, passion is evident; when we seek it, we ll identify it in the hearts of the MFA committee members and all footballers of the campus. Tournament Statistics: Highest Goal Scorers: Birendra Rai & Anurodh Devkota Most Valuable Player: Sharath. N Best Supporting Player: Sagar K.H MFA Theme Song: - Click to play the song.

21 MFA Committee Members. (From left) Bharath.N.P, Sai Sandesh Sharma, Varun Pariyar, Alwin Philip John, Abhishek. G, Likith Kumar, T. Naresh, Durga Prasad Singh

22 Muddenahalli Basket Ball League - MBL: This contest for the Basket Ball fanatics comprised of six teams - Chicago bulls, Denver nuggets, LA Lakers in the POOL-A and LA Clippers, San Diego, Miami heats in the POOL-B. The teams were evenly matched and there were several nail-biting finishes which made the tournament electrifying. The referees did a sensational job handling the mounting pressure at the heat of the battle and giving proper decisions. In the final battle, Chicago Bulls and LA Lakers fought real hard till the very end earning praises and massive appreciation from all the spectators. Finally, Chicago Bulls beat their valiant opposition (LA Lakers) by just a basket to win the title. Tournament Statistics: Most Valuable Players: Sandeep Kumar Chavan & Santosh Nagoda Best Supporting Players: Sanjog Karki & Alwin Philip John

23 Moral Class Presentation- 5 th March: Tum Aur Hum Kya jaane Khuda Ka Khel- A heart melting truth which depicted that in front of God s will, there is no other way but to surrender. In this drama, we watched Partha learning the lessons of surrender with the guidance of Krishna. He was awe-struck looking at the wonders that Sai Students are performing. After witnessing such a drama, it can be told with utmost conviction that all Sai Students were feeling extremely proud of themselves for being able to convey or portray Swami in a pleasing manner.

24 Credits: - SaiDarshan A P (I BCA) - Sandeep Sahu (I BCA) - Suvam Gurung (I BCA) - Jitendra Kumar Chadar (I BCA) - M Adithya Krishna (I BBM) - S Sai Shyam Sundar (I BBM) - Swatantra kumar Mohapatra (I BBM) - R M V S K Paramahamsa (I BBM) - Vinayak NarayananKumar (I BBM) - Vikram G N (I BBM) We are responsible for all omissions and errors. Please let us know your feedback. We eagerly look forward for your articles, photos and other contributions.