AUM MURUGA DIGEST Bi-Monthly Publication of Aum Muruga Society 15 Valda Place, Baulkham Hills, NSW 2153

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1 1 AUM MURUGA DIGEST Bi-Monthly Publication of Aum Muruga Society 15 Valda Place, Baulkham Hills, NSW 2153 March-April /2006 Edited by: Dr R Sri Ravindrarajah (R.Ravindra@uts.edu.au) Festival in a Hindu temple is the unique opportunity to unite the Hindus independent of their social, economical and cultural differences. Thaipusam festival celebrated in Malaysia is one of the main Hindu festivals in Hindu calendar. It is attended by all Malaysians from different backgrounds. It is promoting harmony among Malaysians. A 140 feet Murugan Golden statue was opened at Batu Caves during this year Thaipusam festival. Sydney Murugan Temple is also having its annual Mahotsavam April All Hindu temples have the responsibility to promote tolerance and understanding among the Hindus. This becomes very important for the temples in countries having multi-cultural and multi-religious society. Hindu temples should not promote extreme views which brings disharmony among its devotees and general public. Whatever the merits of our thoughts they are unknowingly binding us. Many of us got trapped into our own religious philosophies. A wise man accepts all religions and all philosophies within a particular religion. He respects the scriptures of these religions as sacred. He respects all places of worship. In the same way, he respects the Saints, Gurus and Priests. A true religious person will not pass judgment on any issue. All of us have limited knowledge in any single issue. In many issues, our views have changed significantly over a period of time. Hindu temples through their enormous resources should serve the society which deserves better than what they are receiving from the temples. In the modern society, there is no room for someone with radical views which hurt the feelings of the devotees. If it is unchecked, it will cause irreparable damage to the organization and to the society as a whole. Openmindness should be encouraged. Tolerance in our thoughts, words and deeds should be nurtured and cultivated. Many spiritual organizations, originated from India, are serving millions of Hindus and Non-Hindus all around the world. The main reason for their success is that these organizations are helping people to transform those to more divine in their thoughts, words and deeds. They promote desperately needing human values among its members. Millions of people all over the world independent of their religions joined these organizations to better themselves through the teachings of their chosen spiritual gurus. The service activities of the Sathya Sai Organisation in Malaysia during the Thaipusam festival are highlighted in the following article.

2 2 STIRRING SAI SEVA IN MALAYSIA DURING THAIPUSUM - Two Inspiring Accounts Here are two accounts of seva carried out at mammoth gatherings of devotees at Lord Murugan's shrines in Malaysia. It is heartwarming to learn how, in one instance, the Sai volunteers made every effort to help those unable to have Darshan, and in the other, break a Malaysian national record - read on to know more! The spark of tears in their eyes gave me the happiness of a lifetime, not because I have achieved something great but to remind me to be more grateful to God for having an able body. This was the moving comment from a volunteer who had helped physically and/or mentally challenged pilgrims have Darshan of Lord Murugan during the festival of Thaipusam, at a hill top temple in Malaysia. Thaipusam is celebrated on the full moon in the Tamil month of Thai (Jan/Feb). Pusam refers to a star that is at its highest point during the festival. The festival commemorates both, the birthday of Lord Murugan, the youngest son of Lord Shiva and Mother Parvati, and the occasion when Parvati gave Murugan a vel (lance) so he could vanquish the demon Soorapadam. In Malaysia, Thaipusam attracts mammoth numbers of devotees. Over 1,000,000 people congregate at Batu Caves, Kuala Lumpur and 200,000 at the Waterfall Temple, Penang. Heart2Heart and Aum Muruga Society (Sydney, Australia) are pleased to inform you about the wonderful seva carried out by the Malaysian Sai devotees at these two sites during the festival period from 10th-11th February, SAI SEVA AT THE WATERFALL TEMPLE, PENANG, MALAYSIA The Waterfall Temple is located at the top of a steep hill. Many devotees make their way there to worship Lord Murugan and to

3 3 climb up is part of the ritual and penance. But the Sai devotees of Brown Garden Centre, Penang, became concerned for those people who are unable to climb up due to physical disabilities. They are forced to remain frustrated at the bottom, while their relatives go up to the top to receive the blessings on this holy day. It was indeed a sight to pity. Emboldened by the teachings of Lord Sai to help those in need, they formed themselves into special palanquin teams to convey the yearning physically challenged pilgrims to have Darshan of Lord Murugan. This seva activity was aptly called Journey to God and it became so for both the sevaks and the disabled people. The palanquins were handmade by the Sai volunteers themselves and each was carried by 4 devotees with one man to oversee the safety of the disabled devotee and to make way through the crowds up the steps. We take you through this holy journey with a series of pictures, showing one gentleman s complete Journey to God.

4 4 Upon reaching the bottom of the hill the disabled pilgrims were given food by the lady volunteers. Then, to invoke Swami s blessings before commencing the climb the volunteers chanted Ganapati Prarthana, Ganapati Atharva Shirsha Upanishad, Narayana Upanishad, Sai Gayatri and performed Arthi to Swami s picture. Then, they began the ascent and reached the temple after one hour. Finally, the disabled people were able to feast their eyes and fill their hearts at sacred Lord Murugan s shrine. Many were in tears at this longed for opportunity come true. Some of them had brought milk with them, so that they could perform Abhisheka (worship) for Lord Murugan. So, there were all kinds of people who were carried to the top elders, physically and mentally chanllenged children and adults. If there is one thing that was common to all - the ones who were being served and the ones serving it is the smiling joy on thier faces. It was a truly joyful spiritual odyssey.

5 5 In all, 21 disabled people were blessed by Lord Murugan s Darshan that day, thanks to the Sai volunteers. One young boy could not stop speaking of his experience for the whole day. Many of the disabled are not able to speak and could not convey their feelings, or were too young, but their parents were in tears at the sacred gift of Darshan that was given to their wards. joy, finally able to go up the stairs to the temple was just wonderful. Truly there is no greater joy than bringing a smile to another s face and happiness shared is really happiness doubled. RECORD BREAKING BLOOD DONATION AT BATU CAVES, KUALA LUMPUR One volunteer said When I saw the smile in their faces, it was a heart-felt satisfaction because I managed to help them experience a lifetime joy seeing Lord Muruga on such an auspicious day. It was a wonderful feeling making another person happy. The volunteers numbered 140. An interesting aside is that only 70 were from the Sai Organisation. The remaining 70 were young people from a squatter village which the Sai Centre had adopted some time ago and for which they had been conducting Bal Vikas classes. By God s Grace the inspiring flame of seva had spread to them. All the volunteers were overjoyed that they had made this holy pilgrimage possible for so many. One volunteer mentioned that, The joy of the disabled in getting Lord Muruga's Darshan was the greatest gift that I have earned. And another echoed these feelings, To see the special kids and adults smiling in It is at Batu Caves, Kuala Lumpur, where the wish to have Lord Murugan s Darshan reaches overwhelming proportions. On 30th Jan 2006, the world s largest statue of Lord Murugan was unveiled at the base of the ascent to the caves ft tall and gold painted. Over one million people throng there in the fervour of devotion during the Thaipusam festival. It was here that the second seva event was held, when the Sai Organisation in conjunction with the Malaysian Blood Bank set up camp at the festival site with 80 beds ready for blood donors comfort. This amazing mega blood donation drive broke the Malaysian record, reaching 2,330 pints over a 35 hour period. The Sai Organisation also organized non-stop singing of devotional songs from top Malaysian Indian artists for 36 hours to inspire the devotees and attract them to

6 6 come forward to give blood. Behind them was the source of their inspiration in the form of a large picture of Swami. Blood Donation Scenes The authorities gave the space used free of charge and a prestigious radio station supported and covered the event, encouraging its listeners to donate to save lives. In fact this time of year heralds celebrations of Chinese New Year, a major Muslim festival and Thaipusam. The 5 days of holidays unfortunately leads to many road accidents thus there is a vital need for blood in all hospitals. Donation Countdown Some volunteers were present for 48 hours! They looked after the donors many of whom were donating for the first time, moved to come forward by the singing, prayers and the festival atmosphere. The Star Newspaper covered the event under the headline 2,330 blood donations collected in just a day and mentioned that The National Blood Bank and the Sathya Sai Council of Malaysia could have achieved a record by collecting 2,330 blood donations in a single day at the Thaipusam celebrations in Batu Caves. The Star 12th Feb At the same time, in the cities of Ipoh, Penang and Johore Bharu, Sai Centres held similar blood donation days, where a further 364 pints of blood were collected. Blood donation pictures were taken by Dr Ravi of Aum Muruga Society, Australia