August 2001 Volume 7 No. 1
Aum Sri Sai Ram!
August is a very auspicious month as we celebrate the birth of Lord
Krishna on the 12th and Ganesh Chathurthi on the 22nd. Also, to mark
this holy month one of Swami's students Mr. T.V.Hariharan of Bangalore,
India is coming to Toronto on August 1st to sing the Glory of God.
Hari captivates the audience with his dynamic voice and his compositions
of devotional songs are expressions of his devotion, abiding love and unflinching
faith in the divine. A Grand Musical Concert Athma Geetham 2001
(Song of the Soul) will be held on August 18, Saturday 6.00 p.m at Centennial
College, Scarborough and there will be an evening of devotional singing
at Vancouver Centre on August 11, 2001. All are welcome to this program.
Please bring non-Sai devotees to this grand event in order to give them
a chance to feel the divine presence. We are now offering you the
following CDs containing Hari's golden voice:
Voice of the Heart Volume-2: Singers - T.V.Hariharan
and Indira. This CD has 11 songs: Adi Pujitha Gajanana; Allah Naam
Tera naam; Parthi Puree Me Janam; Putta Partheeswari; Chale Aao Baba; Partheewari
jagajanani; Antharyami Tuhi; Sathya Sai Tum hari Charan; Parthi Pureeshwara;
Dhanyaho Easwarmba; Mangala Pradhayani. Price: $12.00;US$8.40
Voice of the Heart Volume 3: Singers - T.V.HariHaren,
Ravi Raj Nasery, & Indira. This Cd has 9 songs: Parthi Bulao Sai baba;
Chithravathi Thata; Thum Aye Masiha; Sai Sundara Sai; Deena Dayalu Hare;
Sai Ram sai Shyam; Jaya Mana Mohana; Man Mandir Me Aao; Hare Raama Hare
Rama. Price: $12.00;US$8.40
Madhuram Sai Geetham: Rendered by T.V.Hariharan,
this Cd has 9 bhajans: OmNamashivaya; Shivacharanam; Aavo Shankara sainath;
Nirupama Gunasadhana; Gangodbhavakara; VibhuthiSundara; Chandrasekara;
Daayakaro Kripakaro; Jeevan Ki Naiya. Price: $12.00;US$8.40
SO
MANY WAYS TO LOVE BY ELIZABETH BENSON Review by Gopal Mehta
This book is about the life of a person who grew up in New Zealand
in a large family in a small town and how she went through different phases
of life. She experienced love through different relationships and
was frustrated and disappointed, until she reached out to Sri Sathya Sai
Baba. As most of us go through the journey of life with it's pleasures
and pains and still never experience ever-lasting peace and joy until we
take refuge in god, the author did the same. She writes about the
new direction, attitude and bliss she found with His grace and guidance
on every day basis.
The author describes very honestly about her disappointments from the
social world and admits being overpowered by inner enemies, especially
the anger and ego. She narrates her frequent visits to different
religious institutions during her travels between New Zealand and Australia
in search of Self-fulfillment on the path of spirituality. She describes
how much love she experienced on her first visit to Sri Sathya Sai Baba.
After experiencing Sri Sai Baba's grace and blessings, she learnt how to
accept people as they are without becoming critical. She also got
herself more active in selfless activities in the society. She discovered
a new purpose in life and found harmony with all living beings.
The book reflects on the life of a person who was disappointed from
the physical relationships in the society until finally she finds long
lasting love at the feet of Sri Sai Baba. She finds once again the
world as a university to educate and transform us by following Baba's principle
teaching of "LOVE ALL, SERVE ALL." The book will help the readers
to inspire and transform into positive human beings – who will be loved
by the society and the Creator, the God. Price: $6.99;US$4.90
WE ARE GOD - OUR TRUE REALITY BY SENSEI DEENA
NAIDU Review by Ron Nater
Sensei Deena Naidu lives in Australia, and amongst many things he does
martial artistry, he teaches, he writes, he counsels and he practices Reiki.
Mr. Naidu offers his deep insights in his book We Are God - Our True Reality
through many short chapters in which he very clearly expounds what he has
discovered, through his spiritual seeking from a very young age, about
who we are in reality, with the great help of Sathya Sai Baba. He wrote
this book in twenty-one days in 1999, which he calls the year of love,
explaining that through a path of letting go of the power of our ego and
surrendering to God we become enlightened and see our true reality. In
this way we can see how we come from God's ocean and merge back into God's
ocean of love through our path of being created into single droplets, then
joining into clouds, raining into a river and flowing back into God's ocean.
The further we are on our path the clearer we can see that we are God,
as we become more aware of our oneness with God. Mr. Naidu's book can be
very helpful in our spiritual growth through the light it shines on our
path in a very simple and direct way. Price: $6.75;US$4.70
WE ARE THE POWER OF GOD BY SENSEI DEENA NAIDU
Review by Ron Nater
After writing "We Are God" Mr. Naidu shares his findings in greater
detail in his book "We Are The Power Of God". He connects the body,
mind and spirit we have as individuals with God's Spirit, and shows how
God's power is in all of us through the spirit. With the ability
to reason and discriminate, we as human beings are God's power. The
writer uses many examples to clarify this claim, with numerous quotes from
Sai Baba and Jesus. He further explains that the more we evolve the higher
our vibration becomes. And in doing so the clearer it is for us to accept
that we, in human form are the power of God - and the closer we come to
real freedom through complete surrender to God. Beautiful chapters
about the miracle of the human body, the miracle of the spirit, the miracle
of the human mind, the power of love, the power of peace and the power
of truth relate some of the core values of Mr. Naidu's discoveries. He
states that by completely surrendering to the power within we enhance the
power of God and become free to be one with God. As God is neither
separate from us nor we separate from Him. If we are able to see
this truth we are able to merge into the oneness of God, and His power
will radiate through us. Price: $6.75;US$4.70
LIVING DIVINITY BY SHAKUNTALA BALU – Review
by Prashanth Bhawalkar
Shakuntala Balu is a journalist by profession and her writing offers
conclusive evidence that she is very skilled in her profession. In Living
Divinity she lucidly writes about Swami's life and teachings. Her sense
of style and structure are remarkable and her professionalism is evident.
There is an element of drama in the book right from the beginning where
she writes about her first meeting with Swami. The book is like a journey
through a maze of ink and paper and the reader feels he is a part of it
as long as the book is in his hands. Fascinating details about Swami's
life are lucidly elucidated as are his teachings explained. Interesting
items mentioned in the book include references to the Shuka Naadi, a book
written by the sage Shuka 5000 years ago, in which the arrival of Swami
is predicted. Also mentioned is the significance of the Kalpataru – the
wish-fulfilling tree. The book dwells upon the simplicity of Swami's teachings,
one of which remains etched in the memory: If you want the world to be
green, don't try to paint it. Wear green-tinted glasses instead.
Price: $6.95;US$4.90
SAI BABA - THE ROSE FIRE OF HEAVEN BY K N SINHA–
Review by Kan Narayan
This is the second book by Mr. Krishna Nandan Sinha, the first one
being “Sri Sathya Sai Baba: Absolute Sole Lord of Life and Death”. Quoting
the author, the central thrust of this book is to demonstrate and show
beyond any shadow of doubt that Sathya Sai Baba is the single flame, the
one God the formless God who incarnates in the phenomenal world as Rama,
Krishna, Buddha and Jesus Christ whenever crisis threatens to engulf humanity,
when the evil forces dominate and subdue and annihilate the good, the virtuous
and the pious.
Mr. Sinha in his usual style quotes from many poems written by great
poets, including “Hymn to Saint Teresa” (Lines 13-14) by Richard Crashaw
who painted a portrait of Saint Teresa, as just a child, who loved God
so much that she was willing to go to the Moors and lay down her life.
Mr. Sinha also refers to the celebrated essay on Dante by T.S. Elliot to
say that there cannot be a better or more masterly imagery than that of
light to express the unknown, the inexpressible and unidentifiable.
Mr. Sinha has also quoted a few of Baba’s miracles from the sea of
experiences of several aspirants, including one that describes the resurrection
of one of His devotees. There are several miracles described in this book
including the one when the governor of an Indian state and his wife were
saved from a train fire. There are comparisons made to similar resurrections
performed by Christ and other Avatars. The author explains
why Bhagavan Baba bestows such miracles, signs and wonders to only some
of the aspirants. In the chapter of ‘Four Quartets of moral
virtues’ it is very interesting to note the author’s comparison of The
Ninth Symphony in The Last Quarters of Beethoven to Baba’s teachings.
In the final analysis, this is a very good book on Bhagavan Baba.
Price: $7.95;US$5.60
THE TOUCH OF THE LORD BY DOROTHY AND MOYIA
O'BRIEN
This gem is a welcome entrant into the vast and rich canon of Sai literature.
The authors are twin sisters based in Australia. Often Swami describes
them as his 'pink twins' because of their fondness for pink clothes. The
book takes us through their childhood where they had to deal with the death
of their father in the first world war at an early age, their adulthood
where their passion for service led them to a career in occupational therapy
and the eventual establishment of the Sunshine Welfare & Remedial Association
(SWARA), and finally their meeting and continuing association with Swami.
The book constantly dwells on their passion for service and their love
for all creation. The reader is enchanted by their repeated reference to
themselves as twin souls in a series of lives starting in Ancient Egypt.
This bond has led them to avoid marriage and retain this connection. The
reader is captivated by their compassion, energy and joie-de-vivre.
Price: 12.95;US$9.00
AUDIOS/VIDEOS DEDICATED TO LORD KRISHNA &
LORD GANESHA
- Jai Sai Gopala which is a part of the Prashanthi mandir
Bhajan Series contains these12 songs: Madhava Mohan; Jai sai Gopala; Chitta
Chora Murali Wala; Manamohan Nandalaal; Radhika Jeevana; Bal Gopal Jai
Jai; Giridhara Govinda Gopala; Madhusudhana Hare madhava; Nandalala Daya
karo; Ghana Ghana Neela; Giridhara Bala hey Nandala; Giridhari hey nandalala.
Price: $4.00;US$3.00
- Krishna Sai & Ganesha Sai from the Living God series.
Price of each: $4.00;US$3.00
- Sri Sai Krishna & Sai Ganesha from the Bhajanavali
series. Price of each: $4.00;US$3.00
- Sai Ganesha from Prashanthi Mandir Bhajans series.
Price: $4.00;US$3.00
- Krishna Jayanthi & Ganesh Chaturthi videos contain
the celebration of Lord Krishna's birthday and festival of Ganesha at Puttaparthi
in 2000. The Ganesh Chaturthi video also contains an awesome exhibition
of 750 statues of Lord Ganesha. Price of each video: $20.00;US$15.00
- New super specialty hospital in Whitefield contains
a 25-minute coverage of the services available in the newly opened hospital
at Bangalore, India. Price: $20.00;US$15.00
Jai Sai Ram!