REFLECTIONS
OF A LOVING GOD – A LOVELY COFFE-TABLE BOOK
July 2001 Volume 6 No. 12
Aum Sri Sai Ram!
Sai Ram, this month devotees throughout the world will be gathering at Puttaparthi to celebrate this Guru Poornima on July 5, 2001. To mark this occasion, we are introducing Swami’s Guru Poornima Discourse 2000 video as a special feature. This video was produced by James Redmond with English subtitles so you can understand what Swami is saying and the great quality of this video and the close captioning of Swami make it a must to have. CDN $40, US$28
We’d also like to offer three audio cassettes which are sung especially for Guru. (a) Parama Guru Sai which is part of the Living God Series, (b) Parama Guru Sai by the Prashanthi Mandir Bhajans series (c) Sat Guru Sai in the Bhajanavali series. All audio cassettes are priced at $4 each U.S. $2.80
REFLECTIONS
OF A LOVING GOD – A LOVELY COFFE-TABLE BOOK
AUTHOR'S NOTE
…The author in Nairobi had taken a keen interest in photography and
started improving his skills in the field of wildlife photography.
After coming to Bangalore and on his first visit to Prashanti Nilayam on
11th November 1970, he was surprised to see badly printed photographs of
Bhagavan being sold in the village of Puttaparti. It was at that
moment that he decided to use his camera to photograph his chosen God.
He began photographing Bhagavan and giving copies away, free, to any devotee of Bhagavan who requested for one; until Bhagavan one day came and stood in front of the author and asked him a question: "Are you a very rich man?" and before the author could even answer, a second question followed from Bhagavan "Why do you give away my photographs free" and on the author asking Bhagavan as to what he should do, Bhagavan replied Sell it – cost plus 10%. When the author remarked that he certainly could not make any profit on the sale of Bhagavan's photos, Bhagavan in His every–merciful way said, " That is not your profit but your administrative expenses." True to His words the author found that he always spent 10% as his administrative expenses. So from early 1971 to the month of November 1998, the author had the privilege and the Grace of Bhagavan to be His photographer.
…The author has been collecting photos shot during the many festivals observed at either Prashanti Nilayam or White field or any other places where Bhagavan traveled. The result of all these is "REFLECTIONS OF A LOVING GOD". Price: $24.95;US$17.50
HEAVEN
IS THIS – NOTES ON A SPIRITUAL JOURNEY
The book begins in Budapest with a background of the Author's family
and circumstances of birth. After years of searching for spiritual
roots in Israel, back in Montreal the Author read an article about an Indian
Guru named Sathya Sai Baba, which inspired her to investigate this Holy
Man said to be "The Embodiment of Pure Love."
The jounal describes the way to India and the impressions on arrival, meeting Sathya Sai Baba who proves to be a genuine teacher divinely graceful, radiating spiritual love, whose miraculous powers in the form of materializing a variety of gifts for devotees are witnessed day to day. Within the first month in the Ashram Sai Baba tells the Author to stay.
Heaven is This covers the first ten months in India but the Author has lived there for twenty-three years. Over the years she was helped in discovering the deeply buried emotional trauma of her childhood.
This profound transformation could only have taken place under the watchful eye and inner guidance of a great Master like Sai Baba. The healing and learning continues until he says to return to serve and teach sharing the wisdom and inner peace with others in the world. Price: $15.00;US$10.50
SAI BABA AND SAI YOGA BY MATAJI INDRA DEVI
Mata in the above-mentioned name is Mother in Sanskrit and ji is added
as a sign of respect. Mataji Indra Devi is about 100 years old and
lives in Buenos Aires, Argentina, where she founded a non-profit Yoga Institution
named after her. She teaches Sai Yoga – a special yoga that reorients
the traditional Hatha Yoga on spirituality.
A magnificent revelation by Sai Baba and Mataji Indra Devi's lecture on Yoga turns into an expounding of the wonderous Sai Yoga, offering the way to be filled with Love and light. Mataji brings you the precious Sai Yoga in this book. Indra Devi also describes her fascinating life experiences living in a rare close proximity with Swami – tours, leelas, materialization of incredible jewellery, a box with an endless supply of vibhuti, out of body consciousness at Shivarathri and more. The warmth in the book will touch your heart, the verve and wisdom will inspire, and the sheer wonder will take your breath away. Price: $7.00;US$4.90
THE LIGHT OF LOVE BY PROF. N. KASTURI – SWAMI'S
VISIT TO AFRICA
The Light of Love is a book by N. Kasturi who has written so many books
on Bhagavan Baba. It is a great privilege and pleasure to read his
books. It will only be appropriate to say that Bhagavan Baba has written
this book through Mr. Kasturi. It is a divine book for everyone to read,
cherish and practice Swami’s teachings.
Mr. Kasturi has presented an account of Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba’s only visit overseas, to East Africa. The book is in two parts. The first part covers Swami's journey across the Seas to Nairobi, Kampala in Uganda, The Secret Valley, The Ngorongoro Crater, Dar-es-Salaam and other far off cities and towns. Initially Swami’s schedule was for a ten-day visit, which He so graciously extended by responding to the prayers of His devotees. It is very interesting to read Bhagwan Baba undertaking the journey to enrich and uplift the lives of thousands of people in East Africa and also the passengers who traveled with Him.
The second part of this book covers eight of Bhagwan Baba’s discourses. These talks cover the topic of Love, questions & answers at the gathering of Rotarians, Lions, Lawyers and doctors. The questions are all about human values and how to cultivate them within our children and us. Also Swamiji talks about the purpose of life, Science of Surrender, Sharing of Love. One of His messages I quote here: "Of what avail are other skills, if one does not know how to swim over the waves of joy and grief, of pleasure and pain and profit and loss? One must know the art of being fully at ease, perfectly calm and unaffected, unruffled, whatever may happen to the body or the senses or the mind, for they are all inert while the inner ‘I’ alone is Intelligence, conscious of itself.” Price: $3.00;US$2.00
WAKE
UP LAUGHING BY CONNIE SHAW – Review by Ron Nater
When starting to read Wake Up Laughing by Connie Shaw it appears like a well-written tourist guide with personal experiences, offering the reader a great sense of seeing the world through American eyes, with humorous and open straightforward observations. This book is compiled over years of journeying and keeping a diary, in search of God on Earth, starting in India. Detailed clear descriptions make the reader very familiar with all that Connie Shaw experienced during her many treks throughout Asia. A year of her living in Singapore gave her an opportunity to travel to other Asian countries, learning the many different cultures and continuing her search. Just as she was about to move back to the U.S.A. with her husband she was called by Sai Baba to come to India. Their visit to Puttaparthi turned the writer's life completely around, and started a life of beautiful devotion to Sathya Sai Baba. Connie Shaw describes her experiences with Sai Baba during many trips to India, and her life in the U.S.A. with Sai Baba's guidance. It develops into a very moving journey, leaving the reader with a realization of how blessed we are to live in this era filled with miracles. Price: $30.00;US$21.00
IN
SEARCH OF A MIRACLE BY TERI O'BRIEN
In search of a Miracle describes the journey of Carolynn and Teri O'Brien from diagnosis of her breast cancer in March 1993 to her eventual death in August 1995. It is a story of many miracles, wonderful people, and the pervasive hand of Sri Sathya Sai Baba. Her journey astounded the doctors who treated her and wrought changes that have been working in the life of her husband Teri. Price: $6.50;US$4.50
UPBRINGING
AND EDUCATION BY GERARD T. SATVIC
In a society where the institutions of family and school are at a discount,
Gerard T. Satvic upholds the value of upbringing and education of
the young through traditional norms stampered however by modern requirements.
Through an in-depth analysis of the teaching of Sri Sathya Sai Baba on
the spiritual structure of human personality, the author attempts to put
the concept of bringing up children through man-making education in proper
perspective.
Jungian psychology and the teachings of Sri Aurobindo help to focus the author's study on the variety of related topics- the human unconscious, parenting, human values, wholesome food and wholesome living and of course education.
The author, a devotee of Sri Sathya Sai Baba and an ardent researcher of wholesome living has helped to establish the Satva Institute for spiritual Growth and Health education in Holland. He has authored two other books, Satvic Food and Health and Know Thyself, both offering valuable insights on spiritual living. Price: $4.75;US$3.50
HINDU GODS AND GODDESSES BY A G MITCHELL
The crowded pantheon of Hinduism magnificently represented in art and dramatically described in the great classis of Hindu religious literature, is a fascinating but often complex subject. Hindu Gods and Goddesses is a modest contribution to an understanding of the major groups of deities that feature in the Vedas, Epics and puranas as well as in Hindu folk religion.
The deities are chosen from a delightful but often neglected group of bronzes, many illustrated for the first time that are mainly nineteenth century South Indian in origin. The text provides a brief account of the rich mythology associated with the principal deities. Its explanation of terms, the diagrammatic guide to symbols and hand gestures and the index make this a useful and straightforward introduction to Hindu iconography. Price: $7.50;US$5.25
MOHANA BALA SAI – THE CHARMING CHILD BY SAI
MIRA
Mohana Bala Sai literally means 'the charming child Sai'. This
is a charming little book for children and contains the events that took
place during the childhood years of Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba.
The infant and childhood years of Bhagavan Baba were filled with many miraculous
events such as the mysterious playing of the musical instruments by invisible
musicians even before His birth, the mysterious appearance of a snake under
the baby Sathya and the appearance of a bright halo around the baby's body
and many more. As a child Sai Baba showed much compassion towards
the animals, the poor and the needy and set a good example for children.
These episodes are contained in glossy pages with large print and delectable
pictures making this an ideal book for children around the ages of 5 or
6. Price: $8.25;US$5.80
Jai Sai Ram!