July 2022

Dearest Brothers and Sisters,

Pray that with Bhagawan’s Grace, you are all keeping well.

With all the activities happening around the United Kingdom, such as the weekly Bhajans, study circles, different celebrations and the lovely weather this week, it feels like we are in Prasanthi!

Having been to different Centres over the last month, it feels lovely to be amongst everyone. The Bal Vikas children as a whole have really impressed me: their confidence to stand at the front of the hall and speak in front of hundreds of people, to sing beautiful group devotional songs as well as chant Vedic verses, and then not forgetting the wonderful dramas they have been part of, all take me back to the wonderful times with Swami where children would lovingly present their offerings to Bhagawan.

I am looking forward to seeing you all this Sunday (17th July) when we come together at the National Prayers for Universal Peace taking place at the Shri Venkateswara (Balaji) Temple, near Birmingham.

With the auspicious occasion of Guru Purnima, it is a time to pay gratitude to our Dear Lord Sai, forever guiding us and guarding us as we travel on our journey inwards towards Him.

This is the plight of man today. Science has enabled him to acquire immense control over the external world. But he has no control over himself. Winston Churchill once observed: "Man has conquered all, but not himself." And this was what Prahlada told his father, Hiranyakasipu: "Oh Father! You have conquered all the world, but you have not conquered yourself."

Sri Sathya Sai Speaks Vol. 19, Ch. 2: 21 January 1986

Let us pray to Bhagawan that He continues to keep us focussed as ONE and that we hold hands together to do His work always.

Jai Sai Ram

Ketan Gokani

(Click on the image above to access the full video.)

Registration link: https://srisathyasai.org.uk/rudra-ekadashi-2022/

With the grace and blessings of our dearest Bhagawan, we are pleased to inform all Bal Vikas Gurus that the new National Bal Vikas (SSE) Online Resource Bank (ORB) was launched on the auspicious occasion of Guru Poornima earlier this week!

What is the ORB?

When Gurus are starting to plan for a particular week's lesson, especially for the first time, besides being able to ask other Bal Vikas Gurus in their centre for inspiration, they will also be able to see if there are any uploaded materials provided by other Gurus elsewhere in the United Kingdom on that same topic.

These materials are not mandatory - they are materials that have been produced and used by other Gurus. All such materials have been subject to a moderation process by a team of experienced Gurus, but that does not necessarily mean they are there to set some sort of standard. They have been uploaded only so that Gurus might receive inspiration to help them with their lesson planning, so Gurus are under no obligation to use these materials and, if they do decide to use them, they are welcome to amend, edit, chop and change them as desired.

How is it accessed?

The ORB is accessed online, and only available to Bal Vikas (SSE) Gurus from the Sri Sathya Sai Organisation UK. For this reason, we need all Bal Vikas Coordinators to provide the names and email addresses of all their Gurus (if they have yet to do so), so that they are provided with login details for the site. Please ensure these details are not shared with anyone else.

How can Gurus help?

If any Gurus have created materials for use in their classes, please consider whether other Gurus could also benefit from these. Please do not be modest or shy - someone, somewhere, might be looking for inspiration from something exactly like these lesson materials!

This will be an ongoing process: we hope that more and more materials will be contributed over time, meaning the ORB will become an organic resource, growing and developing as more Gurus use it and contribute towards it.

If you have any questions, please contact your Regional Bal Vikas (SSE) Coordinators.

Over 60 Bal Vikas children sat last month's National Group 2 Year 3 examinations; and dozens more are due to submit their Group 3 projects later this month. We pray that Bhagawan showers His choicest blessings on all these children. As He says, "Care not for marks, but for remarks."

mūkaṃ karoti vācālaṃ paṃguṃ laṃghayate giri,

yat kṛpā tamahaṃ vaṃde paramānaṃda mādhavam

I salute that supreme bliss, Madhava,

by whose mercy the dumb become most eloquent

and the lame are able to jump over the mountains.

If there is one unmistakable characteristic that singles out our dearest Bhagawan as the Lord incarnate, it is His ability to transform the hearts and minds of those individuals that have had the good fortune to know Him. Indeed, Swami himself has said: “Transformation of society must start with transformation of individuals.” (Sri Sathya Sai Speaks, Vol 31, Ch 1: 1 January 1998)

In this new series of articles, we showcase the personal journeys of Young Adults from across the United Kingdom, as they share with us how Swami has transformed their lives in a very deep and lasting way. In this issue, we hear from Sister Sravika Nadella from Region 6.

Being born into a Sai family is indeed a blessing. It is through my parents that I got to know about Swami, and that He is God. I’ve neither had any doubts of His divinity nor did I test Swami, asking Him to prove that He is God. Ever since I was born, my parents have been taking me and my sister to Puttaparthi for Swami’s darshan. Attending bhajans, Bal Vikas and participating in service activities have been a part of my life since childhood.

Growing up in an environment filled with Swami and His love, my regular activities included reading books about Swami, writing letters to Him, chanting Rudram, and singing His glory. I felt that He was making me move closer and closer to Him day by day. He began to grant darshan in my dreams; He answered all my prayers in the most loving way. Be it a silly exam, or any other petty desires, He fulfilled them all.

But perhaps the greatest impact Swami has had on my life, is in changing the way I think. When I was younger, whenever I did anything for others or even for myself on a big platform, I would expect something in return. It wasn't an expectation as such, but I would be thinking about a reward or some kind of recognition.

However, I soon became aware of how much Swami does for me without me even realising it. I would often ponder on questions such as, 'What does Swami want from me?' Amidst these thoughts, I would be reading books written by His students and devotees, and would come across numerous miracles of how Swami took care of them and at times, even saved their lives. In this way, I realised that Swami looks after the entire world, yet, there is not a single instance where He expects or asks anybody for anything in return, except their unconditional love.

I would then think to myself, "Here is Swami who is the creator of the universe, taking care of all the world and its beings, doing everything to everyone silently and not expecting any rewards or recognition. In contrast, there's me expecting rewards and recognition for the smallest of things that I do." This realisation changed me completely. From then on, I made Swami the centre of my life. Whatever I did, I offered it at His lotus feet. I felt all works as His and carried them all out. Ultimately, I began to worry only about whether or not He was pleased and happy with everything I was doing. And, gradually through experiences, I would get to know whether He recognised me and my work. He made me realise that if He is pleased, the whole world will automatically be pleased.

So if there is anything that one has to worry about in life, it is about Him alone. After this, I started to experience more love, bliss and contentment in my life. I believe that at every stage of life, if we live performing every activity with the aim of pleasing Swami and making Him happy, then one will automatically lead an ideal life.