Inspiring life of Saint Tyagaraja

Srikant Srinivasan

 To appreciate the greatness of Saint Thyagaraja, we must understand his characteristics.  It is well known that Saint Thyagaraja is a great devotee of Lord Rama.  He was also an accomplished astrologer and despite cajoling by his elder brother he took the path of devotional singing.  The saint went around the town singing his devotional kritis.   The citizens, who were deeply inspired by the saint’s soulful songs, offered him dakshina of fruits/food which was brought home and Saint Thyagaraja, his wife, and daughter took as prasadam.  

HANUMAN- A role Model for all Ages

By  K. Vinod Cartic

(Vinod completed his B.Tech from IIT Madras and did his MBA from Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Learning, PuttaparthiHe is currently working as an independent consultant while he spends most of his free time carrying forward Swami’s directions of starting an orphanage.)

The Indian epics are treasure houses of values and character which they illustrated through the lives of noble characters.

Among all these characters, Lord Hanuman occupies a special place in the hearts of all children. The aspirations of a child of eating that fiery apple in the sky or the superhuman abilities of flight, changing one’s size, invincibility and unassuming innocence - all add to the matchless aura of Lord Hanuman.

Hanuman writing Rama's name on stones to make them float

The discussion on whether Hanuman lived in reality or is the hero of a fiction is an unending debate. Some treat him as an epic writer’s figment of imagination; to others like me, He is a historic exemplar of devotion. Nevertheless, this debate on the veracity of history is far less important than the virtues that Hanuman epitomizes and this article is dedicated to my understanding of some of these special virtues which are worthy of emulation.

Unassuming humility: Isaac Newton once remarked that he had merely touched the edge of science and the vast ocean of knowledge lay in front of him, unexplored. The more one knows, the more he realizes what a small fraction it is of the whole. The dawn of this realization can only simultaneously usher in a feeling of complete humility. Hanuman was the master of the eight siddhis (attainments). Yet, with His mastery over innumerable sciences every action of his reflected modesty.

Love and Dedication to Lord Rama in action: We all live in a techno era and even feelings have become artificial and digital. Our sense of love and devotion remains confined to the precincts of the temple or the joy of our dreams and visions. One of the easiest things for us to do is to sing “Humko tumse Pyaar Kitna , Sai Tumhi Jaante” and then lead life with little semblance to what we poured out to Swami in Sai Kulwant hall. Devotion too has been commoditized and our love too is mostly the outburst of impulse. We all love talking about Swami, hearing experiences, patting each other on the back for a well written experience and so on. However, in my opinion, the hallmark of a champion is consistency irrespective of the field of endeavour. It may be sports or music or education or devotion- the test of genuine greatness is steadiness. Indeed Sai hi Jaanta hai ( Sai alone knows) whether we do love Him for it often remains so obscure that it barely finds expression in any avenues other than a shrine. Hanuman stands as a stark contrast to this trend. Remembrance of God and the performance of His work were simultaneous and continuous. He awaited the slightest opportunity to fulfill the Lord’s command and persevered with a passion for excellence. Swami says: Love inevitably expresses itself in Seva. The love that finds no expression in the form of action arouses doubts on the very existence of that love. For how could we be lax about something very dear to us? The most convenient line of thought that we tend to apply in Swami’s work is that Swami will definitely grace us and we have to wait for His time. However, this spirit of surrender is commendable only if we apply it to all aspects of our life ranging from food to medical emergencies. In personal matters, we leave no stone unturned to achieve our limited ends…..then why this selective faith and surrender in only His given tasks. Planning, implementation and closure of the task should actually necessitate greater detail and care if it is His work. Swami always insisted on doing one’s very best and then leaving the result in God’s hand.

Setting Lanka on fire with his tail

Courage/Fearlessness: Swami Vivekananda remarked –“The first sign of spirituality is fearlessness”. Fear and spirituality are as opposed to each other as darkness and light. When sent as an emissary of peace to Ravana’s court, Hanuman tried his level best to make Ravana see sense. At the same time when Ravana refused to heed his words of wisdom and kindness, Hanuman decided to show him the courage and valour that only truth can demonstrate. When Ravana set fire to his tail, Hanuman used the same fire to set Lanka ablaze. It was not a matter of vengeance but a mere demonstration of fearlessness and a final bid to show Ravana the damage that Lord Rama could do in war, when his mere servant was able to set Lanka aflame. Many of us are faced with similar situations when the world confronts us with challenges when corruption and greed seem to be the only way out. At such times, are we able to stand upright and fearlessly face the obstacles? Do we succumb to the tests as ‘Yuga dharma’ ( the way the world runs today) or do we courageously stand up for what is right? Undoubtedly, the latter path implies delays, further obstacles and possibilities of displeasing the powerful and greedy—but isn’t that exactly what Hanuman did?

Wise Counsel and Patience: Hanuman is often viewed as a powerful person but few have appreciation for the enormous patience that he exhibited.  Hanuman was invincible in war and on numerous occasions, he could have fought with Vali ( the monkey king) who exiled Sugreeva ( Hanuman’s friend and Vali’s brother). Vali had also ill treated the family of Sugreeva. However, Hanuman tried patience and making Vali see good sense. Vali was unwilling to relent though Hanuman impressed on him the need for patience and willingness to understand. Vali kept on harbouring his misunderstandings and finally Hanuman was forced to leave Vali. At the end, Vali- earlier a valiant hero- had to meet with infamy and sudden death at the hands of Lord Rama. A person who could have been a precious instrument in the Lord’s hand let his ego, false understanding and arrogance destroy him. Vidura too was faced with such a predicament in Mahabharatha wherein he was forced to leave the Kauravas when they did not heed his wise counsel. Vibhishana had to leave Ravana when the latter failed to understand the genuine concern in Vibhishana’s wise words. Life often places such situations before us, where people decide that they will not understand even the best intentions of those around them. As if inviting their own doom, they doubt, misread and disrespect the goodness of others. It takes enormous patience to deal with someone who has pre-decided to misinterpret the goodness of others, more so, when the other is dear to oneself and yet unwilling to relent. The life of Hanuman goes to show how to deal with such situations. Be patient and when the situation does not improve despite all one’s efforts, one must leave the place praying that the concerned people may see good sense. In such cases, leaving the person is not a sign of deserting them, but the only alternative when one sees impending doom – a final desperate hope that it may make the person in question see the light.

In all these cases, Hanuman lived the statement: Follow the master, face the devil, fight to the end, and finish the game. The combination of invincible power and ability made him a natural leader in the Vanara army and yet He was subservient to the wishes of the voice of the conscience represented by Lord Rama.

Even as every child looks at the sun and wonders whether the sun in the vast skies is an apple that it could eat, it is a reminder of the Hanuman in each of us. Let’s stay awake to the wisdom and inner strength and attain our true potential as Divine beings.

LET US PRAY AND AWAIT HIS RETURN

By Ranganatha Raju
(Rangantha Raju completed his MBA, MA. And BA Economics from the Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Learning. An avid economist and academician, Raju has been the economics stretegist guiding TVS Motors from success to glory. He has been an outstanding dramatist, actor and script writer since his student days. Raju is also a poet of high repute with Swami Himself granting him the title of Telugu Kavi. He has had numerous interactions and has also been guiding youth from Andhra Pradesh in their cultural programmes staged before Swami. In this article he eloquently expresses his heart’s conviction.)

My world stopped as I read the text message…..What would I say or even think…can that be true? Can Swami leave……my body shuddered, tears rolled…but deep inside was a voice…a whisper..a belief that nothing can go wrong with Swami..He is in total control.!! How do I describe all those moments when we experienced the sweetness of His love in His presence…those smiles, those silent acknowledgements, those nods…those pats, those words, those acts of insignificance…..each and every one of those carved a world for us, made us worthy of ourselves. In my first year when I joined the hostel I was a small boy. Scared, never been away from my parents. heavy heart as I slept that night he appeared in my dream with broad welcoming hands and with a smile beaming on His lips. He then held my hand, took me all around the huge hostel, each and every room, every corridor and every corner….even to the lavatory and showed me even how to flush the toilet. Then we appeared in front of His car (earlier I had heard about His magnificent car and wanted to look at it from close quarters). He let my hand free and I went around the car like a child admiring each of its curves. With a smile he asked, “did you like the car?” and I said excitedly “Yes Swami”. Just then, I woke up. That evening all of us had assembled in front of our college auditorium to welcome Swami. He came in the same car. The driver was particular to drive it as slow as possible to allow students to have a closer look. As the car neared me, Swami looked up and said, “Did you like the car?”…the same smile and the same question as in the dream.… I stood motionless and the world that I built till then crumbled … Gates to another world were opened….

As we grew up under His loving care ,each day we would notice His untiring love pouring out to His devotees…His selfless magnanimity , His simplicity amidst His grandeur, His unconditional commitment of service to mankind. These ennobling qualities appeared incidental for beyond them was the resplendent divinity that drenched every presence with a beauty that can never be gauged by words. Even the most unnatural acts like creating things at mere will, healing the most dreaded of diseases with a mere word, and even reviving dead to life seemed natural. This resplendence we called and knew as Swami. Each day, my new world grew richer in experience and mature in perception.

We knew that He was GOD..Rather we thought we knew that He was God. We thought we believed his word, we thought we lived His ideals; we thought we learnt what He wanted us to learn. We thought we were building a richer world. But today as I ruminate I realize that I was completely wrong. As He opened the doors of a new world, we never entered it.…….

We today choose to believe current circumstances more than divine assurances. We limited Swami to the confinements of a physical body and began bitter brooding over illusions. I remember Swami telling us once, “With a snap of my finger I can turn earth into sky and the sky in to earth. These hands do not know the meaning of the word impossible”

But what are the current circumstances that we are witnessing? Humans believed for the known 12000 years of history that earth was flat, that it was the center of the universe and the Sun revolved around it. Were there not luminaries, wise men and scientists those days? Was there not logic, reason and research those days? Yet how could human understanding for thousands of years succumb to this misconception? Human mind is limited to the length and breadth of its imagination. Sadly, imagination itself is a byproduct of perception. For thousands of years we have been seeing that dead never return. We began to believe that this is the law of nature and firmly established: all that disappears through death never returns. Is it not something similar to the earth being flat?

In 2006 we had depicted a scene from Ramayana in HIS presence. Bharatha approaches Sri Rama and prays for his return from the forest to Ayodhya. Rama does not relent. Bharatha argues that as much as Sri Rama is bound by his Dharma to His father, He is also bound by Prema of his devotees. He then questions, “Is Dharma greater than love?.” Rama opines that being a king of great wisdom Janaka’s response should be sought. He also promises that he would abide by the outcome .i.e. if Janaka suggests that Love is greater than Dharma, Sri Rama would walk back to the kingdom. Being approached, Janaka thinks deeply and responds that all scriptures suggest that Love is greater than Dharma. The whole crowd erupts in joy and the royal entourage that accompanied Bharatha starts preparation in ecstasy to take Sri Rama back to the kingdom. Sri Rama then looks at Baharatha and says, “ Bharatha Love too has its Dharma. It is Dharma of the lover to abide by the wish of the beloved. I am your beloved. I want to go to forest. Should you not then abide by it?” Including Bharatha and Janaka, the whole crowd was left speechless. They knew that it is now impossible to get Rama back to the kingdom.

On seeing this drama, Swami was ecstatic. He called the boy who played the character of Bharatha and created a beautiful ring. Swami kept repeating numerous times, “It is not that Sri Rama ignored the prayers of His devotees. He came back to Ayodhya at the right time.” We had performed dramas of much grandeur, better acting and thoughtful story lines. But his reaction was never so emotional. Back then it appeared strange, but now we know the reason.

This incident is extremely potent in its relevance. We too are in similar position of Great Bharata. He carried back sandals that leave human trails and we carry His memories. Similar to us, He was forced to look at the world in absentia of Sri Rama. But what Bharatha did was astounding. He refused to climb the throne, he refused to be adorned in regalities. He remained a mendicant lost in prayer for the return of His beloved. In fact Bharatha was lost in the thought of Rama so deeply that His physical features too turned similar to Rama. I remember Swami saying that when Sri Rama returned, people of Ayodhya were confused as to who the real Rama was. During his temporary physical absence in Ayodhya Sri Rama must have killed countless demons but importantly He transformed Bharatha into Sri Rama! An un- civilized tribal woman called Shabhari waited for 96 long years, an egoistic violent bird called Jatayu wounded, bleeding and battered awaited with bated breath; illiterate eccentric rural woman who knew nothing other than rearing cows called Radha waited with an agonized heart; sages of immense wisdom called Vasista and Rishyashringa waited for years. Neither the evolved sages nor the tribal women, not even animals and birds were left disappointed. Will we whom He called as His Breath and His cherished property be disappointed?.... NEVER!!

LET US PRAY AND AWAIT HIS RETURN.