Sai Ram All,
Hope you all had a good Maha Shivaratri. As usual anyone wishing to submit articles
to me on any spiritual experience or anything you feel relevant please do not
hesitate to e-mail me on sharan.soni@strath.ac.uk
or shazer40@hotmail.com. The articles do not need to be long, only
filled with love and devotion for our beloved Lord Bhagvan. Until next time, Sai Ram.
Sharan
To
contribute, please write to shazer40@hotmail.com ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Maha Shivratri
Vaishnavanams yatha
Shambu - Lord Shiva is the greatest devotee
of Lord Vishnu.
By Divya Soni
This year, Maha Shivaratri was celebrated on Tuesday
8th March 2005. Twelve hour Bhajans were sung throughout the night
and for me, I think was a wonderful new adventure! I have never done anything
like it before and experiencing it for the first time at such a young age, has
been one of the most rewarding experiences in my life. Those twelve hours made
me feel so devoted and makes me happy to be who I am. I am looking forward to
whatever comes up next as I would like to be a part of many more new journeys!
Maha Shivaratri falls on the 13th day of
Krishana Paksha of Maagha Maasa. In honour of Lord Shiva destroying sins and
bad things, a night of fasting and praying is taken place. This night is called
Shivamaya (a night to spend with the thoughts of Lord Shiva). He showers his
blessings and swallows the poison and sins to save his devotees. Lord Shiva
only punishes with love and for the good of mankind. On this very night Lord
Shiva redeems the world and showers his blessings with great love.
The Shiva Lingam is the symbol of the formless Lord
Shiva and on Maha Shivaratri it is used to worship the All Pure, All Perfect,
All Bliss Lord Shiva. This Lingam becomes a mirror of the soul when worshiped
with great adoration and opens a window to all devotees to touch the All Pure,
All Perfect, All Bliss One. The Shiva Lingam was found many years ago and was
given then name Sachchidanandishwara by Sri Swamiji. Different ingredients are
poured over the Lingam such as milk, honey, flowers etc. this process is called
Ekadasha
Rudrabishekam. The Lingam is
beautifully decorated with flowers, Vibhuti etc. as this is going on the
devotees are chanting the very famous Shiva mantra: Om Namah Shivaya, Om Namah
Shivaya….
The Fire God is also
worshiped by doing Agni Puja. This is done by Sri Swamiji which has been passed
down for many years and finally to him. The Puja is performed in a pit (Homa
Kunda) surrounded by fire, but Sri Swamiji remains unharmed by the mighty
flames. Shiva Lingams are then produced from the pit along with other forms of
deities and are the Prasadam’s of Lord Agni. Sri Swamiji’s predictions and
advice to his devotees for the up coming year are all down to the work of the
sacred objects. At midnight, Vibhuti and other holy objects are distributed by
Sri Swamiji to his devotees to guide them through any problems facing them.
Bhajans are then sung in honour of Lord Shiva by Sri Swamiji himself and in
between he performs meditation and healing tunes.
Holi
Holi is one of India’s many festivals and, being the
Festival of Colours, is definitely the most colourful. It is a festival full of joy and hope. It
celebrates the death of the demoness Holika and welcomes in spring. It is
celebrated all throughout India and the bright, bold colours are brought to the
screens by Hindi films. Bonfires are lit to await the Festival of Colours and
to get rid of the cold, dark winter nights, and prepare for the warm spring.
Although many people associate Holi as being the Festival of Colours, the
actual Festival of Colours is the day after Holi, called Dhuleti, where everything in sight is covered
with bright colours and the day is filled with praying, fasting, dancing and
feasting. Harvest grains, coconuts etc are offered to the flames of the bonfire
and people have plenty of fun throwing coloured water and powder at each other.
In some countries Holi is celebrated in great style than others. It is a joyous
occasion where people have a lot of fun and celebrate the good over evil.
There are many different tellings of the story of
Holi, but the most remembered is where a devotee of Lord Vishnu, named Bhakt
Prahlad,
was seated on the lap of the demoness Holika. He was then saved by the fire
from the Fire God which destroyed the demoness. There are many other stories
linked to the origin of Holi. Another is related to Lord Krishna destroying the
demon Putana. There is also the story of the burning of the demoness Hoda by
children. Some people associate the festival by worshiping Karma, the God of
pleasure and destiny.
2005: The Year of the Volunteer
"LOVE ALL - SERVE ALL, HELP EVER -
HURT NEVER" -SAI BABA
In a speech delivered on January 31 this year
Gordon Brown declared 2005 - The Year of the Volunteer. He said: "
Volunteers give of their time and talents selflessly, and 2005 will emphasise
just how important volunteering and voluntary action is."
"We have seen the extraordinary power of
nature to destroy but we have also seen the extraordinary power of humanity to
build anew. Men and women drawn closer than ever together by a shared
determination to help, to care, to heal the wounds. This concern for
others has resulted in £250m being raised by the British public for the tsunami
victims so far. So Britain can indeed be proud that the demonstration of
sympathy and solidarity has been followed by a demonstration of financial
support and voluntary action - people responding urgently and generously. How
for the future we can do more to make possible the giving of time by volunteers
- in particular, to deliver a step change in the participation of young people
in volunteering activity, how we can help young and older people fulfil their
potential by expanding and extending the scope of mentoring - including by
using modern means of communication to provide access to help, advice,
information and guidance, and how business as well as individuals can be more
involved in volunteering and mentoring activity."
Volunteering doesn't just have practical
benefits to for those that give up their time - boosting employability for
example - but, as the Russell Commission has found for young people, it
broadens people's horizons, giving them a chance to experience new possibilities,
develop new skills, gain confidence, build networks that will benefit them
throughout their lives and is thus an education in citizenship.
Benefits of Volunteering are seen as offering:
A sense of purpose; opportunities for
self-development; A sense of achievement; Structure to life; Social benefits;
Health benefits. Those who embark on voluntary action out of a sense of duty
often end up with the realisation that it has brought a new richness of meaning
to their own lives - that in the giving, they have received in a different way
as well. Volunteering is the most fundamental act of citizenship and
philanthropy in our society. It is offering time, energy and skills of your own
free will. Volunteers impact virtually every aspect of society including
health, education, social services, youth, sports and recreation, culture, the
arts and the environment. Volunteers make a difference
Press Association (September 28, 2004) reported
a survey for charity Community Service Volunteers (CSV) found that half of
those who had volunteered for more than two years (48%) said it made them feel
less depressed. Doing voluntary work could help the 12 million people in the UK
who suffer from mental health problems combat stress. The poll of more than 600
volunteers also found that 63% of 25 to 34-year-olds and 62% of over-65s said
volunteering reduced stress levels. CSV said volunteering had also been shown
to have a big impact on work-related stress.
Kenn Allen, the World President of the
International Association for Volunteer Effort, advocates for and speaks about
volunteerism around the world. Speaking at a conference in Australia last year,
Allen said: "volunteering ... is the fundamental building block of
civil society. Without the willingness of people to commit their time, talent
and energy, there will be no sustained non-governmental organizations. Without
volunteering, there is a lower rate of giving of money. Without aroused
citizens, made knowledgeable by their work as volunteers, there is no pressure on
government to allow the freedoms, pass the laws and provide the resources that
can make civil society a reality."
Adam Smith in his Theory of Moral Sentiments
extolled the virtues of co-operation and altruism - that is 'the helping hand'.
The person who volunteers can provide solutions that others cannot. Volunteers
working on the ground, at the grass roots, at the heart of local communities,
far better positioned than ever a government official could be both to see a
problem and to define effective action, declared Gordon Brown. Robert Kennedy
put it best 'Let no one be discouraged by the belief there is nothing one man,
one woman can do against the enormous army of the world's ills...against misery
and ignorance, injustice and violence' he said. 'Few will have the greatness to
bend history itself but each of us can work to change a small portion of events
and in the total of all these acts will be written the history of this
generation'.
Selfless service
Groundwork, the leading environmental regeneration
charity, has welcomed the pledge by the Chancellor Gordon Brown to support the
voluntary sector in its work but stressed the need to update the traditional
image of volunteering. Groundwork's Chief Executive, Tony Hawkhead said
"For twenty years we have been encouraging people to get involved in
voluntary action in their own communities. However, volunteering is not just
about people who are comfortably off giving a bit of their free time or money
to help those less fortunate than themselves. Rather we should be aiming at
getting those who are less well off engaged in community activity as a way of
breaking out of the spiral of decline so evident in our poorest neighbourhoods.
Our experience has shown that by getting people involved in their local community
we can help them develop the skills and the confidence they need to take charge
of their own lives. This is real civic patriotism in action. The real
opportunity is to make voluntary activity relevant to people in deprived
communities by showing how it can help create jobs, cut crime and improve
health. If we do this then the voluntary sector can act as the building blocks
for a better Britain." Hawkhead continued "Social enterprises offer a
wonderful opportunity to tackle social exclusion and create jobs at the same
time as protecting and improving the local environment".
Selfless service is an important spiritual
activity. Swami says that service to the community is the highest service. The
willingness to serve, whatever the need may be, is the most effective way of
saying to others, "My heart is a dwelling place of God." As Jesus
said, "...the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to
give His life as a ransom for many" (Matthew 20:28 NIV).
What are we doing to celebrate this occasion?
Some organisations believe this is the perfect opportunity to recognise and
thank the volunteers for their magnificent effort over the last year and
recruit new ones. What are we thinking/planning to do?
Baba’s
Own Words
“The totality of Divine Energy has
come unto humanity as Sathya Sai. This
is a human form in which every Divine Entity, every Divine Principle, that is
to say all the names and forms ascribed by man to God are manifest.”
He is the Father that sent Jesus. He
adds that we are also God.
“You as
body, mind or soul are a dream. But
what you really are is pure existence, knowledge, bliss. You are the God of this universe.”
Useful Link for the Month
http://www.harrow-saischool.org.uk/
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editor sharan soni team divya soni, parag agarwal