Volume 12 - Issue 01
January 2014
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Posted on: Jan 01, 2014

MY JOY

As I celebrate Christmas and New Year

But if anyone has the world's goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God's love abide in him? Little children, let us not love in word or talk, but in deed and in truth,” says the Bible.

And Baba on several occasions especially during Christmas always reminds us that true JOY lies in thinking of Jesus (God) first, Others next, and Yourself last. A life lead in tune with this JOY is but a series of episodes of exhilarating inner happiness and deep satisfaction.

So let’s taste and cherish this 'joy incomparable' as we rejoice during this Christmas and herald the New Year.

Now this is what we submit to you:

Please share with us the Joy that you have experienced undertaking one spontaneous and beautiful act of absolute selfless service.

It would be wonderful if you decide to do such an act now and pen down for us how you felt translating into action that one pure thought.

I. What Are We Going To Do With Your Submissions?

We will continuously update this page adding all your heartfelt anecdotes of selfless love so that this joy percolates into several more individuals on this planet.

II. How and When Can You Submit?
  1. Just write or speak out your touching tale by clicking here.

  2. If it is text, let it not be more than 300 words. Also do attach a picture of the activity which you have undertaken.

  3. If it is audio or video, let the duration be maximum 3 minutes. We will need your picture if it is only audio.

  4. You can start sending right now! We will continue to accept and publish your stories till January 7, 2014.


III. Is There a Reward?

Well, selfless service is its own reward! William Wordsworth once said, “The best portion of a person's life is his little, nameless, and unremembered acts of kindness and love.”

However we would definitely like to felicitate you for participating in this noble endeavour. As a token of our love and gratitude we would be gifting each one of you a personalised Sai Poster made specially for you by Brother Sai Kaustuv Dasgupta.

Let’s build this treasure chest and share this wealth, that way it will only increase and multiply! It will enrich us and the world around.

Thank you very much. Merry Christmas and a Holy and Happy New Year!



'My Joy' experiences - straight from the heart
NAME
'MY JOY' STORY
Shalini Gunputh-Lutchumun, Mauritius
We are a small group of youth from Mauritius, who are pretty well-engaged in serving the needy. Christmas was approaching and everybody was busy with buying gifts and toys for their children. We were determined to bring a smile on the faces of some children who would not be as lucky as our own.

With the blessings and guidance of our beloved Bhagawan, we planned a service activity on 25 December 2013. We conducted a survey to determine some needy families who could not afford to give their children gifts for Christmas. The seva targeted 17 children, aged between 9 months and 13 years, residing in three remote villages namely Dubreuil, Bananes and Mare Chicose. Christmas is a magical moment during the year where children anticipate gifts / toys as a reward for their good behaviour and attitude throughout the year. So, we invited Santa Claus to accompany us on that day to give gifts (toys) to the children.

The children sang joyfully (“Petit Papa Noel,” “Quand tu descendra du ciel,” . . . .) as Father Christmas entered their houses with his bag full of gifts. We shared our love with the families by sharing cakes, sweets and drinks with everyone. Smiles and laughter echoed all over the place as the children unwrapped their gifts, discovering their presents. Our heart swelled with happiness as we watched the little angels enjoy their toys. Joy . . . experienced by sharing love with these children . . . playing with them . . . pure joy!

Mrs. Padma, India

12 years ago, on a Sunday afternoon in March, I was not in very good health and was feeling somewhat tired. At that time, I worked for half a day on Sundays. I had finished my work and wanted to return home as early as possible to take rest. Along the main road to the station, there were many small huts on the side. As I was walking along the main road, suddenly I saw a very fast motorcycle with two teenage boys driving in a zigzag pattern (perhaps what they considered a thrill.)

A young boy, about 8 years, wearing only a torn trouser and no other covering on top, was playing near the huts. He did not notice the bike and the bike hit him. The boy was hit on the back of the head and was in a shock. There was some blood too. The bike riders did not even bother to see what had happened and sped away. The boy started crying. I could not bear to see the boy suffering. I went inside his hut and called out for his family. Both the parents came out. I told them what had happened. But they somehow did not have much concern. The mother scolded the boy for playing on the roadside and just tried to take him inside with blood all over. (Perhaps because they did not have immediate money for taking him to a doctor.) I could sense that the boy was frightened and was in pain. Since it was a Sunday, all the main shops were closed.

I immediately stopped an auto which was passing by and told the mother that I would take him to the nearby hospital and  asked her to accompany us, which she did. The doctor at the hospital was kind enough to attend to the boy immediately and he was dressed by the nurses; antiseptic injection was given. After examining the boy, the doctor said he assumed that there would not be any internal injuries. He advised the mother to come back if the boy vomited or complained of giddiness, etc. He prescribed some medicine.

I paid for the doctor and also bought the medicines. Along with the medicines, I purchased some mosambis (sweet limes) and a Horlicks bottle. I told the mother not to scold the boy and to keep him rested. I went home later. It took some extra two hours than normal. I told the mother that if she wanted any help, she could call me at my home phone number (there were not many mobiles then).

Between my household work and office job, I did not remember the incident much after that. After two weeks or so, as I was walking to the office, I could see someone walking close. As I turned, I could see the mother and the boy. The mother said “Amma, he is fine now.” The boy also smiled shyly. I too smiled and told him to be always careful on the roads.


Hodaya, Israel
The Lord has been giving me so many opportunities for Seva in day-to-day life. Picking one is difficult because I try to forget these activities afterwards. Whenever I am on my way to somewhere, I am always very attentive, keenly waiting for any opportunity that might come on my way: An old man who looks lost - looking for something, an old lady who is about to lift lots of luggage, or gets down from a bus in hesitating steps, etc. Whether it is rushing to request the bus driver to wait for an old man, holding a bag for an old lady and helping her to cross the road while holding her other hand, etc. It doesn't matter if in the process of doing this seva my bus has come, or my luggage is left behind.

My focus is on the spontaneous immediate response with all the heart and soul, and He takes care of the rest. Some of the sweetest opportunities I have been receiving recently have been walking down the street with constant loving smile on the face, or greeting with a gesture an old lady that sits on a wheelchair with her caretaker by her side. In addition, there are many opportunities for serving my tiny brothers and sisters - insects, snails, hedgehog, birds, etc. which also bring so much joy into the heart.

One more thing: I have been motivated for a small mission, of passing on lots of love and blessings to Muslim sisters, whenever I come across them, in order to spread love and peace. Such sisters and brothers come to my town from at least three villages, so it is a great opportunity. Also when brothers come to bring grocery delivery or do work in the garden so wholeheartedly - these are great opportunities to pay respect to them and share with them some fruits from the garden (after offering them to Him) as His blessing (prasadam).

Ramaswami M K, India

I have been immensely blessed to be a devotee of Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba since the year 1969.

We, as a family, took a few steps towards Him in the late ‘60s in connection with a serious ailment of my father-in-law, who was diagnosed with cancer and was given just a few months to live. True to His word, He took several hundreds of steps towards us! It was His infinite compassion and grace that gave my father-in-law a new lease on life. His cancer was ‘cancelled’ by Swami and he went on to live for another thirteen years. Swami also promised to take care of our family for ‘generations to come’. He has unfailingly kept His word and His blessings have been showered on every member of the family ever since.

This is a brief account of a real incident and only one of its kind in my life. I was going for shopping one day to a place about a kilometre away through a main road of Trivandrum City, Kerala. About half a kilometre from my house, there was a bus stop which provided a small roof cover. It was drizzling and cold. I saw a poor male beggar under the roof of this bus stop, shivering in the cold weather, with just a dirty cloth around his waist. There was some food on a plantain leaf, which he was eating with his left hand.

I noticed that he was handicapped – with his right hand defective for some unknown reason. I moved on thinking about his plight and what I could do for him. While I was returning that way after about 15 minutes, I approached him, removed my shirt unmindful of my surroundings, and put it on his shoulder. He accepted it and smiled at me. The joy on his face is something I will never forget. His joy was my joy.

Glory to Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba, who actually guided and prompted me to do the service. Rather it was a service done to Swami Himself, the Lord in all of us!
Chitra Gopalan, India

I have been a Sai devotee for 20 years and use to worship Shirdi Sai. After some period, I came to know about our Swami and his activities during 2005. My feeling towards Shirdi Sai and Satya Sai is that they are one and that one is Sai Baba whom I believe. My attitude towards Sai Baba is I have wholeheartedly requested him to be with me in all my words and deeds and at all times. His presence with me is felt through fragrance, like the smell of Agarbattis (incense sticks), whenever I think about him - irrespective of place, or time. This gives me full joy that Swami is there with me always.

I lost my husband in 2005 and lost my confidence and was full of sorrow. At that time, like a little lamp in darkness, I was associated with Swami and his services. Out of all sevas, I was very interested and happy to do water camp service and voluntarily opted for it whenever I could. Normally in the summer, people travelling feel thirsty and get tired and when we give them water, they bless us wholeheartedly and show their happiness on their face. Whenever this happens, my joy knows no bounds by seeing their happiness and I feel that Swami himself is blessing me in the form of common people.

Bhamidipaty Srinivas, India

We are three brothers and Swami had given us the good fortune to study in his college in Brindavan for varying time frames. Here's how the glory of our beloved Lord Sai unfolded in the year 1997.

I was posted in Indian Air Force base at Jamnagar in Gujarat, India as a pilot. My wife and I were returning from Rajkot (roughly 90 kilometres from Jamnagar) after the first servicing of our brand new car. When we were 45 kilometres short of Jamnagar, we witnessed a terrible accident. A woman who was the passenger in the front seat had her throat slit by a portion of the metal from the car. The case looked hopeless. However, with the grace of Swami, we got the courage to attempt rescue her. We extricated her from the crash and put her in the back seat of our car. Since she was bleeding profusely, the entire rear portion of the car soaked with blood. The nearest hospital was in Jamnagar at an hour's drive from the accident site.

On reaching the hospital, we arranged for sufficient Air Force personnel to come and donate blood for her survival. Many of my friends and I stayed at the hospital until the early hours of the morning, when the doctors could complete complex surgeries on her. None of us knew who she was or where she had come from until police from the accident site came looking for her. Once she was identified and her relatives arrived, we left the hospital. We visited her later to find that she had not just survived but had all her essential organs were intact. Contrary to my major worry, she did not lose her voice.

This is how Swami uses His instruments to help others! Thank you Swami. Jai Sai Ram
Gayatri Trasi, India
I helped my school friend when she fell from the slope. There was a big scratch. I put water on it and took her to the office. They put some ointment and a band aid. When the school bell rang, I took her bag and kept it in her seat and dropped her to her bus. I went back to my bus and sat. I felt good.

Ananya Srikant
Age: 7

Sudhakaran K, India

Late one evening, I was driving from my in-law’s place, Padmanabhanagar (Karnataka, India) to Kadugodi with my family. It started raining with big droplets and it got heavier. Somewhere near Bhanashankari, we went past an elderly lady carrying some baggage, drenched in rain. Given the speed we were moving at, we almost crossed her and came to a stop 20 feet ahead of her. I just stopped the vehicle by the roadside and asked my family’s consent saying, “The Ajji (grandma) is walking in heavy rain there behind. Can we drop her at the nearest possible place on our way and go?” My wife readily agreed and we waited few seconds for her to come nearer. We expressed our wish to give her a ride.

Seeing the family seated inside, that grandma felt safe and got in with her baggage in hand. And she said, “Baba somehow keeps sending help like this.” With curiosity, we enquired further and she told us that she got her monthly groceries from some samithi nearby and was on her way to her residence! We got surprised knowing the wonderful ‘Saincidence’ that happened to us.

Had we ignored her, we would have missed a lot. Thank you, Swami, for having given us right mindset to do the good act immediately without second thought.
Bharani Prasad M S, India

On a late Friday night as I was listening to a discourse on Radio Sai, I had this sudden intense yearning to be connected with Swami which I had not felt in a year or so. At that moment, nothing else mattered except for his pure love. On Sunday evening, Swami, in his own way, gave us an opportunity to distribute blankets to the homeless to beat the chilling winters. Again, I had not taken up any service activity in almost a year. The seva got over really late and I had my dinner only after that. I have a strong feeling that Swami answered my prayer to be connected with Him by giving me an opportunity to connect with the most needy and share His love with them. The seva was a very enriching experience and also an eye-opener for many of us about the harsh realities of life. The most important lesson for me was that it is always God first (the intense yearning and praying for love), others next (that prayer for love got translated into a joyful seva activity), and yourself last (dinner, at last).

Nandini, India

I was very fond of eating outside, buying new clothes for birthdays, and wedding anniversaries. But after comming to Swami, I am no longer interested in celebrating these occasions, or any other festivals in a grand manner. Instead, I am interested in giving my kid's clothes, toys, shoes, and all our other accessories to poor people, orphanages, or phisically disabled persons. I like to give food items to phisically disabled persons or mentally challenged children. Swami is guiding and talking with me every day after I turned like this. All this is possible only by Swami. I am very happy for these thoughts and actions.

Sai Krishna, India


With the blessings of our Lord, I had an opportunity of participating in seva activity of food distribution at Mother Teresa Home for Mentally Challenged at Nunna, Vijayawada. It was the day of Bhagawan's second Aradhana Mahotsavam. Delicious food and Bhagawan's laddu prasadam were served.

In spite of being a Christian Charity, vedam and Bhajans too were organised. Innocent smiles and real happiness in their eyes was the awesome experience that Bhagawan has granted me and even made tears roll in every one's eyes. I am sincerely thankful to Bhagawan for granting me such a valuable opportunity and experience.

C V Ramaiah, India

Initially, I was hesitant to venture making this present submission when I read that a spontaneous and beautiful act is one which demonstrates absolute selfless service. After carefully going through the advice once again, I am making this submission with no expectation of reward.

Since few months back, I thought of spreading the gems of messages of Sri Satya Sai Baba with a view to give the benefit to one and all. A spiritual diary containing gems culled from the books by Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba (1980) came to my mind and I started sending the daily messages between 6 AM and 6.30 AM regularly to my near and dear which has not only been well received by them but also in turn, they started relaying those messages to their near and dear, thus bringing about a change in their behaviour and actions. Absolutely, I have no intention to get any benefit from that act. On the other hand, I derive great pleasure in sending those messages. I take it as Baba’s gift and blessings to me.
Sai Geethanjali, India
I am Sai Geethanjali,10 years old. I am a Balavikas student. I live in Bangalore, India.

Help to Birds
One day in our apartment parking bay, we found two newborn pigeon chicks in a bicycle basket. It was early morning on a cold day. The chicks were squeaking helplessly. There was also a rude cat moving around. I felt sad by the threat, insecurity, and helplessness of the poor chicks. So I requested my father and moved the chicks to our home and placed them in our attic. That night we tried to feed them with some paste of food. However, they could not survive more than a day, since they had lost their mother.

Help to a Friend
On the day before our school annual day function, my friend, Priyanka, hurt her ankle and got it sprained and cried badly with pain. I supported her as she tried to hop and moved her to the school sports room. As the annual day practice was in progress, there was no one to help us around. I swiftly moved and found a Volini spray pain reliever and sprayed it on her leg. She felt much better. Later, we also prepared her some cold, soothing buttermilk which was very refreshing for her.

I had participated in the school sports day selection process along with my friend, Mahika. During one of the cross country relay race practice sessiosn, Mahika tripped and fell down to hurt her knees. I could understand the pain as it was bleeding and Mahika was in distress. I helped her to walk and moved her to the sports room and cleaned the wound first with cotton, and then with an antiseptic Savlon. I also applied Burnol and tied the wound area with cotton. Mahika felt much better and thanked me.

Mary Hoffman, United States

Yesterday, I was in my Senior Citizen Center (in the United States) after taking my armchair yoga class. I wanted to go home, but Miss Mattie, a woman about 90 years, was seated alone on this snowy day. So I decided to play cards with her for a few minutes. As we played, I asked questions. She had grown up in a sharecropper shack near Dothan, Alabama, with holes in the windows, roof, and floor.

Her family struggled in the heat and cold, raising peanuts and some cotton, with little to eat; a life not unusual for the elderly in my Center. Still, she had been a very happy child. At 28, she became a maid for a Senator's family and moved to Gettysburg, Pennsylvania where she was illtreated by the mistress, a school teacher, and for months, she had no coat for the frigid winter. Later Miss Mattie married, became a minister.

So little it seemed yesterday, this game of Pitty-Pat and shared stories, yet so joyful.
Sumathy, Canada
I would like to stay with my family and am trying to help someone really need help. I have sent some money to needy people. My intention is to help the people who do not have any support. We need to practise Swami's teachings.
Sayee Mahesh, United States
Swami's hands are wonderful. I got an email from old student asking for help and I was so moved that I went to help his father who was hospitalized after a stroke and whose right side was paralyzed. I did not do anything as it was Swami who sent me. I found a good friend's father who does Reiki (Japanese healing meditation) and took him along. Daily and weekly progress was so amazing that none of his family members could believe it. It was a miracle and good fortune for me to watch that miracle happen.

Thanking for this opportunity and praying to Swami to keep me in his path forever.
Gopalakrishnan Veeraswami, India
We, the members of Satya Sai Seva Samithi, M.Chavadi, Tanjavur, Tamil Nadu, on December 15, 2013, went to the school for the deaf and dumb, to offer Narayanseva to the children, numbering 120. We were about 20 sevadals in all. We prepared meals in their presence. We later conducted Sai bhajans. The children prayed for all and paid reverence to Lord Sai. It was a moving occasion to be in the presence of aurally and orally impaired children. We felt immense peace and love descending on us after the seva.

Walt Henry, USA

From 1 December through 31 March each year, this Church offers food and rest for about 20 homeless individuals, sheltering them from sub-freezing nights, from 5:30 p.m. till 8 a.m. every day of the week.

I discovered them by accident [Sai Baba] and decided I needed to help every Sunday evening; 'People helping People' is a goal of mine and makes me very happy.

Ramaraju Rudraraju, USA

One night, while driving back home after picking up dinner from a restaurant, we saw a person at a traffic signal. He looked completely tired and exhausted. He was holding a card that read “Hungry, Tired, No Money, Anything would help."

The signal turned green and we went past him. I felt a driving force from within to help him. We took a U-turn, came back to the same place and gave him the packed dinner we had just picked up. His face beamed with a jubilant smile and with great joy he uttered “Thank you. God Bless you."

Swami, Thank you so much for giving me this intention and opportunity to offer help.
M. Seshadri Reddy, India
This incident occurred few days back while our family went for breakfast to a famous but simple tiffin centre in Hyderabad. When we finished our eating, an old lady came asking for some food. Usually we keep in mind what Swami wants us to do - instead of giving money, it is better to give food.

We requested the man serving the tiffins to give her tiffin too, and charge us for her meal. My niece, who was accompanying us, asked me to look at the old lady. That 'Bhola (innocent) Lady' was seen blessing us lifting both her hands. If we follow in our daily lives what Swami has been teaching us for the past eight decades, imagine where we will be!
Deepthi T.S., India
This incident happened during my early days in the Youth Wing, Bangalore. We do a monthly Narayan seva for the mentally challenged inmates of NIMHANS (National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences).

There had been a remarkable change in their behaviour from the time this service project was started. So we planned to take a select few for an outing to Vijaya Vittala temple in the outskirts of Bangalore. We even made them play simple games like bucketing the ball, lemon and spoon, etc.

It was a recharging and a memorable trip for all of us. When we retired and when it was the time to bid goodbye and sairam to them, one of the inmates came to me and said, "Sister, today I am very happy. You know what? It had been such a long time; the last time I played was when I was in my village. I am very happy! I am very happy! Thank you, sister." She kept repeating it. Unknowingly tears dropped from my eyes, made me resolve to never give up seva in my life come what may!
Shoba Rao, India
June 8, 2012 was the most dreadful day in my life. The day started as usual at 5:45 a.m. with my usual kitchen work and cooking for the family. Then came the phone call from Chennai that my father, who is an extremely active and spiritual soul, had passed away that morning in his sleep. It was so shocking and sudden that I had to rush to the airport along with my two kids.

I was in a state of confusion and panic. I managed to get three air tickets for a flight to Chennai at the airport entrance. As I stood in queue for the boarding pass, there was an old man who was also travelling to Chennai. He was right behind me in queue. I noticed that the old man was struggling to follow directions. So my kids and I waited for him. It happened just with an eye contact. No words were spoken at all. We walked slowly along with him to the seating area. He said he wanted to go to the washroom and asked us to wait with his small bag and we did that. It all happened so naturally.

We then waited for the flight and not a word was spoken at all. I was still in a state of shock and was not even able to cry. We boarded the flight and landed at Chennai as per schedule. We didn’t carry any checked-in baggage but we noticed that the old man was again confused as he had checked-in luggage. So my children and I waited with him for the baggage and then escorted him to the exit.

It was then that the old man beckoned and blessed me and my kids with showers of blessings in pure Sanskrit phrases. I was overwhelmed and couldn’t stop crying as I ran towards the taxi area to run home and attend my father’s last rites. As Sai devotees it is natural to love and serve all. But that day, I realized the power of service even when we are at the weakest situation of our lives.

P. Krishnamoorthy, India

I am temporarily in the United States and wish to send Rs. 500 of my pension to Nuzvid Sai Centre, AP, India for distribution of cakes to children of one (small) village of their choice. I am happy to send the money and am imagining their happy and smiling faces.


Ravi Bala, India

My joy of divine experience is doing Grama Seva (service in the villages). I am associated with Sai Darshan in Bangalore, Indiranagar Samithi. I got an opportunity to participate in the monthly village medical camp activity last Sunday. It is a pleasure to do Swami's seva with consistency. My task was to fix an appointment with doctor and volunteers, take care of logistics and procurement of medicine. To serve the needy people in remote villages is a great opportunity provided by Swami. It is in fact a blessing from Swami, this chance of doing His seva with love, compassion and dedication.

Christmas is very special for me and my family because we got Swami’s first Darshan on this auspicious day on Dec 2010 in Prasanthi Nilayam. It is a very special occasion, which we always remember. Swami has shown the path to lead our lives with love and compassion.
Love All, Serve All. Help Ever, Hurt Ever.
Nikhil, India
In Feb 2012, Swami gave me the opportunity to help a poor lady get operated for cataracts on both her eyes. This was in my final year of engineering and when my project was going on. This is one of the most memorable events of my life. I felt so much love and joy during this period. She was so grateful to Swami and blessed me profusely with her love.

The eye hospital played a big role by offering to do the surgery free of cost. Swami's omnipresence was there all through the five months of surgery and post-operative care. I thank Swami for giving me this wonderful opportunity.
Gayathri V., India
I usually aim to catch my office bus which comes to my stop at 7:25 am. But on one particular day, I could not even aim for that as I had a few chores at home to complete. So I thought I would take my bike to work and reach office on time or at least only a few minutes late. While I was riding my bike on the Old Mahabalipuram road, my attention was drawn to a car.

There were three kids all in school uniform in that car. My attention was drawn towards their car because the kids were stretching out their arms through the open window of the car and the driver did not seem to warn them. I kept watching as I was initially hesitant to tell them to be careful. There were many cars that were passing very close to this car and my heart started pounding as I started imagining what would happen if some car passing by hits this car or crashes near the window. They might have taken me as a crazy woman staring at them. When I could no longer bear this sight, I approached their car and told the kids not to stretch their arms out of the window.

To my great relief, the kids immediately listened and withdrew their arms. When I was re-living this incident, a thought came by to share this spontaneous act of service with Radio Sai. I got immediate acknowledgement from Swami in the form of a picture in another car. This may look insignificant to the readers but for me it was a good experience as Swami immediately recognized the small act of kindness.
Abirami Sundaresan, India
"Selfless Service" - the very phrase made me think. I have come to understand that I have never been involved in such service. Whatever I have been doing till now is not 'Selfless' because there is always the 'my' involved with that. Now I submit this with a strong intention and a prayer to involve myself in 'Selfless Service.'

 


With Much Love
Radio Sai Team


You can start sending in your entries to h2h@radiosai.org. Do not forget to mention your name and country.


 
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