Sai Ram and this is Radio Sai’s old hand G. Venkataraman, offering you greetings from Prasanthi Nilayam.

Do you realise that the sacred town we now refer to as Prasanthi Nilayam once consisted of only one building, namely the Mandir?

That is one minor example of the way things changed when they came into contact with Swami. Bhagawan changed many things but most importantly, He demonstrated that changes that are good and lasting are brought about by the transformation of the human Heart.

Swami did so many amazing things but then, Bhagawan has willed that it is time we took responsibility for the Legacy He has left for posterity. But before I deal with that topic, allow me to briefly digress and make a few remarks about Swami’s Avataric nature.

In the Gita, Lord Sri Krishna makes it abundantly clear that Avatars come mainly to give humanity a Message. In Swami’s case, He has most unambiguously declared that His Life itself was and will, for ever, remain His Message, period. That said, His Message is not the only gift that Swami has bequeathed to posterity. Swami’s Legacy is much larger and indeed there are many things Bhagawan has left behind for us to preserve, sustain, nourish and develop.

As an example, I might mention that many of us here are presently busy, archiving hundreds of films, tens of thousands of videos, hundreds of audio tapes and so on, so that those who come a hundred or two hundred years from now also can see Swami giving Darshan, delivering Discourses, celebrating functions, etc.

When Swami was with us physically, we took all the events and happenings around us for granted but now, it is a different ball game. The sooner we appreciate it the better. Just think; do we have any photos of Rama leaving for the forest, or Krishna teaching the Gita to Arjuna, and so on?

What I am driving at is that Swami’s Legacy is something that has to be taken very seriously. That Legacy belongs to whole of humanity and posterity thus every one of us has a stake in its preservation and sustenance.

Starting with the Ashram, the Avatar’s Legacy not only includes various institutions, the hospitals in particular, but also 'concept' institutions like the Bal Vikas movement, the Seva Dal movement, and so on.

Thus, when it comes to sustaining and enriching Swami’s Legacy, there is plenty of room for people both to assist and to make their contributions in a variety of ways.

I am not here to lecture to you about how devotees could and should contribute, but to spell out some practical details, should your contribution be monetary. After all, offering loving and heart-felt donations is also one of the many ways of sustaining the Legacy.

In my own personal experience, I have come across many who wanted to offer donations but did not know how exactly to do it. Many years ago, a gentleman in Australia sent via a devotee a cheque for some amount – I don’t remember the amount but the point I wish to make is that the cheque was made in the name of Radio Sai. The funny thing is that the person who sent the cheque was a lawyer and yet, he did not take the elementary step of checking whether there was a bank account in the name of Radio Sai. The fact is there was no such account then and there still is none! You see, in the practical world, details do matter.

Even today, there are many well-meaning people who still do not appreciate that in the current scenario, all donations – indeed all financial transactions the world over - have to conform to the international as well as specific national norms.

Where donations to charitable institutions in India are concerned, there are clear-cut rules that apply; and here let me bring to your notice that the Sri Sathya Sai Central Trust founded by Swami a long time ago, has been registered as a charitable trust. Thus, contributions must be made in the name mentioned above – that is the point I am trying to make!

In short, in case you wish to make a donation, please do follow the rules as laid down by the Government. As is to be expected, there is a difference in the rules that apply when the donation is made by citizens of India living in India and by people from overseas, including those who are not Indian citizens. For your convenience links have been provided.

I know there are some for whom the very mention of the word donation is anathema, and I understand that. Speaking for myself, I have mostly stayed away from discussing donations. If now I have decided to say a few words about it, it is partly because a lot of people do ask us for such information. And we see it as our duty to share authentic details so as to avoid any inconvenience devotees might have to face otherwise.

At other times, people send us cheques with invalid entries and ask us to pass it on, which puts us into a lot of practical difficulties on account of the rules that apply.

Please remember, these rules were not made by Swami’s Trust but have been laid down by the Government; they apply to all charitable trusts in the country and there are tens of thousands of such trusts in India. Swami was always very particular that the rules laid down by the Government had to be followed scrupulously.

I hope these details would be useful to those who were looking for them.

Contrary to certain rumours, the Legacy of Bhagawan still continues unceasingly, in spite of the many challenges faced. Take the ashram for example. It is not perfect but people who come here do benefit from the basic infrastructure provided. More so by the beautiful spiritual vibrations that fill the place, for which people still throng. You know the ashram is a small, largely self-contained town with street lights, water, electric supply, sanitation systems, garbage collection facilities, and so on. Indeed, most of the facilities are really geared to visitors and they cost money to maintain; and that money has to come from the Trust.

When it comes to running the super-specialty hospitals, which remember, are totally free for every single patient who enters its portals, you know how demanding the task of maintaining and running that hospital is? I know, having visited the hospital any number of times but also through talking, over the years, to dozens of people involved with all aspects of hospital work.

And then there is the Sri Sathya Sai Mobile Hospital. These days, mobile hospitals have become the order of the day, but Swami’s Mobile General Hospital is simply out of this world – you do not have to take my word for it; just see the short video to which a link is given. All of these institutions continue to function and are constantly evolving to serve people better.

Please do take what I am saying in the right spirit. Simply put, all I am saying is the following:

“If the Good Lord could come down as our beloved Swami for our sake and do so much for humanity during the decades He spent with us, should we not, who bear the same physical form that the Avatar donned for our sake, do our bit to sustain, nourish, enhance and build upon the Legacy Swami has left behind?”

Think about it!

THANK YOU.

God bless and Jai Sai Ram.