Posted on: Apr 21, 2016
An Important Communication from Prof. G. Venkataraman
It is that time of the
year, we all tend to look back and wonder about a few drastic turns,
Swami chose for His Avataric life. Though these events of March-April
2011 came as a surprise and jolt to many of us, in calm contemplation it
is clear that every aspect of Swami's life has a definite purpose and
was divinely planned. It is also that time of the year when we ask
ourselves what is the Legacy that Swami has bequeathed to us, fostering
which is a befitting gratitude to His love. Musing on these lines, Prof.
G. Venkataraman shares his thoughts with us. This communication is also
meant to share some authentic details which people often ask us for. So
please read on.
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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.
Sri Sathya Sai Mobile Hospital - Moving Medical Marvel - A Short Documentary |
As beautifully shared by Prof.
Venkataraman, the Legacy that Swami has left behind with us is manifold.
His message, and His message in living forms - His institutions. No
celebration of Swami's life would be complete without the celebration of
Swami's message. His words must become our anchor and our guiding
light, and must transform our life so as to be worthy of His presence in
it. And that transformation will be made useful to the whole community
if it is expressed in our participation in sustaining His institutions.
Not merely as donors, but as owners. For example, Swami would often
correct students when they would say, “Mee (Your) hospital...”, and
insist they say, “Mana (our) hospital...”
This sense of belonging cannot come by
mere monetary contributions, but pure selfless love towards Swami. And
that is why Swami gave lesser importance to the former. One had to
really 'discover' the means to make donations, and one would do it only
when driven by a strong sense of sacrifice or/and devotion to Swami. The
details shared in this article are in response to constant queries we
receive. Needless to say, there can be no better contribution than
offering at His feet a heart filled with love, empathy and sacrifice.
“I require from each of you no other
gift, no more valuable offering than the heart I have endowed you with.
Give Me that heart, as pure as when I gave it to you, full of the nectar
of love I filled it with.” - Divine Discourse, 23 Nov 1968.
Radio Sai Team