VVooiiccee ooff SSaaii

Sathya Sai Baba Centre of Subang Jaya

“Politics without principles, Education without character, Science without humanity, and Commerce without morality are not only useless, but positively dangerous.” -Baba

Issue No. 35

April 2009

Quarterly

Newsletter

(For members only)

2

Table of Contents

Chairman’s Message 02

Past and Forthcoming 05

Service activities 06

Hospital Visit- a personal account 07

Maran Temple visit 08

SSEHV Gurus Workshop 08

Saving mother nature 09

Talk on Gayatri Mantra 10

Dr Goldstein’s visit 12

Technical appreciation of Sai youths 14

Chairman’s Message Bro. Dorai

Sairam dear brothers and sisters.

As we get into the second quarter of 2009, we should revisit the Sai Care Program. This program was

launched by the Malaysian Sai Council and involves the implementation of service, human values,

spiritual and youth projects over the next two years as our offering for Humanity and Nation Building in

conjunction with Bhagavan’s 85th birthday.

The program will also focus on two important aspects. There are:-

Integration : The programs offered should be taken as an opportunity to build bridges with others outside

the organisation, thereby enabling our Sai Centers to blend and integrate within the community.

Internalization : To dwell on the inner significance of the projects, and the transformational experiences

one will have while engaging in these noble programs.

The SAI CARE Program Period is between 1st September, 2008 to 31st Aug, 2010. We have listed below the

projects and the respective targets we have set for our Centre, as well as the persons who will drive them.

Besides these, there are several other projects which will be driven at State or National level, which we will

also participate in.

A. SPIRITUAL PROJECTS

NO DESCRIPTION OF PROJECTS

OBJECTIVES

1 Gayatri recitations and prayers. Plan to

achieve 500,000 chants.

Coordinators:

Bro S.K.Vathanan

Sis Valli

To create awareness of the power of prayer and

to pray for world peace.

2 Stress Management through Meditation

Coordinator:

Bro Reddy

To create awareness on the benefits and

practice of meditation.

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3 Journey to Sai

Coordinator:

Bro Reddy

To encourage devotees to conduct a self

evaluation and monitoring exercise on spiritual

development. Organise a pilgrimage trip to

Puttaparthi in conjunction with Baba’s 85th

Birthday.

B. SOCIOCARE PROJECTS

NO DESCRIPTION OF PROJECTS

OBJECTIVES

1 ADOPTION OF POOR COMMUNITIES/VILLAGES

Coordinator:

Bro Raman

To provide relief and economic, social, health

and educational support to hardcore poor in

selected villages or slum areas. In addition,

healthy and wholesome activities will be

promoted among the young children and youth

to create unity and harmony in families.

2 School Breakfast program for poor students for

4 schools.

Coordinator:

Bro Maniam

To improve the health of poor primary students

by providing free nutritious breakfast.

3 Adoption of Poor Families

Coordinator:

Bro Raman

To provide relief in the form of economic, social

and education support to hardcore poor

families.

C. MEDICARE PROJECTS

1 Surgery assistance for needy patients

Coordinator:

Bro Raman

To assist the hardcore poor who need referrals

and support to undergo surgery.

2. General Health Screening & Medical

Awareness Camps.

Coordinator:

Bro Raman

To provide free general medical screening and

basic medical needs and if needed,

recommendations for follow up with consulting

specialists, for surgery, etc., to poor families and

individual who normally do not undertake

routine medical screening.

3. Blood Donation Campaigns

Coordinator:

Bro Raman

To encourage everyone who is fit to donate

blood as liquid love to save lives. At the same

time, to create awareness on the benefit of

donating blood.

4. Organ Donation Drives

Coordinator:

Bro Raman

To encourage voluntary pledging of organs as a

service to mankind.

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D. EDUCARE PROJECTS

NO DESCRIPTION OF PROJECTS

OBJECTIVES

1 a) National Human Values Story Telling

Competition

State level – 4 programs

Coordinators:

Sis Anjali

Bro Murali

To promote and project Human Values among

school children (7-9 years old) through Story

Telling Competitions

b) National Inter-School Human Values

Drama Competition

Coordinator:

Bro Dr. Murali Raman

To instill Human Values in the hearts of school

children, promote unity and harmony between

them, learn healthy lifestyle and reject

undesirable activities.

c) Walk For Values

Coordinator:

Bro Jaidev

To increase the awareness and the importance

of Human Values through fun based Walk

activities amongst the general public including

children, teenagers, youth and adults. It will also

serve as a catalyst in community building.

2 S.T.A.R. (Student Training In Attitude &

Responsibility)

Coordinator:

Bro Jaidev

To assist weak and wayward students to

develop positive attitudes, a sense of

responsibility, confidence in themselves and for

them to excel academically through a well

planned weekly program for an extended

period of time.

E. ENVIRONCARE PROJECTS

No Description of Projects

Coordinator

1 Tree Planting Program

Coordinators:

Bro Suresh

To create a better environment to live in through

educating children and adults on the

importance and benefits of trees, the actual

planting and care of trees.

Everyone is welcome to support us and participate in these projects.

You can help by:

- identifying hard core poor who need home repair, food supply, mobility aids and medical

treatment

- identifying stray animals for vaccination and rehabilitation

- participating or assisting the Organizers in Educare projects, Blood Donation Campaigns,

Organ Donation pledges and Tree Planting projects

Bhagawan’s purpose and mission is to bring about our transformation. Let us use the Sai Care program to

do this. Participate in all the planned events and activities. At the same time encourage your friends to

do so too. Contact the various Project Coordinators for further information.

A Small Step you take today can make a big difference tomorrow.

Sairam.

Bro Dorai Narayana

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Past and Forthcoming

Regular Activities

Bhajans: every Thursday, 7.30 pm

Gita Class: every Friday, 8 pm

Veda Class : every Monday, 8 pm

Temple Visit: every Saturday, 7 am, Perumal

Temple, Subang Jaya

Study Circle: every 3rd Thursday, after

Bhajans

Hospital Visit: every 2nd Saturday, 4.30 pm,

Klang GH

Bhajan Practice: first & third Sunday, 5 pm

Morning prayer: every 3rd Sunday, 5.30 am

Gayatri Chanting: every 1 st Sunday, 7 pm &

3rd Sunday, 5.30 am

Centre exercise session: every 4th Sunday,

6.30 pm (venue to be announced)

Batu Ampat Ladies program: every 2nd & 4th

Sunday, 2.30 pm

Bal Vikas / EHV Classes: at various locations

Forthcoming Events

3 Apr Sri Rama Navami

14 Apr Tamil New Year

(Centre will celebrate

on 16 Apr)

6 May Eswaramma Day

9 May Buddha Poornima

There is a creator behind this enchanting cosmos. He is Omniscient, Omnipotent and Omnipresent. He is worshiped as God using many names and in many forms by various people. Unity, brotherhood and devotion are essential for every human being. To promote these sacred qualities in mankind, some great souls sought to establish different religions. Religion is not a restrictive concept. Religion is intended to develop the human personality and indicate the basic guidelines for right living. Religion brings out the humanness in man and enables him to live in harmony with his fellow men. It provides the link between the individual and the Divine. It demonstrates the unity that underlies the diversity in creation.

- BABA

“You are seeking joy and peace in far-off places. But the spring of joy is in your heart.

The haven of peace is in yourself.

- Baba

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Service activities

Our Centre has been carrying out various service activities to help the less fortunate, while these

activities also help to instil love and care in devotees’ hearts. All devotees should try to involve

themselves in service activities. Try it once, and you will realise the joy and love that is

generated. Here are some of the service activities that are being carried out.

Contact Bro Raman (012 677 0505) for more details.

TYPE OF SERVICE

PLACE

SERVICE RENDERED

1

HOSPITAL VISIT

Every 2nd Saturday , 4.30 pm

Klang

General Hospital

Visit patients, talk to them and pray for

their speedy recovery

2

BREAKFAST PROGRAM FOR EHV

STUDENTS

Various schools

Helping to serve breakfast for poor

children

3

FOOD FOR THE NEEDY

Batu Empat Klang,

Klang and Sg.Rotan.

Supply of dry rations on weekly and

monthly basis.

4

FAMILY ADOPTION PROGRAM

(19 families being assisted)

Batu Ampat Klang &

Sg.Rotan, Kapar

Supply of dry rations and frequently

visit their homes. Consider other

needs.

Beds, mattresses, rice cooker, kitchen

cabinet & kitchen wares.

5

EDUCATIONAL NEEDS

Batu Empat, Kg.Jawa

Klang and Sg.Rotan,

Kapar

Supply of school uniform, shoes, bags,

initial school fees, exercise books

6

HOME FOR THE NEEDY

Batu Ampat Klang

Home rental assistance for 2 needy

families.

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CLOTHING FOR THE NEEDY

Batu Ampat,

Kg.Sentosa,

Kg.Bengalli,

Klang & Bukit Rotan

Donation of new and used clothings

one to needy families

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Hospital Visit: A personal account

(Bro. Vikram)

I would like to thank God for this opportunity. When I see patients, I see them as my own family. I

get to know them better and meet their family members. When I pray for their quick recovery,

some patients are moved, and some even shed tears.

Our hospital visit starts with a small prayer at the entrance. Thereafter, we visit the general ward,

the children's ward and the orthopaedic ward at the Klang General Hospital. We try and visit

every patient and pray for their speedy recovery. We take down their names and chant the

Gayathri mantra at their bedside. You may have noticed that we also pray for these patients by

chanting the “Samastha Loka Sugino Bhavanthu” mantra in the Centre after bhajans. For

patients who were seriously ill and in need of Swami's grace, we give them Swami's photo and

some vibuthi.

The objective of me doing this is to share my love with patients. Some of these patients have

nobody to visit them. They are in loneliness and want someone to talk to. Some patients were,

however, shocked when they see us. They asked us who we were, why we visit them and why

were we praying for them. It gives me great pleasure explaining to them that we are doing this

as part of our service at no cost. I explain to them that this is not a religious movement and we

are not in the business of conversion or recruiting people for our organisation. Our aim is to pray

that they get well and return to their families soon.

Our visit gives the patients a chance to reconnect with God. Many of them have head of

Swami some years ago, but have lost touch and were surprised to "meet" Swami again. Some

patients will become emotional and begin crying that God has not helped them in any way

despite they being vegetarian, taking kavadis and praying regularly. They ask, why does God

do this and not protect them at all cost. We say that whatever happens, it is for our owngood. It

gives them a chance to reestablish their devotion for Swami and get back to their usual

livelihood. Our prayers are well accepted amongst all races.

I visit the hospital every third Saturday of the month. The visits are coordinated by Bro Raman.

On festive occasions such as Deepavali, Chinese New Year, Christmas and Hari Raya and also

during Swami's Birthday last year, special visits were organised where we presented patients

with a fruit basket and some toiletries. The patients and their families really appreciated our little

gifts of love.

A handful of devotees attend these visits regularly. However, I feel these visits should be

increased to twice a month. We have to go on a bigger scale and get more youths involved.

The visits provide me with an opportunity to bond with these families. It is not just about giving

money. It is about sharing my love with these families and I know Swami's blessings will reach the

patients and their families directly.

Who knows, hospital visits could also serve as a platform to identify poor families in need of

Swami's grace, especially dry rations?

8

Maran Temple Visit ((SSiiss MMaannii))

At the last coordinators meeting, Bro Maniam said, “Why don’t we visit the Maran temple”.

Every one thought it was a good idea. So we decided to go on the 31st January. We chartered

a 44 seater bus for our devotees to travel to Maran. We left at 6.30am after a short 15 minute

bhajan at the Centre, and reached the Temple around 11.30 am. Sis Sindhu, now a local

resident of Pahang, gave a short talk on the history and significance of the temple. She told us

how nearly 120 years ago, the British were building a road from Kuala Lumpur to Kuantan, and

many trees were cut down to make way for the road.

When one particular rudraksha tree was cut, it began to bleed as if it was wounded and a Tamil

worker went on trance at the same time. The British supervisor refused to stop cutting the tree.

Suddenly a child miraculously appeared on the trunk of the tree for a second and disappeared

into this mysterious tree. The British supervisor was overcome with amazement and changed his

decision to cut down the tree. An old man who believed that the child appeared on the tree

was Lord Muruga, planted a Vel at the base of the tree. That was how the temple came to be

named as Marathandavar Temple. Maram means tree in Tamil.

During the years, many miracles happened at this tree. Many devotees come from all parts of

Malaysia and even other neighboring countries. Pannguni Uttiram which occurs in the month of

March / April is celebrated elaborately in this temple.

We had the opportunity to witness the noon Abishegam at the Temple, and we had lunch after

that. The temple provides breakfast, lunch and dinner for all visiting devotees. We left the

Temple at about 3 pm and reached Subang Jaya by 6.30pm. The trip gave the devotees a

unique chance to not only visit the famous Maran Temple, but also created a bonding and

satsang opportunity as well.

SSEHV Gurus Training / Workshop ______________________________________________________________________

(Sis. Anjali) For continuous learning and improvement, workshops and training programs are conducted by

the Central Council for gurus and aspiring gurus several times a year.

Further to the above, a workshop was held on the 3rd and 4th of January 2009 at the SSB Centre

of SS3. It was well received with about 80 participants. 3 Gurus from our centre namely Bro

Jaidev, Bro Dorai and I participated and presented lesson plans. Similarly the participants from

various centres of the Central Region presented their lesson plans. It was a very good sharing

session which enabled us to observe and pick up many salient points.

To keep the participants engrossed in the sessions, the presentations were given in many

creative ways inclusive of video clips, games, etc. It was a programme worth attending as it

created an opportunity for us to evaluate and improve our teaching methods.

All gurus and aspiring gurus are advised not to miss the golden opportunity of attending future

workshops. Jai Sai Ram

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Saving Mother Nature: Tree-planting

Despite knowing that it is Saturday morning, I was wondering why I had to wake up so early. It

can’t be the Bhajan practice because it has been moved to Sunday evenings. The PDA shows

21st March. Well, it took few seconds for me realize that I was supposed to plant trees on that

day. I quickly drove to SS3 centre, the meeting point for the environmental aspirants. I was

asked to join another friend in his MPV. This is when Bro. Vathanan wanted to transfer some

things into the MPV and for a moment I thought I was going to plant trees inside his car because

it just looked like some forest.

Continued on page13

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Talk on Gayathri Mantra

As the chanting of the Gayatri Mantra has been taking centre stage of late, a talk was

organized on Thursday, 19th March 2009 for the devotees of the SSBC of Subang Jaya and to all

those interested in the Central Region. The purpose of the talk was to enlighten the devotees

on the following:

• On the proper pronunciation/recitation of the Mantra

• To understand the meaning of the Mantra

• To understand the history of the Mantra

• To understand the benefits of chanting the Mantra

Bro Muthu, the VP of Spiritual of the Central Council was invited to present the talk. The

devotees of the SSBC of Subang Jaya are very grateful to Bro Muthu for his love and a very

informative session which was very keenly participated by all presented.

Brother Muthu started thanking Swami for this opportunity to share the Gayatri Mantra and

introduced the significance of the Mantra and also dwelt on the meaning and the mysterious

power of the Mantra when chanted properly.

He emphasised that reciting the Gayatri is a sacred and auspicious spiritual exercise and that

the Gayatri can be chanted for all occasions (religious, spiritual, holy and social functions such

as birth, death, wedding and blessing) and that the Gayatri in a universal prayer that can be

chanted by all people regardless of race, religion, caste and gender.

Bro Muthu iterated that the Gayatri is a simple and sincere prayer to the Almighty to confer

bright and brilliant intelligence.

However he stressed that the potency of the Gayatri is in its sound and phonetic vibrations. Thus

the correct pronunciation is of paramount importance and that wrong pronunciation will

cancel its effects, benefits and desired results. All present were advised to repeat ‘shanti’ thrice

at the end of each recitation, to have peace within the three entities of body, mind and soul.

Although the Gayatri can be chanted at any time the devotees were advised not to forget to

repeat the Gayatri in multiples of three at dawn, noon and dusk.

Some of the benefits of chanting the Gayatri are listed below:

• Gayatri is the reliever of all diseases

• Gayatri wards off all miseries

• Gayatri is the fulfiller of all desires

• Gayatri destroys dirty influence of demonic forces.

• Gayatri is the Mother ‘Annapurna’, the force that animates all life.

• Gayatri promotes the acquisition of divine power and develops the power of discrimination.

A brief explanation on the Gayatri was given as follows:

Gayatri Mantra consists of three parts namely:

• praise, meditation and prayer.

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She has three names:

• Gayatri – represents the senses (Panchendrias)

• Savitri – represents life-force (Praana Shakthi)

• Saraswati – represents speech (Vaak)

The three represent purity in thought, word and deed (Tri-karana Shudhi).

Bro Muthu also touched on the five faces of Mother Gayatri as follows:

The five faces listed below are from Mother Gayatri’s far right to her far left.

• First (Pearl in colour) face: represents brilliance of intelligence

• Second (Coral in colour) face: represents the principle of still mind

• Third (Gold in colour) face: represents good quality and external charm in the aspirant

• Forth (Blue in colour) face: fosters the aspirant with all types of wealth and Divine Grace

• Fifth (White in colour) face: represents purity of mind and receiving Divine Grace from

Goddess Saraswati

The meaning of the individual words in the Gayatri Mantra is appended below:

• AUM - Sound as the basis of creation, Brahmam

• BHUR – The earth, the gross, Prakriti or nature

• BHUVAH – The atmosphere, the subtle, Prana Shakthi

• SUVAHA – Heaven, the land of God, the causal

• TAT – Paramatma, God or Brahman, (defies description)

• SAVITUR – That from which all this is born, vivifying power contained within the sun

• VARENYAM – Fit to be worshipped

• BHARGO – Radiance, Spiritual effulgence that bestows wisdom

• DEVASYA – Divine Reality

• DHEEMAHI – We meditate

• DHIYO– Buddhi, Intellect

• YO – Which

• NAH – Our

• PRACHODAYAT – Enlighten

The session ended with questions and answers, which were also very interesting and

enlightening.

Once again we would like to thank Bro Muthu for his effort to prepare and make the wonderful

presentation and we would also like to thank Swami for His Grace to allow it all to happen.

Thank you,

Bro G.Reddy

Spiritual Coordinator

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Bro. Dr. Michael Goldstein’s visit to Malaysia

Dr. Michael Goldstein, International Chairman of Prashanti Council, as part of his worldwide tour

to visit the Sai Organisations in various countries, visited Malaysia to meet and address all Sai

devotees from the 13th of February 2009 to the 16th of February 2009.

Dr Goldstein is an ardent and close devotee of Bhagawan Baba. He has had many unique

and inspiring experiences with Bhagawan Baba. Indeed Bhagawan had on a number of

occasions publicly praised Dr Goldstein for his devotion, dedication, discipline as well as his faith

in Swami. Dr. Goldstein is in charge of the all the overseas Sai Organizations.

He arrived on the 13th of February 2009 and had a get together dinner with the EXCO of the

Central Council. It was indeed a very inspiring event and an opportunity to get to know Dr.

Goldstein. He was equally impressed with the EXCO and the spiritual/service activities in

Malaysia.

A public talk was held on the 14th of February 2009 which was held at the KBU International

College, Bandar Utama. Devotees from all over Malaysia had taken the trouble to attend the

talk by Bro Dr. Goldstein. The hall was filled to the brim and all those present were indeed

blessed to have had the opportunity to listen to the inspiring talk by Dr. Goldstein. He covered a

wide spectrum of the subjects related to the Sai Organisation as well his experiences with the

Divine. At the end of his talk he spent considerable amount of time answering questions raised

by devotees.

On the following morning, Sunday, 15th February, Dr. Goldstein spent the entire morning with

members of the Sai Council. The structure of the Council, representations from the entire

country, service, spiritual and educational activities carried out in Malaysia under the

banner of the Sathya Sai Organisation were presented to Dr. Goldstein. He answered many

questions related to the organizational structure, publications, Sai School, cross border activities,

performances in front of Swami at Prashanti, Centre activities, unity, disaster management team

etc.

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Bro Goldstein concluded the session by thanking all those who had made the session possible.

He was very happy with what he had seen and he felt that what was being done particularly

under the Sai Care program was wonderful and an attestation to the faith and earnestness of

the Malaysian Sai Devotees.

Bro Dr. Goldstein left Malaysia to Sri Lanka on Monday the 16th of February 2009. He reiterated

on several occasions to the EXCO that he was extremely pleased with the unity that he had

observed and with the SAI work that is being carried out in Malaysia.

Saving Mother Nature: Tree-planting

Continued from page 9: Then, we had a speedy drive to North Selangor Peat Forest, the car

filled with Shanu Perunding staff, equipped with bags of homemade food and an entertainer

next to me. We immediately got into our gear and registered ourselves, where fellow Sai

‘environment-care’ devotees from various centers joined us.

Of course there were lots of other individuals and groups from various corporate sectors. After a

short briefing by the coordinator (I guess he was the coordinator, because he was in green

attire) we started to put our thoughts into action. We were allocated a sector to plant the

seedlings and we begin the task by digging holes in the soggy soil.

It was fun ; we were laughing at each other, teasing the amateur hole-diggers. As we were

about to leave the sector after completing the Sector C mission, another coordinator (I think

she was one too, because she was also in green attire) requested us to complete Sector D. With

initial hesitation, we formed a team to get the job done. Anyway, that’s why I volunteered

myself. After 30 minutes, I came out from Sector D with lots of contentment and scratches.

As we were walking out, I had a lengthy and informative chat with Unc. Prathaban on tree-planting methods, which I am planning to introduce soon to our Sai Center.It was a fun-filled

and informative event, yet very enlightening and very satisfying too. A tree-ful day indeed.

14

A Technical Appreciation of Sai Youths

Bro. Dr. Murali Raman

Sai youths are increasingly plagued with numerous challenges. Parental pressure, organizational

pressure, family commitments, societal pressure, peer pressure and the list goes on. How can Sai

youth sustain the proper momentum to survive the various challenges of modern day living?

How can Sai youth – the ‘Saiber’ youths manifest themselves into tangible outputs that

demonstrate higher order thinking and above all, a value driven lifestyle? Well, the answer

pretty much lies in the extent of input quality i.e. quality of the various datasets (vibrations,

energy, value ingredients and so on), that goes into the basic processing structure of a youth.

The human system is based on the five organs of senses/actions and 5 perceptions that process

the various inputs that come into our living system. Let us focus for the moment on the five

organs of senses, and transpose these five core elements with the notion of input structures of a

computing system. First, take the eye – the eye is a fundamental input recipient – it is a very

powerful organ that immediately interprets the various images that it comes into contact with.

Swami’ in this regard often states; “See only that is noble, and only See Good in one and all.”

This also means that what we interpret as an output based on what we see (in input form), is a

function of what we already know/perceive internally. Again, in this regard, Swami states “You is

see is s reflection and resound of your own taught”. Therefore youths, Look only at Good things,

Godly things and cultivate a ‘Dharmic’ vision – A Vision of the Divine in all, and be assured that

all other input systems will function and interpret things well.

Next, let’s examine how what we take in the form of sound and taste (input processes the ears,

and tongue). Wake up to melodious music, music that helps us calm the mind and take in

positive vibrations and energy into our system. Swami often relates this to the idea of listening to

good things (including positive vibrations) and avoiding ourselves from openly engaging in

negative talk and discussion which will obviously dilute the quality of the input structures that

becomes part of our mainstream system. The tongue is akin to a double edged sword- on one

had this input processor takes in wonderful taste of food (nasi lemak –vegetarian surely, milo ice

and such), and empowers us to enjoy natures endowment of good food and nourishment. The

same tongue however, when untapped and uncontrolled, has the potential to unleash

malicious words and intent – often more powerful than the weapons of massive destruction. In

this context, Swami says, speak of only loving things and speak when you are spoken to. Satvic

food as vital inputs via the sense of taste – will also guarantee a much more balanced lifestyle –

hence Swami propagates the ideals of vegetarianism. Our sense of smell should also crave and

long for Satvic fragrance solely. This is why we often see Hindus and even Chinese using

significant amount of incense sticks in their homes.

Lastly lets us examine our organs of action (hands and legs). These are two vital organs that

when and if used well, can even bring the other organs of input into check. This is when

engaging in positive activities such as Seva is vital – and hence Swami’s call: “Hands that Serve

are Holier than Lips that Pray”.

So youths, let us all use the various input organs that we have to only take in positive inputs into

our lives. Let us pray that Swami will guide us, in making best use of our input systems, processes,

and whatever we take into this system well, and thereby translate the our outputs into positive

outcomes.