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National Youth Satsang 12th September 2009
The Power of Discrimination: Its Practice in Daily Life |
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When we walked into the hall at Winstanley Community College in Leicester on 12th September 2009, we were mesmerized by the video on the screen on either sides of the stage. The footage of Swami’s Lotus Feet against his saffron of his tunic swaying as he walked the path in Prashanti, with devotees bowing, reaching out to Him with all their heart, adoration and their unconditional love. Reminding us, the reason we were there on that day - to learn from Swami’s discourses - and to understand how to implement them in our daily lives, to be closer to our Bhagavan.
The National Youth Satsang was only possible because of the Love, Grace and Blessings of our Beloved Swami. With a number of relevant, current and thought-provoking workshops as well as many memorable talks from the guest speakers, it was a great opportunity for the youth to learn about the topic for the day on ‘The Power of Discrimination: Its Practice in Daily Life’. The pre-reading material and factsheets given prior to the event were a great way to prepare for the day ahead.
The morning programme commenced with Vedic chanting and exhilarating vibrations from Bhajans. This followed by an excerpt of a discourse from Bhagavan on discrimination which set the tone for the day.
The stage was graced by Swami’s most ardent devotees from the UK and India, who dedicated their time and effort to share their experiences with the youth.
A summary of the programme follows:
Guest Speaker: Dr Mahesh Narayan
Dr Narayan had the great privilege of meeting Swami at the tender age of one, and is an ardent Sai devotee. Dr Narayan is a surgeon working in Eastbourne. Brother Mahesh began his talk by reciting a story of a king and his minister also told by Swami Himself. The purpose of the story was to illustrate the five types of Viveka:
1)Viveka - What is right (karia) and what is wrong (Akaria)
2)Suka (Happiness) - Duka (Sorrow) Viveka
3)Nithya-Anithya Viveka - What is permanent and what is Transient.
4)Vasthu (Brama) - Avasthu (Everything else created by Him)
5)Samkhya Viveka - Discriminate between the real and unreal. One must realise the only thing that is real is the Atma
Brother Mahesh’s motivational talk went on to speak about the intellect and the main causes that dull and inhibit the intellect such as food, the company we keep, anger and desire.
Workshops
There were several interactive workshops throughout the day including panel discussions. The sisters and the brothers in the audience were split into male and female groups. The audience participated and were encouraged to share viewpoints, ask questions and to talk about any issues we were dealing with as a Sai youth. The discussions always reiterated Swami’s discourses on discrimination.
The workshops comprised of various scenarios and case studies; be at home or in a social situation such as work or universities. The discussions gave us an opportunity to learn from each other and understand how to approach the situation from another person’s perspective. Many people had different - sometimes conflicting viewpoints - but the main path lead to our Dear Lord.
Swami constantly reminds us that to use discrimination we should always enquire “is this good or bad, is this right or wrong?” This question is the key. And one must develop this quality and know “this itself is self-realisation.”
Sister’s Workshops
The panellists on the sister’s segment included Pravina Patel, Sutopa Sen and Vidyulata Narayan.
The first scenario was on: The difference between ‘Sai work’ and ‘all other work’; the panel shared experiences where they had come across the same situation. The conclusions included: there is no difference between Sai work and all other work. We must not forget Swami in any task we undergo, and should offer all our work to the Lord first. Swami’s Divine Discourse from February 3rd 1972 says “Duty is God; Work is Worship. When you do your duty to the best of your ability and skill, and to the best advantage of the organisation of which you are a limb, you have worshipped God and He will certainly be pleased.”
The second scenario was on: How to distinguish between good and bad company, and how to avoid bad company? This challenging topic presented a number of interesting perspectives from the panel and the audience. The conclusions included: to approach the situation and to find the answer by considering and asking the question ‘What would Swami think?’.
The final scenario was very specific to women on: ‘How to be successful in society, a good wife and an even better mother?’ The conclusions included: women should not hold back on success and should thrive in society as much as they can, but they must have a balance in all aspects of womanhood and should not abandon their responsibilities in the home. A panel member stated the key to a successful woman is time management! The panel exemplified how it was possible to strike a balance and be successful women having learnt from Swami’s teachings. They were wonderful role models for the sister’s audience.
Brother’s Workshops
Three case studies and scenarios were discussed during the brother’s workshops. The first was on ‘Keeping the Figures Positive’ and morality in difficult circumstances. The scenario questioned if it was ‘enough to just be a good person?’ The conclusions included Swami’s teachings and concluded that one should follow the conscience; to have full faith in Swami; stick to our principles; have the confidence to do what is right whatever the consequences as we should remember when one door closes, Swami will open another one for us.
The second scenario was on the topic of ‘Morality’. The discussions led to the conclusions to always follow your principles in life; question yourself whether I can look at Swami in his eyes when I see him next; follow Swami’s teachings for your own good without the expectations of rewards; realise it is not only the good we do in this lifetime that earns Swami’s grace; the people who Swami talks to have earned his personal Darshan through many births of good service.
The final scenario lead to a discussion on seva, illustrated by an example where a flatmate was always doing all the housework. The conclusions from this scenario were: if people are taking advantage, he or she must speak up; enabling others to be lazy is not seva; communication is important to ensure that everybody does their fair share.
The panellists on the male segment included: Dr Mahesh Narayan, Navin Patel, Krishna Subramaniyam (all alumnus students from Swami’s colleges in India). The afternoon workshop consisted of three scenarios which were put forward to the audience who had to input back, and finally the same questions were put forward to the guest panellists who answered them through their wisdom and experiences.
The first scenario was on: Sai Work and all other work
The conclusions included: All work done with the right feelings as an offering to God is God’s work; Swami says there is no useless work.
The second scenario was on: Keeping good company
The conclusions included: Good company helps you, you learn from them and others learn from you; bad company tells what type of character you are; make a positive effort to keep good company; be positive in our decisions to other peers; somebody who does not practice human values are bad company.
The final scenario was on: The role of a man
The conclusions included: Make people at home happy and then take time to serve the community; Swami says a mother’s role to a new baby should be spent with the child until the age of five; Swami says always give attention to parents at all times despite the busy schedule; if you don’t fulfil your Dharma to your parents, Karma will multiply several times. Dr Mahesh also commented that men should do their fair share in the home!
Guest Speaker: Deepak Vasandani
commenced the afternoon programme.
He went to Bristol University to study mathematics, left his job to start up his own investment management company. Brother Deepak has also spoken in Swami’s Divine presence. His inspirational talk described the perils of going at it on his own, the lessons he learnt and how his ultimate success came from his unwavering faith in Swami. Swami’s words to “keep working!” gave him the motivation, inspiration and guidance.
He highlighted that:
1)Without the grace of God, nothing is possible
2)Put in 100% effort and accept whatever comes your way - leave it to Him
3)Be able to find/make success out of failure
He advised that we must have our own set of borderlines of judgement and stick to them and he gave 3 steps to follow in making a decision:
1)Contemplation - think about things carefully before doing them
2)Detachment
3)Think about what strategy is optimum for everyone that will be affected by the decision you make
Brother Deepak concluded with a short prayer:
“Please remove my dullness, laziness and lethargy.
Please bless me to come close to You.
Please help me be an instrument to You and
Make You proud wherever I go.”
Guest Speaker: Vidyulata Narayan
Sister Vidyulata was born into a blessed family who were extremely close with Swami. Swami predicted the birth of Sister Vidyulata a year before she was born. Her talk on Dharma (when we move towards God through right actions) and Adharma (when we are away from God through unrighteous actions) lead way to some thought-provoking and insightful conclusions.
- We have been given this body to practice Dharma, Dharma sustains, saves and sanctifies you.
- We must act in harmony through thought, word and deed. The basis of Dharma is morality.
- Dharma should be based on the five human values:
- Truth – Swami’s mode of communication
- Right conduct, non violence – Swami’s behaviour
- Peace – Swami’s form
- Love – Swami’s nature.
If we do the right action, soon it will become a behaviour and then within your conscience. If we only act according to dharma - our conscience, then we are on the right path - the spiritual path.
- Do unto others what you would have done unto you
- Make your mind, speech and action agree in harmony
- Be calm, approach things with a level head
Sister Vidyulata finished with a thought: “Dharma protects those who protect it”.
The guest speakers all took time out of their busy schedules to be with us and share their views, wisdom and stories of their profound experiences with our Swami. Their enthusiasm was infectious, and their talks were inspiring. Their willingness and time to be with us on the day was greatly appreciated by all present.
Role Play
During the course of the afternoon programme, the youth also did role play entitled ‘Ethical Dilemmas of Youth in Daily Life’ reflecting some issues that youth confront on a daily life. The scenario for this sketch was about peer pressure and the pressure to drink alcohol, go out and ignore priorities such as studying. The youth gave a poignant performance and played out three sides of the same situation showing what could happen if you chose wisely and remember Swami’s teachings, and the perils of what could happen if they were ignored.
Conclusion
Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba declares that having travelled so far to see Him, we should discriminate between good and bad using our conscience. In this effort, He describes the first step as being controlling of the mind and reduction of our physical connections. Bhagavan comments that many people say ‘I want peace’ and that removal of the ‘I’ (or ego) and the ‘want’ (or desire) will leave us with the ‘peace’ we seek. He declares that the body is a temple, but cautions us that it is merely has no real value. The value of a steel cabinet is in its precious contents. Thus we must care for cabinet of the body because of its precious contents through sacred thoughts and actions. Bhagavan declares that self-confidence is the very foundation of life, self-sacrifice forms its walls, and self-realisation is life itself. He exhorts us to realise that we are the changeless Atma; that while the body undergoes changes throughout life, God is unchanging and ever present. With His infinite love, Bhagavan directs us to always be happy – to be constantly thinking ‘I am God’.
The programme and the discussions throughout the day were reflective of the thoughts from Swami’s discourse summarised above. There is a long way for us to go to fully understand and epitomise all the things our Bhagavan says. But, with continued events such as these Satsangs, we get closer and closer to our Bhagavan.
The musical item was a great end to the day, the vibrations and love in the music was carried throughout the hall and Swami’s presence could be felt. The added touch of having a DVD of Swami playing in the background radiated His unconditional love.
It’s always a surprise when we feel Swami’s presence. Or is it? A flower or two fall when you least expect it. There is a hint of fragrance sometimes. We know He is there. As the sun set on us, the day came to a close as we listened to the sweet sounds of the bhajans and musical item performed by the youth, carrying us home.
Jai Sai Ram |
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