Issue 168 - March 15, 2020
Inspirational Note...
In 2015 a Satsang held in the divine presence at Dubai, UAE when a devotee asked why reaction to an action is not immediate.
 
Here is what Swami said:
 
One student of Mine is very fond of eating. He is so fond of eating that even if his stomach hurts, he will not stop. He will go on eating. He goes back and takes a few medicines so that he can eat more. It’s not that wrong-doers are not suffering. They are always afraid, they don’t have peace, nor do they get sleep; they are worried and afraid that they will be condemned or punished for what they’ve done. They are constantly living in tremendous fear. That itself is a punishment for them. Like the student who is fond of food, even at the cost of destroying himself, he goes on eating.
 
Likewise, the politicians and the people in power go on misusing their powers till it becomes impossible for them. Punishment is not about physical punishment; mentally they keep suffering. For a moment, think of a life where you are continuously living in fear; that itself is a form of punishment. Somewhere, as I said, the greed is too much. They are not able to stop themselves. However, eventually they will collapse. As long as the Law of Karma is in effect, the truth is that there is an immediate reaction for every action. Sometimes you realize and sometimes you don’t realize the reaction. Ultimately, suffering and joy occurs even as you are acting. Isn’t it a form of punishment that a wrong-doer constantly lives in fear? Is he not in constant fear? He is, but still, he continues to do what he has planned, as he has no control over his mind. Therefore, joy or suffering start immediately after the action, but the larger consequence come later on.
Service Updates
Bhajan Group in Zagreb
 From January 2019, a number of Sai youth in Zagreb, Croatia, have begun gathering around the most joyful of activities -  Bhajans.  Meeting every other Sunday evening, they have quickly formed a cheerful group of young music enthusiasts. In each meeting, under the watchful eyes (and ears) of two instructors who are well versed in matters of music, they practice to sing  Bhajans  and learn how to play various instruments to accompany their voices.
Feeding the Hungry in Leipzig
Every Wednesday, in a tiny village in East Germany, a few youth and a few elderly prepare lunch packages for the homeless, which are then taken to Leipzig (the next large city, 30 minutes away) and distributed. This small Seva has been integrated into the biweekly Seva -action days of Atmaseva Service Community. While others in the community are painting walls, working in the garden, cooking meals, driving a digging machine, cleaning floors, this particular action of preparing lunch packets has the quality of returning awareness of the youth to the very real needs of others outside the community.
Helping Beings In Need, March 2020
Selfless Seva Trust Of Istanbul
Selfless Seva Trust of Istanbul, Turkey, has continued to do Seva activities between February 3, 2020 and March 1, 2020; many people were visited and provided with the following services:

  • On Mondays and Wednesdays, food was cooked regularly at the following kitchens of the Trust and was delivered to several homes in need throughout the month:
  • 800 meals in Sisli Region
  • 228 meals in Pendik Region
  • 648 meals in Ömerli Region
Transformation
Self-Transformation Through Music
When I was a child, my parents taught me to be not only a Christian, like other children, but also to be Swami’s devotee. So I believed both in Jesus’ existence and in another spiritual guide, called Master (Sai Baba). I remember I was so confused at that time – every time I had to pray I did not know whom I had to speak to. For this reason I prayed to both of them to avoid a mistake. 

Sai Baba, My Self
“I walk from city to city, from street to street, from home to home to find you all. Even if I told you more about it, you would not understand.”
These are most compassionate words of our mother Sai, words full of significance and love; that I can fully vouch for, with my life. He does not give up on His children. The amount of effort He has put to bring us back to Him cannot be described in words.