In the Treta Yuga, Sri Rama came to establish the reign of Sathya and Dharma (Truth and Righteousness). In the Dwapara Yuga, Sri Krishna came with the mission to promote Prema and Shanthi (Love and Peace). In the Kali Yuga (the present yuga), Sathya, Dharma, Shanthi and Prema are the purposes of the Divine Mission. Hence you must make these four the guiding principles of your life. When you adhere to these four principles, Ahimsa (Non-violence) issues as a natural result. There is no use in merely invoking the name of Jesus and praying to Him without regard to His most vital message: "God is in everyone. Do not revile anyone. Do not cause harm to anyone." This was Jesus's greatest message.

Jesus taught that God is Love. Instead of recognizing this basic truth, men are allowing hatred, envy and other evil qualities to pollute their love. Man is gifted with the quality of love not to express it for selfish purposes but to direct it towards God. Jesus declared that there was nothing great about returning good for good. They should do good even to those who harm them.

It is not right to celebrate Christ's birthday by feasting, drinking, singing and merry-making. The ideals taught by Jesus should be put into practice. That is the right way to celebrate his birthday. Whomsoever you adore, you must try to live up to his teachings. What kind of devotion is it when the devotee does not practice what he professes? It is pseudo-devotion.

Today we celebrate the birthday of Christ. It is said that when Jesus was born in a manger, three kings were led by a star to Jesus's place of birth. ln fact, they were not kings but three shepherds. One of them, seeing the infant Jesus, observed: "This child will be a lover of God". A second one said: "No. God will love him." The third one said: "Verily He is God Himself" .

The true significance of these three statements is: To love God is to be His Messenger. To be loved by God is to be a son of God. The final state is to be one with God. As Jesus said: "I and my Father are one". Thus all persons are messengers of God. This means that they should divinise themselves. When can men call themselves Sons of God? Recognize what pure actions are done by God, selflessly for the sake of all. There is no trace of self-interest in Him: Everything He does, says or thinks is for the good of others. On the other side, everything men do, speak or think is born out of selfishness. Men have become puppets in the hands of selfishness. Men can describe themselves as "Sons of God" only when they are completely free from selfishness and become Godly. To call yourself the "Son of God", you have to manifest the qualities of the Father.

Jesus exemplified the spirit of social service. The inspiration for this came from His mother, Mary. From His childhood Mary taught Him such good qualities as truth, kindness, compassion and justice. Jesus had learnt His lessons from His mother and developed His spiritual faith. After they returned from Jerusalem, Jesus felt that service to His parents was His foremost duty, because He owed everything to them. ln this spirit, He used to assist His father in His carpentry work. Joseph passed away when Jesus was thirty. He sought His mother's permission to devote Himself to the service of the needy and the forlorn. After leaving home, Jesus had Himself baptized by John. Then for forty days Jesus observed severe austerities without food and drink. At first He considered Himself as a "Messenger of God". After the penance He realised He was the Son of God. He began His ministry with a group of fishermen as His first disciples. He taught them that they should first seek the Kingdom of Heaven. To enter that Kingdom they had to cultivate loving hearts. Then, their hearts would become the Kingdom of Heaven. Jesus further declared to them: "I and my Father are One".

Christmas is celebrated today in many countries. In every country small groups of people go to their respective churches, listen to the sermon and return to their homes. In some places people eat, drink, and make themselves merry. But nowhere in the world can you find Christmas being celebrated with the solemnity and holiness obtaining in Prasanthi Nilayam. Here are gathered men and women from all countries. There are many denominations among Christians and the members thereof celebrate Christmas in their separate ways. Only in Prasanthi Nilayam do Christians of all denominations and men and women of other faiths join to celebrate Christmas. All of them work in unison. Here is a concrete manifestation of the Brotherhood of Man and the Fatherhood of God.

BHAGAWAN SRI SATHYA SAI BABA

Jai Sai Ram

STORY FOR THE WEEK BY BHAGAWAN SRI SATHYA SAI BABA

REMEMBER, HE IS OMNIPRESENT!

Thiruppandar was a great devotee of lord Shiva. Once he happened to visit a famous pilgrim center dedicated to his favorite Lord. After the Darshan of Siva, he felt that he was too exhausted and weak to walk further, and therefore rested for the night in the temple itself.

Early in the morning, the priest entered the temple with a pot full of water to perform Abhishekam to the Lingam. To his utter consternation, he found an aged man sleeping right in front of the shrine with legs stretched towards the sanctum sanctorum. He got wild at the sight and, in indignation; he sprinkled some water on the face of the old man. But, there was no sign of any movement. So, he bent down and tried to lift the old man's legs. Immediately the old man opened his eyes and said in an appealing tone, "My dear Son! Why are you pulling my legs?" The priest shouted "Oh! For your age, is it not shameful on your part to indulge in such a sacrilegious act of stretching your legs towards God?" The old man said calmly, "My dear son, I feel a cramp in my legs and cannot get up. Will you place my two feet in a direction you like, where God is not? I shall certainly get up after a while." The priest did not want to waste time in arguing with the man. So, he held the two feet of the man, lifted them up and placed them in the opposite direction. Suddenly, there sprang out a lingam from underneath the feet! The priest tried to place the old man's feet in another position, but there again sprang up another lingam! In a minute, the place was full of lingams! The priest fell at the feet of the old man and said "Oh revered one! You must be a realised soul. Pardon me for my insulting words and actions." The old man got up and said "My dear son, have you not read in the scriptures that God is omnipresent? Can you limit God to a place and to an image or a picture or in a frame? Of course we have temples with idols and pictures of worship; but they only help devotees to direct their faith and devotion to God as embodiments of the various Divine shaktis in this vast boundless universe. The Supreme Creator, the Almighty God is only one, and remember, He is Omnipresent."

BHAGAWAN SRI SATHYA SAI BABA

Jai Sai Ram.

PAST ISSUES OF THIS NEWS LETTER

Jai Sai Ram

NOW WE HAVE A GLOBAL WEB SITE FOR OUR MISSION

Now you can see stories, poems, pictures and questions on a web site.

Jai Sai Ram

Jai Sai Ram

FREE PROFESSIONAL ONLINE PSYCHIATRIC COUNSELLING FOR YOUR MAJOR PROBLEMS

Daily General Online Free Counselling Sessions and General Discussions on Swami by Dr Jose Luis Hernani :

7:00pm - 8:00pm Mon - Sun (Indian Time)

You can make appointments with fellow devotees and use our Chat Room facility at any time.

Jai Sai Ram

Love is the only motivation. Please Bless All and Help the Poor. Swami bless you.

Jai Sai Ram

All our words, thoughts, efforts, actions and outcomes are surrendered upon the beautiful lotus feet of Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba
In Sai's Love

News Letter Editor
Soma