Sacred Stone
Sri Venugopala Swamy Temple
Abhishekams to the sacred stone in the inner sanctum of Sri Venugopala Swamy Temple, Puttaparthi, India. 14th March 2016 (5.30am)
Gollapalli (Puttaparthi’s earlier name) was a prosperous village of cowherds at one time. However, evil fortunes fell upon the village when one incensed cowherd hurled a stone at a cobra that was sucking milk from the udder of one of his cows. The dying cobra cursed the village, and as a result, the cattle began to perish, and the place was infested with ant-hills. Its name was now changed to Valmikipura (the word ‘Valmiki’ denoting ‘anthill’ in Sanskrit, and Puttaparthi being the Telugu equivalent of the same). In an attempt to appease the spirit of the dead snake, the villagers installed the blood-splattered stone in a shrine and started worshipping it. Sathya Sai Baba instructed them to wash it and smear it with sandal paste. On doing this, the outline of the figure of Krishna (or Venugopala) holding his customary flute, became discernible. The temple was now called the Venugopalaswamy temple, and the curse on the village of Puttaparthi came to an end.
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SAI SOMESHWARA LINGA
OM SOMESHWARA VIDMAHE
SUVARNA LINGAAYA DHEEMAHI
THANNAH-SARVAH PRACHODAYAATH
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A Sojourn in Puttaparthi for Maha Shivaratri 2016
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Sarva Dharma
Sarva Dharma Aikya Stupa in Prasanthi Nilayam
(Original Infrared Photo by author 1992)
A 50ft high pillar celebrating the unity of all religions,
was built in 1975 to mark the advent of the Avatar.
At its base are symbols of five of the world’s major religions, along with the associated sayings shown below. The pillar, with its concentric rings, represents yoga, or Union with God. The rings indicate the stages of yogic discipline required for unfolding the “lotus of the heart”, whose petals are at the top of the pillar. The flame of inner illumination is in the center of the lotus. Just as the lotus plant lives in water but does not get contaminated by it, so we should live in the world but be untouched by it.
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Hindu Om: Listen to the primeval Pranava (Om) resounding in your heart as well as in the heart of the Universe. |
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Buddhist wheel: Remember the wheel of cause and consequence, of deed and destiny, and the wheel of dharma that rights them all. |
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Zoroastrian fire symbol: Offer all bitterness in the sacred fire and emerge grand, great, and godly. |
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Islamic crescent and star: Be like the star, which never wavers from the crescent but is fixed in steady faith. |
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Christian cross: Cut the “I” feeling clean across and let your ego die on the cross, to endow on you Eternity. |
Let the different faiths exist, let them flourish, and let the glory of God be sung in all the languages and in a variety of tunes. That should be the Ideal. Respect the differences between the faiths and recognize them as valid as long as they do not extinguish the flame of unity.
Sathya Sai Baba
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Face to Face with God
“Rama came to feed the roots of truth and righteousness,
Krishna came to foster peace and love.
Now all these four are in danger of being dried up.
That is why the present Avatar has come.”
– Sathya Sai Baba
I incarnate
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This divine body has not come in vain
Cultivate a nearness with me in the heart and it will be rewarded. Then you too will acquire a fraction of that supreme love. This is a great chance. Be confident that you will all be liberated. Know that you are saved. Many hesitate to believe that things will improve, that life will be happy for all and full of joy, and that the golden age will recur. Let me assure you that this divine body has not come in vain. It will succeed in averting the crisis that has come upon humanity.
Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba
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Ladies Day Celebrations – 19th November 2017
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Sri Sathya Sai Ashtottara Satha Namavali
OM SRI BHAGAWAN SATHYA SAI BABAYA NAMAH
Let us bow down to Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba
(the true Divine Mother and Father of all)
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Worship of Lord Krishna – Puttaparthi
This temple is dedicated to the worship of Lord Krishna. Lord Krishna was brought up in a community of cowherds or gopas and He is lovingly called Gopala. The history of this temple is intricately woven with the legend of Puttaparthi.
This temple dedicated to Krishna or Venugopala has an interesting mythological genealogy. Apparently, Gollapalli (Puttaparthi’s earlier name) was a prosperous village of cowherds at one time. However, evil fortunes fell upon the village when one incensed cowherd hurled a stone at a cobra that was sucking milk from the udder of one of his cows. The dying cobra cursed the village, and as a result, the cattle began to perish, and the place was infested with ant-hills. Its name was now changed to Valmikipura (the word ‘Valmiki’ denoting ‘anthill’ in Sanskrit, and Puttaparthi being the Telugu equivalent of the same). In an attempt to appease the spirit of the dead snake, the villagers installed the blood-splattered stone in a shrine and started worshipping it. Sathya Sai Baba instructed them to wash it and smear it with sandal paste. On doing this, the outline of the figure of Krishna (or Venugopala) holding his customary flute, became discernible. The temple was now called the Venugopalaswamy temple, and the curse on the village of Puttaparthi came to an end.
Om Krishnaya Namah
The pujari was preparing for the puja to the sacred stone.
He first scrubbed the stone with water.
Commenced chanting prayers and making offerings of milk, ghee, curd, honey, sugar, coconut water, etc.
Arati followed.
Then applying sandal paste and kumkum.
Chanting Sri Krishna Ashstotram offerings of kumkum to a small Krishna statue.
Flower garlands next.
A video of a complete Puja performed on 14th March 2016 at 5.30am
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I have come…
‘I have come to light the lamp of love in your hearts, to see that it shines day by day with added luster. I have come to tell you of this universal, unitary faith, this spiritual principle, this path of love, this duty of love, this obligation to love. Every religion teaches man to fill his being with the glory of God and to evict the pettiness of conceit. It trains him in the methods of unattachment and discernment, so that he may aim high and attain spiritual liberation. Believe that all hearts are motivated by the one and only God; that all faiths glorify the one and only God; that all names in all languages and all forms man can conceive denote the one and only God. His adoration is best done by means of love. Cultivate that attitude of oneness between men of all creeds and all countries.
That is the message of love I bring.
That is the message I wish you to take to heart’ … Sathya Sai Baba
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Your Mission has begun
Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba’s 65th Birthday, the celebrations took place at Hillview Stadium. A large crowd attended these festivities.
One of the more important events was the reading out of ‘Your Mission Has Begun’ to the assembled devotees.
You may read the text of this announcement .
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