Inspiring Hearts

REGION 94
MARCH 2015
1

TABLE OF CONTENTS

EDITORIAL
BHAGHAWANS MESSAGE TO STUDENTS
WHY BAL VIKAS IS SO IMPORTANT FOR ME
POWER OF PRAYER
THE HONEST WOOD CUTTER
LESSONS LEARNT BY ME THROUGH BALVIKAS
CLEANLINESS IS GODLINESS
AN OUNCE OF PRACTICE IS WORTH MORE THAN A TON OF PREACHING
THE PEACOCK AND THE KOEL
GREED IS A CURSE
ASAHAAYA SAHAAYAYA NAMAH
SELFLESS SERVICE AND ITS SPIRITUAL BENEFITS
GIVE THE WORLD THE BEST YOU HAVE AND THE BEST WILL COME BACK TO YOU
TRUTH HAS NO FEAR
THE KING AND THE WISE MEN
MY BEST FRIEND
LORD SHIVA
LORD HANUMAN AND PRINCE BHIMA
LOVE IS BABA
ATTITUDE DETERMINES YOUR ALTITUDE
THE LOST NECKLACE
GOD IS ONE
MY FAVOURITE BHAJAN
NON-VIOLENCE
HATE NO ONE
PONGAL
A DAY WITHOUT WATER
DRAWINGS

03
04
05
06
07
08
09
10
10
12
12
13
16
16
17
18
19
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
27
28

EDITORIAL
Om Sri Sairam
We offer our humble and loving salutations at the Lotus Feet of our
beloved Bhaghawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba.
We are grateful to our Swami for the opportunity and blessing to be a
humble instrument in His Divine Mission by editing and publishing this
Regional e-magazine for the benefit of all the children in our Region.
The various articles, poems and drawings by the children demonstrate
their understanding of the concepts they imbibed in the weekly SSE
classes. It was truly inspiring to read the experiences of the children and
their gratitude to their parents, Gurus and Swami. We pray to Swami to
shower His Grace on all the children of the Region and let these articles
continue to inspire them to greater heights in their practice of human
values.
The response to this edition was overwhelming and it has been a
delightful experience to go through the articles to this magazine from
Gurus, SSE children and their parents from Saudi Arabia, Oman, Qatar,
Kuwait, Dubai, Bahrain and Abu Dhabi.
Jai Sairams to all the Gurus, SSE children and their parents for their
efforts and contribution.
We dedicate this humble offering at the Lotus Feet of our beloved
Bhaghawan.
Editorial Team,
Abu Dhabi SAI Family

03
3

BHAGAWANS MESSAGE TO STUDENTS

Goodness versus Greatness
See the difference between Rama and Ravana.

Kumbhakarna perished and Vibhishana deserted him. He had a son by name Indrajit, who
had conquered powerful
Indra, the king of Gods. Ravana was the master
of four Vedas and six Shastras (scriptures).
Such a powerful and highly educated Ravana
could not get rid of the darkness of ignorance.
Ignorance is the cause of cyclical birth and
death. When Hanuman set Lanka ablaze,
though there was light all around, Ravana's
heart was filled with darkness. Goodness is
superior to greatness. Instead of aiming to be
great, try to be good. It is far more important to
be a good man than a great man.

Both were equally eminent and intellectually

great scholars. Ravana was a great man. Rama
was a good man. The difference between
greatness and goodness should be understood.
Ravana, out of egoism and uncontrolled desires,
gave in to the cravings of his mind, misused his
knowledge and brought about his ruin. Rama
used His knowledge for the benefit of the people
and made them happy.

What is the difference between the two? A great

man sees man in God, while a good man sees
God in man. Ravana, as portrayed in the
Ramayana, was undoubtedly a great man.
He considered Rama, the Lord, a mere man. He
misused all the education he received.
But, Rama was an ideal good man. Rama
obeyed his parents and masters implicitly,
despite the challenges and personal woes. His
brothers loved Him immensely and entire
Ayodhya pined and longed for Him. Rama saw
divinity in a bird like Jatayu, in squirrels, and
even in rakshasas like Vibhishana. Women like
Shabari, illiterate people like Guha as well as
saints appear to Rama like His own reflections.
So, Rama was good. So, you should try to get
the reputation that you are a good man and not
a great man.

The difference between Rama and Ravana was

that of between righteousness (Dharma) and
unrighteousness (Adharma). Rama and Ravana
are present in each human being. When a
person takes to unrighteous courses, he
becomes a Ravana. When people pursue the
path of truth and righteousness, they become
Ramas.
Ravana was the master of the sixty-four types
of knowledge, but he could not receive God's
grace. Since he did not put his knowledge into
practice, he suffered from 'indigestion'. That
resulted in the sickness of sensual desires.
Rama also learnt all the sixty-four types of
knowledge and He put them into practice.

Dont be mere scholars learning by rote the

principles of divine life. Practice and strive hard
to implement the values that your Gurus
taught. Human mind craves greatness, whereas
our divine heart longs for goodness. Aspire to
be good students and good human beings;
success and greatness would automatically
accrue as byproducts.

Ravana was interested only in aggrandizement

whereas, Rama was interested in practice
Ravana was not an ordinary person. He belonged to the lineage of Brahma. He was the
brother of Kubera, the God of wealth. He had
two younger brothers, a mighty Kumbhakarna
and a wise Vibhishana; both of who objected to
the battle with Rama. Ravana paid no heed,

BABA

04
4

WHY BAL VIKAS IS SO IMPORTANT FOR ME

Somebody wisely said that some of the best things in life are free, but we do not understand
their value. Let us try to understand this.
Air is free. It is a gift of God. Without air, you cannot live. Water is also Gods gift, which is
free. We never think about this. But for all of us, costly things such as gold, silver, diamonds,
fashion items are more valuable.
The most famous and expensive schools cannot be compared to Bal Vikas or Sai Spiritual
Education (SSE). In schools we learn subjects, sciences and arts. With that knowledge, we
earn degrees in the future. Bal Vikas teaches us how to live our lives. It molds us into good
human beings. It teaches us the importance of respect and love towards our parents, teachers,
and love for all living beings. It teaches us the importance of the five human values of Sathya,
Dharma, Shanti, Prema and Ahimsa. It teaches us to respect Mother Nature who gives us
everything without asking.
Very few schools teach us the importance of our Mother Indias culture. In Bal Vikas, we are
taught shlokas from the scriptures. Where in the world are we taught these things and that
too, free of cost? Is it not a shame if we do not learn the great cultural traditions of our very
own motherland? How many children have listened to the stories from the Ramayana and the
Mahabharata? We learn about Newton and Physics, Wordsworth and English. Yes, that is very
good. But should we not learn about the great Indian saints such as Ramdas and
Vivekananda? The great Indian scientist Bramhagupta gave the correct definition of Zero to
the world. Yet, we ignore him. In Bal Vikas, we learn all this. We learn to be self-respecting
Indians in the family of the worlds citizens.
Our Gurus are very loving just like our parents. By their love, we understand the true
meaning of service, because they teach us not for money, but love alone.

Swami has said, It is important to get good marks, but it is more important to get good
remarks. In schools we are taught how to get good marks, but in Bal Vikas we are taught how
to get good remarks.
Bal Vikas is the most valuable Free Gift given by our beloved Bhaghawan to us children. We
must make full use of this opportunity.
Jai Sai Ram.
ARPITHA PRAKASH NAIR
SSE Group 3 Year 1
Bahrain

05
5

POWER OF PRAYER
My humble pranams to beloved Bhaghawan
Sairam.

Vakratunda mahakaya surya koti samarprabha

Nirvignam kurumedeva sarva karyeshu sarvatha
All programs do start with an invocation.
Why? To carry on the program well without
any hindrance.
The power of prayer is such. If your prayer is
to reach God, your prayer should have the
stamp of devotion bhakti. It is not the food,
flowers, festoons (decorations) etc. that is important. Pray with your pure heart. Then it
reaches God. When you pray for worldly things
then it will not reach God, but it reaches the
respective deities.
There are four kinds of worships,
First kind is undertaken whenever one is
in trouble or distress, then God is forgotten
after relief is obtained.
The second kind of worship is carried by
the worshipper seeking the good things of
life from the deity he worshipped without
depending on others.
The third type is to pray for the sake of
others, praying for the welfare of all.
The fourth type is the highest form as the
worship is done in a spirit of complete
surrender to the divine and dedicating
actions to the service of the divine. This is
also known as ananya bhakti.

Swami says God gives you whatever you pray

for, so take care to ask for the right thing. Not
knowing what we should ask, we are asking
him for something when we really want something else. In this process we are getting ourselves into difficulties. So it is better and easier to surrender ourselves completely to God
and simply pray for His grace.

To conclude, a simple story on power of prayer

will be noteworthy,
Once there were 2 pundits in a village. They
were not thriving well. So they decided to seek
the aid from the king in cash or in kind. News
reached the village. The king of the neighboring
kingdom was organizing pundits-meet in which
they could also participate, so they decided to
set out each carrying a bundle of clothes and a
packet of food. At noon they halted at a place
under a banyan tree. They were hungry so they
opened their food packets and said a hymn before taking food. Suddenly the tree was split
and a celestial being came out. The celestial
being told them to ask for any boon. The pundits did not ask anything. The celestial being
took pity on them and told that they shall get
whatever they seek. Then the two pundits went
to attend the pundits meet and saw a great
number of scholars waiting outside. So they decided to wait for some time. Soon their turn arrived and they sang verses of the king one after
the other. The king was pleased and gave a gift
of few acres of land for cultivation.

We may have talents but unless we have Gods

grace, those talents will not receive any recognition in society.
Pray and Pray.
Mahalakshmi
Group 2 SSE
Abu Dhabi

06

THE HONEST WOOD CUTTER

Once there was a wood cutter who lived in a village near Madurai. His name was Ramu. He had
an old broken wooden axe from which he used to chop the wood in the forest. Every day he went
to the heart of the woods, which had a small pond .
One day while he was cutting the wood, his axe slipped out of
his hand and fell into the pond with a splash. He was crying
a lot and started praying to God to give his axe back. Suddenly a bright shining figure appeared on the surface of the
pond. It was a godly figure.
IT WAS THE GODESSES OF THE POND!!!!!!!!!!!.
She was holding a golden axe. She gently asked him Is this
shiny golden axe yours? Ramu answered honestly that it
does not belong to him and that his was an old broken wooden axe. Then the Goddess again dived into the water and after a while she came back with a silver axe. She gently asked
again Is this shiny silver axe yours?. Ramu answered No
my axe was an old broken wooden axe.
Then the goddesses again dived into the water and after a
while she came out with an old broken wooden axe. As soon
as the wood cutter saw it, he became happy!
She again gently asked him Is this old broken wooden axe
yours?". The wood cutter answered with joy Yes.
Then the Goddesses said You proved your honesty and so I will give you the silver, the golden
axe along with your broken wooden axe.
The woodcutter accepted the reward and happily went home.

Honesty has its own reward.

Roshan
SSE Group 2 Year 2
Dubai

07
7

LESSONS LEARNT BY ME THROUGH BAL VIKAS

Joining Bal Vikas class has changed me a lot. I pray every day in the morning as well as in
the evening. I have learnt many things like honesty, helping others, respecting elders, patience
etc. Before joining the class I use to waste food and now I have learnt the importance of food
and not wasting it. I have learnt to respect everyone and I do not talk anything bad about anyone, especially in their absence. From this class I have learnt our culture, and the stories or
the reasons behind celebrating various festivals like Navrathri, Krishna jayanthi, Diwali, Holi
etc. I have also become more responsible and determined in doing whatever work I undertake.
I do not dislike anyone and do not feel greedy looking at my friends for the things, which I do
not possess.

I have learnt many bhajans and whenever I am free I sing those bhajans that produce good
vibrations in and around my house and me. I have learnt about many stories and miracles
done by Swami, which attracts me towards him. Participating in various programs that are
conducted gives me a lot of happiness. I do not quarrel with anyone and I have become more
mature than I earlier was. I also meditate as told in the class.

I feel Swami is always near me and protects me always.

N.Saivarsha
Group 2 Year 2
Oman

08
8

POEM
CLEANLINESS IS GODLINESS

Clean yourself before you pray,

Clean yourself after you play.
Clean yourself before you eat,
Keep your surroundings clean and
neat.
Early in the morning take a shower,
Feel all day like a beautiful flower.
Dress yourself in tidy wear,
Be a bright star everywhere.
When we are clean every day,
We keep all germs out of our way.
If we want God to hear us pray,
Cleanliness is our motto, we
shall say.
If only you are always clean,
Corona virus would never be seen .

Prashanthini Sundar
SSE Group I
Saudi Arabia

09
9

An Ounce Of Practice Is Worth More Than a Ton Of Preaching

Swami has time and again highlighted the importance of
practicing what we preach.
Here is a story about a person who truly followed this
quality. He was Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa.
One day a woman came with his son to Sri Ramakrishna. She was worried about her son who loved sweets and
indulged in sweets. The mother wanted Ramakrishna
Paramahamsa to advice her son to refrain from eating
sweets. Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa asked the lady
to come after a fortnight. She followed his instructions
and returned after a fortnight. The only words which he
said was Dear son, do not eat too many sweets. It is not
good for health. The woman could not understand why
the holy saint had taken a fortnight to say just that. She
looked at Ramakrishna Paramahamsa and asked
Respectful seer, did you ask me to come after a fortnight
to give my son this advice? Sri Ramakrishna looked at
her with a calm composure and said Sister, I asked you
to come after a fortnight because as a sweet addict myself, I felt I had no right to advice your son, without leaving this habit myself.
This story proves that Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa practiced more than what he preached.
VARUN AJITH
SSE Group 3 year 1
Bahrain

THE PEACOCK AND THE KOEL

Long ago in the lush green woods lived a peacock right beside a lake. Every morning he would get
up, spread out his beautiful feathers and look at his own reflection in the lake.
"Aha! I am so beautiful! I am sure there is no one as lovely as I am" and he would dance in glee.
He would stand there transfixed for hours admiring himself. Around the lake there were many
trees, and in one of the mango trees lived a koel. She would look at the peacock with awe. What a
beautiful bird I wish he would be friends with me. So one day she gathered up courage and asked
sweetly "You are so beautiful peacock, will you be my friend"?
The peacock turned his graceful neck and looked up into the tree, the thick foliage hid the koel.
The koel flew out towards the peacock.
"It is I who asked, you are so beautiful I have been watching you for days and you dance so well
will you be my friend"?
The peacock looked at the koel with scorn and laughed "You and me Friends! Have you ever seen
yourself you ugly tiny black thing, to be friends we should have something in common,"
"I can sing a bit said the koel, hurt tears clouding her eyes.
10

10

"Bah! said the peacock go away and don't even dream of becoming my friend.
Crestfallen the koel flew away sobbing, all the other birdie friends consoled her.
The parrot said never mind the peacock, we are all your friends"
In that kingdom there lived a king who had a daughter. One day the king saw his daughter
the princess sitting sadly in the palace garden.
He asked dear daughter why are you so sad?
Papa I don't have any pets to play with said the princess.
"Is that all? I will order my men and they will get you the most precious pet you want" said
the king.
"No I don't want that, I want to go the woods nearby. I heard there are lovely birds and animals there, I want to choose myself, so let's go on a picnic"
"A picnic it shall be my darling daughter. We will go tomorrow."
The news spread like wildfire that the king and the princess would be visiting the woods to
select the palace pets. The peacock was delighted. He was sure he would be selected. Next
day early morning all the birds watched as he preened himself beside the lake, and spread
out his gorgeous feathers. They could all hear the carriages coming.
"Papa! Look at that wonderful bird" she said pointing to the peacock resplendent with his

feathers outspread and dancing.

"I shall take him to the palace garden"
The peacock puffed up with pride and looking at all the other birds.
He crowed:
"See what I told you the princess will have eyes only for me and no one else"
"Oh! No!" screamed the princess "what an ugly voice ". I cannot take a bird with such an ugly
voice. The peacock stood shell shocked.
"Bu----but princess my voice is God given I can't do anything about it" he cried
"So are your feathers and your beauty, all God given dear peacock" cooed the koel, from the
tree top.
"Who is that? What a heavenly voice, please let me see you" said the princess
The koel flew out,
"What a sweet tiny bird, you will come to the palace with me said the princess.
Oh! Thank you, little princess. I shall gladly come and sing many songs for you, but would
you listen to my request?
"Sure sweet bird ask" said the princess
"Will you please take my friend the peacock too I can sing and he can dance so well"
The princess laughed and said "you are sweet and kind too".
The peacock was overwhelmed with remorse he said softly
"Sorry now I realize how vain I was, thank you my friend.
So off they went to the palace garden and spent many happy hours dancing, singing and
playing with the princess.
Dear children, humility and kindness are the best ornaments we should have.
Sairam
Usha Neelakantan
SSE Guru
Qatar

11
11

GREED IS THE CURSE

One Who Helps The Helpless

ASAHAAYA SAHAAYAYA NAMAHA

Once there lived a poor farmer with his wife.

Sairam.

His income was very small. He passed his days

with difficulty.

But he became greedy. One day his wife got an

idea. She told her husband that instead of getting one egg per day, it would be better to cut
the hens stomach and take all the eggs and
become the wealthiest person in that village in
a day. So the farmer took a knife and cut the
hens stomach. He did not get even a single
egg. He also lost the hen that laid the golden
eggs.

I would like to narrate an incident which happened, when I went to India to visit my grandfather who was not well. After a few days, early
in the morning, I suddenly woke up at 2:00
a.m. with severe stomach pain. I told my
Mother and when we came out of the bedroom
we were shocked to see my father in the dining
room. We asked him why he was sitting there.
He told that he was suffering from severe
stomach pain and he vomited. Then we
thought it might be due to some food poisoning. Both of us were suffering badly and there
was no appropriate medicine available at
home. Our driver had left for the day and
would come only next morning. My moms
brother and sister were staying 15 kms from
our house. It was 3:00 a.m. when we sought
our neighbors help. They were kind enough to
take us to the hospital in their car. Doctor in
the emergency ward checked our BP and immediately started administering medication.
By the evening, we recovered and reached
home.

Varsha Sadasivan
SSE Group 1 Year 3
Bahrain

It is then that I understood that Baba comes

in many forms to help us. I thanked Swami for
coming to our rescue in such a helpless situation.

So he went to a Saint for help. The Saint seeing the poverty of the farmer blessed him with
a hen and told him that all his sufferings
would end from the next day. The farmer was
rather disappointed but returned home.
The next day when the farmer woke up, he
was surprised to see that the hen had laid a
golden egg. Both were happy and the hen
started laying one golden egg every day. He
sold the egg every day. Everyone began to respect him in the village.

Shrutigna
SSE Group 2 Year 2
Dubai

12
12

SELFLESS SERVICE AND ITS SPIRITUAL BENEFITS

Do not believe that you can by means of seva (service) reform or reshape the world. You
may or you may not. That does not matter. The real value of seva, its most visible result, is that it reforms you, reshapes you. Do seva as sadhana; then you will be humble
and happy
Sathya Sai Speaks 5
Selfless service is a more exalted means of attaining spiritual progress than other
means such as meditation, bhajan and yoga. This is so because when we undertake
meditation, Japa (repetition of the name of God), or yoga, we do so exclusively for our
own benefit and not for the good of others. These are aimed at fulfilling ones individual desires and securing happiness for oneself. However, what we should aspire for is
the attainment of the good of others without any desire for personal gain
Summer Showers 1979.

What is Selfless Service? Our true nature is

pure love. This love expresses itself spontaneously and without any external promptings as
selfless service. In selfless service, there is
recognition of oneness between the one serving
and the one being served.
Service to any being amounts to serving Me,
for I am in all, Bhagawan says. The relief and
joy that you give to the sick and the sorrowing
reach Me, for I am in their hearts, and I am
the One whom they call out to. God has no
need of your service. Try to serve the godly;
become the servants of
the servants of the Lord.
The service of man is the
only means by which you
can serve God.

Spiritual Benefits of Selfless Service

HELPS TO WIN GODS GRACE.
This is the main purpose for which we do the
service in todays world. It reforms and reshapes us and the visible result is being humble and happy. It develops Eka-Atma Bhava
that is seeing God in all. It develops a sense of
Equanimity. Duality vanishes because there is
no claim of doer ship.

REMOVES EGO.
Selfless service helps us
to develop humility without any claim of doer ship
and develops the spirit of
oneness. It helps us to
have a check on our inner
enemies. Bhagavan echoes
these words, adding
that our hearts should be
as soft as butter. So service makes the heart soft
and more sensitive.

The second important

aspect is attitude towards seva. It is not the
quality but the quantity
of Service which is more
important. There should
be no claiming of doer
ship. We have to remember that God is the performer and we are the
instrument. When it
comes to selfless service, we should be ready
to undertake any kind of activity.

13
13

Swami says: Seva is a small word, but it is filled

with immense spiritual significance. Hanuman
is the supreme exemplar of the ideal of service.
When the Rakshasas (demons) asked Hanuman,
during his search for Sita in Lanka, who he was,
he replied simply: "Daasoham Kosalendrasya."
He was content to describe himself as the humble servant of Lord Rama. Though he was
strong, learned, and virtuous, he had no trace of
pride. That is a fine example of uprooting of the
ego, which service must bring about in us. No
one can serve another while ones ego is rampant. The attitudes of mutual help and selfless
service develop the "humanness" of man and
help manifest the Divinity latent in him.
PURIFICATION OF MIND.
Through selfless service, we realize the universal
truth that all is one. Control of Ego will lead to
purification of mind. This can be achieved
through Love, Compassion, Humility and Detachment. Swami had said Chittasya Shudhi
Karmaha means we should do Seva to purify
our mind.
MITIGATION OF KARMIC CONSEQUENCES.
Through selfless service, one will not accrue any
karma. Since the action is done as an offering to
GOD, the result is accepted as Easwara Prasadam. There is no claim of doer ship and hence
no ego or pride is attached. The yearning to do
seva and the enthusiasm with which it is done
rescues one from all the problems arising out of
evil qualities such as ego, pride, anger, jealousy
etc.
INNER PEACE IS ACHIEVED.
There is no need to go to the
forests or the mountains in
search of peace. Peace is
within. One has to discover
this treasure; for that, one
should sense others and experience love. Since service is
done selflessly with heart full
of love, there is peace within
oneself. Since all the negative
qualities slowly vanish, the
consciousness deepens and
expands. It opens the heart
and allows it to blossom, thereby, enabling us to
progress spiritually.

PHYSICAL AND MENTAL WELL BEING.

An attitude of generosity, of fortitude in the
presence of sorrow and loss, a spirit of enthusiasm to do good, to be of service to one's best capacity - all these build up the mind and body;
reacts on the body and makes it free from diseases as the mind and body are closely interrelated.
BEAUTY IN CHARACTER.
For the hand, charity lends beauty.
For the speech, it is the truth that lends beauty.
For the ears, it is the wisdom. And,
For life, it is service to humanity that lends beauty.
( sss 26.3: January 21, 1933)
EXPERIENCE OF BLISS.
Desire less, selfless action becomes
KARMA YOGA.
Here, the difference between karma and karma
yoga must be clearly understood.
Service done with desires and attachment to the
results causes bondage and hence becomes
KARMA ; Whereas, service done selflessly without any desires becomes KARMA YOGA.
The selfless, unconditional love through selfless
service is the source of REAL BLISS.
SPIRITUAL TRANSFORMATION.
When we serve, we become sensitive to other
people's concern, needs and pain. This softens
our heart and we become compassionate, loving
and humble. Qualities such as humility, responsibility, unity, oneness,
politeness etc develop
thereby developing ones
character.
It enables one to progress in the spiritual
journey. No special attempts are needed to get
rid of the evil qualities.
They will slowly be deleted as all the positive
qualities become predominant which enables
a smooth advancement
in the spiritual journey.

14
14

GOD REALISATION.
Selfless, dedicated, pure hearted service is the highest means to self realisation.
When the entire life is dedicated to this purpose, direct experience of Divine takes place.
One should understand the truth that human bodies may be different, but atma is one.
Swami says, SERVICE TO MAN IS SERVICE TO GOD.

Let us all understand that SERVICE is the greatest opportunity that GOD has given to us.
Each and every one of us can at any point of time offer desire less, selfless service to those who
are really in need, without any discrimination of caste, creed, religion and language. Even a
blind, deaf, and even a person lying in his death bed can offer service.
Swami says Where ever you see a sick person, a dispirited, a destitute, a disconsolate, there, is
your field of service. Every blood cell, every nerve must tingle with love, with eagerness to share
that love. When love has filled the heart, it has really been transformed into divinity, for, GOD IS
LOVE AND LOVE IS GOD.
Let us all pray to our beloved Lord to keep guiding us in thus spiritual journey, for
we are only HIS instruments and HE is the DOER.
Jai Sairam,
Rama Ramesh & Gayatri
SSE Gurus
Abu Dhabi

15
15

Give The World The Best You Have And The Best Will Come
Back To You
Give the world the best you have and the

Years passed and Howard became a famous

doctor. The young woman fell sick and she
was receiving treatment in the same hospital
that Howard was working. Howard recognized her and tried to help her
recover fast. Sure enough the
ladys life was saved. She received the envelope for the bill
from the hospital. She was
worried since she did not have
enough money to pay for her
treatment. She hesitantly
opened the envelope and was
pleasantly surprised to find that
she had received a little note which said,
Paid with a loaf of bread.

best will come back to you. What does it

mean?
For me it means that in every
walk of life, if you do your best,
you will get the best results for
yourself. Here is an example.
Once there lived a poor boy
named Howard Kelly. Not having anything to eat, he roamed
around the streets begging. He
rang the bell of a young womans
house and being embarrassed to ask for food,
he asked only for water. The young woman
noticed that Howard was hungry. She tried
her best to get him something. She searched
for food in the kitchen but found nothing. She
took Howard with her to the nearest bakery
and bought him a loaf of bread. Howard
asked her how much he owed her. She replied, My mother has taught me never to ask
for payment for kindness.

In conclusion, let us all resolve to give our

best so that we too receive the best.
RUCHIRA NARAYAN
SSE Group 2 Year 2
Bahrain

TRUTH HAS NO FEAR

A few months ago my sister had got average

So my sister informed our mother about her

result and promised her that she would definitely study well for the final test. Our mother
was very happy for her honesty and
appreciated her for telling the
truth.

pass mark in her Hindi exam. She was upset

and scared to tell mother about the result. Her
friend suggested, not showing the
marks immediately, but to wait
till the report card arrives.

I thank our Bal Vikas guru for

teaching us good values. We will
definitely follow those in our daily
life.

My sister was in confusion as to

whether to wait till the report
card arrives or to declare the adverse result immediately. I felt
bad for her state of mind and told
her not to hide anything from
parents. I even reminded her
about what we have learnt from
Bal Vikas classes - Truth has no
fear and untruth shivers at every
shadow. How true are the words of our beloved
guru Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba!!

Jai Sairam.
Karthika
Group 2 Year 2
OMAN.

16
16

THE KING AND THE WISE MEN

A King lived with the wisest men of his king-

In that instant the penny dropped, the King

understood. Those wise men had been not absolutely useless. He could not learn, not because they couldnt teach they could teach
but he was not ready, and he was not receptive, and he was not humble enough. The King
sat down, and the child sat on the throne and
he said, Now you ask like a disciple, not like
an emperor.

dom who served him as his ministers. The King

was proud of his assembly of wise counsel and
would refer to the ministers as the crown
jewels of the Kingdom. Despite enjoying the
company of these wise men, the King never felt
that he learned anything from them. After all,
the ministers were appointed by him to serve
him and therefore was it not their responsibility
to share their wisdom? He continued to harbor
the feeling the ministers did well in all other
areas of their responsibilities but always fell
short of his expectations on matters relating to
sharing their knowledge with him.

The King was silent, the entire place was silent.

He never asked anything. And it is said that the
King thanked the child, touched his feet and
said, There is no need to ask. Just by sitting
with humility and surrender near your feet, I
have learned much.

Once he called his wise ministers and showed

his pent up anger and resentment on them. He
said, You are here, and people say you are
among the greatest wise men living today, but I
have not been able to learn anything from you.
What is the matter? You are here, and I remain
the same; then what are you doing here?

Knowledge flourishes in an informal environment. The environment makes one feel intimate. However, in that intimacy there has to be
a reverence for it brings about humility and
surrender. Everyone
has a desire to learn
but without bending,
without bringing
down ones ego. In
such as state, one
can learn only that
which is convenient
to learn, not what
that one really needs
to learn. Learning
needs a different relationship, a different
attitude.

A child had come with one of the wise ministers

that day; he wanted to see the court. He
laughed. The King said Why are you laughing?
It is insulting to the court! Has not your father
taught you manners? The child said, I am
laughing because these wise ministers are silent, and I know why they are silent. And I
know why you have not been able to be benefit
from them.
The King looked at the childs face very innocent, but very radiant at the same time. Whenever a child is very innocent, you can see the
radiance in its eyes because no child is a
child. An innocent child may be young of age
and not have much experience in this life, but
it has lived, experienced much and carries all
the knowledge from all its experiences of its
previous lives. Then can you teach me something? asked the King. The child said, Yes!
The King said, Then teach! The child said,
Then you have to follow me. You come down
here where I am sitting, and I will sit on the
throne. And then you ask like a disciple, not
like a master.

Even if God come in

our midst, we may
fail to learn anything
from Him if we do not have an attitude of humility and surrender. But when one has humility and surrender- even the winds can whisper
a scripture to us, even the clouds can rain
knowledge to our parched souls, even the
moonlight can reveal the light of wisdom and
remove the darkness of our ignorant minds!
Shankar Ramaswami
SSE guru
Dubai
17

17

MY BEST FRIEND

Friends come and go

They say Hi and Hello
Some are girls, some are boys
And some maybe...toys!
Everyone has a friend
Every friendship may end
Some pals are cowards, some are
brave
One or two may even be dragons in a
cave!
Sometimes I may fight
Or get scared at night
My Best Friend is God Almighty
Hes there alright
Hes there to stay night and day
He never goes away.

MAHIKA
SSE Group 2 Year 1
Bahrain

18
18

LORD SHIVA
Lord Shiva is a destroyer and restorer. He is the God of Love and beloved of Parvati. He is one of
the trimurthys( Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva). He is Satyam, Shubham, Sundaram, Sivam, Kantam. Attributes of Shiva are Third
Eye, Blue Throat, Crescent Moon, Matted Hair, Sacred Ganga,
Ashes, Tiger Skin, Serpents, Trishul, Drum, Nandi. Shiva and Parvati are the parents of Karthikeya and Ganesha. Shiva lives with
his family in Mount Kailash. Bull Nandi is his vehicle.
Srivatsan
SSE Group I
Saudi Arabia

LORD HANUMAN AND PRINCE BHEEMA

Let me like to tell a story about the great Pandava prince Bhima and the mighty Hanuman.

Seeing that there was no point in arguing with

the monkey, Bhima decided to move the tail
himself. He bent down and tried to lift the tail.
To his surprise, he was not able to lift the tail.
Bhima used all his strength and tried his level
best to move the tail. But the tail would not
move an inch.

Bhima, who was one of the five Pandava brothers, was the strongest among them. He was
very proud of his strength. The Pandavas were
exiled from Hastinapura for a period of 12
years. When they were in exile, they were travelling through a forest.

Bhima looked at the monkey in disbelief and

the old monkey started laughing at Bhimas
helplessness. Then Bhima realized that this was no ordinary monkey and then he
humbly requested the monkey, Oh, old monkey, who are
you? Please reveal your true
identity.

One day when Bhima was

walking through the forest, he
noticed that a big, old monkey was blocking his passage.
The monkey had a long tail
which was spread and lying
right across his path. Bhima
ordered the monkey in a roaring tone, Oh you old monkey,
move your tail, so that I can
pass.
The monkey replied I am too
old to move, please move my tail to one side
and you can move on easily. This angered the
proud Bhima who roared You old monkey, do
you know who you are talking to? I am the
mighty Bhima. I will not move your tail; you
have to move it yourself.
The monkey once again replied humbly to Bhima, I am in no position to get up, please help
me by moving the tail yourself.

Then the old monkey disappeared and in its place stood

the mighty Hanuman in all his
glory. Bhima fell at the feet of
Lord Hanuman and he lovingly forgave Bhima
and blessed him.
We are all proud of our qualities and strengths.
But if our pride makes us think that others are
worthless, then such pride will only bring us
defeat and sorrow.
ADITYA SAI KRISHNA
SSE Group 1 year 3
Bahrain
19

19

Love is BABAHOW ?

Speak Politely
As you think, so you are
Time waste is life waste
Help ever, Hurt never
You are the waves; I am the ocean
Avoid doing harm to others
Spend the day with love
All religions lead to the same goal,
Inner purity first and outer purity later,
Bhakti knows no caste; it ennobles all
All are one; Be alike to everyone
Be simple and sincere
All our actions should be based on
truth.

This is the essence of Love

Love is Sathya Sai Baba.
ARZOO
Group 2 Year 3
Oman

20
20

ATTITUDE DETERMINES YOUR ALTITUDE

What is altitude?

Good conduct should be the real basis for life.

According to a person who is doing business

If you fill a colored bottle with the water of Ganges, it would appear colored. Ganges water is
intrinsically pure; the color is therefore due to
the bottle holding the water.

his altitude is becoming the richest of them all.

For a person who is working in a government
office, his altitude is reaching the top position
in his office. For a sports man his altitude may
be to win Gold medal in all the events he participate and in Olympics. For students like us, our
happiness may be getting high marks in studies
and for some of us may be getting the latest
gadgets.

The human being is like a bottle. If evil attitude

dominates, the body indulges in bad actions; if
good attitude prevails, the body performs good
actions. The body is not responsible for the actions; the attitude is responsible for your actions.

Will they be happy if they get what they wish?

No, not at all. These are all wishes on the
worldly items, their wish list will not end it will
only grow.

Nothing can stop the person with the right

mental attitude from achieving his goal;
Any human being can alter his life by
altering his attitudes.

What our Swami had mentioned as

altitude means inner happiness
(Permanent happiness). The person who is having inner happiness
will be the happiest person in the
world. Our aim is to attain this altitude of inner happiness.
Your attitude is the main factor
that decides your inner happiness.

If there is righteousness in the heart,

there will be beauty in the character.
If there is beauty in the character,
there will be harmony in the home.
When there is harmony in the home,
there will be order in the nation.
When there is order in the nation,
there will be peace in the world.

What is attitude?

Bhagawan Baba says:

Attitude is the EYE of your soul!

Your attitude determines how you
view life. If your attitude is negative, you will see life negatively. If your attitude
is positive, you will see life positively.

If wealth is lost nothing is lost;

if health is lost something is lost;
and if character is lost everything is lost.
Lord Krishna had stressed in Bhaghawat
Geetha To develop good attitude and reach
inner happiness,

If you have a thankful attitude, you will see

things you encounter as gifts to be thankful for.

Our Swami has given 3 steps to find out whether we are following dharmic path: Whatever you
do should be truthful; it should give you happiness and should not hurt anyone.

We may not be able to change the world we see

around us but we can change the way we see
the world within us!
A virtuous person can accomplish anything.
A virtuous person is one who has the quality of
doing what is right and avoiding what is wrong.
A person who loves his neighbor is said to be
virtuous person. A person who tells the truth, is
friendly and happy is said to have virtuous
qualities. Here it is understood that virtues of a
person are his attitude.

Let us all develop good attitude and reach higher altitude of getting inner happiness mentioned by our SWAMI.
Jai Sairam
Sai Dharsini
SSE Group 3
Abu Dhabi
21

21

THE LOST NECKLACE

Life offers all of us experiences which change us, inspire us and transform us. My parents once
went through a life-changing experience.
Let me explain.
During our 2010 vacation, my family and I went to the Vaitheeswaran Temple in Tamil Nadu in
India. My mother was wearing a gold necklace weighing 22 grams. My father took a snap of her
with that beautiful necklace before leaving our house. All of us went inside the temple, prayed
and came back. When my father suddenly looked at my mothers neck, the chain was not there.
We searched all around the temple. We then went to the Devasthan and complained about the
lost necklace. We complained to the police also and left the temple. The Devasthan officials told
us to come the next day and check out the CCTV camera footage.
Next day, we went to the Devasthan and carefully went through the recorded videos. But we
found no clues. The Devasthan people quizzed us about the design of the necklace and if we had
any proof of having had the necklace. My father showed them the photograph he had taken.
Actually my mother did not have full faith in Swami before this incident. But my father prayed
intensely to Swami that if we got the necklace, that would strengthen my mothers faith in Him.

A lady then turned up at the Devasthan office and gave the necklace. She explained that it was
lying on a platform inside the temple. We had searched the whole temple, especially everywhere
we had been through. It could only have been Swamis answer to my fathers prayer.
That incident reinforced my mothers faith in Swami.
S. B. SABARISH
SSE Group 2 Year 3
Bahrain

22
22

GOD IS ONE

During the Krutanjali function held on 21st November 2014 in Kuwait, the first item in the program was the universal prayer in which children were singing parts of prayers of many religions.
Although the prayers were different, their tunes were different, their languages were different and
the God whom we think as different but I think all the religion preach the same thing. All religions teach us to love one another, to practice brotherhood and to be tolerant. That very program
impacted me greatly.
Mr. Rajesh Nair, Principal of Indian Community School, Kuwait and Chief Guest in the program
narrated a very touching story. Some pigeons lived on the tower of a temple; as the days passed
the temple authorities planned to renovate the temple and so the pigeons shifted to the tower of a
mosque nearby. After a while, the mosque authorities decided to paint the mosque, so the pigeons then shifted to a nearby church.
One day several people broke out into a fight near the church, and a young pigeon watching the
fight asked its mother what was going on down and who they were. The mother replied that they
all were humans. The young pigeon again asked why the humans were quarrelling. The mother
replied that the people who go to pray in the temple are Hindus while the people who go to pray
in the mosque are Muslims whereas the people who go to pray in the church are Christians.
The young pigeon then said When we were in the temple we were pigeons, when we were in the
mosque we were pigeons, when we were in the church also we were pigeons but why are these
humans behaving so strangely?
The mother replied saying We understand that where ever we go we are pigeons but these poor
human beings dont realize that they are all human.
I was very touched by this story; I learned that whichever
religion we belong to we all are humans, we all belong to the
same mother Earth. I have also seen on TV how people of
different faiths and beliefs resort to violence. During the
fights the anger to defend their religion makes them forget
that their own religion teaches them not to fight, to be
tolerant and so on.
I have learned that God
world learns this too.

is One. I hope everyone in this

Priyanka Satish Kumar

SSE Group III
Kuwait

23
23

MY FAVOURITE BHAJAN

Buddha Mahaveera, Eshu Sai

Wahe Guru, Wahe Guru, bol
manava
Allah Eshu Satguru Sai,
Geetha Vedh Quran o Sai
Tan mein Sai man mein Sai
Rom rom mein Sai Sai.
Wahe Guru, Wahe Guru, bol
manava

This is my most favorite bhajan.

The first time I heard this bhajan was at a programme in the Bahrain Sai Centre. All the
children got to choose a bhajan. My friend chose this bhajan. That was the time when I fell
in love with it.
The bhajan has so many deities in it. It has Buddha, Mahaveera, Eshu, Allah and Sai. It has
reference to the religious books as well such as Bhagavad Gita, Veda and Quran. It also
made me feel a lot less tense that day, because I had a test the coming Sunday. It made me
feel like leave everything to God and he will take care of it.
From that day onwards, I have always wanted to listen to that bhajan. Be it from anywhere. I
always felt that this bhajan ought to be sung with lot of Bhava.
When we went to Sri Lanka, we went on a boat ride. I felt like singing this bhajan. Just when
I had finished the bhajan, there was a small boy like a monk wearing an orange robe standing on the bridge. I felt so happy. I felt as if it was Swami in the form of that boy form standing on that bridge. It was one of the happiest days of my life.
SRIKRITHI SRIDHAR
SSE Group 3 Year 1
Bahrain

24
24

NON-VIOLENCE

Swami says Non-violence is not causing hurt by thought, word or action.

When my Balvikas guru told me this, I was confused. I understood that if you beat someone, it
is violence. Harsh words also create wounds that will take time to heal. But thoughts, they are
within me. Even if I think badly about someone, they will not know. Then, how can it be violent? When I asked my BV guru this question, she came near me lovingly and said Child,
thoughts are powerful. Bad thoughts spread hatred and will destroy you while good thoughts
spread love and will help you.
My guru narrated this to help us understand the
point.

Once, a devotee of Bhagawan Baba was travelling

in a plane. Unfortunately the plane was hijacked.
The hijackers tied all the passengers and used bad
words. They were violent and threatened to blow
up the plane if the pilot did not listen to them. The
devotee prayed to Baba to help them. In her prayer, the devotee heard Swamis voice saying give
them love. The devotee sent thoughts of kindness
and love to the hijackers. Soon, like a miracle, the
hijackers became calm and asked the pilot to land
the plane safely. All the passengers were saved
from sure disaster.
This was possible because the devotee showered them with love and practiced non violence.
We were all happy when we listened to this story. How can I not hurt by word, thought or action? I asked my teacher
Practice what Swami says my teacher said.
Swami says Start the Day with Love; Spend the Day with Love; Fill the Day with Love and End
the Day with Love. Then you cannot hurt anyone, for love in feeling is non-violence.
I looked at Swamis photo which adorned the shrine. I said a quiet thank you for giving me so
much love as I left the class.
Saish Shanbaugh
SSE Group 2
Abu Dhabi

25
25

HATE NO ONE
I would like to share my experience about an incident which took place in my school a few
days ago. There is a boy in my class who had no friends and was feeling lonely in school. He
was ignored by his classmates due to his physical illness and habits. He developed skin fungus on his right arm which looked completely gross for most children and mainly his peers.
After he recovered everyone still continued to ignore him and was left alone. Initially I used to
ignore him too as I followed blindly my other classmates opinion.
One fine day I decided to approach him and invite him to be my friend to which he gladly
agreed. I could see tears of happiness flowing from his eyes. Now he is one of my best
friends. I realized from his perspective how lonely a person would feel when left without
friends for a long time. It made me feel sorry for him and induced me to make him my friend.
I am thankful for being a part of Balvikas as these values learnt in Balvikas always come to
the fore at the right time. In my class I learnt the following shloka from the Bhagavad gita :
Adveshta Sarvabhoothanaam
Maitrah Karuna Eva Cha,
Nirmamo Nirahankaaras
Samadukha Sukakh Kshamee

He who hates no one, who is friendly and compassionate to all, who is free from attachment
and egoism, balanced in pleasure, and pain and forgiving is truly dear to Me
My kind appeal to all my friends, focus on the persons character and not on his looks
Saimanish
SSE Group 3 Year 1
Dubai

26
26

PONGAL
Pongal is a four day long harvest festival celebrated in southern states of India. Pongal is one of
the most important Hindu festivals of the year. It is mainly celebrated in Tamilnadu. It is a harvest festival, a traditional occasion to express gratitude, to nature, which gives us grains. This is
traditionally the month of weddings too.

First day is celebrated as Bhogi festival in honor of lord Indra, the supreme ruler of clouds
that gives us rains. Another ritual observed on this day is Bhogi Mantalu, where in unwanted
household articles are thrown into a fire made of wood
and cow dung cakes.

Second day of Pongal, ceremonial worship is performed when rice is boiled in milk in an earthen pot
and then offered to the Sun God.

The third day is known as Kanuma Pongal, the day of

Pongal for cows. Multi colored beads, thin bells, flower
garlands, etc. are tied around the neck of the cattle
and then worshipped.

The fourth day is known as Mukannuma Pongal day. On this day a turmeric leaf is washed
and then placed on the ground. Women pray for the wellbeing of house members, especially
brothers. Then they sprinkle the holy turmeric water in all corners of the house.
Anirudh
SSE Group 2, Year 1
Dubai

A DAY WITHOUT WATER

On a Friday morning, I woke up late as usual and went to the
bathroom to brush my teeth and to have my bath. When I
opened the tap, there was no water! We went to the watchman
to complain about it, but he said that there was no water in the
whole building. There were only some bottles of mineral water in
our house. We brushed our teeth with that. Then we wanted to
eat some food, we did not have enough water to cook the food.
But then, my father went to the nearby market and bought
some food. We could not bathe that day. We had a very tough
day and on that day I understood why Swami says, Water is
precious.
Water is very precious, but not like gold or silver... It is priceless. So, we should not waste water.
Pavithra Rajeev

27
27

DRAWINGS

28
28

DRAWINGS

29
29

Be Like The Petal of a Flower,

Soft With Compassion
Bright With The Knowledge of Your Divinity
Fragrant With Pure Love
Offer This Flower at My Feet,
And Adorn ME

JAI SAI RAM

30