SEVA/ACTIVITIES

Aum Sri Bhagawathi Srimad Sai Rajarajeshwari engaging in service.
.

Srimad Sai Rajarajeshwari Trust Distribute goods to the poor
Avatars of God are engaged in service; that is why Avatars
happen.Hence,when you offer service to mankind,the Avatar
will naturally be pleased and you can win grace.
Service is the highest spiritual exercise (sadhana), for God
Himself takes human form and comes down to serve mankind
and lead it to the ideals it has ignored.Therefore, consider how
delighted God will be when man serves man ! Deserve the grace of God by helping the weak and the poor, the diseased and the disabled,the distressed and the downtrodden.
Every human being is a manifestation of God.Every object
manifests the Divine.Service can instill more intensely than any
other activity the sense of the basic one.Service saves you from
the agony you get when another suffers;it broadens your Vision,
widens your awareness,deepens your compassion.All waves are
on the same sea,from the same sea, the same sea.Service teaches
you to be firm in this knowledge.No other sadhana can bring you
into the incessant contemplation of the oneness of all living beings.
The mind of a person not engaged in service is a devil's workshop.
One who does not work sits like an inert object.Such a person does
not get sleep also.The one who does not get sleep starts thinking
of bad things.He gets unnecessary thoughts.He becomes mad
afterwards.When we keep doing workl,there is no room for such
unwanted thoughts.Peace is the state free from thoughts.Love
deepens with this peace.This love is innate in us.So we can increase
this love inherent in us through dedication and service.Service
fosters the plant of love.
To remove the evil of egoism ,service is the most efficient
instrument.Service will also impress on the person doing service
the unity of all mankind.He who dedicates his time,skill, and
strength to service can never meet defeat,distress, or
disappiontment ,for service is its own reward.His word will be
ever sweet and soft,his gestures ever revered and humble.
He will have no foe,no fatigue,no fear.
You have no reason to feel proud when you are able to help
another, for your skill or wealth or strength or courage or
official position that gave you the chance to serve was the
gift of God - whether you recognise it or not.You are only
offering this God's gift to another God's gift, namely the poor,
the illiterate, the weak, the diseased , the grieving, the
broken-hearted,who seek your help.
Selfless service is the fragrant flower of altruistic love.It is not to
be performed for the satisfaction of the person rendering the
service or the person at whose bidding it is so done.Man should
regard selfless service as the purpose for which he is given life.
This feeling should flow through his very nerves and bloodstream
and premeate every cell of his body.Whatever be the work we do,
we should do it as an offering to God and for His pleasure.We
should take up service activities for the purification of our
own hearts.
The sadhana of service is quite distinct.In service you devote
all your energy and attention to the task at hand,for it is a
dedicated task.You forget the body and ignore its demands.
You set aside your individuality and its prestige and perquisites.
You pluck your ego by its roots and cast it away.You give up your
status,conceit,your name and form and all that they demand from
others.
Love is God, God is love.When there is love,there God is certainly
evident.Love more and more people,love them more and more
intensely;transform the love into service,transform the service into
worship;that is the highest sadhana.
It is mere weakness to give the silly excuse that you have no time
for service because you are so busy with your duties.Cleaning
streets in the villages is not the only service available to you.
Discharging your duties a righteous manner is,in itself, a service.
One should regard service as performing one's duties properly and
working enough to justify the pay one gets.If a person works
conscientiously every minute of the day,doing the job he is hired
to do, that is service.
When you go into the qualifications needed for service,you will
know that a pure heart - uncontaminated by conceit, greed, envy,
hatred or competition - is essential; also, faith in God, as the spring
of vitality, virtue,and justice.Service is the worship you offer to the
God in the heart of everyone.
Engage yourselves in service activity.Consider social service as
service to God.To earn the love of God,this is the easiest way.
The best way to love God is to love all and serve all.Your entire
life will be sanctified thereby.
An opportunity to be of some service to fellowman comes to you as
a gift from God.Serve with the sense of gratitude,for it is God who
accepts it from you.Prepare yourself for serving others,and at the
time when you are not actively engaged in some such activity,be
busy with repeating and remembering the name of the Lord or
meditation;fill yourself with God, lest you go dry and cruel.
Have firm faith that service is the greatest spiritual exercise. There cannot be a greater spiritual exercise than service.
Aum Sri Bhagawathi Srimad Sai Rajarajeswari
Seva or service is given utmost importance by amma. The devotees guided by Amma take part in a lot of service activities. They include:
Activities of the Spiritual Centre

Spiritual centre on the banks of the river Cauvery
The spiritual activities of amma are concentrated at Karekura, a remote village of Mandya District. The Centre is situated at the banks of the river Cauvery and will be a place for a pilgrimage in the future. When the trustees asked about how the place was selected Amma said “in the past Rishi Gouthama dwelled here. This was a spiritual centre at that time. But in the later period the place was neglected and became a cursed place where no Brahmins were allowed to stay. When Amma visited the area she purified and sanctified the area.
The place is situated in a serene environment with river Cauvery flowing by it side. The surrounding area is green with the chirping melody of the birds bringing peace to all who visit there. Even though the village is 15km from Mysore it is deprived of basic amenities as if they were waiting for Amma to set foot in to the village.
Today for this noble cause of service to the rural village many devotees have joined the mission of Amma. There have been many miraculous changes within the last three years. Some of the programmes benefits are listed below:
.
Balavikas Programme
Within the first few days of Ammas first visit to this village she arranged it so that the children in the village were taught how to live hygienically. The children are supplied with books, clothes and toiletries free of charge. They are also taught bhajans and shlokas in Sanskrit. At first Amma herself taught the children on Fridays there was a very pleasant atmosphere and was a beautiful sight to see the children singing the shlokas. Amma’s message to all is that there no human factors can be a hindrance or barrier in the path of spirituality.
.

Bhagawathi blessing the village children with bhajan sessions
Annapurna Service
Aswel as with the Balavikas Programme there is the service of feeding the children for free. Every Sunday devotees from Mysore go to the village centre and distribute food to the children after “Shramadan”. The meals are cooked at the site Amma says that “by preparing the food at the site itself past sins will be washed away and the place will be purified”.
.
Annapoorna seva - by Annapoorneshwari
Vanamoohothsava Programme
.
This programme was initiated on Amma’s 51stbirthday celebrations in 1998 where 51 tree saplings were planted and many more after. Devotees watered the plants manually by hand with devotion and hard work. After a well, water pimp and an overhead water tank were built. Amma had decided to grow paddy on half an acre of barren full of boulders. Amma decided in her mind that the food that was supplied to the people freely should also be grown by the devotees themselves. The people were amazed to find that within a few months to find a rich paddy craft on what was barren land. The first crop was distributed amongst the villagers with the love and blessings of Amma.
Today vegetabes are also grown to be used for the Annapurna service.
.

Amma switches on the pump house at the centre for water to flow to feed the trees and plants.
.


Planting the saplings of bliss Sowing the seeds of love
Goseva
.
When Amma visited Kanhangad an old swamiji offered presented Amma with two cows. The cows arrived at Mysore and a devotee from Bangalore constructed a cow shed. Today there are three cows and three calves. This service along with the others has provided employment to the villagers and the opportunity for some of the poor families to work.

Cows arrive for divine service from Ramdas ashram, Kanhangad
Service at the Leprosy Colony.
The service at the leprosy is done once every month. The Devotees visit the Leprosy colony, join the inmates of the colony in singing Bhajans and other social activities. Divine mother herself intiated this service a few years ago. This service activity has been able to bring the leprosy patients closer to the society and make them feel that they are not an isolated community.
Amritha Sinchana --Counselling for the survivours of suicidal attempts.
.
Amrita Sinchana , is a service activity wherein the trained volunteers visit the local hospitals and meet those patients who are survivours of suicidal attempts. The divine mother ( Amma) says that human being is bound to make mistakes under the shadow of ignorance". So, Amma emphasises that such patients in the hospitals need a good care to get them out of that complex and make them think in the right direction before commiting any such mistakes. The Volunteers meet them everyday and develop a positive sense for living in them. The contact with the patients are maintained even after they come out of the Hospital. The response to this service has been phenomenal. Many of the patients who underwent counselling inturn have been offering services as volunteers in this seva activity.
Services at Jail.
.
The first sunday of every month, devotees visit the central jail in Mysore and meet the inmates. A Satsang is held with an active participation of singing bhajans by inmates. The devotees join them in singing bhajans. The service is followed by serving food for the inmates. Amma has visited the inmates many times and has showered her blessings. This seva activity has been able to build a positive attitude among the inmates to confidentally join back the society after they are release from the jail.
Other Social Services
Other than Amma’s Sankalpa of benefiting the villagers in every possible way the trust has also taken up smaller projects. A team of youths from the collage of Mysore manually constructed roads, planting and fencing trees. During the time they had camped at the centre for 15 days. A canal has been bridged in the village with the cooperation of the villagers, trust and the government officials. An incoming road to the village has been tarred and as a result of that there is now a bus service runs. Many festive occasions such as Amma’s Birthday, Dussara, Ugadi, Ramanavmi, and Deepavali are jointly celebrated with the villagers who are gifted with Prasadam and cloth material on these occasions.
Spiritual Activities
Amma has selected this place for her spiritual activities because of its sanctity. All the other activities are materialistic which are necessary to cater for mans needs and existence. It is not a sin to engage in the materialistic activities. But at the same time we must provide some time for god who is our guardian. One’s goal should be to rise to the level of god. The main objective on mans life on earth is to strive for this godhood. Hence Amma has given us all the opportunity to realise these goals through service to others. Long before acquiring a place for the spiritual centre in the village Amma had pointed out to a location and said that “a temple of Shirdi sai Baba will be built there”.
After 3 years of predicting so at that very place on the 29thmarch 2000 a foundation stone was laid for that temple with a dormitory for pilgrims has also been constructed. Over 10 acres of land was available for future activities ant the trust has plans to build a school, a hospital and a Veda mantapa. The foundation stones for these projects were laid March 29th2001.
.


foundations for Shirdi Sai Shirdi Sai Mandir under constructed
Mandir 29th march 2000
Medical Services
.
Health is an important aspect for human beings. The trust plan to build a hospital for the well being of the villagers. The villagers motivated by the idea have donated ¼ acre of land for the project. To raise funds a musical project was done. A famous neuro surgeon Dr. Baskar who was an admirer Hindustani music sang for the cause.
.

Events at Amma’s Mysore abode
Celebrations
Significance of Navaratri
Amma being the full embodiment of Rajarajeshwari is Mother of Mother. All gods and goddesses were created out of Her. She also represents the goddesses Durga, Lakshmi and Saraswati. In this light, Dasara celebrations are held at Amma’s abode in Mysore, every year. These celebrations are eagerly awaited by Her devotees as this is also a rare chance to see Amma in the Divine Dance.
Sai Baba has direct Amma to give darshan once a week, on Monday evenings. Apart from this (although even now Amma doesn’t give darshan every Monday) Amma does not come out to give darshan. Dasara is a time when Amma comes out and gives darshan, twice a day for the whole ten days. Devotees from all over the world flock to Her abode at this time of the year.
The proceedings are spread over ten days. On the upper floor of Amma’s abode, a Kalash is installed and various pujas are conducted daily.
The pujas are –
1) Ganapathi puja
2) Nav graha puja
3) Shiva puja
4) Devi puja
Other pujas may also be performed if direct by Amma or depending on what day it is. On the first day, an elaborate Yagna is conducted by priests and devotees can sit and watch. The chanting of Vedic hymms and various offerings as oblitations into the fire truly surcharge the whole atmosphere with divine vibrations. At some point, Amma may come to give darshan and bless the proceedings. This is one feature of Dasara celebrations at Amma’s abode.
During the rest of the festival, the above pujas are carried out daily by devotees who have been chosen by Amma to sit for them. These take place early in the morning. Soon thereafter, bhajans are sung during which Amma will come, grant darshan, bless devotees and accept aarthi. She will also bless the prasadam. Straight after this, chanting of Trishati (300 names of Devi) takes place, on the ground floor of Amma’s abode. Some are lucky enough to be able to sit in the room. Very often, while Trishati is being chanting, kumkum is offered at Amma’s lotus feet by the priests as each name is recited.
Kumkum archana at the Divine Mother’s Lotus Feet
During this process, many devotees have had many experiences. Some have seen Amma leave Her body. During this time, as Amma sits upon Her seat and is being worshipped as ardangi (left side) of Lord Shiva, She is accepting the worship from the whole universe. She answers the prayers of those who call upon Her. She may also be working on the more subtle planes, rectifying problems around the universe. Many things occur but are not always visible to everybody present. Amma Herself may later reveal what actually transpired as worship was being conducted. After the conclusion of the chanting of Trishati, aarti is offered to Amma. There are four aarthi’s that take place –
1) Shirdi Sai Baba aarthi (Ovalu aarthi mazya Sadguru Natha)
2) Sathya Sai Baba aarthi (Om Jai Jagadisha Hare, Swami Sathya Sai Hare)
3) Sharda Maa aarthi (Jai Maa, Jai Maa, Jai Maa Sharadi)
4) Durga Maa aarthi (Durgathi Naashani)
Sri Taranath offers aarthi to Amma
This concludes the morning’s proceedings. Later on in the evening, bhajans are again held on the upper floor and Amma will again come and give darshan and may grant interviews to some devotees.
Divine Dance of Amma
On the last few days of Dasara (from Durga Ashatami or the eighth day) Amma shows the leela of Divine Dance. Many people will see this Divine Dance from the outer angle and hence loose the real significance of the dance. Amma is bhoomi devi (Mother earth Herself) and so any little action of Her’s will have an affect somewhere in the universe (this has been elaborated upon earlier). She will show various mudras that will correct certain things or carry out the work She commands. It must also be remembered that one of the reasons for the descent of the present Purna Avatar Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba was as a result of the Divine Dance of Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvathi upon Mount Kailash when Sage Bharadwaj went to see Them.
This Divivne Dance is natural to Amma. Her nature is Rajarajeshwari and She is the waves of creation. Devotees who are fortunate enough to be present at the Divine dance are lucky enough to have cosmic rays as they are emitted from Amma.
Ladies from neighbouring villages also come and chant the sacred Rudram (Namakam and Chamakam) as flowers are poured upon Amma as archana.
Flower archana as Namakam and Chamakam are recited
Through the entire celebrations, Narayan seva is also conducted. The huge amounts of people are fed with a variety of different foods that Amma, Herself has personally chosen and directed to be cooked. She indicates what should be cooked daily. Amma is like Swami in the respect that She will take care of the minutest detail. Villagers from Karekura as well as other villages come and are fed in the trust house. Children are given clothes that are specially made for them. The type of cloth is selected by Amma Herself! As Amma and Sai Baba placed much emphasis on seva, Amma also visits Mysore jail along with some devotees and distributed food to the inmates. Amma Herself serves the food and those who are disadvantaged are fed by Amma. This is very touching to see how the all merciful Mother responds to one and all.
On the last day of Dasara, water from the Kalash is distributed to the devotees by Amma Herself. A devotee will walk behind Her and She will bless some people with the water. For some, She will pour into their mouths. Others are splashed once or thrice, depending upon Amma’s Will. Amma has said that this blessing is given as per the karmas of the individual. Swami too used to distubute water from the kalash in the same way.
Dasara day is also the day that Shirdi Sai Baba gave up His mortal coil. As Amma is One with Sai (Shirdi Sai and Sathya Sai), Shirdi Baba manifests through Amma and speaks to the devotees. Amma’s close attendants and devotees are very alert and will know when Shirdi Baba is about to manifest. They will then quickly move Amma’s chair into the ‘Dwarakamayi’ room and ensure Amma does not loose consciousness. (The message of Shirdi Baba given to devotees in the October 2007 can also be viewed Under the who is Amma heading).

This is an account of the Dasara celebrations at Amma’s Divine abode.
- Bhajan at the Shirdi Sai Temple, Karekura village, every Thursday from 6.30pm to 8.00pm
- Bhajan and satsang at Chayadevi and Puttaveeramma orphanages on the last Wednesday of every month from 6.30pm to 7.30pm
- Amma’s birthday celebrations, 29th March, at Shirdi Temple, Karekura
- Swami’s birthday celebrations, 23rd November, at Shirdi Temple, Karekura
- Dassarah celebrations for ten days, during Navratri, at Amma’s abode
- Narayan Seva (yearly) on the last Sunday of every December at Amma’s abode
- Narayan Seva at Mysore Central Jail during every December
- Celebrations of Guru Purnima, Ishwaramba day, Krishna Jayanthi, Maha Shivaratri, Diwali, Ramanavami and Vinayaka Chathurthi
- Annapoorna Seva, every Sunday, for village children at Karekura
- Free Medical Camp , every Sunday at Karekura
- Yamunabhai day (memorial day of Amma’s physical mother) celebrated on 18th January with Annapoorna Seva at Karekura
- Summer camp for village children, for one month (from April to May – yearly) where curricular activities (Balvikas) are taught.
With the blessings of Sai Baba, a Trust was formed under the leadership of Amma. As per Swami’s command it was called ‘Srimad Sai Rarajarsjeshwari Trust®’. The objectives of the Trust were blessed by Sai Baba in 1997, coinciding with the fiftieth birthday celebrations of Srimad Sai Rajarajeshwari.
Amma is very practical and says meditation is good for the mind, but in today’s society how can one really meditate? She therefore places a great deal of emphasis on seva, service activites. She has truly put into practise what Sai Baba says – ‘Hands that help are holier than lips that pray’. Below are the objectives of Amma’s Trust.
Objectives of Srimad Sai Rajarajeshwari Trust
1) Promote the principle of Sanathana Dharma based upon the human values of Love, Peace, Truth, Right-Conduct and Non-Violence as expounded by Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba
2) Light the path of men and women (especially householders) to lead and guide them to reach the supreme goal of ‘God-Realization’.
3) To awaken in humans the awareness of the in-dwelling Divinity
4) To help erase the ego in humans through the medium of Satsang, Bhajans, Seva activites, meditation and Divine discourses.
5) Impart and promote spiritual wisdom to one and all, irrespective of caste, creed, colour or religion.
6) Publish books and other material imbibing the spiritual spirit.
7) To promote in humans, a sense of concern for the good of society and well being of all.
8) To emphasise the importance of service to those who are less fortunate.
9) To help the destitute lead a respectable life.
10) Promote human values for those on the spiritual path to help usher in the Golden Age.

SHIVARATHRI DISCOURSE GIVEN BY AMMA
DIVINE SOULS.
TODAY BEING SHIVARATHRI SUPPOSED TO BE A VERY AUSPICIOUS DAY FOR DEVOTEES. ALL OVER THE WORLD WE CAN HEAR ONLY THE NAME OF LORD SHIVA.
WHAT DOES SHIVARATHRI REPRESENT?
AS PER THE HINDU SCRIPTURESBRAMAHA IS SUPPOSED TO BE THE CREATOR, VISHNU THE SUSTAINER AND LORD SHIVA THE DESTROYER.
WE CALL THE 3 POWERS AS TRINITY AND AT THE SAME TIMETHE HINDU SCRIPTURES SAY GOD IS NIRGUNA AND NIRAKARA.
FOR THE SAKE OF THE DEVOTEES AND FOR THE CONVIENENCE THE IDOL WORSHIP IS PRACTISED IN INDIA.
WITH OR WITHOUT FORM ONE CAN WORSHIP GOD ACCORDING TO ONE’S OWN EXCEPTANCE. THERE IS NO HARD RULELAID DOWN BY THE SCRIPTURES. LIKE A SMALL CHILD LEARNING ALPHABETS IN THE KINDERGARDEN CLASSES CAN BE COMPARED TO THE IDOL WORSHIP. AS THE CHILD LEARNS THE ALPHABETS AND STARTS SENTENCES AND LATERON TRIES TO LEARN SUBJECTS,
LIKEWISE IDOL WORSHIP SHOULD TURN UP TO THE INNER HIGHERCONSCIOUSNESS. THEN ONLY ONE CAN BE DETACHED TO THE MATERIALISTIC WORLD AND ALSO ENJOY THE BLISS WITHIN.
WHAT IS ATTACHMENT?
ATTACHMENT IS SURELY CONNECTED WITH THE DESIRES OF THE MATERIALISTICWORLD. JUST LIKEA SILK WORM COVERS ITSELF IN A COCCON AND CANNOT FIND A WAY TO COME OUT LIKEWISE MAN ALSO FOLLOWS HIS MIND AND WITHOUT HIS KNOWLEDGE HE COVERS HIMSELF WITH KARMA. EVERY ACTION HAS GOT EQUAL REACTION, THIS HAS BEEN PROVED ALSO IN SCIENCE..SO GOOD ACTION GOOD RESULTS, BAD ACTION BAD RESULTS.
THIS IS THE LAW LAID DOWN BY GOD HIMSELF ON EARTH.
KARMA WILL ACCUMULATE BECAUSE OF 3 REASONS.
- THINKING
- TALKING
- ACTION.
ONE MUST BE VERY VERY CAREFULL WHEN ONE TAKES A STEP.
SHIVARATHRI DAY PEOPLE FAST.AND THE WHOLE NIGHT PEOPLE ENGAGE IN PRAISING LORD SHIVA’S GLORY.
WHAT IS UPAVASAM?
UPA MEANS NEAR, VASAM MEANS PLACE. SO UPAVASAM MEANS NEAR TO GOD. UPAVASAM DOES NOT MEAN FASTING, NEVER MIND YOU HAVE FOOD ON SHIVARATHRI BUT BE VERY CLOSE TO GOD BY CHANTING HIS NAME.
GOD IS VERY KIND, COMPASSIONATE THAT HE HAS GIVEN AN OPPURTUNITY TO BE BORN AS HUMAN BEING. NEVER SHOULD WE FORGET THE HUMAN VALUES BECAUSE THROUGH THE HUMAN FORM WE HAVE TO ATTAIN GODLINESS AND REACH DIVINITY.
DIVINITY MEANS ONE HAS TO SHED AWAY THE EGO AND BODY CONSCIOUSNESS. THEN ONLY ONE CAN RISE TO THE HIGHER CONSCIUOSNESS.
VISHNU’S APPEARANCE SHOWS US RAJASIC (VERY GRANDEUR APPEARANACE). SHIVA REPRESENTS DETACHEMENT. LIKE WISE EVERY DEVOTEE SHOULD FOLLOW HIM AND BE DETACHED TO THE MATERIALISTIC WORLD AND BE ONE WITH HIM.
TODAY BEING SHIVARATHRI, IT IS GOOD TO REPEAT SHIVOHAM (I’M ONE WITH SHIVA) BECAUSE YOU ALSO BELONG TO HIM AND HIM ALONE.
RATHER THE WHOLE OF THIS CREATION IS HIS GRANDEUR.
FIRM FAITH AND DETACHMENT TO THE MATERIALISTIC WORLD DEFINETELY WILL LEAD TO THE SELF KNOWLEDGE (BLISSFULL AWA RENESS).
AMMA HAS CONVEYED HER LOVE AND BLESSINGS TO ALL THE PEOPLE OF GREAT BRITAIN.
LOVE-
SSRT.
MYSORE.