Book Notes
Rays of Radiance,
Service, Adoration Illumination
Prof. Anil Kumar
From the Publisher's note:~
Well known for his scholarship and humour, especially among Sai devotees everywhere, Prof. Anil Kumar endears himself to every reader of his writings which unfailingly exude a rare flavour of camaraderie and brotherhood. It will not be out of place to say that this book, aptly titled "Rays of Radiance - Service, Adoration, Illumination - SAI", is a collection and compilation of certain ultimate experiences that he had with the Divine over a period of years.
He has laboriously gathered, garnered and treasured the precious utterances of the Lord as and when they emerged casually as He spoke to His students or interacted with some devotees who were privileged to enjoy His proximity. Prof. Anil Kumar has authored many books that can bring the reader closer to the teachings and philosophy of the Avatar of the Age.
It is a matter of great pleasure for the Book Trust to present this book which is informative, educative and revelatory to the readers most of whom are familiar with the author either through his books or through his lectures. The Book Trust hopes that the readers will be amply benefited by going through this book.
The Preface indicates the scope of the contents of these 320 pages:~
The dissemination of Swami's message is a sacred assignment. When the completed translation of Kantirekhalu (Rays of Radiance) was placed at the Divine Lotus Feet of Bhagavan Baba, out of His infinite compassion, He blessed the venture, and instructed that the format be recast on the lines of Satyopanishad. This turned out to be a way of going beyond translating the text into the unifying threads of Swami's message. Each of the 189 segments (episodes, scriptural clarifications, celebrations, reminiscences, etc) was found to emphasise Service, Adoration or Illumination. In His boundless compassion, Swami gave His approval to the grouping of the topics under the three overarching themes of Service, Adoration, Illumination, and to the title.
The first section, Service, opens. with the Mission of the Avatar, and proceeds to the building blocks of sadhana, viz., the Human Values of Satya, Dharma, Shanti, Prema and Ahimsa. Without an awareness of these, no man can be called human. In order to undertake service, the three tools, trikarana, viz., thought, word, and deed, have to be cleansed and kept in good shape. The adage runs, "Sariramadyam khalu dharmasadhanam," the body is, for spiritual discipline, the first and foremost implement.
So, topics such as Diet, Posture, and Health follow. Speech, which defines and expresses relationships, is no less important. As the Gita describes, one should cultivate anudvegakaram vakyam sat yam priyahitam ca yat, speech which is truthful, pleasing, good and not offensive. Besides emphasising the importance of good speech, Swami offers valuable guidelines through His comments on speakers, audience, and topics. Purification of deed and word is followed by that of thought. Service, seva, minimises one's feeling of "mine" and' 'thine," and enhances the sense of relatedness. There is in the mind a mass of mala, impure thoughts and tendencies of the present life and those accruing from several past lives. Service wipes away this mala. Further, when rendered lovingly, sincerely, and unselfishly, Service (Narayana Seva, Grama Seva, Educare, Medicare, Sociocare, etc.) becomes a worthy offering to the Lord, "a flower at His Feet." That is why Swami says, "Love all, Serve all," "Help ever, Hurt never." Service, motivated by self-interest (power, profit, and popularity) is futile, and misdirected service (wrong place, time, and person) is hurtful. Therefore, the watchword is viveka, Discrimination.
The mind, being wanton, wayward, and a mere bundle of desires, obstructs the inward path. It promotes worldly concerns as permanent and fixed. It projects the unreal as real by its power of viksepa. It lends an air of stability to the fleeting. Adoration is a spiritual discipline for overcoming viksepa. In the second section, Swami stresses the necessity of unwavering faith, and the role of satsang, the reading of scriptures and the company of holy men, have in strengthening one's faith. Successive stages of Adoration are but variations on how to please the Lord. In the process, the mind becomes increasingly drawn to the name and sp1endour of Divinity, facilitating a mysterious rapport with Divinity. Swami takes the initiative in giving us a taste of such a rapport or communion. As the all-knowing, loving Mother, as the Rama reassuring abhaya, protection, He recalls the careers of devotees, past and present, and declares that all He seeks is nothing but Love, the Love He Himself planted in the first place. A true devotee, Swami cautions, dwells on Bhagavan's Love and Grace rather than on his own yearning for Him. Adoration finds expression in pranipata, prostration. In the Shirdi avatar and the present incarnation too, the import of pranipata as a sign of total surrender was amplified. As Adoration deepens, the mind focuses itself exclusively on the Lord and seeks Him and Him alone, ananya, no other. Then, praise and blame, prosperity and adversity do not touch the devotee. He neither grieves, nor craves, na socati, na kansati. Vignettes of Kodaikanal and Prasanthi Nilayam, glimpses of Sikh and Muslim devotees and of those from abroad and festivals and celebrations vividly portray this pervasive spirit of Love. Here the watchword is vairagya, Detachment.
In the third section, Illumination, Swami appears almost exclusively as the Self-luminous Atma, ever eager to shower the grace of realisation. Man's total identification with the body stems from avarana the mind's power to veil reality. Considering himself a physical being, man vainly seeks to solve his problems, ignoring their spiritual dimension. As our elders taught, he needs a different type of education, an education that liberates, sa vidya ya vimuktaye. Relentless and exhaustive probing, pariprasna, is the way of spiritual seekers like Nachiketa, and Maitreyi. This is the Gita way elucidated in the Shirdi avatar too. The student is required to question again and again because a doubt, once cleared, gives rise to another, and still another. Swami often remarks, "Come, examine, experience," and "Test is my Taste." Sometimes a devotee fails to come forward to express his doubts. Then Swami Himself questions him. He brings into the open the layers of lurking doubts, and clarifies them all, whether these relate to Divinity, scriptures, or spiritual disciplines. Through His Grace, the devotee gains jnanam vijnanasahitam, the wisdom of the sastras coupled with spiritual experience. The earnest seeker turns into a practitioner, and eventually becomes the illumined one. The watchword is vicara, self-enquiry. Service, Adoration, and Illumination are phases of a single process, says Swami, and aptly compares them to the flower, the ripening fruit, and the ripe fruit. He embodies, expounds, and exemplifies saniitana dharma on earth among us. To quote Swami, "Whatever Swami does or gets done, says or directs others to say, remember it is to emphasise or make clear or exemplify the message of the Atmic reality of man."
$3 from Sai Books, 24 Kenilworth Ave, Wonga Park, 3115,
Margaret and Randall McDonald
email books [at] saiaustralia.org.au
Phone (03)9722 1740