Latest Monthly News Letter

NASSTA NEWSLETTER OM SAI RAM Issue # 10 1

NASSTA

NEWSLETTER

Om Sai Ram

10th Issue

December 2013

OM SAI RAM IN THIS ISSUE

This is our tenth NAASTA newsletter with

the list of upcoming events, temple

pictures, stories and future temple

projects. With our devotee’s participation,

we would like to publish more monthly

newsletters.

QUOTE OF THE MONTH

“God is not so far away. He is

not in the heavens above, nor

in hell below. He is always near

you.”

DECEMBER EVENTS AT NASSTA

1. Sai Vrath - Saturday, December

14th, 2013

NASSTA is scheduling Sai Vrath on

Saturday December 14th at 3 PM.

Sponsorship is $51 per couple.

2. Dhanurmasam Begins

Sunday, December 15th, 2013

3. Bhajan - Sunday, December

15th , 2013

NASSTA is scheduling a Bhajan on

Sunday December 15th from 4 PM to

5.45 PM.

Everyone is cordially invited to

attend.

4. Sri Dattatreya Jayanthi

(Purnima) Monday, December

16th , 2013

NASSTA is celebrating Sri

Dattajayanthi on Monday, December

16th 2013

9.00 AM Sri Dattatreya

Abhishekam $51.00

11.00 AM Sri Dattatreya

Ashtottara Sahasranamarchana

$31.00

(Temple will be opened from 5.45 am

to 9.00 pm)

5. Sai Satyanarayana Vrath -

Saturday, December 28th,

2013

NASSTA is scheduling Sri

Satyanarayana Vrath on Saturday

December 28th at 3 PM.

Sponsorship is $51 per couple.

ARATI TIME - EVERYDAY

Kakad Arati –6:00 am

Abhishekham - 6:30 am

Madhyana Arathi –12:00 pm

Dhoop Arati –6 pm

Shej Arati – 8:30 pm

FREE BHAJAN CLASSES

Friday 7.30 pm Children and Adults are

welcome to attend. Look forward to your

participation!

NASSTA NEWSLETTER OM SAI RAM | Issue # 10 2

Sunday, November 17, 2013. The

crowds were settling in at Georgia

Tech’s Robert Ferst Center for the

Arts. The welcome and

introductions from Venkat Maddi,

President of Shirdi Sai Baba

Temple, were well received.

Mahesh Kommajosula aptly put it,

“It is a blessing to do Ramayana

under the watchful guidance from

Sai Baba.”

Every gaze was fixed on the stage

as the curtains slowly rose to

music. After months of pondering

over scenes and backdrops, after

hours of grinding rehearsals and

fine-tuning the timing of the music,

lighting and actors, the moment

had finally come to cut loose the

epic production, Ramayana.

The spotlight beamed down to the

center of the stage. Reclined in

his characteristic pose under the

hood of Sesh Naag ,

MahaLakshmi by his side, Lord

Vishnu smiled. After listening to

the woes of Gods and tales of

Ravana’s domination and terror,

Vishnu finally rose to his feet. And

made an announcement aimed at

wiping out all misery: to destroy

Ravana and his evil, He and

Lakshmi would take the human

form of Rama and Sita, and grace

Earth, thus marking the birth of

Ramayana, the grand epic.

The tremendous production

efforts came into view as various

events unfolded, each scene

embellished with color, costumes,

intricate make-up, and authentic

props and settings. From

Dasharatha’s Putra-kameshti

yagna, the rewarding appearance

of Yagna Purush, the birth of

Rama, Bharata, Lakshmana, and

Shatrughna, the calming Vashisht

gurukul, to the striking

Ramayana – An epic comes alive on stage

by Ajay Vishwanathan


transformation of the young

brothers into strapping men

armed majestically with bow and

arrows. The appearance of the

scions of the Sun dynasty on

stage was greeted with applause

and set the tone for the rest of the

show.

“Rama’s name will remain forever

etched as the indestructible

symbol of dharm,” said Vasisht as

he convinced Dasaratha to offer

his sons to Vishwamitra for

protection of his yagna. As the

play progressed, with backdrops

riding heavily on many moving

parts, with scenes requiring

precise coordination, there were

high-points that will remain etched

forever in people’s minds. The

Vishwamitra ashram, breaking of

Shiva’s bow, Sita-Rama

Kalyanam, squashing of

Parashuram’s ego, crossing of

Ganga in a boat, Panchavati,

severing of Soorpanakha’s nose,

Ravana’s entry, playing Veena to

Mandodari’s moves, Sita’s

abduction and Pushpak viman

journey to Ashok Vatika, the Vali-

Sugreev combat, the elaborate

design of Rama and Ravana’s

chariots as they engaged in the

final battle, and of course the

picture-perfect Rajya Abhishek

where the finery, color and

grandeur of the costumes lit up

the stage.

“When I consider previous plays

that I have been part of, the

production aspects of this one

probably rank as some of the

most complex,” said Lakshmi

Vedala, one of the key backstage

support hands for Ramayana who

was also instrumental in helping

boost ticket sales. “A show like

this is immensely valuable for

adults and children alike,” said

Navin Tyagi, a dedicated devotee

and an ardent fan of music.

Instead of being among the

unknowing audience, if you had

stood offstage in the sidelines,

you would have realized how

formidable and involved the

planning and logistics were – the

switching of microphones from

actor to actor, constant rewiring of

equipment, costume changes

between scenes, impressive

cosmetic transformation of artists

by volunteers who waited with

their make-up kits and immense

patience, the swapping of


backdrops and shifting of props.

You would have also noticed

great chemistry, selflessness, and

teamwork with one goal in mind:

the successful rendering of an

epic that took months in the

making. All the qualities that Shri

Shirdi Sai Baba would have been

proud of.

Preparations for Ramayana had

taken epic proportions over the

last nine months, from the script

to the onstage performance.

There were about 55 onstage

roles and more than 30 backstage

production crew members who

breathed life into this classic

production. Adults and children

were equally enamored by the

show and seemed to have taken

great interest in the play. Many

are now reading Ramayana with

renewed interest.

The evening before the play,

when the boat - on which Rama,

Sita, Lakshmana and Sailor cross

the Ganga - refused to move on

the stage as planned, everyone

was concerned; alternate plans

were being developed. That night,

Syam was still deliberating the

fate of the equipment as he stood

quietly at the Home Depot

checkout counter. Handing him

the receipt, the cashier said, “Now

your boat will roll smoothly,” and

winked at a stunned Syam who

would ponder over the fellow’s

remark for a long time. Could it

be some kind of a divine blessing

for the team?

As the artists took the final bow to

standing ovation on the night of

the performance, many a heart on

stage was filled with gratification

for having been part of a

wonderfully executed venture, a

joyous odyssey. Some had tears

in their eyes. And more than one

person wondered how an

unconnected, unaware Home

Depot worker was so sure that

Rama’s boat would indeed roll

along, one more time.


The masses of this country must

get more and more imbued with

the spirit of Sai in order that they

may achieve not only their higher

spiritual interests but also their

political and social interests. In

point of fact Baba's teachings and

conduct afford the best material

for framing a common course of

practice and faith and a common

system of morals and religion for

binding together the various

people of this country in one

harmonious, fraternal religious

bond, affording the least chance

of mutual religious conflicts or

hatred. This is exactly what

Baba has done and this could

be safely pursued for the best

advantage in the faith of God

and Sai spirit for our common

good."

Hindus mostly worship Sri Rama

or Sri Krishna or various

manifestations of God like Lord

Shiva or Vishnu which are all

accepted as normal practice. In

this modern times of complexity

and problems where one has to

continuously run after his worldly

possessions and keep moving

fast, one gets hardly any time to

think about God unless he lands

himself with a catastrophes or

mishap or misfortune or suffering

of one kind or other. Now his

religious spectrum changes

depending upon his need. His

enquiring mind often asks as to

why he or she should follow as

what his parents taught or did.

The modern life does not permit

leisure for lengthy rituals and

worship with the result one needs

not only an easy way of achieving

his objective of realization of God

and also at the same time get his

both spiritual and worldly

requirements. To ensure that

mankind receives the Blessings of

His and thus help him to achieve

the salvaton and lead him in the

path of righteousness, Sri Sai

Baba took his Avatar in the holy

place of Shirdi to be universally

accepted by all religious faiths.

Sri Sai Baba's teachings and

philosophy were so simple and

logical that it never contradicted

any particular religious sect or

faith. Universal love and

brotherhood, demand of His two

offerings "Shraddha and Saburi"

(Patience & Perseverance) and

surrender totally to the supreme

power, were His basic teachings.

Baba in his own words used to

say "If you spread your palms with

devotion before Me, I am

immediately with you day and

night. My abode is in your heart

and I am within you Worship Me

always who is seated in your

heart as well as in the hearts of all

beings. Blessed and fortunate

indeed is he who knows Me thus."

All these are easily practicable in

our day to day routine with some

discipline and busy life of

Samsara.

Sai - The Saviour in Kali Yuga

by SAI PREMA – MARCH 1986


The Sai namasmarana—chanting the name Sai Sai

and repeating it at every conceivable opportunity will

be the only Bliss and accumulated Sai Bank deposit

we will be carrying with us and not the various

worldly materialistic possessions in which we are so

deeply involved and attached.

In this Kaliyuga, Sai Nath is the only unifying force,

unfailing friend, philosopher, guide, support, father

and mother —and everything who can extend

compassion and love and the only Supreme Guru

..... –

Guru Brahma, Guru Vishnu, Guru Devo Maheswara

Guru Saskshat Parabrahma Tasmai Sri Gurave

Namaha. Guru Shri Samratha Sadguru Sainathaya

Namaha-''

I salute the Sainath—the great Master of our limes.

Shri Sat Chit Anand Para Brahma Yogiraj Sad Guru

Sainath Ma ha raj Ki Jai.

"Simple living, high thinking—this alone is the

pathway for peace.

OM SRI SAI

NASSTA ADDRESS

700 James Burgess Road

Suwanee GA 30024

(678)455-7200

http://www.atlantasaitemple.org

TEMPLE HOURS

Mon, Tue, Wed 5:45 AM to 8:00 AM, 11:45

AM to 1:00 PM, 4:00 PM to 9:00 PM

Thu 5.45 AM to 9:30 PM

Fri, Sat, Sun 5:45 AM to 9:00 PM

SUGGESTIONS

http://www.atlantasaitemple.org/suggest/FeedBack.aspx

NEWSLETTER COMMUNICATION

Kindly email us your newsletter communications to

[email protected]

Documents

Latest Monthly News Letter