Ravi S. Iyer: Spiritual

Fascinating 1953 Hajj photographs of Holy Mecca and Kaaba from July 1953 issue of National Geographic: http://www.islamawareness.net/Hajj/1953/ . In a couple of pics, the black silken cover of the Kaaba structure is lifted partially showing the walls and the (main) entrance door of the Kaaba. The wiki page on the Kaaba is also very informative: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kaaba So is the wiki page on the famous Black stone in the Kaaba itself: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Stone . It has the pics of the silver frame and the black stone within it, including illustrations of front and side view of the black stone. Here are 36 pics of Mecca from an article dated June 2014: http://www.boomsbeat.com/articles/5046/20140611/36-mesmerizing-photos-of-kaaba-in-mecca-saudi-arabia.htm . Here are some pics from inside the Kaaba (reportedly taken on 30th May 2015): https://islamgreatreligion.wordpress.com/2015/06/04/new-photos-from-inside-views-of-kaaba/ Here is a great video (rep

Given below are the contents of a Facebook post of Facebook founder, Mark Zuckerberg,  https://www.facebook.com/zuck/posts/10102329188394581 We just passed an important milestone. For the first time ever, one billion people used Facebook in a single day. On Monday, 1 in 7 people on Earth used Facebook to connect with their friends and family. When we talk about our financials, we use average numbers, but this is different. This was the first time we reached this milestone, and it's just the beginning of connecting the whole world. I'm so proud of our community for the progress we've made. Our community stands for giving every person a voice, for promoting understanding and for including everyone in the opportunities of our modern world. A more open and connected world is a better world. It brings stronger relationships with those you love, a stronger economy with more opportunities, and a stronger society that reflects all of our values. Thank you for being part of

From FB post: https://www.facebook.com/ravi.s.iyer.7/posts/1655437444672826 Unimpressed by Madhusudhan Naidu interview: SSSIHL (Sai university) alumnus message [Madhusudhan Naidu is the so called communicator of so called subtle body of Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba in Muddenahalli (which I am convinced is a FALSE CLAIM)] Here's a message I got recently from an SSSIHL alumnus (I have done minimal editing): Sairam sir. I am an ex-student sssihl. I have been following your posts. Its soo rational and promising. Even I happened to have the interview with madhusudan naidu. Its was soo generic, like imitating swamy in the videos. I mean to say that we cannot estimate the partition (division) among the devotees because of these (actions/events). Especially for those devotees who hardly understood swamy teachings. Just because of their blind faith, they are out of their control. --- end message from SSSIHL alumnus --- Ravi: I thank the Sai university alumnus for sharing

Some Facebook comments from "SUKSHMA BABA - DID NOT RESPOND - BECAUSE HE IS NOT REAL", https://www.facebook.com/notes/vr-ganti/sukshma-baba-did-not-respond-because-he-is-not-real/10205009062290912 , dated Aug. 24th 2015 by Mr. V.R. Ganti. Narender Thangavelu wrote: Beware that things you post on internet are written in history forever. What you post on your Timeline is completely your choice but if the starting point is not a personal but a socially sensitive matter (like MDH issue in this case), you must post only contents that are backed by evidence or a personal opinion open to criticism because it is a collective responsibility to maintain the harmony of the environment. That being said, remember that on the internet nobody wins but everyone loses. For every sane argument you encounter ten insane ones. It will not help anybody except those who are keen to spread more confusion. Regarding the MDH issue and general behavior of both supporters and opponents : 1. Don'

Last updated on 28th August 2015 [Concluding paragraph: I challenge Madhusudhan Naidu to give EXTEMPORE (as against prepared/mugged) discourses on Vedas, Vedanta, Puranas and itihasas. I further challenge him to explore matters on these scriptural texts in more detail than what Bhagavan did (in his physical form). If he cannot rise up to these challenges then Madhusudhan Naidu should better STOP claiming to be a communicator and give his darshan, interviews and discourses under his own name or another Baba name like what Kurnool Bala Sai Baba or Nepal's Sanjay Sai Baba have done, instead of being an IMPOSTER sullying the HOLY NAME of Kali Yuga Avatar Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba of PUTTAPARTHI.] Slightly more than a week back I received an invite from a person on Facebook, which I accepted even though the person did not seem to have a profile with details associated a with real person, as she had a common FB friend (who I later found out did not really know who she was). She

Last updated on 18th Sept. 2020 18th Sept. 2020 Update: I had an inner urge to name-snip the names of some person(s) in this post and so have done so. This post got missed out in the name-snipping I did some months ago. In the context of a recent heated Facebook post exchange related to some whistleblowing efforts regarding PERCEIVED (not PROVEN) Muddenahalli belief dual loyalty office bearers in Sai orgn., by a well intentioned gentleman, I made some longish comments aimed at reducing the heat. I felt it appropriate to put out a separate FB post drawing mainly from my comments on this post on ethics regarding such whistleblowing activities. However, these are my individual views. Further I currently am not a member of any Sai orgn. (I was a member of Sai orgn. in Maharashtra, India for nearly a decade, and was serving (free service) in the Sai university with designations of Honorary Staff, Honorary Faculty & Visiting Faculty for nine years.) 1) About discussing Muddenahalli cl

Last updated on 7th September 2015 A High court in the Indian state of Rajasthan recently ruled that the Jain practice of Santhara/Sallekhana has to viewed as suicide and so is illegal and punishable by Indian law. Indian law also views abetting suicide as illegal and so a punishable crime. This verdict has been appealed in the Supreme Court. First, some info. about Santhara/Sallekhana from its wiki page: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sallekhana . Sallekhanā (also Santhara, Samadhi-marana, Sanyasana-marana), is the Jain practice of facing death voluntarily at the end of one's life. It is prescribed both for the householder and ascetics. Sallekhana is made up from two words sal (meaning 'properly') and lekhana, which means to thin out. Properly thinning out of the passions and the body is 'Sallekhanā'. Sallekhana is allowed only when a person is suffering from incurable disease or great disability or when a person is nearing his end. It is a highly respected

The following was recently conveyed to me by somebody over email. I find it to be quite plausible. However, I cannot verify it, neither do I personally know the original source. Swami is Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba in the sentences below (slightly edited): What Swami once told his students about [famous-tantrik-name-snipped] who was with Narasimha Rao in the darshan: "He has powers of the Devi Shakti and is misusing them. My dear students, you do not do that please." --- end extract from email --- Ravi: I think this is a clear statement from Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba to Sai university students and alumni which I am sure would apply even more to teachers, wardens, senior administrators etc. (both current and former), that they SHOULD NOT misuse any siddhis (paranormal powers) they may acquire or somehow come to possess.

Last updated on 18th Sept. 2020 18th Sept. 2020 Update: I had an inner urge to name-snip the names of some person(s) in this post and so have done so. This post got missed out in the name-snipping I did some months ago. Given below are the contents of a Facebook post/status of Narender Thangavelu, https://www.facebook.com/NarenderThangavelu/posts/921727887874181 , with his approval for sharing it on this blog post (the MDH reference below is to the claim of so called subtle body of Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba based in Muddenahalli with an associated so called chosen communicator, Madhusudhan Naidu, which I am convinced is a FALSE CLAIM based on public discourses and teachings of Bhagavan on matters related to mediums and communicators): An appeal to all Sai devotees! Regardless of where you are in this world, it is high time you took some stance on this issue. Next time someone asks you what goes on at MDH, don't equivocate. Don't tell you are clueless because you should

An edited version of an exchange I (referred to as R) had with a correspondent who is a scientist (referred to as S) in the beginning of August 2015, on the title-topic is given below. R: Here's an article …, [Name-snipped] Doesn’t Understand Science (or the Nature of the Universe), dated July 2012, http://nirmukta.com/2012/07/26/name-snipped-doesnt-understand-science-or-the-nature-of-the-universe/ . S: There is no polite word for the pseudo-science and anti-science he spouts. … but my guess is that any attempts to reconcile pre-scientific writing with modern science that can really only be expressed by math is unlikely to be helpful. R: I think it may be fairer to say that some branches of science today like physics can really only be expressed by math. Math does not seem to play that important a role in life sciences including medicine. S: You are wrong about that. There is a lot of math of various sorts in modern biology and medical research. R: I see. Interesting and

[Warning: Some strong language (swear words) is used at times in the linked John Oliver video below (but not on this post, of course). So if you can't handle such language please don't watch the John Oliver video. The post text below does NOT use any such language and so you can safely read it.] From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Oliver_(comedian) , "John William Oliver (born 23 April 1977) is an English comedian, political commentator, television host, and occasional actor. He is widely known in the U.S. for hosting HBO's Last Week Tonight with John Oliver and for his work on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart." A correspondent passed me this video where John Oliver roasts some (USA) Televangelists who exploit faith for monetary gain,  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7y1xJAVZxXg , around 20 mins, published on Aug. 16th 2015. John Oliver starts by clearly stating that churches are a cornerstone of American life; roughly 350,000 congregations in USA with

Here's an article in The Hindu, Brokering deals with god, http://www.thehindu.com/opinion/op-ed/brokering-deals-with-god/article7550944.ece , dated August 18th 2015 It is not a balanced article as it does not talk about the good done by so many spiritual gurus of India. However, here are two short extracts from the article that may be relevant for some readers: The heady mix of money, power and religion without responsibility, and the knowledge that even the state is scared of meddling with religious affairs, make godmen and women acquire a larger-than-life image. ... They no longer seek or appeal for donations; they place orders. There are reports in the media of people who sell their property, even abandon their families at the command of their so-called gurus. --- end short extracts --- Ravi: My view is that one simple way to differentiate between the good giver-spiritual-guru and the bad taker-spiritual-guru is to examine the way fund collection is done for their ash