Sri Sathya Sai International Organization

December 30, 2021

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

I wish all of you a happy, peaceful and holy New Year 2022. We are fortunate to have received the love and grace of Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba, who incarnated to show us the path to realize our own divinity. In His infinite love and compassion, He gifted us the Sri Sathya Sai International Organization (SSSIO) to practice His teachings and attain Self-realization. During 2021, the SSSIO continued to follow His divine command, and lovingly serve its members and humanity in 110 countries, despite several challenges.

SSSIO Serves Humanity in 110 Countries

As we look back on 2021, we express gratitude to Lord Sai for being our anchor in a sea of trouble that continued to engulf the world in the form of the Covid-19 pandemic, and other challenges. SSSIO members continued to Follow the Master, Face the devil, and Fight to the end with fortitude, perseverance, and spiritual strength. Spirituality is not immunity from difficulties but having peace during difficulties through divine grace. As long as we stay focused on Bhagawan, He will guide  us and guard us against all evils and enemies, external and internal, and give us strength to Finish the game, as per His will.

During 2021, the SSSIO continued to offer food, medical services and humanitarian relief in numerous countries, all free of charge. For example, in Africa, much-needed food and basic supplies were distributed, and in many countries, SSSIO offered humanitarian assistance to victims of floods, hurricanes, and natural disasters. Home-made masks and Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) were distributed, and online healthcare education was given to fight Covid-19, take preventive measures, and improve the health and well-being of people. Examples of heart-warming humanitarian relief projects and service activities are available at Sri Sathya Sai Humanitarian Relief. You can keep abreast of the latest activities at  the Sri Sathya Sai Universe website and by subscribing to the SSSIO communications and social media at https://sathyasai.org/subscribe.

SSSIO Online Programs

Swami continued to give us the opportunity to hold global online programs, which brought together hundreds of thousands of people, sharing His love, His message, His works, stories of transformation, and various musical and cultural offerings. Some of these online programs of note are Akhanda Gayatri, Chinese New Year, Mahasivarathri, Aradhana Mahotsavam, Buddha Poornima, Guru Poornima, Akhanda Bhajans, Ladies Day, Swami’s 96th Birthday, and Christmas celebrations. These inspirational online presentations connected people from many countries, facilitated by subtitles, translations into several languages, and convenient rebroadcasts to serve devotees in different time zones.

Serve Mother Nature

Natural disasters are increasing in frequency and severity all over the world due to climate change, pollution of the environment, and neglect of Mother Nature due to the cumulative effects of society’s greed, materialism, and excessive desires. Swami had warned us about such consequences several decades ago. He exhorted that Nature is a gift from God, Nature is a manifestation of God, and finally Swami said that Nature is God. Therefore, we should revere Nature. Following His divine command, SSSIO launched many environmental initiatives including the landmark 2018 Go Green Conference attended by about 1,200 delegates from 70 countries.

Subsequently, the SSSIO Environmental Sustainability Committee and the Young Adults’ Serve the Planet subcommittee have taken up many environmental projects to protect Mother Earth including, reducing plastic, conserving water and electricity, practicing “Reduce, Recycle, Reuse, Refuse, Repurpose”, cleaning beaches, riverbanks, parks, and numerous other projects. One of the major initiatives is tree planting which offers many benefits, as discussed in the SSSIO Bulletin: Unity, Purity, and Divinity in the Trees Around Us.

We encourage each country of the SSSIO to continue to plan, organize and plant trees locally in 2022, in addition to other environmental projects.

Practice Swami’s Eternal and Universal Message

Sri Sathya Sai Baba delivered more than 2,000 discourses and wrote 16 books in the Vahini series, which are available along with many Study Guides and other SSSIO publications at https://sathyasai.org/discourses-and-writings.

Swami’s teachings are the essence of all scriptures, and the quintessence of His teachings are the five human values – Truth, Right Conduct, Peace, Love, and Nonviolence. Through many programs, the SSSIO will intensify the practice of the five human values at the individual, family, society, work, and organization levels.

In one of His divine discourses, He said: “Practice what I teach. That is enough. That is all I ask.” Let us pray to Swami to give us the strength, determination, and dedication to implicitly follow His teachings in our daily lives.

Jai Sai Ram.

Lovingly in the Service of Sai,

Narendranath Reddy, M.D.

Chairman
Sri Sathya Sai International Organization