NewsLetter

General Announcements

  • 1) Service activities

    Thursday Food service – September 21, 2023
     Please click here  to sign up for Thursday.
    Sunday Food service – September 24, 2023
    Please click here to sign up for Sunday.
     
    2) Sai Center Activities for Sunday, Sep 24th at HSNC Rooms #3,4,5,6
    • 2:40 PM – Assemble for Vedam learning at HSNC Room #7
    • 3:15PM – Setup
    • 4:00PM – Study Circle: Devotion – Part 2
    • 5:05PM – Presentation by SSSE Grp 3 Students on Ganesha and Ganesh Chathurthi
    • 5:15PM – Sai Aaradhan Bhajans, Aarati and Closing Prayers

     

    3) Ladies Wing meet on October 1st HSNC Rooms # 5, 6: Sairam, All Ladies, please save October 1st for the first meeting between 5 PM to 6 PM.  Please use signup sheet for planning purposes. Bhajans will be from 4 PM to 5 PM.  

    4) Akhanda Bhajans: Kindly mark your calendars for Sunday Oct 8th for recording bhajans to be offered during Akhanda bhajans from Prasanthi Nilayam.  More details to be shared in the upcoming weeks.   

    5) Sri Sathya Sai Avatar Declaration day at Greensboro, NC on Saturday, Oct-21-2023: Please mark your calendar and see attached flyer. We will share more details once available.

    6) Regional announcements: 
    Please note 2 events below:
    1. In-person SSSGC Region 10 Musical Retreat with Sri Sathya Sai Alumni ” SAI MAHIMA GAO” at Houston, Texas – SAVE THE DATE 09//23/23 
    We are very happy to announce that SSSGC Region 10 will be having  Musical retreat on September, 23, 2023-Saturday at Houston, TX. Please see the attachment for more details.. This invitation is open to all the regions. 
    Please refer the flyer for more details
     
    RSC Library:
     
    •  We humbly request members who have taken books from RSC library to return it once they have read it. Any books that were borrowed prior to the pandemic are requested to return as soon as possible
    • See list of books available. If you would like to borrow a book, please contact Prabhakar at hpkamath11@gmail.com or text 919-561-3465, listing the name(s) of the Book(s) interested in borrowing and the time and date you would like to pick up. Address: 1961 Weaver Forest Way, Morrisville. Anyone wishing to return a currently borrowed book, can drop off the book at the front door box. Please write your full name on a piece paper and put it in back of the book. Sairam! 

    Power of Prayer
    It is good to remember Swami’s guidance to remain calm in all situations. We need to follow the guidance of our national and local medical and infectious disease experts. We should remember that prayers are very powerful. The Sai Gayatri mantra as well as the Gayatri mantra is being chanted by Sai devotees around the world for the welfare of humanity. Let us all be united and pray with intensity as often as possible. This is an important spiritual practice which can spread positive energy.  

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Devotion

  • Sai Center Activities Schedule

    Sai Center Activities for Sunday, Sep 24th at HSNC Rooms #3,4,5,6

    • 3:15PM – Setup
    • 4:00PM – Study Circle: Devotion – Part 2
    • 5:05PM – Presentation by SSSE Grp 3 Students on Ganesha and Ganesh Chathurthi
    • 5:15PM – Sai Aaradhan Bhajans, Aarati and Closing Prayers

    Please Join!

  • Study circle Summary : Devotion – Part 1

    Study Circle Summary: Devotion – Part 1
    Swami lays out the need for devotion in this session. Time is fleeting & we pass through this world without knowing the aim of life & our duties.
    This body is given to serve others. Service to society, concern for everyone’s welfare & the awareness to serve are key goals of life. These feelings arise from devotion to God. Service without devotion leads to ego.
    “Devotion is a fragment of the divine”
    Swami further explains that people can be devoted in several ways. One could express his devotion as a servant to the Lord & by frequent chanting (namasmaran) & attitude (bhava) reach a stage where the Lord & he are one. Another person starts by being aware of his body; contemplating on the Self, merges in divinity.

    Thoughts from members:
    Current goal in life: Goal of life has evolved over the years from purely materialistic to realizing & constant reminder that I am not the body alone.
    I remind myself how many seconds, minutes in a day have I practiced living a life as laid down by Swami.
    In a personal interaction, Swami emphasized “Be happy”. I have been practicing how to be equanimous, respond better, react less when the same situations arise in life over the years.
    Conscious of divinity in/around me: I take it as a sign of divinity when a flower falls from the altar. I am aware of divinity when I am spurred to be awake while driving for several hours, avoiding a major fatality. I am aware of the divine presence when my child has narrowly escaped a major mishap.
    Next week will be the concluding portion where we explore more of Swami’s guidance on devotion. Please do attend. Jai sairam!
    Word for the week: Eternal
    Please define Eternal in your own words. You can share your thoughts via Whatsapp/Email us.

 
  • Bhajan of the week

    Deity: Ganesha
    Raag: Kuntalavarali

    Taal: 8 Beat / Keherwa / Adi

    Lyrics:
    Matanga Vadana Maam Paalaya
    Mouleeshwara Shiva Gowri Nandana (2)
    Mangala Dayaka Siddhi Vinayaka
     
    Meaning:

    Oh elephant faced Lord Ganesha, protect me, Oh beloved son of Lord Shiva and Gowri you are the one who bestows auspiciousness and success in our endeavors.

    Bhajan Link:

    https://youtu.be/iz80KtK7pnA?si=_yagGb9-vbCOTkq9

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Service

  • RSC Service Activities
    NEW  ANNOUNCEMENT(S)! :
     
     Thursday Food service – September 21, 2023
    Please click here  to sign up for Thursday.
     
    Sunday Food service – September 24, 2023
    Please click here to sign up for Sunday.
     
    To participate in other active service projects, please see list below.
     
    Service name and Date/time Service Activity Details Locations & Sign up
    Sunday Food Service: Men’s shelter – Raleigh (Every alternate Sunday)   Preparing food at Volunteer homes and drop at common place. Volunteer will deliver at Raleigh Men’s shelter by 2pm

    1420 S Wilmington St, Raleigh, NC 27601

    Please click here to sign up for Sunday.
    Thursday Food Service: IFC – Carrboro (Every alternate Thursday) Preparing food at Volunteer homes and drop at common place. Volunteer will deliver at Inter-Faith Council for Social Service(IFC) at Carrboro, NC by 3 PM.

    IFC address: 100 W. Main St. Carrboro, NC

    Please click here  to sign up for Thursday.

    SAI Tutoring Program

     

    		 Volunteers provide weekly one to one tutoring via Zoom to an underserved elementary school student from the Durham Public School district. The focus is on ELA and math enrichment and also providing mentorship.

     

    NOTE: Please contact service@raleighsaicenter.org if you are interested in getting involved.

    Growing Sai’s Love – Garden project

     

    		 RSC’s pilot program Growing Sai’s Love to help our Sai Community members get more self-reliant by learning to grow their own fresh, healthy vegetables, fruits, flowers, in their backyard. Members can also use these for service and center activities.

     

    NOTE: Please contact service coordinator service@raleighsaicenter.org if you would like to participate in this service.

    Raleigh Men’s shelter Breakfast service

     

    		 Monthly Breakfast service on 3rd Saturday to support Raleigh Men’s Shelter. Please drop off items at 719 McRae Rd, Cary on 3rd Friday of the month by 8pm so volunteers can take supplies to the shelter on Saturday morning to cook and serve breakfast.

     

     

     

    Recycling project

    		 Recycling project that involves used batteries, medication(s), small electronics and bulbs.  NOTE: Please contact service coordinator service@raleighsaicenter.org if you would like to participate in this service.

    Pediatric Clinic Food Distribution Project

     

    		 This bi-weekly project involves distributing grocery bags to Lincoln Community Health Center Pediatric Clinic’s families in need. Any identified family visiting the pediatric clinic who is facing food insecurity will be given a grocery bag filled with dry/canned goods as well as a list of local food resources in the Durham area.

     

    Signup sheet has instructions and Grocery list
     Food drive for Inter-faith Food Shuttle, Durham by Group 3 SSSE Students every month  Group 3 SSSE students form leads in their communities and conduct food drive. Please contact Group 3 teachers for more information.

    Collected food will be delivered during first week of every month at 

     Inter-faith Food Shuttle

    2436 S. Miami Blvd, Suite 200-9

    Durham, NC
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SSSE

  • Pre-SSSE

    CLASS DATE: 04/09/2023 TEACHERS:    Lakshmi, Bhuvana, Mona
    SUMMARY:  Recycle, Reduce, Reuse ATTENDANCE: 

    We started the class with 3 Oms and Gayatri Mantra. Our teachers are preparing us for Easwaramma Day. They talked to us about Easwaramma in the last few classes. Now our teachers are talking to us about Bhumata and how we can take care of Bhumata. They talked to us how we can recycle used papers, card boards, milk cartons and make fun toys with them. By recycling we help Mother Earth by not adding trash in the landfill and also help save resources like trees. We also learnt not to use plastic bags, instead we can use reusable bags. We practiced our two bhajans ‘ Dancing Ganesh’ and ‘Dum, Dum dum Dum Damaru Baje’ which we will be singing next Sunday during Center’s bhajan time. We also practiced Easwaramma Day program a couple of times. We enjoyed book reading time with Patti. She read ‘ Don’t Throw That Away’ by Lara Bergen. Activity of the week: Practice both the bhajans everyday
  • SSSE group1

    CLASS  DATE:09/17/2023

    TEACHER(S): Aruna,Sunitha, Aditi, Nitya 
     Topic:  Attendance:  29/38

     

    Sairam dear parents, we had a wonderful SSSE session yesterday. It started with silent meditation and chanting the Sai Gayatri. This was followed by children learning Lord Shiva’s bhajan (link to bhajan). We then started with some fun icebreaker activities including ‘Pencil in the Jar’ where each child came up and picked up one pencil and introduce themselves to the class. This was followed by ‘A Great Wind Blows’ that took the children to 4 different corners of the room based on their daily habits, favorite hobbies, food etc. At the end, children worked collaboratively to come up with basic rules of conduct for themselves while classes are in session. They selected the right action when faced with disruptive scenarios, wrote them on paper, decorated it and put it all together on a poster board to form a colorful gamut of class rules! Three 3rd graders were randomly selected for class responsibilities including maintaining seating order, and ensuring children keep their belongings in the correct place when entering the classroom. We hope the children enjoyed the session while they settled down to the new year in Group 1. It is our endeavor to overtly and silently inculcate good values and habits throughout the year in a manner that children look forward to absorbing the teachings.  We look forward to seeing them next Sunday.

     
  • SSSE-Group2

    DATE: 09/17/2023
    TEACHERS:  Hitha, Jagruti,Deepthi, Lalitha,Shobha.

    Value: Love 

    Sub Value: Unity of Faith 
    ATTENDANCE: 35/45
    Summary of the Class:

     

    We started our class with 3 Oms, 3 Gayathri, meaning of Gayathri mantra and meditation.

    learning:  forms are different. God is one. 

    To show that we did a role play: 

    Role  play: : We teachers did role play ‘Fingers and hands’- conveying message that all fingers and thumb have different unique qualities, but they all are part of one hand. Body parts are different but belong to one individual.

    Activity– Students separated different types of grains  from a jar of mixed varieties of grains . We conveyed the message that religions are many, methods of prayers are different, we call God by different names, but all are interconnected and teach us the same five universal values.
    We had a brief discussion about the importance of knowing different religions, helping to respect and understand other cultures better.
    Sarva dharma Stupa-or symbol  Swami, on his 50th birthday celebration, came up with a sketch of stupa or symbol  and how it was built. We discussed five main religion’s symbols, and significance of each part of stupa.or symbol. 

    Bhajan : we  learnt sarva dharma bhajan’ Ram kaho Krishna kaho, Eshwar Allah Sai kaho’,

     

     Swami’s Quote: 

    There is only one God, and he is omnipresent.

    There only one language, the language of the heart. 

    There is only one religion, the religion of love. 

     

    LIFE Application:  

     Affirmation: students were able to write the affirmations. 
    Students wrote said and  their Affirmations aloud 

     

    closing prayer;  Sai Gayathri  and Samastha lokaha sukino bhavanthu.

    vibhuti: distribution.

    IMPORTANT NOTE : 

    Upcoming field trips please make a note on your calendar and please make arrangements to be on time. If you need any help in ride or any communications please contact us.

    Date: 9/24/23

    where Buddhist temple :

    Kadampa center
    Buddist Temple of Raleigh
    5412 Etta Burke Ct,
    Raleigh, NC 27606
    Please be their by 3.15pm
    Sunday Sept 24th 2023

    Other three field trips:

    oct 8th Raleigh Mosque,

    November 5th SV temple,

    DECEMBER 3rd Hindu bavan temple

    December 10th Church in Morrisville.

    Thank you 

    Sai ram

     

     
    Click Over Here for the Previous Class Notes   
    (more…)
  • SSSE-Group3

    CLASS  DATE: 09/17/2023

    TEACHER(S): Nalini, Gangadher,

    Aneesha, Sravanthi

    Topic: Parent meeting, Activity

    		  Attendance: 30
     

    Class Summary
    Parent meeting.

    Summary of the class notes
    Activity: Based on last class resolve to make Swami as their strong foundation & center of their life, we did a, ‘All about me poster’, we asked them to keep it in their room and have to follow daily 2min prayer looking at it
    1. Swami, guide and protect me
    2. Mother is God, Father is God
    3. read out 3 affirmations they made
    —I stand for (what they picked)
    — I will take care of my planet
    —I will do my duty

    Please make sure it is not left in kitchen! We asked them to send picture of where it ended in their room, please remind them of the 2min prayer daily

     

  • SSSE-Group4

     

    CLASS DATE: September 10th, 2023 – 1st Group 4 class 2023-2024 SSSE Year

    TEACHER(S): Mouli Uncle, Vini Aunty, Haritha Akka
    SUMMARY: 

    Group 4 SSSE Class for 2022-2023 Year

    ATTENDANCE:

          17 (12 Girls, 5 Boys)

    Sairam to all!
    Summary of welcome session with students.
    17 students were in attendance
    Class started with 3 oms and prayer to Swami to join the class.
    Introductions first by gurus and then by students were done.
    Each of us also talked about the highlights of our summer and one challenge we would like to overcome.
    List of the challenges mentioned by the students were as follows:
    Managing school and social life in a balanced manner
    Practice detachment
    Not comparing, eliminate self-doubt, evoke self confidence
    Not getting stressed about college
    Stop getting stressed
    Exerting more Self love
    Procrastinate less
    Love self more
    Time management
    Procrastination/ time management
    Practice Critical thinking, assess for one self, not be influenced by others.
    No distractions
    Organization
    Get motivated, procrastinate less
    Avoiding Distractions

    Presentation on last year’s activities were highlighted:
    (Slides will be forwarded into the WhatsApp Group)
    New Concepts proposed for this year:
    Teams for Devotion, Service and Education/ enrichment were formed.
    Team leads are all seniors –
    Samhitha, Saanvi and Deepa will lead the Service wing for the next 2.5 months
    Anjana, Akshara, Harshitha and Akshaya will lead the Devotional wing
    Pranav and Ashwik will lead the enrichment team.
    Purpose of the different wings is to develop comfort around each of the wings Swami has established.
    They will switch to a new wing in 2.5 months.
    The team proposes and develops programs and projects for that time period and executes it in agreement with team nembers and all teams are included in that plan to participate in activities.
    Examples- service project selection
    Propose G4 program for Avatar Decl Day. and Swami’s Birthday
    Bringing in guest speakers and requests.
    for topic discussions.

    This year, students were do peer presentations in front of their class on topics that they choose and think is relevant in their lives.

    We are also offering 1:1 mentorship for each student to connect with one teacher to assist them in times of need

    Class ended with Om and 3 Shanthis!
    Jai Sai Ram 🙏

    Note to Parents:

    Sairam Parents –

    Next class is Sunday September 24th as we meet every other week in Group 4.  Please reach out to any of the Group 4 Teachers if you have any questions, thanks.

    -Group 4 Gurus

    Jai Sai Ram!
     

     

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Young Adults (YA) Updates

  • GAYATHRI BEADS BRACELET SERVICE

    SERVICE TO MAN IS SERVICE TO GOD

    Sairam,

    We will chant and energize beads using the power of Gayathri Mantra, make them into bracelets and offer it to people in need like hospital patients and people in senior care homes.

    Steps to follow:

    TAKE ONE BEAD IN YOUR HAND
    CHANT GAYATHRI MANTHRA 108 TIMES WHILE HOLDING THE BEAD
    AFTER CHANTING 108 TIMES, PRAY THIS BEAD HELP SOMEONE
    KEEP THIS ENERGIZED BEAD SAFELY IN A SEPARATE BAG FROM THE OTHER BEADS
    PRAY AND ENERGIZE AS MANY AS POSSIBLE
    ONCE READY, EMAIL  ya@raleighsaicenter.org  TO DELIVER AND RECEIVE MORE BEADS  
    BEADS WILL BE CONVERTED TO BRACELETS AND GIVEN TO HOSPITAL PATIENTS OR SENIOR CARE HOMES

 
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Seniors Corner

  • Seniors group :

    1. PRAYER BRACELET PROJECT FOR THE PATIENTS AT WAKEMED HOSPITAL:   This project was initiated by senior members of the Raleigh Sai Center, in collaboration with the Senior Club of Hindu Society of North Carolina (HSNC) and the members of Raleigh Sai Center. Bracelets are made with 18 crystal glass beads and filler beads for men and women. Members recite Gayatri Mantra or similar prayer based on their religious background 108 times with each glass bead. Bracelets are put in small cloth bags (stitched by the members) along with a printed message from the WakeMed Hospital. These bracelets are given to the interested patients by the hospital volunteers. Each month hospital volunteers are requesting 30-40 bracelets. Patients are very much appreciative of having the prayer bracelets during their convalescence. Photo of a bracelet offering can be seen below:
      https://drive.google.com/file/d/177CLfNxjNoLJKkdD8RW9q0EuVvV1985t/view?usp=share_link

     2. RSC  Seniors Group is planning to make the Vibuthi Packets for distribution during  Aradhana Day, Easwaramma Day, Guru Poornima and Swami’s birthday celebrations. Our Senior Group is doing this as a spiritual sadhana of writing “Aum Sri Sairam” on one side of the paper and then cut the paper into four parts, include vibuthi in the unwritten side and fold the paper to make vibuthi packets for distribution. 

    3. Some members of the Senior Group are meeting virtually on Thursday afternoons at 3:00 pm to discuss the application of Swami’s messages in their everyday lives. If you are interested in participating in the virtual meetings or to participate in seva activities with senior’s, please email:   seniors@raleighsaicenter.org
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Interest Groups Updates

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Regional Update

  • Sairam,

    Please note 2 events below.

    1. In-person SSSGC Region 10 Musical Retreat with Sri Sathya Sai Alumni ” SAI MAHIMA GAO” at Houston, Texas – SAVE THE DATE 09//23/23 
    We are very happy to announce that SSSGC Region 10 will be having  Musical retreat on September, 23, 2023-Saturday at Houston, TX. Please see the attachment for more details.. This invitation is open to all the regions. 
     
    2. We are excited to present a live, interactive panel discussion, “2023 Prasanthi Pilgrimage: YA Reflections” on Saturday, September 16, 2023, at 3pm (ET) / 12pm (PT).
     
    Please join us as our panelists – Sai Rashmi Nakkina, Sejal Rajagopalan, Joshua Reid, and Tejas Vedantham – share their reflections and lessons learned from all aspects of the 2023 Prasanthi Pilgrimage!  While this program is organized primarily for a Sai Young Adult audience, all are welcome to join this one-hour virtual session.
     

    Meeting ID: 980 922 3609

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Media Repository

  • The media repository for all past events is now available in our main page under this link. If you need the password, please email info@raleighsaicenter.org

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Sai Center Officers

  • Officer Role
    Name
    Email Address
    President
    Senthil Kumar
    president@raleighsaicenter.org
    Vice-President
    Gopal Somu
    vp@raleighsaicenter.org
    Education (SSSE) Co-ordinator
    Jagruti Mariwalla
    education@raleighsaicenter.org
    Devotional Co-ordinator
    Saideepa Subramanian
    devotion@raleighsaicenter.org
    Service Co-ordinator
    Param Dasana
    service@raleighsaicenter.org
    YA Co-ordinator(s)
    Sayee Shruti Manickam, Krishna Kumar Ramachandran
    ya@raleighsaicenter.org

    If you have any questions, please email the respective office bearer. Click here to access their phone numbers (password protected). 

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Thought for the Week

  • On the happy occasion of Vinayaka Chaturthi, what is the significance of Vinayaka worship? Bhagawan lovingly reminds us of the true essence of the sacred worship!

    Man often imagines that he has accomplished many things. Presuming that all that he achieves is entirely due to his own efforts and abilities, he deludes himself and forges his own bonds. He forgets the truth that there is a higher power which is the driving force for action as well as is the author of the results thereof. This is the primary nature of bhrama (delusion). To get rid of this delusion and enable man to comprehend his inherent divine nature, the ancient sages taught a prayer. This prayer is the one that is addressed to Vinayaka. Who is Vinayaka? In the sloka beginning with the words, “Suklambaradharam Vishnum,” the form of the deity is described. “Shuklambaradharam” means, one who is clad in white. “Vishnum” means, He is all-pervading. “Sasivarnam” means His complexion is grey like that of ash. “Chaturbhujam” means He has four arms. “Prasannavadanam” means, He always has a pleasing mien. “Sarvavighnopashantaye” means, for the removal of all obstacles, “Dhyayet” means, meditate (on Him). Vinayaka is the deity who removes all bad qualities, instils good qualities and confers peace on the devotee who meditates on Him. – Divine Discourse, Sep 12, 1991.  – BABA

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