Personal Insights 3
Bol Buddhu – Episode 1:
A Foolish Donation – Karma Bites
Written by Rajesh Kamath
Mohanji, had once told a story on the consequences of karma that stayed with me, A very wealthy man was passing in his horse carriage through a street by the river when he saw a poor man begging. The man looked like he hadn’t eaten for days. The rich man was generous by nature. Feeling pity, he stopped the carriage, asked the beggar to come closer and gave him one hundred rupees (which could feed one comfortably for a couple of weeks). The poor man couldn’t believe it. He thanked the rich man profusely before they went their happy ways.
As time went on, the rich man’s fate took a turn for the worse. One calamity after another befell him. He did not know what went wrong. Finally, a day came when he became penniless and had to beg on the streets for his livelihood. While begging for his daily meal, he chanced upon the same street one day and went to the biggest shop on the street.
The owner of the shop standing outside. The owner started staring at him intensely and finally asked, “Sir, how come you are begging I recognize you. You gave me one hundred rupees ten years back. How can i ever forget you You are the reason that fortune knocked my door. Aren’t you that same person” Saying thus, he described the incident. The rich man immediately recollected the incident. The fish shop owner requested the erstwhile rich man to come to his house and have lunch with him. The erstwhile rich man agreed.
The shop owner took the erstwhile rich man to his palatial house, allowed him to clean himself, gave him new clothes and served him a lavish lunch. The erstwhile rich man asked him how he became so wealthy. The shop owner related his story, “When I got the hundred rupees, I was blown out of my mind and did not know what to do with it. After a while when I calmed down, I decided to use it to start a business. With that in mind, I bought a hook to catch fish. In a very short time, I managed to earn enough to buy another hook and asked my brother to work for me. Soon fortune was shining on me and I had employed most of my relatives. I eventually bought a boat, then a trawler and then several trawlers. I am now the biggest fish wholesaler in this region. All from that single hook that I bought from the hundred rupees you gave me.”
After finishing his story, he asked the erstwhile rich man, “After you gave me the money, I found out later that you were the wealthiest man in this region and the most generous one too. How did this happen to you”
The erstwhile rich man said, “Until today, I always wondered the same. Now I know.“
Foolish advice Empowering the good earns us a share of the merits of their good deeds. Empowering the wicked does the same. As Mohanji says, “Beware, Be Aware.” Choose wisely.
‘Cause I’m a picker, I’m a grinner I’m a lover, and I’m a sinner I play my music in the sun I’m a joker, I’m a smoker I’m a midnight toker I sure don’t want to hurt no one — from the song Joker by the Steve Miller band
Gratitude on the Path of Divine Purpose
Written by Deloshni Govender (President MFSA)
“When eating fruit, remember the one who planted the tree.”- Vietnamese Proverb
It has been a difficult trek to get to the fruit, but as we enjoy the sweet nectar of the fruit as a team, we have immense gratitude for all those who helped us plant the tree.
MFSA’s (Mohanji Foundation South Africa’s) journey to find land started in June 2016.
Our beloved Guru who is the inspiration, driving force and power behind our every action, visited South Africa in June 2016. He gifted us a substantial sum of cash which was a seed donation for this project. Thus, the seed was planted.
Sulosh Pillay and Roy Naidoo were a few of our very first benefactors for this project, each giving us a substantial sum of money to give our fundraising some momentum. Their donations inspired us and we were able to start fundraising in earnest. Maheshwari Mohanji and her family led a wonderful “Buy a Brick” fundraiser which also brought in funds and motivated us even further.
It was with much excitement and huge hearts that we reached for the heavens. We viewed many properties way out of our price range from Knysna to Limpopo, hoping and praying that some huge benefactor would believe in our mission. Yugen Naidoo drove across the country to view properties and submit proposal after proposal to the team.
In 2016 we had a team consisting of Keshnie Pillay, Sulosh Pillay, Yugen Naidoo, Dineshran Naidoo and Nishal Mahadeo who all flew to Port Elizabeth at their own expense to view the property. Over 3 days, they drove the length and breadth of the Eastern Cape looking for property.
Their sheer dedication was inspiring. Swaami Bhakthananda went to many different prominent business people to canvas our project. Each time he would come back dejected but he would start again the very next day with even more determination.
It was not meant to be as the Universe meant for us to work really hard, feel the pinch of every cent which was earned. We had to squeeze our egos into place and go out to ask sponsors and devotees for money. Many of you reached deep into your pockets to help us with whatever you could spare. Many of you worked tirelessly to support this project in kind and with your blessings. Each cent and each blessing has brought us to this point where we can call a piece of land our own.
Our Shirdi Sai Murthi arrived in SA in February 2019. We were super excited and He was stored at Swaami Bhakthananda’s home which is also the Dattatapovan Ashram in Westville. Swaamiji had sleepless nights worrying about keeping Shirdi Sai in a box and went out of his way to look at land for constructing the Temple for Sai. Dozens of prospective sites were viewed by Swamiji and his team consisting of Nameshri Maharaj, Dhiren Naidoo, Prathiba Singh, Bhavika Amrathlall, Nazeema Botha and Ajay Singh. Many others also helped search and it will probably take us a few pages to name them all. This shows the power of what can happen when a group of like-minded and focused people come together for a higher cause. They not only looked for land, they also spent endless hours raising funds. Each step they took led us closer to this goal we achieve today.
In June 2019, we discovered an abandoned Temple site in Northdene. We were convinced that this was the one!!! We visited the site, did prayers and Swaami Bhakthananda spent many days clearing the area around the temple site. We followed all channels to see how we could purchase the property but we found that the land was now in the hands of the Government. We applied through the correct channels to acquire the land and were disillusioned when it was held up in claims lodged for the land. This went on for many years and we still held hope.
In February 2021, we were given an ultimatum at the Global Summit. Get your act together, or else Shirdi Sai has to move to another location where He can be installed. We all got onto the project with full force. Ami Hughes, Lakshmi Mohanananda, Shaloshini Naidoo, Keshnie Pillay, together with Swaami Bhakthananda spent hours online together searching for property while Swaami Bhakthananda and his team would view the property for suitability. Shaloshini spent many hours documenting all the sites searched and included a feasibility analysis. After many searches, we found a great piece of land in the Stanger area. Swaamiji was ill but still made the trip to view the land with his team. This land was not easily accessible and he didn’t like the access roads which were very bad. He was very disappointed but light flooded in and Grace flowed. The estate agent said, he may have something else for us. We dared hope that this would be the right one, and it was. Despite viewing a few more properties (one lovingly arranged by Keshnie Pillay), we decided on the 12-hectare piece of land which we now call our own.
Once the team made the decision to purchase on 17 March 2021, it was a back and forth for Swaamiji to get the paperwork all done. He followed up on every document and made sure that it was submitted on time. The paperwork was thus completed and the first payment was made on 14 April 2021.
With scarcely enough to pay for the first payment, we were now back to worrying as the second payment was due by July 2021. A few generous donors came through, one from our board itself and we managed to get the funds for the second and final payment.
On 03 June 2021 the second payment was made and we breathed a sigh of relief. We were almost there. On 06 July 2021, the transfer was lodged and on 09 July 2021 the transfer was final. This was pure Grace as anyone who lives in SA would tell you that this usually takes months. The lawyer had also told us that this will take up to 3 months. Its only Mohanji’s grace which flowed and fast tracked it all.
We now could not wait to have the title deed in our hands. It was on the blessed occasion of Ganesha Chathurthi and the birthday of Sri Pada Sri Vallabha that we got the news that the title deed was ready for collection.
We had a time frame of a week to collect the title deed and Swaamiji was away for the week so he asked that the team collect the title deed. This was done on 16 September 2021.
After collecting the Title Deed we went to visit our land again and we were surprised to see that a once fully dried up stream was now actively flowing, although quite small, through the entire property. We looked at this as even more Grace flowing into our project.
This project could not be possible without the efforts of every team member of MFSA, Swaamiji and his team at Dattatapovan Ashram and every single one of you. This collective power is what got us here and we bow in gratitude to each of you.
We wish to thank all who have contributed to this project. We wish to also thank all those nationally and internationally who support our programs. Our success is due to your consistent efforts.
We wish to also place on record our thanks to all our global teams, especially our Global Management Team and CEO office for their support and guidance.
To all our Acharyas in SA and abroad, we express our gratitude for your love, the consistent programs and the value that you add to SA and the world.
We still have a long and exciting journey to complete. To the incoming board and project team, we bless you with strength and empowerment to see this project to final completion. We express our thanks to Mr. Duggal and the global management team for all the guidance and advice over the past weeks which has enabled us to maintain our momentum.
Through our many storms and trials, we have made it past a huge hurdle. When the power of intention is strong and there is purity in our actions, we can achieve more than we anticipated. Please do keep connected with us for more developments with this project.
We lay this project and all its successes at the feet of our Guru Mohanji.
Jai Mohanji
MFSA
A Life of Wonderment
Words and Pictures by Ilze Joubert
All journeys have a departure point. Some remain in vivid memory and some fade over time. A few of them make impressions that are etched into your heart forever.
I was around five years old when my parents took me to the top of the Long Tom mountain pass in Mpumalanga to go and see snow for the first time. I could hardly contain my excitement as we headed up the mountain in my Dad’s old green Vauxhall. I had no concept of snow. I knew that it was white and cold and had some resemblance to Christmas. I remember the first glimpse of the glistening white sheets that had settled on the rocks that were so familiar to me in their naked form. On that day everything looked different. It was a fairytale in which the world I knew had been magically transformed overnight. It was beautiful and the air was crisp, with soft candyfloss clouds blowing across the brightness in soft, feathery swirls, as if the earth was breathing through its cracks and crevices, occasionally revealing tiny patches of the endless blue sky above us. Scooping the sparkly, squishy, soft snow up into my tiny, glove-covered hands was a thrilling and wondrous moment. The icy lumps felt strange to the touch, yet in my excitement, I could not be bothered by the cold. We played there for a while, threw snowballs at each other, laughed and tumbled on the soft and shiny white fluff. I was amazed and fascinated and couldn’t stop talking about it riding home. Something new stirred inside me that day. I was in awe.
In the process of discovering the natural world, I became acutely aware of all living things for which I developed a deep love and reverence. I felt infinitely connected and even though I could not understand or put words to it, I could feel the peace and tranquillity that came over me whenever I communed with Nature. This led to a life of wonderment.
In the process of discovering the natural world, I became acutely aware of all living things for which I developed a deep love and reverence. I felt infinitely connected and even though I could not understand or put words to it, I could feel the peace and tranquillity that came over me whenever I communed with Nature. This led to a life of wonderment.
My Mom’s love for photography rubbed off on me and I started seeing compositions and beauty everywhere. Even though I didn’t have a camera of my own, I was forever taking photos in my mind and wanted to share with others what I saw. In my later adult years, I finally got myself a decent camera. Life took on a different meaning. Through the lens, I had much narrower interaction withNature and my wonderment and respect grew infinitely. The first time I peered through a macro lens, I realised how much we were missing! The little life that surrounds us is enough to blow one’s mind. The more you look, the more you see. As an adult, I now see the world through different eyes and have a better understanding of things but I remain awestruck by the wonder of life and revere the soil I walk on.
Spending time outdoors taking photos has had an overwhelmingly positive impact on my life. It has taught me to be patient, to pay attention, to be mindful and has made me extremely grateful for this one, incredible life I have on Earth. Once you allow yourself to be absolutely still in the presence of Mother Nature and let your senses take over, the intricacy of life leaves you humbled. In that silence you will find the rhythm, the heartbeat, the essence within that resonates in harmony with everything. From the rugged mountain cliffs that cut into billowing white clouds,
to the tiniest butterfly that gently sips nectar from a flower, life is joy. We are so focused on worldly affairs that we lose touch with who we are and where we come from. Chasing after superficial things beyond our control, we hurry along and forget to pause. We forget to breathe. We become automatons. We disconnect from the Ultimate Source. Not only has our disconnection led to all sorts of ailments, disease, strife and misery, we are also busy destroying that which is most sacred, this life-giving planet we call home.
So many people rush to a therapist or doctor when they feel that something is amiss. I can’t recall a single prescription that read: ”Spend time in Nature and all will be well.” It’s too easy to just swallow another pill, believe another lie or take another placebo. Our children are deeply affected by such behaviour and way of thinking. An alarming amount of children are undergoing therapy, yet they are still bound to the very things that cause their depression. They are stuck to their phones, television, virtual games and many other forms of pseudo stimulation which cause even further alienation from themselves. Understandably we all use some of these tools but there seems to be a serious lack of balance. Parents sit their little ones down in front of a TV screen or shove a phone or tablet in their little hands to occupy them. Why don’t we make efforts to stimulate our kids with love and genuine interests anymore? Have we become so self-absorbed that they are not worthy of our time?
Have you gone down on your knees to show your child the minute flowers growing underfoot? Have you made them listen to the songs of birds in a forest and the wind in the trees? Have you allowed them to embrace the birth of a sunrise and become one with the earth? Have you taught them to hold a space in their hearts for the delicate, tiny lifeforms and the majesty of a thundering waterfall? Have they caught a glimpse of the iridescent rainbow colours in the wings of birds and insects or smelled the fragrance of orange blossom in Spring? Next time you look at a flower or an insect, look a little longer and a little closer. Take a moment to be still. Absorb the magnificent splendour of life.
If I could have one wish come true, it would be that we all re-connect with our unlimited Source of love and life, Mother Nature. She is the only one who doesn’t judge and in whose presence you can be yourself without masks, veils, or excuses. She listens without prejudice and if your heart is open and your mind is quiet, she usually clarifies whatever murkiness may be clouding your soul. She is, and always will be, my best friend and Ultimate Healer.
I am filled with respect and gratitude. I humbly bow at Her feet.
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