Sri Sathya Sai International Organization - USA

Rain and freezing temperatures failed to dampen the spirits of more than 500 attendees during the Mid-Atlantic Region’s 51st Annual Memorial Day Weekend Retreat, May 22-24 in Poyntelle, PA.

With the theme ‘Be the Light, Share the Light,’ the retreat featured inspirational talks, soul-stirring bhajans, informative workshops, delightful cultural programs, and delicious, healthy meals. More than 500 attended the event that included a food drive for the needy living in the surrounding Pocono mountain community.

Mid-Atlantic Region President Sreejith Narayan noted that Sri Sathya Sai’s blessings were profoundly felt this year, “first when vibhuti manifested in Swami’s room during the camp setup, and especially when a storm caused a power outage. In that unexpected moment, everyone stepped up, helped one another, and truly lived the retreat theme by "being the light and sharing the light.”

Mrs. Piraba Swaminathan, the region’s vice president, concurred, noting that “In that hardship, everyone came together to shine bright and be united. We rose above everything to feel and see Sai. Led by an inner prompting, the Sai within guided all of us like various organs that play their individual roles to make the body function.” Even during the singing of the arathi, when the devotional hall’s lights were out, she remembered there was a spare candle stored near the stage and was able to offer arathi to Swami.

The retreat opened on Friday night with rousing bhajans in the camp’s gymnasium which for another year was magically transformed into a devotion hall and Sai Mandir.

Saturday morning’s program began with omkar, suprabatham, and the retreat sadhana, STEP (Strides Toward Everlasting Peace) with Sai, with vedam chanting and nagarsankirtan around the camp. The procession ended with a flag hoisting outside Swami’s room, a beautiful sacred space, with vedam chanting each morning invoking the Lord’s divine presence.

During the weekend, the featured speakers, Dr. Sanjay Mahalingam, and Ms. Aparna Murali, shared engaging stories about personal interactions with Swami, giving the audience pearls of wisdom to reflect upon beyond the retreat.

Dr. Mahalingam, who lived in the presence of Swami for seven years as a student and research scholar at the Sri Saytha Sai Institute of Higher Learning, gave examples of effective ways to align ourselves more deeply with the Lord, noting that Swami once said to him, with sadness in His voice, “All these people are looking at Me. As My wheelchair is passing, they still are thinking that there is something here that is not inside them.”

Dr. Mahalingam challenged listeners by stating “As a community, go to the next step of evolution, moving from doing, having and becoming, to embracing being an expanded, responsive being. Replace your inner noise with the presence of Swami in your heart. Dare to fall in love with your own self and not be afraid to say that Swami, You and I are one.”

Sis. Aparna Murali, the Zone 1 Education Coordinator, shared three insights and three stories that tied in with the retreat’s theme, expounding on the definition of light and darkness and explaining that even in darkness the light shines bright and blessings can come out of both. She noted that when a seed germinates, the growth is bi-directional, with the root going down into the soil that is filled with darkness, but the shoot rises above the ground into the light.

“Every single one of us is blessed because He has lit the lamp of love in our heart and that is our good fortune,” she stated. “However, there are so many things that we cannot see with our eyes but are filled with light,” and she encouraged everyone to be aware of Sai's grace and blessings.

The weekend’s four workshops included discussions on how to reduce our environmental footprint; how to use the teachings of Sai to overcome challenges in our daily life; how to use positivity and kindness to brighten our everyday life and how to improve one’s health though holistic, preventive health care in general, and specifically, for the bones.

Rounding out the weekend were two uplifting cultural programs, drawing inspiration from Sai's core values. “Fist of Faith", a presentation by SSE children, gave examples of how one can practice right action even when they believe God is not watching. A YA play, “It’s All in the Head,” beautifully depicted how surrendering one’s ego and respecting others can transform a toxic workspace into a productive loving environment, benefiting all involved.