Summer break.. BREAK from within !

Just got back home after a spiritual sojourn at SSPN , puttaparthi. 
This May, I took the luxury of two weeks of offline work — or  “work from home,” WFN  as Gen Y and Z calls it  !  On a sudden impulse, I decided to spend a week in service ( as part of Tamilnadu's " sevadal " team)  at the Puttaparthi Sai Baba Ashram.
I was assigned duty at the museum. There were no fans or AC inside, and on the first day  I was sweating profusely. But I made up my mind  to simply accept the situation ,  and to my surprise, my body gradually adjusted and I felt perfectly fine throughout the service period. I truly enjoyed my duty and learnt the essence of Sanathana dharma.
During the weekends, thousands of people visited the museum. From ancient religions to modern spiritual paths, the displays are beautifully planned. The unity of religions can be understood even by a layperson through the layouts, models, and visual presentations.
Personally, I have visited mosques and churches during many of my travels abroad, and as a family, we enjoy our visits to  temples across South India. What deeply touched me here was seeing people from all religions bowing in reverence to  ALL  places of worship. Muslim visitors respectfully bowing before the models of the Pashupatinath Temple and the Golden Temple at Amritsar,  Hindu visitors reading about Christ and understanding ( to whatever extent) that ALL ARE ONE . One man from Madhya pradesh spent close to two hours in the museum, reading everything and told me " I don't see any difference here . I  just see and feel peace" .
I truly feel that faith and devotion are part of our Indian DNA. We are ONE  at heart. Sadly, it is often politics that divides us. Sathya sai Baba has devotees from all over the world who come here to experience that True LOVE .

Additionally, we were given plate-washing duty, sweeping and mopping the dining halls etc.  Initially, there was a little hesitation and discomfort in me, but slowly I began to enjoy the work. It helped me to connect with people from very different walks of life.
I was also surprised that I could comfortably manage with just one meal a day. I only had lunch, and in the mornings, a tender coconut was enough. I simply did not feel hungry. Perhaps when there is spiritual nourishment, physical needs naturally reduce. I experienced that here.
I now understand more deeply the meaning behind practices like the 40-day Ramzan fast, the fasting observed during Soora Samharam, ekadasi fast  and Christian fasting traditions. Across religions, there is such a beautiful interconnectedness in reverence for the Divine and the enlightened masters.
Sometimes people ask me, “Sai Baba? Really? I heard this ,heard that ....... ”
I simply respond with Sai Baba’s own words: “Come, see, experience, examine, and then believe.”
That was exactly my journey too. Thirty years ago, I began with many questions and doubts. Slowly, I became a seeker. In surrender to the Divine, the Divine reveals itself to us — in whatever form we choose to worship.
Faith heals, and I genuinely felt that healing in this space. As Sathya Sai Baba says, “Love all, serve all.” .
Sai Ram.