(Shri Subrahmanya Sastry)
Author of Sai Gayatri
Saayeeshwarya Vidhmahe,
Sathya Dhevaaya Dheemahi,
Thannahssarvah Prachodayaath
We know this Sai is Supreme Divinity incarnate.
We meditate on this God of Truth.
May this Almighty Personality lead us
on the path of total liberation.
Over many eons, generation after generation, billions of people have sung the praise of the unique Bharatiya culture. However the Vedic component of this great culture has been declining because of the eroding effect of time and also because of the weakening of the human mind. Today there is sadly an acute shortage of scholars who could teach the common people the meaning and significance of the Vedas, the Vedanta and related disciplines. If today the Vedic culture is not restored, the very fate of Bharat’s position and prospects will be seriously affected. If the reverence and respect for Vedic culture is gone, the name and fame of Bharat will be destroyed. Bharat’s life and vital spirit are based firmly based on the Vedas. Therefore the Sathya Sai institutions are ready to dedicate their efforts for the cause of restoring the Vedas. Ghandikota Subrahmanya Shastry is a fully ripened doyen of Vedic knowledge; he lived a long, fulfilled life. Recognized as the standing court scholar of the principality of Vizianagaram, he achieved great fame. He was an unequalled Vedic scholar in the entire state of Andhra Pradesh.’
‘He not only lived up to the high standards of Vedic living, but also fulfilled his life with devotional surrender with immense love for Swami. Having imbibed the nectarine essence of all the Vedas, this great scholar sincerely believed in the truth that Sathya Sai is verily the embodiment of all divinities. Possessed with such faith, he spent his last days in the closest proximity of Swami in Prasanthi Nilayam. He was blessed with a very long fulfilled life.
‘In his loving memory and also for the promotion of Vedic learning and culture, I am today inaugurating the Shri Sathya Sai Ghandikota Subrahmanya Sastry Veda Shastra Parishad. Shri Subrahmanya Shastry will remain an immortal person. With a broad and nectarine heart he earned the right to immortality. It is therefore proper that his great ideals and excellent qualities and above all his valuable Vedic teachings deserve to be widely disseminated. Sincerely hoping that Bharatiyas will continue to follow the Vedic path and thereby recapture Bharat’s ancient glory, I extend my blessings to you all.’ (DD on 14.10.86 )