Parthi Update

[Guest guest]

Parthi Update

28-09-2004

Presentation on Kshama

This evening Bhagawan was out for Darshan even as we reached the Mandir at

quarter past three. He had already gone inside the interview room. As Bhagawan

had been enquiring about programmes by boys, the II PG and I PG students were

ready with yet one more programme on the theme “Kshama – the crest jewel among

noble virtues”. This presentation involved as many as twenty plus characters. A

lot of costumes! Those who were playing special roles were going through the

‘make up’ drill inside the Bhajan Hall. There was king Parikshit, Shringi, sage

Sameeka, Lord Rama, Vibheeshana, some sages, Lord Buddha, Lord Jesus and my, a

number of them!!

Suddenly, Swami came out of the interview room at around 3.35 p.m. and went into

the Bhajan Hall. Now this was a real surprise! Swami went towards one woman and

Blessed her. Then, He went from one character to another and spoke to each one

of them, asking them about the roles to be played by them. This was just great!

These boys, inspite of their exams just around the corner, placing their faith

in the Lord, had jumped in, to prepare for this presentation – giving

considerable time and effort from their side. What a response Bhagawan showed

to their spontaneous involvement!

When we go out of the way to offer ourselves for Him, He too goes out of the way

to offer Himself to us!! A beautiful case of Reaction – Reflection – Resound,

coupled with His Grace of course!! Talking to them, Bhagawan mentioned, “Yes,

you all are talking and acting very well, but are you practicing?” One line

from Him and we all were shown where we actually stand!! Once, long back,

Bhagawan had beautifully remarked, “The difference between God and Man is this:

God knows everything but still pretends that He knows nothing, while Man knows

nothing but yet tries to put up a show that he knows everything!” Swami spent

almost 10 to 15 minutes with them and then proceeded to the interview room.

No doubt, boys were charged and were waiting to offer their best at Bhagawan’s

Lotus Feet. There were a number of students who were appearing on stage for the

first time, some even performing for the first time! But what was most important

was their Love for Bhagawan and that would take care of all else.

At 3.55 p.m. Swami came out of the interview room and proceeded to the dais. He

sat on the sofa and VC made the usual introductory remarks. What followed was a

45 to 50 minutes presentation on the concept of Kshama. It may not have been a

very top class presentation, given the fact that there were several first

timers and just a day of preparation; however in terms of content and coverage

it was a praiseworthy effort. Most of it was based on the Discourse given by

Bhagawan during Summer Course 2000 on Kshama.

The presentation started with the episode of King Parikshit seeking water in the

forest. Out of fury, he places the snake around the neck of the sage Sameeka.

Later, the son of the sage, Shringi curses king Parikshit. Watching this, the

father, sage Sameeka admonishes his son for reacting in this violent manner. He

stresses on the need for Kshama especially for a sage like him.

Thus introducing the presentation, the first pair of anchorers, stood up and

formally began the programme. The presentation was divided into four modules;

1. What is Kshama?

2. Why should we develop Kshama?

3. What are the benefits of developing Kshama?

4. How do we develop Kshama?

The first module described the difference between tolerance, patience and

forbearance. The closest translation of Kshama in English is possibly

Forbearance, though it is still not accurate. Kshama is much more. It also

includes Forgiveness. They illustrated these concepts with examples from the

lives of Prophet Mohammed and Lord Jesus.

The second module discussed about the relevance of practicing Kshama in day to

day life. Life is full of uncertainty. Actions are in our hands but results are

beyond our control. Therefore, disappointments are inevitable. To face these ups

and downs of life, Kshama is a must! It is the very breath of one’s life. Again

diversity is inherent in creation. Hence, no two minds think alike. Yet, we need

to learn to accept each other’s views and accommodate each other’s interests. It

is Kshama that enables us to accomplish this.

The third module elaborated on the benefits of practicing Kshama. The greatest

benefit is the presence of balance in life. Practice of Kshama gives us a sense

of equanimity. We are able to take happiness and joy in a neutral manner. It

gives us courage to face the challenges of life. It raises our EQ (emotional

quotient) and results in the manifestation of Love for all.

The final module went on to discuss the ways and means of developing Kshama. The

first is to make a resolve and hold on to it. Faith in God is a must with the

feeling that “Whatever happens is for our good”. The best way to develop

Kshama, Bhagawan says, is to welcome sufferings in life just as Mother Kunti

did by praying to Lord Krishna to always Bless her with difficulties and pain.

Kshama goes hand in hand with sacrifice and selflessness. We must focus on the

long term goals and not just the short term benefits.

In this episode, several examples from Bhagawan’s life were narrated where He

has manifested Kshama of the highest order. To quote a few: Swami lifting the

water in pots on His shoulders during the school days in Uravakonda, the

incident of protecting the woman who actually tried to poison Bhagawan with her

Vadas, etc.

There were a few songs in between and some verses like that of Tyagaraja,

“Kapivaradi Datuna….”, “Astikulaku Sai Sharanam Nastikulaku Sai Sharanam…”. The

presentation ended with the song, “Humko Man Ki Shakti Dena Mana Vijaya Kare…”.

All boys knelt down in a semicircle. Swami smiled but did not call them for

photos. Instead He asked for group songs to be sung.

The Music boys got into action, opened the Sai Vandana book and chose a few

Telugu songs. After a while, Swami indicated to the student dressed as King

Parikshit to come forward. He went to Swami and there, with a wave of His hand,

Bhagawan materialized a green diamond for the king! The boy was thrilled! Others

proceeded forward and soon all groups were busy arranging themselves for

photographs. Parikshit stood next to Swami all the while!

Prasadam was distributed and then Bhagawan praising the boys for a good acting,

proceeded towards the golf cart.

29-09-2004

This evening, Prof. Anil Kumar was blessed by Bhagawan to speak to the Kulwant

Hall gathering. Sir described at length various experiences of the bygone years

related to the incidents in Krishna District of Andhra Pradesh. Incidentally, a

number of devotees from Krishna District had come to Parthi and were enjoying

every bit of his talk. Prof. Anil Kumar made his 45 minute talk so gripping by

narrating incidents in Telugu – of course in his inimitable poetic style and

then also expressing the same views in English for the benefit of non-Telugu

people. He did this with such finesse that only a man of his stature can!

Towards the end he spoke about the forthcoming exams and appealed to students

to study well. He also shared with the audience the uniqueness of our Institute

and its education philosophy.

This was followed by Bhajans.

30-09-2004

Yakshagana Roopaka (Alike Brothers)

This evening Bhagawan came out for Darshan a few minutes past three. The Alike

students have come here to Parthi and this evening was slotted for their

programme. Therefore, the central part of Kulwant Hall was left free and all of

us squeezed ourselves in the balance area.

As Swami’s golf cart came gliding in, the dozens of students participating in

the programme were seated in the rear part of the Hall behind the lions. As

Swami’s cart rolled by, He looked and smiled at them. The group was full of

wild colours – all shades that you can imagine. Well, this will become clear

when you know what the programme was all about. The presentation was a

‘Yakshagana Roopaka’ dance drama. This is a traditional folk dance of the

Karnataka State. Something like Kathakali of Kerala but not the same of course.

 

So we had a variety of characters dressed in jazzy colours, some Rakshasas, some

kings, some queens….Well, the theme was ‘Sri Rama Darshanam’. So we had the

entire range of characters that appear in Ramayana. Young children, but

camouflaged in the rich costumes. Swami went onto the dais, got down, but then

walked back towards the interview room. He went inside and came out at around

4.00 p.m. He sat down on the sofa amidst a loud applause and asked the

Principal of the Alike campus to commence the programe. He called the VC and

Prof. U.S. Rao and made them sit beside Him. Sri Bhatt Garu spoke a few words

of introduction.

The Yakshagana is a combination of musical narration, dance and drama. Here,

usually the characters speak, but the novelty of this presentation was that the

characters did not speak, but gave expression to their thoughts and feelings in

their dance and actions. They presented several scenes from the Ramayana. It

started with sage Viswamitra arriving at Ayodhya to meet Emperor Dasaratha to

take Rama and Laxmana to his hermitage for the protection of the yajnas.

>From where we were sitting, we could see both the front stage and even the back

stage (i.e. behind the backdrop). So we could see all the actors getting ready

for their roles, the tutors giving them last minute instructions. Hearing the

same drum beats and the typical dance steps repeating again and again, we felt

a little monotony. But then, I noticed something which shook me up and got me

absorbed in the programme for the next one and a half hour. The boy acting as

Rama was getting ready to make his appearance even as Viswamitra was seeking

the boons from Dasaratha at the front end (i.e. in front of the backdrop).

As the boy acting the role of Rama was getting his best wishes from his tutor, I

could see the feelings in the eyes of the boy. This was a lifetime chance for

him and he was about to perform in the Divine Presence! As he was about to make

his entry, he bowed down and touched the feet of his teacher! This truly touched

me. What sincerity and devotion!

Above all, this is the touchstone of our Bharatiya culture! Everything is raised

to a noble level. Even a performance is considered as an offering to the Guru

and God! Blessings of elders and especially of the guru is considered so vital.

This incident revealed the eternal thirst of man to reach out for the ultimate

through every endeavour of his. Every form of Art is but an expression of that

Supreme Principle and therefore becomes a means to reach out to Him!

With these feelings the lively dance took up a new meaning and got reflected in

the keen interest that Swami was showing in every scene and act! After the

killing of Thataki and Subahu, they went on to depict the redemption of Ahalya,

Seeta Swayamvara. Next came the Kaikeyi – Manthara episode followed by Rama

going to the forest. There the scenes of Guha taking Rama across the river, the

killing of Viraadha, the insult of Soorpanakha, salavation of Jatayu, freeing

Kabandha from the curse and showering Grace on Sabari – all were beautifully

depicted through costumes, dance and expressions. A professional singer was

singing in the background in Kannada.

Next in the dance drama came Hanuman, friendship of Sugriva and Rama, killing of

Vali, surrendering of Vibheeshana and finally concluded with slaying of

Kumbhakarna and Ravana. The final scene was the Pattabhisheka of Rama

(coronation of Lord Rama). The entire presentation lasted for around an hour

and a half. But time passed by so quickly that we could hardly feel it.

Hanuman went running towards Swami. Soon all followed and sat all around Swami’s

chair. Patiently, Swami gave photographs to all of them. Subsequently, the

artistes and professional music team also got the opportunity of getting a

photo with Bhagawan. It was 5.45 p.m. by the time Swami retired to

Poornachandra Hall. As the golf cart disappeared from our view, Prof. Anil

Kumar arranged all the artistes in a beautiful semicircle along with their

teachers and artistes and we gave a loud applause to all of them. Very

thoughtful of Prof. Anil Kumar. This gives so much encouragement and a sense of

fulfillment to both sides!

Regards

>From a sai devotee - Posted on 04-10-2004

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[Guest guest]

Thank you very much. I really wonder as to whether I deserve

so much love and affection you all have been showering

on me and my family (physical).

 

It is all my past punya karma and love of Swami that I got great friends like you.

 

It is very touching note that Sai Papu has written that hence forth

he shall use DHARA brand edible oils only and added that he shall

be like a squirrel in Ramayana to promote the sale of DHARA.

 

I and my family have no words to express in return.

 

With the harmony of though, word and deed (Trikarana Shuddi), I

pray for the allround well being of you and your families.

 

May Swami shower his choicest blessings on you.

 

Your brother

 

A Anantha Vijaya