Dormant Delhi's Appointment with Divinity (March 1999)

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Web Page lovingly sent to www.saibabalinks.org by V. Krishnan on August 1, 2005

Sri Sathya Sai Baba Visit to Delhi from March 11th to 14th, 1999. Contains brief

descriptions of various events/miracles which occured during the visit.The

author V. Krishnan and his son Vijay (who was cured of his brain tumour by

Swami) were volunteers during all the four days and were the fortunate few who

were given a close personal darshan by Swami on his days of departure on 14th

March 1999.

 

V. Krishnan

Source:

http://www.geocities.com/vkram/Saikrish30.html

DORMANT DELHI'S APPOINTMENT WITH DIVINITY

DELHI’S APPOINTMENT WITH DIVINITY- Part I

March 11/12, 1999

Swami landed in Delhi airport on the morning of 11th March 1999 around 9.A.M.

and was off to Rai’s Residence.

Delhi’s crowd got a taste of Swami for the first time. There was unprecedented

security all over. I left my home for crowd control duty at 4.25 A.M both on

March 11th ( for a sort of rehearsal, because Swami was giving Public Darshan

only in the evening and also at the same time on March 12th). My son Vijay (

Those who do not know about him please read my true narrative in Sanathana

Sarathi of April 98) also accompanied me. I am a small fry here among the ocean

of VIPS & VVIPS. Still I tried my best to collect information and anecdotes to

give first hand/ verified and confirmed news/reports of what went around here

all these days. You know there are always more rumours than truth. Hence I took

an oath to be careful and truthful before reporting any thing . I had duty

outside the venue of Rai School where Swami was scheduled to visit first after

leaving Rai's Residence. One interesting thing that happened on March 11, the

day of Swami’s arrival in Delhi was, the organisers had announced 4.45 P.M. as

the scheduled time of Swami's arrival at the Rai School for the Public Darshan.

People had lined up for the darshan even before 1 P.M. to enter the school tent

from 2 P.M. onwards. There was some initial confusion about entry modes. But

after everything settled down, people were allowed inside from 2. PM. When at

about 3.45 P.M. more and more people started arriving , Swami suddenly arrived!

So we had to stop further entries into the Rai School.

I have tried to get as much info as possible (all reliable and verified) on our

Lord 's visit to this hitherto sleeping city. The discourses are ultimately

going to come out from Prasanthi in an official capacity. I was therefore

content to be staying outside the venues and collecting details about finer and

diviner moments of Swami’s stay.

For the morning darshans at Rai School and JLN stadium on the 12th March the

crowds were not as much as anticipated. This could be because of the Board Exam

of the 12 th standard ( Chemistry). Big crowds were expected for 12th afternoon

and 13th morning and evening. The inauguration of this Sri Sathya Sai

International Centre was done at the scheduled time of 9 to 10.30 A.M. followed

by a Discourse by Swami. Vajpayee, Advani and several other political bigwigs as

well as wigless bigs attended. There was unprecedented security arrangement all

over. In the evening there was a discourse at the Sai Centre where maximum of 5

to 6 hundred could be seated. Admission was by VVIP invitation. Delhi wore a

festive look with banners, posters etc reading "Love All, Serve All, Help Ever,

Hurt Never" “Welcome to Sri Sathya Sai Baba" etc. etc.

There was a rumour that Swami would give an address to a joint session of

Parliaments But remember, rumour always walks with a gold plated iron walking

stick but Truth always limps with a rusted but a real gold walking stick!

However in due course of time, both sticks reveal their true calibre. How could

Swami give any speech to joint session of Parliaments ? It was against the

Government protocol(although anything and everything is possible with Swami

around). Of course in March 12th speech at the time of inauguration of the Sai

International Centre , Sri Vajpayee did reveal his happiness on Swami's current

visit. There was however no political importance to it. Vajpayee was Swami's

devotee for a long period. He even mentioned jokingly during his lecture that

when Swami visited Delhi 18 years before, he was then just a Foreign Minister

but now during Swami's visit he had been promoted in ranks (as Prime Minister)

Swami had assured both Vajpayee and Vinay Rai that

henceforth He would visit Delhi every year. He also assured there would not be

any war. Shri Anil Kumar had come from Prasanthi and he would be making

available the discourse to all in due time.

There was unprecedented rush during the evening darshan at the Rai School and

the Jawahar Lal Nehru Stadium, in contrast to the morning darshans (I have a

true and strange happening to report about the morning darshan of March 12 and

the evening one of 11th at the Rai School- at least I feel the Divine Hand of

Baba behind it though I do not call it a miracle, it was nothing short of a

miracle, it revealed Baba's love for the downtrodden!) All the three nearby

parks were filled with cars. After the darshan was over, it took several hours

for the people to disperse.

DELHI’S APPOINTMENT WITH DIVINITY-Part II

March 13, 1999

I had mentioned about some strange happenings in the afternoon darshan of 11th

and the morning darshan of 12th. Here is what I have actually observed and

known and report truthfully the happenings without any adulteration. The Delhi

organisers of Swami’s visit had printed nearly a million passes for different

darshan timings and places and have distributed them freely to various people

through the seva dals and volunteers . Only the pass holders were allowed to

have the darshan! Swami was scheduled to arrive at 4.45 P.M. on the evening of

11th at the Rai School, from Rai Residence. The Delhi people taking the passes

as a guarantee of seat and entry started coming at their own timings. Those who

had come earlier than 3.40 P.M. were all inside seated while those who started

arriving after 3.45 P.M. after Swami’s arrival, were naturally denied entry

after that. And sevaks like me who were stationed outside to control the entry

points and regulate the crowd, had a very

tough time in convincing the people why despite the issue of passes they could

not get in. Even though there was sufficient space inside the Rai School Tent

people could not be accommodated because they were late. Earlier, many of the

slum dwellers who live in a cluster of hutment adjacent to the Rai School could

not gain entry into the school for Baba’s darshan because they did not hold

passes. Swamy stayed for just around 10 minutes on that evening and then went

to JLN Stadium and thereafter left for the day back to Rai residence

For the next day morning darshan, there was no crowd at all and the organisers

were very upset. ( I am repeating, I am telling you the truth) . They got hold

of some volunteers working outside and asked them to remove their scarves and

identity cards and told them to sit inside along with the public. Still the

emptiness of the hall was very visible. Then they requested the very same slum

dwellers who could not gain entry the previous evening for want of passes, to

come inside and sit with the public. In spite of all these “efforts” there was

not much crowd as such. I will tell you something about these slum dwellers.

These are the people who make and sell malas (garlands) to the Shirdi Baba

Devotees who visit the Shirdi Baba Temple just in front of the Rai School! I

leave the rest to my Sai Sisters and brothers to comprehend. The later outcome

however was that the privileges given to the pass holders were withdrawn and

all were asked to come for the darshan with or

without passes.

I have compiled whatever exciting news that came my way, after authenticating

them . Delhi was bathing in Divinity. The crowds were growing in geometric

proportion and were virtually becoming uncontrollable. People unable to gain

entry started sobbing. On the morning of March 13th, from 4 A.M. itself people

started pouring in. By 7.00 A.M the Rai School was brimming with people and in

spite of our closing the entry people did manage to gain entry and stood in the

ground opposite the school. The school had a seating capacity of 15 to 20

thousand and the crowd actually swelled to double its capacity besides the

people who assembled outside. Virtually the CGO complex and the temple area

were all resembling like heaven (Do not ask me where have I seen Heaven?).

Prasanthi had replicated itself in DelhiP.S After the morning Darshan, Swami

surprised everyone by suddenly visiting the canteen before His visit to the

stadium for giving public darshan there!

DELHI’S APPOINTMENT WITH DIVINITY-Part III

Swami stretching His human body to astronomical limits?

Right from day one I observed Swami closely when He was travelling in the car

and got it confirmed from others who attended His public darshan (including my

wife and son). He looked really tired and very grim. Most of the time He had

been with the Delhi politicians only. Obviously He was meaning business. He had

often said Delhi was the stomach (capital) of the body (nation). “If the stomach

is okay then only the nation will be alright. If the politicians are good then

only the governance of the country will be good.” Even the PM had observed on

the day of the inauguration of the Sai Centre that let Swami’s placing of his

feet on the soil of Delhi bring about a cleansing of the polluted Delhi. So

Swami wanted to clean up the politicians first in order to cleanse the “body”

so as to set right the whole nation. That explained why He was spending most of

His time with the politicians!

For the 13th March evening darshan at Rai school, scheduled at 4.45P.M. people

had started coming into the hall right from 11. 30 A.M. because of the

disappointment many had to face in the morning. They waited and waited and at

one time, some of the people got up to leave and were persuaded to wait. Swami

at last came at about 5.40 P.M. and moved around in His inimitable Divine style

and was off in just 10minutes to the stadium where He spent just 5 minutes so as

to keep up His time for the Bal Vikas programme in the Sai Centre where Advani

and several other VVIPs were also present. From there He was off to another

place also. All these days strangely He never took to seat while the bhajan was

in progress unlike in Prasanthi! When I phoned up the mobile team at 9. P.M. He

was still on the move! When I learnt there was a move afoot to have Swami’s

“Padha Namaskars” for the seva dals and volunteers I prayed to Swami thus:

“Swami! Your body is after all human. You cure others of their bodily and mental

ills. Should You not take care of Your this human body? You are not using any

divine power to preserve Your body in tact? I request You to not to bother Your

body with the “Padha Namaskar” of the 10000 volunteers. I am getting Your vision

in me whenever I close my eyes. Swami Please… Please.. take care of the health

of Your body. I will not be disappointed at all if I do not get the Padha

Namaskar.”March 14, 1999

Final moments of proximity to Divinity

At last my patiently working outside the Rai School for the last 3 days

controlling crowd did pay rich divine divends. I had close moments with Swami

along with my son Vijay, though not in privacy. Swami also conversed with me

recognising us. Though he could not bless many thousands of other volunteers

and sevadals I am sure He was in a hurry to leave for Bombay and that was why

He at last went up the stage and blessed all with both His HandsSome momentous

moments:

At 10.25 A.M. Swami entered the Rai school and within few minutes He spoke

kindly to the area Police Inspector who did an excellent job all the four days

along with his Assistant (woman police official) and many other constables and

before any one could realise what was happening He materialised a ring and put

it on his finger. The crowd went up in cheers. He then just picked up a doctor

in the medical team and asked him in Hindi " what are you doing" He said in

Hindi " I am doing seva?" .Swami said "What seva you are doing. You are only

eating and drinking If you do not have patience, wherefrom will you get

patients How will you do seva to patients?" People were all just stunned.

Swami's tone was quite serious and He was not joking! Then He gave pada

namaskars to a limited few volunteers ( both ladies and gents) He left us

around 11.20 A.M. and later I got the message from the airport that His flight

had left at around 1.15 P.M. He must have reached Bombay by around

3.00 P.M. to bathe Bombay in Divinity ( Which was already immersed in His Divinity)

Before going to the JLN Stadium on the 14h for delivering His Divine Discourse

Swami visited the canteen put up by the Punjab Sathya Sai Organisation and

their volunteers ( nearly 1100 of them had come) and blessed them all They had

done invaluable service to all the volunteers who were posted on duty in and

around the Stadium

I just could not believe that Swami had left Delhi. I am still feeling His

presence. I am narrating below some finer moments of His Divine Stay in Delhi

which, one will not get in any news paper.(of course authenticated ones) Sai

Ram! Sai Ram! Sai Ram!

Divine Moments, touching scenes, Lessons to Learn &c Part –A

Discipline, honesty and reward: On the 12th evening there was a big line of

ladies for Swami’s Darshan outside the Rai School. At any point of time there

were more ladies than gents and yet the organisers had provided equal space for

both inside the tent. A foreign lady ( by her accent I thought she was an

Italian) clad in light saffron coloured sari standing in the queue came out of

the line and asked me to guide her to a toilet. The toilet was quite far from

the place and I guided her to the location. She took some time to come back and

the line had already moved very much ahead and naturally she lost her position

in the line. Disciplined as she was, she just went again to the starting point

and joined the queue. However by the time she reached the entry point of ladies

the inside hall was full and all the ladies were being turned out.

When I saw her coming back I knew what had happened. I felt very grieved,

mentally prayed to Swami for forgiveness , took her inside with me despite her

declining any sort of special favours and did manage to get her seated near the

front row with the help of another seva dal. While returning she profusely

thanked me, for she was able to have Bhagawan’s darshan in closeness to her

heart’s content. I requested her to thank Swami. Well who am I to be

thanked?!Will thievery be construed as Bhakti by Bhagawan every time?

Here is an interesting episode. On the 13th morning again there was a big queue

of ladies. The Seva dals were permitted to enter through the barricaded points

with a view to speed up their approach to their duty spots. The only way to

recognise the sevadals/volunteers was through their identity cards and scarves.

Many seva dals were not used to tough Prasanthi standards and came late and by

the time long queues had come up already. The sevadals who came late used the

barricaded points to gain entry into the tent for their assigned duties. They

of course came in for severe criticism by the ladies who have been standing in

the line long before. Many were holding their scarves in hand and rushing up.

One middle aged lady entered through the barricade and I asked her if she was a

seva dal. She said yes and showed the scarf. Something struck in my mind and I

asked her to produce her identity card. She said she lost the card somewhere. I

was not convinced somehow and upon probing further she became nervous and came

out with the truth. She got the scarf from the road (inadvertently dropped by

some seva dal) and noticing that it appeared to have “ some special privileges”

she wanted to have a try with it. ( well the scarf was not the Alladin’s magic

ring to work with every one!). By the time a police constable posted near by ,

watching the whole episode, intervened and took the lady with him. I requested

him not to harass the lady but just to leave her outside the venue of activity

which he did.

People have been telling Baba would be performing great miracles during His

visit to and stay in Delhi etc. etc. To all of them I want to say that The

greatest miracle of Baba as you all know is His Love as He often says.

Therefore His miracles of Love have already been performed in innumerable

places . He has planted the seed of Love in the barren lands of Delhi and Lots

of people have started feeling His Divine Love already. His producing of ring

etc. therefore, was not that important.

Divine Moments,touching scenes,Lessons to Learn &c Part-B

Can any one predict Divinity’s movements?

Even those very close to Swami (or those who think they are very close because

of their physical nearness) are unable to predict what Swami will do next or

where He will move towards.

On the 13th, after the morning darshan was over in the Rai School, He was

scheduled to go to Jawahar Lal Nehru Stadium for public Darshan. But He just

detoured via the canteen. He entered through the ladies wing of the canteen and

came out of the gents’ wing, blessing every body present there, the food and

everything. He tasted even the water being served there.

There was an young man who was working all the time distributing water to all

the volunteers inside the canteen, who just before the arrival of Swami in the

canteen, handed over his charge to some other boy and went out to receive his

sister who arrived from Lucknow. And during his absence Swami had arrived at

the canteen, shook hands with the substitute who was serving water and had gone

after which this young man arrived.

He was naturally distressed to learn what happened but being a very good chap

and a sincere devotee of Swami, he never revealed his disappointment. Well what

do we know about Divinity ‘s intentions?

Swami acting like a School Principal: I had already mentioned how during the

special darshan and Padha Namaskar on the morning of 14th March 1999 Swami

randomly picked up a doctor and chided him.

Here is another anecdote which took place immediately after that. Swami just

pointed a finger to a seva dal and spoke to him sternly, in Hindi, exactly like

a Principal who admonished an erring student, “ What seva are you doing? You are

lazy, lazy…..”

This was just like a father speaking to a son or a class teacher or a school

principal trying to show his concern for his son/student. There was deep love

and concern even in that “scolding”

Let us not think He is not aware of our “most secret” movements and actions. He

is our conscience. Let us not cheat our conscience.

Divine Moments,touching scenes,Lessons to Learn &c Part– C

Attachments, can we give them up? On the 14th morning, Swami gave a short

discourse in the stadium before He went to the Rai school for His final moments

before departure to Bombay. In this only discourse which He gave at the stadium

( the rest two He gave at the Sai Centre and only few of the public and mostly

politicians attended) He had stressed as usual on “Love”. “Service to

Humanity”, “detachments” etc.

After Swami left the Rai School, when all had dispersed, I went along with my

wife and son to the stadium parking to take my scooter. Almost all the people

had already left. As soon as I entered the parking lot, a lady seva dal came

running to me. She was uncontrollably sobbing. I really got a fright. May be

something serious has happened with this lady. In between her sobs this is what

she narrated. “She could not find her Maruti 800 car in the parking and

obviously it must have been stolen. And I being the only “volunteer” left there

must feel my responsibility and retrieve her vehicle!” All conversation took

place in Hindi I am giving the English translation.

I just took the liberty of advising her “ Bahenji, I will definitely help. First

of all stop your crying. After all it is a car you have lost and even that is

covered by insurance . If you can not get the vehicle you will be compensated

by the Insurance co. You are a “ Sai Seva Dal” You have just come out having

listened to the Divine Discourse of Swami in which He has stressed on

“detachment”. And here you are grieving so much on the loss of a car.” Well

however much my wife and I tried to console her she was not to be consoled. So

I went about business on hand.

school and must have removed the car without informing his wife. My hunch proved to be right.!

Well my dear Sai Sisters and Brothers! Whatever lessons you want to draw from

this, you may draw. I am amazed at the way, things have happened during Swami’s

visit to Delhi.

Divine Moments, touching scenes,Lessons to Learn &c Part– D

Evidence of germination of the seeds of Love planted in barren lands of Delhi A

day after Swami had left Delhi, on the afternoon of 15th March 1999, I was

coming from Connaught place on my scooter. I was all the while thinking about

Swami only. How He had virtually stormed into the Dormant Delhi and like a

flash had gone, having planted his seeds of Love in the barren lands of Delhi.

etc. etc. I had to turn left on the Parliament street just after the Patel

Chowk. In most of the roads in Delhi, there is no stop signal for the left

turn. However, the traffic police have been introducing this at every point

recently/slowly. I just turned left on the Parliament street without noticing

the Red –stop signal prohibiting left-turn and just landed up in the waiting

net of the traffic police-team. You know, this is the time of Financial year

ending (March 31). The police are very zealous about collecting the maximum

revenue before the financial year end. Here I was like a goat before the altar

getting ready to shell out the fine (Just because I was thinking about My

Swami, otherwise I would have noticed the Red light and stopped!)As the Asst

sub-inspector was about to write down the registration details of my vehicle

and finish challaning( making charge slip) formalities, a traffic Police jeep

stopped nearby and a sub-inspector peeped out. He recognised me as one who

worked in tandem with the Police, controlling the crowd during the days of

Swami’s stay in Delhi. He immediately instructed the Asst sub inspector on duty

there, not to charge slip (challan) me and requested me to go saying “Sai Ram!”.

I also said “Sai Ram!” All the other policemen present there also said “Sai

Ram”. I have stayed in Delhi for the last 30 years and I have never come across

a policeman who chanted ever”Sai Ram”. And Here were a group of them chorusing

“Sai Ram! What a Divine experience and What to say of Sai Leela! However much

one speaks of Sai Leelas, neither the narrator nor the listener is exhausted.

On March 19th, 1999 evening, I attended a gathering where one Mrs. Usha

Bhatnagar shared her divine experiences when Bhagawan visited her house during

His Delhi visit. In fact Swami made number of unscheduled visits while in

Delhi. He visited the Kalkaji Sai School. Visited the house of Justice

Bhagawati, Modi, Rajesh Khanna (not the film star) besides many other

politicians. Who can say about the Divine intentions and detours!Your Loving

Sai ServantV. Krishnan, New Delhi