Sunday Blessings

[Guest guest]

suffused with peace. Doves occasionally swooped down with a flutter of wings

from the roof of Sai Ramesh Hall. People shining with quiet joy on their faces

moved silently about, taking their places. Fragrant whiffs of camphor or flowers

scented the air now and then. How sacred and peaceful was the atmosphere! My

line got token #4. There was a rush for places in the hall. The waiting began

after everyone was settled. People sitting there, centering their thoughts

around the happy expectation of seeing beloved Baba at last…willing Him to come

fast…Krishna nee begane baro… More waiting. Ankle pressed on the ground hurt. A

line floated into my memory “Infinite patience produces

immediate results”. The mind finally came to a resignation of possessing itself

in infinite patience and settled down in peace. Ah Baba… I’d happily wait an

eternity for You. The lights on stage glowed, and Baba was sighted in a

wheelchair at the gate of his residence. A powerful ripple swept through the

audience, the crowd came alive and there were many audible gasps. Eyes were

whetted with the initial sight of the longed-for orange robe and crown of hair.

Then He disappeared behind the stage for a while. The

curtain on the back of the stage parted and Baba appeared full-length, walking,

supported by 3 white-clad students. At this sudden full sight of Him, emotions

overflowed and tears gushed up spontaneously. The sight of Him is like a

thunderbolt and lightning strike combined – it takes one’s breath away! Baba

came walking straight to the railings and stood holding onto to them, looking at

us all, pouring His Love into our thirsting eyes and hearts. It was as if He

wanted to take us all into His embrace, the way He made straight for us, as

close to us as the railings would permit, and stood there just loving us. The

hall burst into song…what joy and rightness there was in doing what we were

born to do – singing full throated ecstatic songs of adoration to the Lord

while He

turned his thousand-eyed glance of grace on us. When I closed my eyes, I could

feel His Presence flowing all around, encompassing body and soul, and I felt it

like a babe-in-arms feels its mother’s love. There is something different in the

hall’s atmosphere when Baba is present. When He is there, the air is

continuously fragrant with a sweet divine vibuthi smell and the very air of the

hall is luminous and radiant with Divine Love. It is verily transformed into

Vaikunta. Baba stood for 2-3 bhajans, then sank down into the chair that was

placed right behind Him, then grasped the railings and stood up again for a

couple more bhajans. As He listened to the bhajans, He sometimes moved his

finger as though conducting the bhajan, or waved his hand to the beat in His

characteristic way, all the while looking tenderly at all of us. It was a feast

of mutual Love – Nara and Narayana face to face, glorying in each other. The

students were angels, hovering around Baba as protectively as a mother hovers

around the first steps of her child, watching His every breath, anticipating

his every move, rushing to fulfill His every need, guarding Him like the eyelid

guards the eye. They wear their love and reverence for Him like a garment around

them – apostles of purity and single-mindedness. Fortunate blessed souls! Just

before aarati, a student handed Baba a red rose. He took it, and with an

affectionate mother gesture, tucked the rose right back into the boy’s shirt

pocket. The boy’s face was a treat to behold! J Then He raised His hand,

blessed the aarati boys and slowly turned and made His way to the back of the

stage and disappeared from view. He was on stage for about 30 mins in all.

For those of us who have seen Him as He was before,

walking about as majestically and effortlessly as a lion in its domain, it hurts

to see Him walking cautiously, falteringly, supported by those boys. When He is

actually in front of you, His presence is so immediate and powerful that all

you can feel is love and joy, but later when you replay the darshan in your

mind, that is when His physical condition breaks your heart. I recalled our

brother Sai Sandesh’s poignant lines from one of his poems: When You walk in

Sai Ramesh hall, limping and bearing all the pain, Falling every other day,

but rising our spirits, My heart cries. When You kept smiling and patting us,

all the while, with one eye of Yours burnt, My heart cries. So frail, yet so

giving. And all this for us…for love of us. Giving, giving, loving, loving. The

only way we can ever show our gratitude is to love the world at least a

fraction of the way He loves us.

0cm 0pt"> Sairam, MangalaSonya Tomlinson Burke <devakki3 > wrote:

Sai Ram all Our Heavenly Father gave splendid Darshan this morning. Sai Ramesha

hall was packed full of devotees waiting for His Luminous darshan. Swami walked

onto the verandah and showered us with His Godly Love. Towards the end, He

stood up through a few of the bhajans, gave Arathi and then walked out.

[Guest guest]

Jai SAI RAM!

Respected Mangala ji,

Thank you so much for wonderful description of

BABA's darshan. We sitting here in USA have only this

option to have BABA's darshan!

We pray for Baba's blessings on all of us.

Jai Sai RAM.

Meera Bakshi

 

--- Mangala Ramprakash <gamsetmach wrote:

 

> Dear Sai family,

>

> Thanks sister Sonya, for your splendid daily

> reports. I was fortunate enough to make it to the

> Sunday darshan as well. .....

[Guest guest]

Sai ram Mangala

exquisite thoughts of our Lord Sai's Darshan. Thank

you. Are you still here in Whitefield?

Lots of prema

sonya ki

 

 

--- Mangala Ramprakash <gamsetmach wrote:

> Dear Sai family,

> Thanks sister Sonya, for your splendid daily

> reports. I was fortunate enough to make it to the

> Sunday darshan as well. .....

[Guest guest]

I wish I had some words left to say after reading this. I dont want to lessen

the beauty of the joy this E-Darshan gave me, by trying to put it in words.

>> They wear their love and reverence for Him like a garment around them –

apostles of purity and single-mindedness.

When would He grant me this ornament? :-(

 

I am also happy that my gramophone poem has come to your mind while having Darshan.

 

(Recently I realized that I should call my poems and writings as "gramophone

records". In one recent Discourses, Swami said, "Gramophone also sings, but it

cannot experience the bliss of the music it is singing.

" I am a Sai Gramophone.)

 

Your message came to me at the most right time it could have ever come. I have

my own lessons to learn from it.

God bless your soul and I wish you have more Darshans and experiences to share with us.

 

Jai Jai Sairam.

~ Sai Sandesh

 

On 2/13/06, Mangala Ramprakash <gamsetmach (AT) (DOT) co.uk> wrote:

Dear Sai family,

 

Thanks sister Sonya, for your splendid daily reports. I was fortunate enough to

make it to the Sunday darshan as well. I arrived in Bangalore on Friday and our

beloved Baba was compassionate enough to call me to His presence soon after, on

Sunday morning......