Sathyam Sivam Sundaram - Part I

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devotion to God. The group was modeled after similar groups which existed in the

neighbouring villages. It consisted of about eighteen boys, uniformly dressed in

ochre robes. Each held a flag and wore jingle-bells as anklets. They danced to

the tones of folk songs and ballads depicting the yearning of pilgrims for

Darshan or the blessing by sight of the Panduranga Shrine. Sathya taught the

children in poetry and song the ordeals of the long pilgrimage, the pilgrim's

anxiety to reach the shrine quickly, and their joy at the sight of the pinnacle

of the temple. He composed some songs from the legendary Life of

Krishna known in India as the Bhagavatha Purana. In these songs the milkmaids

complain to Yasoda, Krishna's foster mother, of the unceasing pranks of

Krishna. Yasoda

chides the boy for his thievery and mischief, but Krishna pleads innocence. With

actresses and actors of Sathya's group performing the parts of Yasoda and

Krishna in the center of the circle, and with others playing the role of the

milkmaids dancing on the circumference, the scene was a great attraction in the

village. Sathya played the role of either the mother or the child. His dance,

dialogue, and music added to the charm of the devotional songs. He also

included with the traditional themes, songs concerning a pilgrimage to a new

Deity and new shrine of which no one had yet heard. No one had the faintest

idea who the new Deity was. The shrine, Shirdi and the Deity, Sai Baba? Sai

Baba of Shirdi? Who could it be? How did this little boy know of that

Mohammedan ascetic of Shirdi? The elders wondered as the children danced in the

streets.

'Bookman Old Style'">The Bhajan Group collected a subscription of an anna per

month from each house for oil, parched rice, joss-sticks, camphor, and other

sundries needed for worship. The oil was used for the lamp which they carried

with them when they walked around the village. The parched rice was given to

everyone as Grace. On festival occasions they collected larger amounts, perhaps

two annas, and proudly bought a petromax light which they brought all the way

from Bukkapatnam. The children of the Raju family and others provided the

musical accompaniments. Sathya was the central figure of the group as

organizer,

treasurer, teacher, composer, and leading singer. He portrayed every role so

wonderfully that the villagers could envision before their eyes Mathura and

Brindavan where the Lord lived as Krishna, and boy Krishna as a cowherd with

His flute enchanting the milkmaids, the cows, calves, the trees, and the river

Yamuna. Once, while a song describing the prowess and achievements of

Narasimha, the "Man-Lion Avatara of Vishnu," was being enacted and the line,

"From out the pillar of steel the giant Lion jumped," was sung, Sathya suddenly

leaped like the Lion-Man manifestation of the Lord personified. His face

was transformed into such ferocity, indignation, and benediction that the entire

village was frightened. No one, not even experts in wrestling holds, could

control the boy. At last, after a number of people had offered worship and

waved camphor and broken coconuts before the manifested Lord, Sathya became

normal and resumed the song. [ Bhajan: Sri Nrsimha Pranama] This incident

spread the fame of the Pandhari Bhajan Group. Word was spread that God actually

manifested Himself when this group sang and danced - as the people of

Puttaparthi witnessed! When cholera swept like a poisonous simoom over the area

and killed entire families in the

surrounding villages, Puttaparthi did not feel the blast of death. Wise men told

one another that the divine atmosphere generated by the Bhajan Group was

responsible. Thereafter the group was invited to many villages to sing in order

to protect these places from the anger of the Gods. Very often carts were sent

as transportation for the group, but sometimes the little saviors, carrying

their food with them, had to walk ten or twelve miles, resting during the

hottest part of the day in some grove along the way. The people in these

villages also heard the strange names of Shirdi and Sai Baba and wondered what

and who they were. Because they did not understand, they plunged into their

routine tasks again.

TEXT-INDENT: 0.5in">There were dramas and open-air operas where Puranic (Indian

legend) themes were represented by dialogue, dance, and costume, and where

Rakshasas (demons), Asuras (ungodly ones) , and the powers of evil were

defeated by the forces of Good. These dramas were written, rehearsed, and

produced in various households in which Sathya visited. Sathya's father also

became a celebrity on the popular stage, mainly for his role of Banasura, a

famous Titan of mythology, then even more for his inimitable depiction of

Yudhishthira, the eldest of the five sons of Pandu, the holy follower of divine

law and the never wavering adherent of the Lord. (The Rhythm of His Feet To be

continued..) SaiRam.