Sai Global Harmony - Prashanthi Bulletin-11.07.2005

[Guest guest]

July 11th, 2005

This morning was an unforgettable one for all students and staff of the

Institute. The Foyer prayer session had just begun and the Management students

were getting prepared for their Workshop. Vedam was being taught in the Foyer

as part of the Prayer session, when there was some commotion on the road

outside. Some of us who were outside the Foyer realized that it was Swami's car

making its way forward. We thought that Bhagawan must be going out for a visit

to the Hospital or just for a round as He does sometimes, Blessing people on

the way! Least did we know what surprise was in store for us!

As Bhagawan's car came close to the Institute entrance gate, we found devotees

rushing forward. To our greatest surprise, the car turned inside the College

Campus. We were stunned. What were we to do? Immediately, the Principal Prof.

U.S. Rao was intimated about Swami's arrival and he came running all the way.

By then, Swami's car had already proceeded half way to the Auditorium side

entrance. Prof. Rao ran to the car and there was some interaction with

Bhagawan. Meanwhile, some students ran to the Auditorium and opened the doors.

The Workshop was to be held in the Audio Visual Room of the College and hence

the Auditorium was not in use this morning. The car slowly moved forward and

was finally parked near the Auditorium side entrance, from where Bhagawan used

to enter the Auditorium in earlier days. By now, Prof. A. Sudhir Bhaskar and

some others had reached the spot

and were interacting with Swami. The news reached the Vice Chancellor who rushed

from his office to the College. Swami then asked for Sri S.V. Giri our former

Vice-Chancellor. He too drove down in a few minutes. All along, Bhagawan was

silently sitting in the car, Blissful as ever! We were standing over there in

awe and wonder at the immense patience of our Lord! By now the students had

moved into the Auditorium and Bhajans were going on in full swing.

Inside the Auditorium there was pandemonium. There were one set of students

arranging Swami's Chair, another set arranging the Public Address System and

some more were busy in miscellaneous tasks. Welcoming Bhagawan is not a simple

task. We need to be perfect in welcoming the Lord who is the embodiment of

perfection!

A short while later, the guest speakers for the Management Workshop also arrived

and took there seats. It was 9.00 a.m. Our Lord had sat in the car waiting for

the preparations to be made for a full 40 minutes. Incidentally, today happens

to be a Monday and Rahu Kalam just ended at 9.00 a.m. (Divine Will!).

The Vice Chancellor offered a rose to Bhagawan and the chair manoeuvered itself

outside the car. Swami entered the Auditorium and sat down in the centre, in

front of the stage, facing the first row of chairs. There was a podium arranged

next to Swami's Chair. Bhagawan looked at everybody seated in the Hall and then

signaled for the Vedam chanting. A large group of students came in from the

side door and chanted Vedam.

Swami then asked the Vice Chancellor to speak. The Vice Chancellor gave a very

brief talk for around 5 minutes, summing up the various initiatives taken in

the Institute since June 2005 in the areas of various academic programmes,

Human Values integration, etc. After his talk, the mike was arranged for Swami

and the Management Professors prayed to Swami to Bless the Workshop with His

Message. However, Swami was looking for something else.

After a few minutes Bhagawan indicated for His regular chair in which He

normally used to sit when He came for viewing programmes to the Institute. The

sofa was brought immediately. Then Bhagawan was assisted in shifting from the

Porte Chair to the red coloured sofa. The sofa was placed facing the stage in

the middle of the Hall in line with the first row of chairs. Once He was in

this position, He asked for the programme to begin!

What a crisis! No one was clear which programme was to begin. The talks of the

Management Executives were arranged in the Audio Visual Room. Was that to be

held here or was it something else? Very soon, it became clear that Swami was

looking for the Music boys. Well, so that's it. It was going to be a

continuation of yesterday's Music Programme.

Within minutes, the Music Group was ready on the stage. Mikes were arranged and

the songs began. After a few glitches with the mikes and speakers, in due

course, things went on fine. Tyagaraja Keertanas, "Piba Re Rama Rasam" and

other classical songs were rendered. It was around 9.30 a.m. and Swami asked

them to sing the "Rama Katha" song. Once again, boys ran helter and skelter to

get the appropriate instruments. Within minutes, the Rama Katha began. It was a

soul stirring experience!

Swami was very involved in the music. He kept talking to Sri S.V. Giri and Sri

Gokak every few minutes and was also giving instructions to the singers on the

stage. We were very surprised to hear Bhagawan talking so loudly that His voice

could be heard by the singers on the stage. He is all mystery and inscrutable!

At 10.00 a.m. the Rama Katha came to a close. Swami was very happy with the

performance. The two lead singers Sri Omprasad (I M.Sc. Phy) and S.V.B.S. Sai

Krishna (II MBA) came running down for His Blessings. There was a long feedback

session and Swami gave them a number of tips regarding singing.

In the course of His interaction, suddenly, He waved His right Hand and created

a gold ring for Brother Sai Krishna. There was loud applause and all students

raised their heads to see the ring and the lucky recipient and above all the

Creator! By 10.05 a.m. Swami signaled for His chair. Once again, He shifted to

the Toyota Porte chair and as He went past the aisle to the exit door, the

Management Workshop Guest speakers standing along the path were Blessed.

Prasadam had been arranged (very thoughtful of somebody) and was Blessed and

distributed to all. Swami took Aarti and moved to the car.

The car made its way outside the College Campus. What a most fortunate and lucky

day it is for the Institute and all of us. A most unexpected visit and most

cherishable moments in the Lord's Presence!! The entire Campus was Blessed by

His sacred and Divine Presence.

In the evening, Bhagawan came out at around 3.00 p.m., took a full round of the

Darshan Hall and stopped near the interview room door. He waited until all the

students came for Darshan and moved over to the centre of the dais. Vedam

chanting went on in full swing. At 4.10 p.m. Swami called the Vedam Teachers

forward. Brother Sudhindran, Dr. Anil Kumar and Sri Vedanarayana went towards

Swami. Bhagawan spoke to them for some time and then with a wave of His Hand,

He materialized a beautiful gold chain for Sri Vedanarayana. Bhagawan spent a

long time in untangling the chain and all the while Sri Vedanarayana spoke to

Swami. One could see the Bliss on both the faces! Finally Swami Blessed him and

put the chain around his neck. There was loud applause in the Kulwant Hall.

After this Vedam chanting stopped for some time. Prasadam distribution began and

at 4.20 p.m., Rudram chanting commenced once again. At 4.25 p.m. Swami went

inside the Bhajan Hall and there He had a wonderful informal session with the

Bhajan Boys. He asked them to sing some songs like "Challa Gaalilo", "Madhura

Mohana" and "Kondalalo..." - suggesting changes, telling them the correct way

to sing, and so on. After the interaction Bhagawan retired at 5.15 p.m. Bhajans

went on till 5.30 p.m. concluding with Aarti.

July 10th, 2005

This evening, Swami was out very early - before 3.00 p.m.! He waited near the

interview room door, talking to the Vice Chancellor. Then, He left the Hall for

a ride through the campus. At 3.40 p.m. He reentered the Kulwant Hall. The car

moved towards the portico and came onto the stage. This evening, the Music

Group boys of the Institute had planned for a Music Programme. They were all

set, waiting for Swami's arrival. The Vice Chancellor went forward and told

Swami that the boys were ready with the programme. The sofa moved out of the

car and Swami sat in His regular position the centre of the dais close to the

Brass railings.

He immediately stopped the Vedam chanting and asked the boys to begin their

presentation. What followed was something worth witnessing! The Lord has some

surprises for us everyday. We thought it would be a regular Music Programme

with classical and some light devotional songs.

The first song was "Deva Namo Deva..." - a Telugu composition. After one verse,

Swami asked them to stop and begin another song. They sang the most popular

"Madhura Mohana Ghana Shyama Sundara Sai...." This too went on for some time

and then Swami intervened.

He called the lead singers front and gave them some instructions. They went

back. A few minutes elapsed possibly they were trying to work out how best to

meet the unexpected demand from the Lord! Crisis Management in action! "Kondala

Nelakonda Koneti Rayuduvadu..." began and half way through, they switched over

to "Sai Charanam Baba Charanam Sharanam...."

Even this was not completed. Swami had some more instructions for them. Next

came "Murahara Nee Charanamu Veedaga...." It looked like some selections were

going on. Sample testing as they call it! "Krishna Krupa Sagaram", "Appa Rama

Shakti Ento Goppa Ra", "Ranga Baro Panduranga Baro", "Rama Nannu Brovaraa" -

all these followed in short bursts.

By 4.15, the 'music programme' came to an abrupt end. We were left wondering,

whereas Swami was giving them some clear cut instructions. Who can ever

understand His mysterious ways? He called the lead singers again and spoke to

them for quite some time. Subsequently, He went into the interview room. All

students rushed into the Bhajan Hall, as they do whenever Swami goes inside for

Bhajans.

Once Swami goes inside for Bhajans, it is a real feast. He stays inside the

Bhajan Hall throughout the Bhajans and even for the complete Aarti. Only after

the Lokaa Samasta Sukhino Bhaavantu and 3 times Shanti, the sofa is wheeled out

towards the car. Therefore, students literally wait to rush into the Bhajan Hall

and book a place for themselves!

This evening, Bhajans began at 4.30 p.m. itself. A few minutes later Swami went

back to the Poornachandra Auditorium. Bhajans went on till 5.00 p.m. and then

Aarti brought the day to a close. On quite a few occasions Swami leaves the

Mandir during the Bhajans. At such times, the Bhajans go on for exactly half an

hour and then Aarti is given.

Thus each day is full of new patterns. The Lord is truly an enigma wrapped in

mystery! Who can ever comprehend His Ways! Let us just sit back and enjoy and

experience His very Presence!

July 5th to 9th, 2005

On 5th , in the morning, Swami went in His car on a round outside the Ashram. He

went up to the Music College in Vidyagiri, and after a few minutes, returned to

the Ashram. In the evening, Darshan was at 3.30 p.m. Swami sat outside all the

while and we had continuous Vedam Chanting. It was great to see Bhagawan

chanting with the students from time to time, and He was all the while

encouraging them to chant with vigour by often nodding His head in sync with

the intonations of the chants.

The same pattern continued on the following days. Swami spent long hours sitting

outside in full view of the devotees giving all of us a golden opportunity to

feast on His Divine Form. He would sit all the while, absolutely still, looking

into the emptiness and this gave us a feel of what Divinity is all about. He is

the unchanging eternal Witness and that is the feeling one gets these days when

Bhagawan sits outside during Darshan.

But now and then, He suddenly asks for letters and then it is great to see one

student after the other, going forward and giving their letters to Swami.

Bhagawan spends quite some time with each boy talking to him, asking him some

questions and giving him some answers. It's a great sight to watch the Divine

interaction.

The best part is when Swami calls the Birthday boys. They move forward like a

train with a number of compartments. Each one makes the best of the

opportunity, giving letters, getting Blessings, praying for solutions to their

problems - a total package! Very patiently, Swami caters to the needs of each

one and the whole episode goes on for quite some time, to the delight of one

and all.

One evening, Swami went inside the Bhajan Hall, which He does occasionally.

Inside the Bhajan Hall, He spent some time talking to the Bhajan singers and

others seated in front. He spoke to them about the life of Paanchaali

(Draupadi) and Savitri. In the course of His conversation, He materialized a

huge locket (round disc) having a colour portrait of Lord Rama profile view in

the typical posture of holding the bow and arrow. The other side was shining

with gold. Bhagawan gave the sacred locket to a senior faculty member.

On 9th July, the Dean of the School of Business Management, Prof. U.S. Rao sat

in front in the Darshan lines, to pray to Bhagawan for Blessing the Management

Workshop that commences in the Institute on the 11th and goes till the 13th .

The theme is: "Service Sector in India - Building World Class Organizations".

As the car went gliding by the stage, Swami called him and spoke to him for a

while and gave His Blessings for the Workshop.

A group of Sai Students (Alumni of the Institute) had come to Parthi to have

Bhagawan's Darshan and seek an audience with the Vice Chancellor and identify

opportunities for the Alumni of the Institute to offer their service as part of

the 80th year celebrations of the Avatar. The Vice Chancellor spent quite some

time talking to them and giving them guidance and advice regarding their role

in the oncoming celebrations of Bhagawan's 80th Birthday.

July 4th, 2005

This evening, Swami came out for Darshan at 3.50 p.m. A group of devotees from

USA were seated in front, ready to put up a programme in the Divine Presence. A

huge backdrop draped with a dark blue screen was erected at the rear end of the

Kulwant Hall. On it was the following text:

THE ONLY ELEMENT

SSE Children Region X USA

The dais too was very well decorated with flowers. The pillars on either side of

the stage and even the brass railings bordering the stage were decked with

bright orange colour flowers.

At 4.00 p.m. two young boys dressed as Vedic Pundits went forward to Swami. They

had a yellow Angavastram (upper garment) draped around their pant and shirts

making them look like Pundits. They offered a bouquet to Swami who received

with them with Love and Blessed the two lads. At 4.15 p.m. Vedam chanting

stopped on Swami's command. Two young girls now went forward to offer their

Pranaams with flower bouquets. Another two went forward with a programme card

and three more with a tray of fruits, chocolates etc, for Blessings.

Swami spent a long time reading the contents of the Programme Card and Blessed

all the children talking to them and enquiring about their details.

The play was a 50 minute presentation on the importance of the five elements in

life which have been bestowed as a free gift for humanity by God. Earth, Water,

Fire, Air and Ether. It depicted through the lives of two gentlemen, Shawn and

Sid, a number of instances where the two experience the joy of selfless service

to the needy. Thanksgiving Day celebration forms the backdrop for the play.

A brief description of the play:

Shawn joins Sid's family as they go out to serve food to the homeless at the

shelter in downtown. It was wonderful to share the gift of food that Mother

Earth has bestowed upon us in abundance. He realizes the significance of the

element Earth.

Shawn goes on to serve a thirsty person with Water, a person shivering in the

cold with a warm blanket (Fire); a person wilting under the oppressive heat

with a fan (Air). When he experiences in return, the helping hand of the very

people he was serving, he is thrilled to experience the joy and brotherhood

among men! All of this takes place in space (Ether) created by God.

Finally, the play concludes by revealing to Shawn and Sid, the One Final Element

that transcends all these. That is the Element of Love - Selfless Love!

All Seva depicted in the play were based on real life events.

At 5.05 p.m. all the participants joined together in a closing song. The play

was followed by a series of light devotional songs in English and Hindi sung by

elderly devotees from USA. At 5.30 p.m., Swami signaled for the next group. Yet

another team of singers came forward and sang a number of Bhajans and

devotional songs. Prasadam was distributed to all. Swami was totally involved

in the songs and kept beat with His right Hand all the while.

At 5.45 p.m. Aarti was offered and Swami retired for the day.

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