Swami and His Students By Prof ...G.venkataraman

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SWAMI AND HIS STUDENTS

Three times thus far in the history of mankind, Lord God Almighty has come down

in human form as a Poorna Avatar. The age we live in happens to be one of them,

and blessed indeed are we to be able to have the Darshan, Sparshan and

Sambhashan of the Lord. Drawn by His Divine Magnetic Power or Aakarshana Shakti

as He calls it, people of all kinds and from all walks of life flock to Him.

Swami loves all His devotees and showers His Divine Grace equally on everyone.

Yet, there is something extra-ordinarily unique about Swami's involvement with

His students. This relationship is not what meets the eye of a casual observer.

Students should really appreciate what they are enjoying. Only those privileged

to have a ring-side view, like I have had, can understand, even if it be rather

feebly, how remarkable is the Love that Swami showers on students.

In a formal sense, Swami is the Chancellor of the Sri Sathya Sai Institute of

Higher Learning, but the role He plays is anything but that of the

run-of-the-mill Chancellor. The role may vary from moment to moment and over a

wide spectrum, but the constant and unwavering under-current is Prema. Students

often describe Swami's Love as equal to that of a thousand mothers but this, I

feel, is a gross understatement. Swami's Love is equal only to Swami's Love;

there is nothing else that can match it.

People normally try to measure Swami's Love for students in terms of the gifts

that He constantly showers on them - incidentally, there seems to be no limit

to what He gives; I have seen Him distribute everything from T-shirts to

cameras and films. However, material gifts form just the tip of an infinite

iceberg. It is the constant concern that Swami feels about their welfare, both

worldly and spiritual, that in some measure reflects His infinite Love. Like a

mother, He worries whether they are eating enough and getting enough of

nutritious food. At the same time, like a father, He wants to make sure they

are studying well. He is also their Guru, which makes Him concerned about their

spiritual development; so on it goes. He is at one stroke, mother, father,

teacher, friend philosopher, guide, and everything else one can think of and

much more. When cases of jaundice are reported in the village, He wants to be

sure that boiled drinking water is available in the

hostel. As exams approach, He constantly checks with the Warden whether students

are getting enough rest and are not staying awake for unduly long periods. While

the exams are in progress, He wants to know how the students have answered and

whether the question papers were stiff. It is not just the students but also

their families that receive attention and care, especially when there is a

medical problem. As the Institute Convocation approaches, one sees Bhagavan in

an entirely new role, which I doubt if He enacted in His earlier Poorna

Avatars. Swami becomes very much interested and also involved in the drama that

the Institute boys stage on the night of the Convocation. There are sessions

galore in the Interview Room, every evening after Darshan. He begins by asking

the boys what they are planning. When they hesitantly unfold the theme, He

listens carefully and advises on how the play should be developed. The script

is now prepared and He goes over it

carefully, offering critical remarks and suggestions for improvement. Then come

the songs. He first studies the lyrics and thereafter calls for the musical

rendering. This is when one sees God as Ganapriyudu or the Lover of Music.

Gently, but meticulously, He coaches the singers, instructing them how

precisely the song must be sung, how proper feelings must be injected, how the

action must be in harmony with the singing etc. For Swami, not only must the

tune and the beat be right, but, more than anything else, the feeling or Bhava

must be perfect. Until it comes out the way it should be, He would insist on

rehearsing the song again and again. Meanwhile, He would get other people busy

with the costumes. Especially when historical or mythological characters are

involved, Swami wants to have a preview of the dress and how it fits the actor

concerned. Often, He would Himself do the adjustments so that the right look is

achieved. All this might make it seem that Swami is

the greatest taskmaster ever. Yes indeed. Swami undoubtedly demands perfection

and will never compromise on quality or accept sub-standard performance; after

all, is not God the acme of perfection? However, in the midst of all this

grind, the Mother in Him surfaces; suddenly He would disappear inside for a

couple of minutes, and when He returns, apples, snacks, fruit juice and such

other goodies would follow! He knows how and when to inject relaxation and put

the nervous actors and singers at ease. After weeks of such preliminaries come

the full-scale rehearsals, which take place in the Institute Auditorium. For

the boys it is often a tense affair because pleasing Swami is not an easy task.

 

>From now on, it is rehearsals over and over again. The practice sessions soon

move to the Poornachandra Auditorium and whenever possible, Swami drops in to

make sure that all loose ends are properly tied up. Comes then the great moment

when the play is actually staged before a crowded audience. Swami is now like

the proverbial mother, there He is in the 'pit' scanning the faces of those

around to see if they are enjoying the play; and when they do, how proud He

seems! And how He shows His satisfaction when He comes up the stage at the end,

and how gloriously the Love-feast continues later in the backstage when

dignitaries shower praise on the boys for their superb

performance! But one must not get the impression that that is all there to it.

For Bhagavan, the Convocation Drama is not just routine cultural entertainment.

Rather, it is an expression of His Divine Message, communicated in drama form by

His beloved students. Life itself is a drama in which the Lord coming down as an

Avatar, plays as it were a cameo role. And, as a part of this play, He literally

produces and directs a play - a play within a play! Altogether, it is absolutely

fascinating.

After the Convocation comes the annual sports festival, and once again it is a

glorious opportunity for delightful Divine intimacy, but of an altogether

different kind. Swami wants the event to be a gala success, not for His sake

but for the sake of the students. And so He fusses about all the various

details, the band, the march past, the flag hoisting, and the various

individual items. He makes sudden and unexpected visits to the sports field to

inspect the arrangements and watch the rehearsals. When His car is sighted, the

cry goes around, "Hey! Swami's car!" And what a change it brings about on the

playground!

There is one particular visit of this nature that I must recall at this point.

It was not during the usual sports season but a few days before that

extra-ordinarily unique event, the Sri Sathya Sai Unity Cup Cricket Match. As

the big day was nearing, we would often be in the cricket ground doing

something or the other, missing the evening Darshan in the process. As if to

recompense us, Swami came to the ground almost every evening for a round of

inspection and supervision. One evening, as He was about to return, He decided

to step into the Pavilion that had just been completed. He asked His car to be

stopped in front of the Pavilion Block, got down,

climbed up the few stairs, and went round the various rooms examining the

fittings, the plumbing, the curtains, the chairs - the whole works one might

say. Only a handful of us went inside with Bhagavan. After doing the round, He

came to the Pavilion verandah. Meanwhile, all the boys who were involved with

various chores in and around the ground gathered on the road by the side of

Swami's car. There were a few hundred students there. Swami just stood on the

veranda giving Darshan, hands folded behind and gently rocking. He made no

effort to go down and get into His car. I was behind Bhagavan and therefore

could not see His face but from the looks and the effulgent glow on the faces

of the boys below, it was abundantly clear to me that Swami was simply pouring

out His Divine Love in infinite measure. Truly, it was a sight for the gods!

Time stood still for all of us. There was Swami in total Bliss, and there were

the students lost and drenched in the downpour of Prema. For me,

it was not only an unforgettable but also a unique experience; among other

things, it taught me what Swami means when He says, "Students are My only

property!"

If there are ups, then there also must be downs - that is the law of life, and

so it is between Bhagavan and students. Sometimes, Swami seems "upset" and the

whole lot gets flung into the "workshop" as one says in Prasanthi. Swami is

never really angry but pretends to be, so that the students realise their

shortcomings and rectify their errors. When Swami seemingly distances Himself

from the students, there is a tense drama of sorts. The boys are in deep

distress; they cannot give letters and give vocal vent to their feelings

because 'Swami is not coming their side'. If students are in agony, the Mother

in Swami too seems anxious for an early restoration

of normalcy. But the Father in Swami seems to hold back! The fascinating drama

continues till one day Swami walks past near the students during Darshan. They

now cry out loud and in deep anguish. Swami appears to pause; a small dialogue

begins. We are too far to hear the actual words, but it seems that Swami is

gently reprimanding the students. Suddenly there are cries of "No, Swami",

"Please Swami", and so on. Looks like there is going to be a thaw after all.

Yes there is, and boys want to make sure; they burst into songs. Swami stands

there listening; there is one song, then two, and then a third one as well.

Hurrah! Swami has been 'won over'! Everyone heaves a sigh of relief, and, as if

to make up for lost time, Swami now showers more Grace than even before!

Students hardly realise to what extent Swami goes out of the way to confer

favours upon them. They are the ones privileged to lead the Bhajans both in

Prasanthinilayam and Brindavan. They are the ones who are permitted to present

special musical programmes on festival mornings. They are the ones who chant

the Vedas before the Divine Discourse, and also on other important occasions.

For their sake Swami comes many times to the Institute to witness special

programmes and also to speak to them. He even answers specific questions. On

occasions, on Sunday afternoons, He spends some time with them in the

Poornachandra Auditorium, before coming out for the regular

Darshan. It is for their spiritual advancement that He organises the Summer

Courses. It is to encourage them that He takes them to Kodaikanal; and my word,

what an experience that is! It is to give them the delectable taste of Divine

intimacy that He holds the famous 'Trayee Sessions' while in Brindavan.

Students may forget Swami after they leave His portals but the Lord never does.

When Swami went to Delhi and Mumbai last year, Bhagavan not only singled out

the alumni from the crowd, but also made kind enquiries. And to those around

Him, He lovingly recalled all particulars about the student concerned, even

though the Student had graduated over a decade or so ago. The list of examples

of Swami's Prema is endless. As if all this is not enough, on Sports Day, 1999,

Swami, in an unparalleled act of extra-ordinary and infinite compassion, took

upon Himself a serious injury in order to avert disaster to students who were

to later perform dare-devil stunts. Barring just a handful, no one knew about

this Divine act of sacrifice till several days later when Swami Himself

revealed the details in a Discourse.

Is there any particular reason why Swami appears to single out students for

showering His Love in such abundance? Speaking in Trayee, an elderly devotee

reported that he once asked Bhagavan to explain this mystery. According to this

devotee, Swami replied that those who are today enrolled as students are really

Rishis of the past, receiving their due in this Kali Age. Hearing this, Swami,

in Whose Divine presence this talk was being given, laughed as if to say,

"What! Are you suggesting that these fellows with whom I am struggling all the

time are Rishis?" Swami may have made light of the devotee's remark but there

surely must be some deeper meaning underlying

Swami's most compassionate relationship with the students, particularly when one

recalls Krishna's association with Gopalas on the one hand and with Gopis on the

other. Quite possibly it is all a part of the same drama and an extension of

that glorious chapter of Srimad Bhagavatham, now being enacted in a different

format and under the settings of the Kali Age. It is my personal belief that

this indeed is the case.

According to the Bhagavatham, not knowing who Krishna really was, Brahma the

Creator once tried to embarrass Bala Krishna. But soon he learnt his bitter

lesson, and as he was about to withdraw to his celestial abode, he saw Krishna

playing merrily with the Gopalas. Brahma then mused, "These little boys do not

have any idea of how lucky they are to have the very Lord as their playmate."

Quite possibly, Brahma is saying something similar even now. I hope our

students do really appreciate, value, and treasure the priceless gift of Divine

intimacy that they are receiving, which is exclusively reserved only for them.

Although Swami does not expect anything in return,

I believe students owe it to Bhagavan to be the best exemplars of those who

seriously put into practice Swami's teachings. For Swami, Aacharanam, or

observance of His teachings in daily life is far more important than being able

to discourse on them. Students should unwaveringly aim at Trikaranasuddhi. And,

under no circumstance, should they permit themselves to fall into the category

of Aarthi [the seeker of wealth] or Arthaarthee [one who wants the Lord to

solve his problems]; instead, they should constantly endeavour to be counted

among those who have realised their intrinsic Divine nature. Having recognised

this truth, they must gear up for the higher duty that beckons them. They

should appreciate that if twelve Apostles of the Son of God could do so much to

spread the Message of their master, how much they, in their hundreds and

thousands, could do to spread the Message of the Lord Himself. Humanity looks

up to them, and they should not disappoint

humanity. To disappoint mankind would in a certain sense amount to disappointing Swami Himself.

Before I conclude, it is appropriate that I recall a touching prayer once

addressed to Bhagavan by Prof. Sampath, an illustrious predecessor of mine. He

said: "Swami, it is my prayer that when I am reborn, I would be blessed to be a

student of Your School and Your Institute, and one day receive my degree

directly from Your Divine Hands. It is only when I become a student of the

Institute that my life would be complete." Those of us who have missed the

opportunity of being a student of the Institute in this lifetime, might well

consider addressing such a prayer ourselves.

---------- Prof..G.Venkataraman

(Sharing with Sai Love) Ram.Chugani

 

 

Ram ChuganiKobe, Japanrgcjp

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