A Special Report from Swami's Abode in Brindavan - Part I of IV

June 7, 2006

PRASHANTI DIARY

CHRONICLES OF HEAVEN ON EARTH

A SPECIAL REPORT FROM SWAMI’S ABODE IN BRINDAVAN

PART I - April 26th-27th, 2006

It was a pleasing time, it was a heavenly time, but all good things had to come to an end. After a very special and enchanting 15-day stay in Kodaikanal, Swami left this place of enchanting beauty on April 23rd and emplaned for His summer residence of Brindavan, in the suburbs of Whitefield, Bangalore. There is so much to share with you about the wonderful happenings in Kodai Kanal that we have decided to have a series of articles on Kodai Kanal entitled “With The Lord In The Mountains” starting from the next issue. In every issue from July, you will get a drop of the Divine Nectar that was Swami’s visit to Kodai. Also if you have not seen the photo Album of this issue, we have some enchanting snaps of Bhagawan in Kodai Kanal and this time the Photo Album is really unique because it is dynamic. We will be changing the Photo Album with a fresh set of nine pictures everyday almost till the end of June. So you are going to get immersed with Sai in the sylvan surroundings of

Kodai Hills. For now, we continue to report on His activities during His stay in Brindavan after He returned from Kodai Kanal.

No sooner did He settle in, and then it was time for a celebration. “Trayee Brindavan”, Swami’s Divine Abode in Brindavan had been inaugurated on April 26th, 1984; so it was time for a special remembrance - the celebration of its 22nd anniversary.

APRIL 26TH: “TRAYEE DAY” CELEBRATIONS IN BRINDAVAN, BANGALORE

The Morning Programme

Every year, this anniversary is traditionally celebrated with great fervour with bhajans and Narayan Seva on April 26th if Swami is resident in Brindavan.

The morning started as usual, with the Divine darshan. The entire dais had been well decorated with floral garlands and wreaths even at such short notice as Swami had only returned a couple of days earlier from Kodaikanal. The early morning celebrations started on an auspicious note with Mangala Vadhyam (Nadaswaram music) by a bunch of dedicated musicians in front of Trayee Brindavan. The public were treated to a delightful mix of bhajans sung by the Institute students who had sacrificed their holidays and elected to spend it with the Lord. After about an hour of bhajans, mangala arathi was taken and prasadam was distributed to one and all.

The Nadaswaram Music

The Divine Darshan

But the morning’s festivities did not end there. More was on the agenda, which however most of the public did not get to see. As Swami was returning to His residence, the Bangalore Seva Dal obtained His blessings to do Narayana Seva (distribution of prasadam - a sumptuous plate of sambar rice and sakarra pongal – sweet rice - to the underprivileged) and vastra dhanam (giving of clothes to the needy) to benefit about 400 persons from the neighbourhood.

Bangalore Sevadal getting blessings...

Prasadam for the crowd

Another tradition that is not normally visible to the public is that on this day the students and some of the staff resident in Brindavan decorate a portion of the garden in front of the Divine Abode. Swami usually spends some time viewing these decorations when He returns after the morning darshan, and also poses for photographs with the boys who had laboured through the previous night to win His approval.

Every year the theme varies. This year the theme was “Garden of Love” – a specially decorated chair was laid for Swami in the centre and a circular “garden” was laid around it with a decorated entrance and a back-drop.

Swami entered this circular garden, cut a cake that the boys had prepared for Him and posed for the coveted photographs. Thus the morning celebrations came to a close.

The Afternoon Programme

In the afternoon, a programme of devotional songs was presented by the mahilas (ladies) of the Brindavan Bhajan Group.

This bhajan group has a hoary history and was started in December 1968, soon after Swami’s return from East Africa, and they started singing bhajans under the mango tree inside Swami’s residence at that time. Later on Ugadi day – March 19, 1969, the official Brindavan Bhajan Group, started bhajan singing – on Thursdays and Sundays when Swami is resident in Brindavan. When Swami is not physically in Brindavan, the bhajans are sung on Sundays. Presently the Brindavan Group consists of 100 singers and accompanists, out of which 57 are ladies and the other 43 are gents.

The ladies’ programme, containing songs of praise to Swami in many Indian languages, started with an obeisance to Mother Easwaramma with the Hindi song Janam Diya. This song offers salutations to Mother Easwaramma for conferring on us the boon of the Sai Avathar.

This was followed by a Kannada song called Prema Swaroopa Hey Jagannatha. This song goes thus – “Oh! Embodiment of Love; salutations to You. You are the Lord of the temple of our hearts; we are like the dust of Your Holy Feet. Relieve us Sai Krishna from the bondage of birth and death”.

Kantrinile Varum Geetam, a Tamil song expressed the sentiment - What in this world has the power to melt a stone, to breathe life into a dying tree and to mesmerize all the birds and beasts. Only the divine music from Sai Krishna’s flute can inspire such wonders.

The Ladies Bhajan Group

Saans Saans Mein a Hindi song exhorted the Lord to help us remember Him with every breath; the Sanskrit Dheera Sameera Yamuna Theere expressed a prayer to keep us away from all that keeps us away from You; singing the glory of Sai with the Malayalam Brindavanathille Sai which says that Your enchanting darshan as Brindavana Sai Krishna makes us forget ourselves.

Sundarathe Dhyana in Marathi asks dear Swami to let Your beautiful form be ever affixed in our hearts and Your sacred name for ever be on our lips.

Adivo Alladivo Srihari Vaasamu (in Telugu) said that Trayee Brindavan is the sacred abode of Sai Srihari, chanting Your divine Name is incomparable to any worldly wealth.

The ladies finally expressed gratitude to Swami in Hindi with Kaise Bataayein – Bhagavan, how can we express our good fortune for we are here with You dear Lord. Innumerable are our follies, but Your mercy exceeds them all. None so high or low, we are all one in the Kingdom of Sai. We express our gratitude Swami, for accepting us at Your Lotus Feet.

Singing bhajans for the Lord

After this arathi was taken and the formal programme in Sai Ramesh Hall concluded with the distribution of prasadam.

But the evening’s programme was not yet over! Two years ago, on April 26th, 2004, Swami graciously acceding to the prayers of the devotees had permitted Deepalankara of Trayee Brindavan, i.e. nearly a lakh (100,000) candles were lit all over the ashram campus – in front of Trayee, Sai Ramesh Hall, the Kalyana Mantap, the space in front of the two Hostels, the Guest Houses as well as the pathways along the Residential Blocks.

On that occasion hundreds of devotees participated in the lighting of the candles with great love and reverence, and Swami also responded by driving around Trayee, showering His Grace on one and all.

In continuing with that tradition, this year too, later in the evening after the Sun had gone down, “Sai Akhanda Jyothi” was alight with thousands of candles – in and around Trayee and all around the Ashram complex. All the devotees – both men and women – participated in lighting the candles. The entire Ashram campus was aglow with the light from the thousands of candles and also the multi-coloured electric light bulbs. All who had the fortune to be present and witness the grand spectacle of the illuminated Brindavan felt that this was indeed the “Bhooloka Vaikuntham” or Heaven on Earth!

The Lights in Sai Ramesh Hall

Lights in front of the Kalyana mantap

Swami came out in the balcony late during the evening and sat for a few minutes witnessing the lights from all sides and giving a special darshan to all those who were waiting for Him after lighting the jyothis.

April 27TH 2006: A STUDENT SPEAKS TO THE CROWD

It was the first Thursday after Swami had returned from Kodaikanal. An expectant crowd had collected to sing bhajans and spend this holy day in the divine presence. After listening to the bhajan singing for a few minutes Swami blessed Sri Sanjay Mahalingam, a student pursuing his Ph.D. in Management in the Prashanti Nilayam campus of the Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Learning (SSSIHL) to address the crowd.

Sanjay Mahalingam addressing the crowd

Singing "Paiyo ji maine ram rathan..."

Sri Sanjay opined that only God can give us true, absolute and unsullied love. The love that knows only to say “Yes, Yes, Yes”. He said that to seek God is the only purpose of life and to attain God is the culmination of life. A wise man has only one desire to become one with God. Raising the question “Who is God?” - he answered that the only God that ever exists is our own, true self. We should hence pursue who we are till we attain the realization that we are the subject and not the object. Quoting extensively from the shastras, Sri Sanjay showed that all problems stem from false identification with the body.

After this brief but well received speech, Swami blessed some of the students of the Sai Mirpuri College of Music to sing some Meera bhajans. The boys sang three haunting bhajans for the crowd: Mere to Giridhar Gopal, Payoji maine Ram rathan dhan payo, and Krishna, Krishna darshan dijo aaj pyaare. They ended this concert with the popular group song Hum ko tumse pyar hai.

- Heart2Heart Team.

Source: Radio Sai E-Magazine June 2006

http://media.radiosai.org/Journals/Vol_04/01JUN06/Prasanthi-Diary.htm