January 23th-28th, 2008 - Sai Students

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January 28, 2008 It was to be a special day for the youth who had arrived from Delhi. Swami had agreed for their song programme entitled, "Prema Arpan". The marble blocks had been occupied partly by the Delhi youth and they waited patiently with a prayer on their lips. Swami arrived for darshan at about 5:15 pm. He went for the complete round and then alighted near the interview room. He came out and took His place on stage. He was beaming smiles and that gave hints of how beautiful an evening it was going to be. He saw the singers seated right in the front and like a child asked,"Are you going to sing?!" When the reply was an affirmative, He asked them to begin.Two lads went up on stage with a card and rose. After obtaining personal blessings on behalf of the whole group, they returned to their places and the songs began. The first one described Swami as being everything for everyone. Pervading everything, Swami

brings joy to all. Two more songs followed which were oozing with description of His magnificence and glory. All the songs were set to lively tunes and the selection of the instruments being played was very unique and interesting. These were all achieved however with one keyboard. But well as Swami had said once about a music teacher from school who plays the harmonium, "He can play all the instruments in the world!" It was to their credit that though an almost confusing array of instruments are available as choices on the modern keyboards, they chose the most apt ones which added the right flavour to the songs.The fourth song was a Qawwali for which a few members of the group went on their knees to sing it with the traditional clapping and swaying of bodies. Swami was a bit amused at the sight of the different swinging actions being performed in front of Him. He once even jokingly asked them to sit down and sing! A few songs later, Swami asked them whether they

were through and they replied that there was one more song. Call it a coincidence or a small miracle, but there is one observation that the regular attender of music programmes in Parthi can make if a little attentive - many times a group of singers perform and somehow as they sing their penultimate song, Swami seems to ask them, "Is it over?" The invariable reply is, "Swami one more!" And then He nods in agreement. This little drama that takes place on such a regular basis is so full of meaning. For one, it is direct proof of Swami's omniscience and if this if fully grasped, it becomes evident that the performance is superfluous as far as Swami listening to it is concerned but He still does it out of His Love for His children. At times when He has surprised His students to perform suddenly out of the blues, that question acts as a balm that the test is nearing its close while everyone in the audience are amazed as they think, "These students are marvellous. Swami asked

them to sing and they are so ready. They could go on like this for hours but they stop because Swami says so." Little do they know of Swami's motherly pride and affection that is behind that innocent question. On other occasions when there is a line up of singers and performers of the highest calibre waiting to perform for Him, that question is a gentle way of ensuring that all get a chance to present their devotions without getting "hurt" in the human way that they did not get the chance to dish out all their wares!The last song was the adaptation of the bhajan, "Aana Hi Padega" which the youth sang inviting Swami to Delhi. At the end of it Swami blessed the youth with the abhayahasta. He called all the singers ahead and materialized vibhuti for them. Then He asked for white safari pieces to be presented to all the performers. After that, He went into the interview room for a short while. He returned with sarees for all the ladies who had also been sitting as a

group. To their great joy, Swami asked them too to sing. They sang a few bhajans after which Swami asked, "Mana Pillalu Ekkada? (Where are our children?)" The students came out in a flood and then they began to sing bhajans with the traditional Aalaaps. After four bhajans by them, Swami received Aarthi, blessed prasadam to be given to all and retired for the day. Click here to view pictures of the Delhi programme. January 25, 2008 Today afternoon, the members of the Eshwaramma Women's Welfare Trust had arrived at Yajur Mandir to seek Swami's blessings for a new project that had been taken up -- solar cookers. In Puttaparthi and the neighbouring villages, the only thing that comes close to the abundance of God's Grace is the sun's rays! So it was a really good idea to make available for the farmers solar cookers so that they

could cook in the fields itself.Everything was arranged. Some items had been placed for cooking too as a demonstration of the utility of the devices. A dish-antenna like device was also placed to direct the sun's rays onto a completely black pressure cooker. Swami came out of Yajur Mandir at about 3:45 pm. He was all smiles as He saw all the apparatus placed around. As He went near the cookers, many dishes were presented to Him for His inspection. Pulav and Upma were the foremost among the dishes showed to Him. He seemed amazed at the fact that Upma (an Indian dish) could be made so simply. When He was told that the farmer can go ahead with the ploughing of his field as his food cooked in the sun, He seemed impressed.When He was told to taste some of the dishes, He agreed to pop in a few groundnuts that had been roasted by the sun. The first one, as He popped it up, hit His chin and lost the opportunity to land into His mouth. The second one too was

similarly ill fated! He took the third one and placed it into His mouth and ate it. Then He blessed the ladies involved in the project and inquired into how the cookers were being made and designed. Before, going for darshan, Swami also blessed a member of the Central trust staff with vibhuti for his ailing aunt. January 23, 2008 This evening was one of those special ones in which Swami used His "uncertainty" card (if we may call it so) to everyone's delight. Swami had come for the darshan rounds in the evening after the bhajans began. He completed His full round and went into the bhajan hall. At about 5:45pm, the Aarthi was taken and everyone waited for the final glimpse as Swami would sit in the car and leave. But well, it was to be a different story! Swami had decided to gift every heart throbbing in the Kulwant hall with a memory to be cherished in it's inner most recesses.Swami instead of getting into the

car, came out via the portico and through the teachers block. It seemed like He was on the lookout for the slightest excuse to bless anyone! (Well,that's how God is always, though the human eyes may not be able to see that all the time. It is on days like this that with supreme compassion, God decides to reveal that to mankind.) He called all the XII standard computer-science students who had come with their computer-science projects. He sat patiently leafing through each and every project. He enquired into the finer details, pointed out a few errors, made comments on the photographs that had been chosen for the dedication page and asked some of the boys about the way they had gone about doing their project. Well, people in the planning commission who have charted the five year plan projects for the nation would not have felt the sense of achievement that these boys would have felt and that showed on all their faces. And Swami too viewed the projects with an intensity that

He would have had, say, while going through the plans of the Water Supply Project or the Hospital projects. And that is not because the projects are of great importance; it's because for Him, His children are the dearest! How many times has He not declared that they are His own property.After going through all the projects, Swami then blessed all the birthday boys who had been waiting for days for His blessings. He sprinkled the holy Akshata grains on some and accepted letters from all. To one boy, He picked the chocolates in his tray and put it into his pocket. As this was completed, one of the boys went up to Swami and told Him that in all their computer projects, Mr.Venkateshvar Prusty had assisted and guided them. Swami was so happy and He called out for that particular school teacher. He created a beautiful gold chain with a pendant and put it around his neck. Everyone clapped in joy and it was such a thunderous ovation that one would have felt that even

people receiving Bharat Ratna would not have been applauded for so loudly. Well, being Swami's Ratna (jewel) is a much greater blessing than being a Bharat Ratna!Swami then looked at all the boys and asked, "Bhajanam Aayinda". (Did you finish food?). This question often leads to many results. If boys say yes, then Swami may ask, "Then what else are you waiting for? Leave!" If they answer no, then Swami may say in an almost apologetic tone, "Oh! Go then and have it now!" So when Swami asked that, the boys answered with a sheepish smile. Then Swami played another uncertainty card. He said, "Do bhajans then." This command brought about a forward surge as the boys sat up till His feet almost, climbing up the marble steps. It was as if the very thought of doing bhajans takes one closer to Swami! Then began the mass bhajans or shall we say the bhajans by the masses? Swami sat smiling at everyone as the bhajans went on. The second bhajan, "Sai Hamara" had vigorous

clapping and the bhajan "Vahe guru" scaled such speeds that it became tough even to keep clapping! To cope with the speed, the clapping speed was halved to the lower rhythm! Swami in the meantime began to take letters from many boys. He was smiling so much and that was being reflected on all the faces around too.After 4 bhajans, Swami asked for Aarthi and for the second time, Aarthi was done. At the end of it, someone in the crowd shouted aloud, "Jai Bolo Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba ki." and it was welcomed with a very vociferous and love filled "JAI" from everyone. After that, things went a bit "pell mell" as Swami started to speak somethings and all the boys up front went crowding on the railings to catch the melody of those words. Many boys took padanamaskar and gave letters. Then, with the huge smile still playing on His face, Swami retired for the day. Source: http://www.saistudents.org/