January 31th, 2008 - Sai Students

February 5, 2008

January 31, 2008 Yesterday, Swami had given surprise joy to the students of the 11th class of the Higher Secondary School. He had entered the bhajan hall for bhajans and asked, "Where is Mirabai drama?" The students had prepared a drama on Mirabai and the previous day asked Swami for an opportunity to present it before Him. When Swami asked thus, all the drama boys had gone rushing into the bhajan hall where Swami blessed them all with His divine words and Paadanamaskar . As per His wish, the students had come prepared with the drama and the stage had been set. The students participating in the drama began trickling into the bhajan hall in their costumes.Swami came out for darshan at about 5:00 pm. He completed the rounds and went into the bhajan hall after alighting near the interview room. All the students received Him in all eagerness. Swami immediately began interacting with all of them. He checked up the

costumes of the Krishnas and Meeras. There was one little and one elder Krishna and Meera . Looking at one richly dressed boy on His left, He asked, "Who are you?Swami I am a king," he said and stood up in a very regal and majestic manner. Seeing that, Swami smiled and the boy too bowed down from his royal gait and smiled folding his hands. Swami said that Krishna had been made a little too dark. He then asked who were the people who had done the make up. All the costume department boys and teachers came forward and the question turned out be an excuse to shower blessings on all of them. Swami made it a point to ask almost every costumed boy what his role in the drama was. Everyone happily spoke about their roles. Akbar, Tansen, the Rajguru, Mirabai's maids and two saints who influence Mirabai in her life were some of the characters to whom Swami spoke. Seeing 'Akbar's daughter' standing at a distance, Swami enquired who 'she' was. She came front and Swami called out

,"Ay Akbar! This is your daughter. Take good care of her or else bad friends will spoil her!" All laughed heartily. In this manner, He spoke to almost all the characters and blessing them all, He asked them how long the drama would be. They replied, "Swami 50 minutes." Swami then came to the stage from the bhajan hall.The sets for the drama had been arranged and they looked grand. Swami waited for all the children to get ready and then the drama began. It started with a troupe of performers arriving to the king's court with the desire to perform a play on the great devotees of Krishna, Meerabai in particular. The story depiction begins with little Meera being gifted with the idol of her darling Lord, Krishna. She spends a happy childhood playing with the idol and always feeling the presence of the Lord in her life. Soon she is married into the Sisodiya family. There her Krishna worship is not taken favourably as they feel that the traditional deity, Durga Maa, is

being slighted. But for Meera, Krishna is the very life breath. Meanwhile, the great singer Tansen, cures the emperor Akbar's daughter of a very serious disease through the sheer power of his music which wins the Lord's favour. But he tells Akbar that there is a voice that is divine as it sings only for the emperor of the Universe. He takes the emperor in secret to the temple where Meera is worshipping Krishna.Witnessing the divine Love that Meera had for Krishna and hearing her singing while dancing, Akbar is lost in divine fervour. He gifts Meera a pearl necklace in the name of Krishna which she accepts and puts around the idol of her beloved. This act is espied upon and the complaints to the emperor about Meera is on the rise. He orders poison to be given to Meera and it turns into nectar. The crowning moment of the drama, was preceded by a song which literally struck a chord in everyone's heart and filled the entire hall with feelings of intense longing for the

Lord. As the song, "Darshan Deejo Aaj Pyaare" began, Meera opened up her heart to the Lord. Swami too at this point was very engrossed in the song and the feelings. The boy who was delivering Meera's voice too seemed overcome with emotion as his voice began to choke. Everyone including Swami seemed to be identifying with Meera's pangs of separation from Krishna. Swami had a few tears too and as the song concluded with the appearance of Krishna, there was a huge applause of joy and celebration all around the hall. The drama ended with the famous Dandiya Raas of Krishna and Meera offering herself fully at His feet. Swami immediately called Meera to come up the stage and materialized a beautiful gold chain with a pendant for her. The Lord accepted His devotee when she gave herself up entirely to Him.What followed next was the Lord giving Himsself entirely to His children. Swami posed for photos with the boys in small groups of 5-6. Blessing all the boys with prasadam

and Abhayahastaha, Swami received Aarthi and left.Click here to view pictures of the drama. Source: http://www.saistudents.org/