Guest guest Posted January 1, 2009 Report Share Posted January 1, 2009 December 29, 2009 Baba Ramdev One group leaves, another arrives. There has been a large group from Rajasthan here for a few days; they have a brilliant orange scarf, Sri Sathya Sai Seva Organisation, Rajasthan, Youth Pilgrimage. The theme of their pilgrimage is Journey of 4 S, - Self Confidence, Self Satisfaction, Self Sacrifice and Self Realisation. Today they put on a program for afternoon darshan, about Baba Ramdev. Baba Ramdev was born at the start of the fifteenth century, to a ruling Tanwar Rajput family of Raja Ajmal. Raja Ajmal was an ardent devotee of Lord Dawarkadheesh but had no issue. His constant prayers, ultimately bore fruit when Lord Dawarkadheesh bestowed on him the boon that he would take birth as his son. From his childhood, Baba Ramdev expressed divinity through Parcha, (miracle, as called in Rajasthan) by which he endeavoured to educate people against social evils and to correct and transform them. The fame of his miraculous powers reached far and wide. Legend goes that five pirs from Mecca came to test his power and after being convinced, paid homage to him. Since then he has been venerated by Muslims also, as Ramshah Pir. The Hindus regard him as an incarnation of Lord Dawarkadheesh. Baba Ramdev believed in the equality of all human beings both high and low, rich and poor. He helped the down-trodden by granting them their wishes. Baba Ramdev is often depicted on horseback. After finishing his worldly tasks, he took samadhi in 1458. Around his samadhi-grave, at Ranuja, a magnificent temple was brought up Maharajah Ganga Singh of Bikaner in 1931. A large fair is held every year at Ranuja, which is attended by thousands of devotees who come in large groups from far and wide. Many of these devotees walk barefoot to pay their homage to Baba Ramdev. The groups organise all-night singing of bhajans and kirtans to Baba Ramdev. His worship crosses the Hindu-Muslim divide as well as the caste divisions, since his followers include Hindus, Muslims and Dalits, from modern Rajasthan, Gujrat, Madhya Pradesh and Sind on the Pakistan side of the border. So it was a lovely play, well executed, smart scenery changes, and very well acted by young people with lots of confidence. That is what I find most striking about Sai Youth; they are all full of confidence in public, speak well, and have lots of experience in front of public groups and plays, and the like. Swami sat on the porch, wiped his lips often, and took in the play. Brilliant oriflamme robe, the sunlight pushing through that perspex canopy from above and Swami really stands out, like a beacon emanating love, love, love throughout the darshan hall, and further, to all who call on this name, to all who remember him with love; expect nothing, accept everything, and love, love, love. At the end of the play the actors all bowed and sat in that " stage " and after some discussion with the Coordinator of the group, Swami went down for a photo shot with the actors. They turned Swami's chair around and went down backwards to get to the floor of the darshan hall. Then, bhajans. Puttaparthi is dark, and getting cool. I am off to dinner at the German Bakery tonight. Sai Ram! December 29, 2008 Christmas Take a look at this photo. This is the Christmas Choir on Christmas Eve; the lady on the front right of the photograph at the first line is Dorothy Hall from the Sathya Sai Uturn Training School in Gympie, Queensland. Dorothy (or Dot as she is better known as) was one of the three coordinator Seva Dals for the Christmas Choir, along with Holly and Sylvia. Anyway, Dot got the opportunity to wave the arathi flame at the conclusion of the proceedings. Well, yesterday Dot told me that it took her twelve matches to get the blessed flame alight and going; everytime she struck a match it wouldn't work, (Oh, there's another dud match!) and Dot had to strike match after match; it would just not work and somewhere through this saga Dot looked up and saw Swami laughing at her attempts to get the arathi lit, yes, another dud match, no flame, and she'd look up and Swami was laughing again. So Dot finally got the camphor alight, and said yesterday, " How blessed can you get, having a laugh with the Lord on Christmas Eve? " December 30, 2008 Energy, magnetic and monetary Watching Swami closely when he picks up his kerchief, I have noticed that his hand is very slow to rise to his lips, as if there is an unseen force pressing down on this arm, pressing down on his hand. Some days later I gave some thought to this and it has occurred to me that the magnetic power that makes Swami's feet stick to the earth (as he told in that discourse three or four years ago) is now so much greater that it presses down on Him completely … that kinda makes a lot of sense to me. His hand is so slow to rise at times. The other thought that came to me is the amount of divine power radiating out from Swami, I gave some reflection upon that in darshan yesterday and spontaneously, an image came to me of thick wavy bands of light emanating from his form and reaching out all over the planet. Thick wavy bands of brilliant white energy and thin gold streaks, pouring out from him. It is love for Him that draws this divine energy, this divine support and basis for our lives, towards us and strengthens the foundation of our humanness. Perhaps that is simply the image that suits my mind and makes sense to this seer, if I am the seer. Swami on Christmas day, explaining I,I,I—I am this, I am that, I am what others say I am; no, no, say " I am God. " Darshan. I am considering where my mind goes in darshan is critical. I read the other day that Swami tells, " Use Me! " " You are Me; I am you; rid yourself of petty matters forevermore. " You see, yesterday there were these three girls, they would have been six, seven years old, and they were playing in darshan, rolling around pushing each other, jumping up and down on their cushions, swapping cushions, getting up, getting down, moving to and fro, playing with each other's hair, just being happy and playing. Well, they were a complete distraction. That's when I got the thought, " expect nothing, accept everything " during darshan yesterday. My, my, they were a distraction. Swami was sitting out the front of the porch in full view, and it took me quite a bit of effort to keep the focus on Swami. I kept thinking, " rid yourselves of petty matters forevermore! " I suppose that spiritual development and growth largely depends on how we manage the mind. The other message I am constantly getting is " It's not about the body " … meaning desires related to the body, food, drink, how to spend the time, things to do… I am getting these thoughts about people who lose consciousness of their body and are flooded with consciousness of the ALL, the purusha, the fulness of all-that-is. Such people are unaware of their appearance, their clothes, whether they are clean or not. That has very much helped me to deflect the mind and disregard some of the people who come to darshan dressed (almost) in rags. It's not about the body, as I am being told. I notice there have been a lot of rich people (well, they look rich and well-to-do in my perception) … coming and going. Someone asked me about this the other day, and I replied that Swami needs good people in the world of business and commerce, too; filthy lucre isn't really filthy–its just a form of energy. So we need the rich, the millionaires, the leaders of business and commerce who love Him, follow his teachings, those who embody the five human values in their apparently glamour world of gold bangles, flashy accoutrements … you know what I mean … Goodness has no price. Money is just paper, the equivalent for work put in. Spiritual awareness belongs to a different world, the world of true values. So yes, there are those who come to " take " Swami's darshan, get their batteries recharged, and get that strong foundation of spiritual values reinforced by His love and grace, and return to ether world of big business and finance. They are not ALL fat-cats. It makes me feel good, thinking that. Humanity stands before the enormous challenge of integrating material and spiritual life into one, coherent whole. Just finished lunch with Tom Lahey in the Western Canteen. Tom has had a team going since 27th Evening, taking down and packing up the Christmas decoration. Tom expects two more days of packing in Shed 32, and then storage in several places, for another Christmas. Tom said they will give some decorations to Col. Bose of the Chaitanya Jyothi Museum (use however he wishes), and put the rest in storage. So far, there are five tractor loads of Christmas decorations packed up ready to go. Another Australian in the Christmas Choir… The fellow at the top (right) with the spectacles is Michael Dunn of Queensland;Michael is the Walk for Values Coordinator for Brisbane. December 30, 2008 The Hills of Puttaparthi THe darshan hall was full for evening darshan again; crowds arriving and departing. Swami came during the second bhajan and went right across the hall, through the front of the men's side. Thankfully, most of the men did not get up, but mostly just elevated themselves only a little bit. Swami stopped for quite some time by the garage, where the old students sit. Some staff got up to take some photographs. Then Swami moved across the front of the students, and those students in front row got up and offered letters to Swami, and trays of prasad for blessing. Swami went into the mandir for several bhajans; Hara Hara Hara Hara Mahadeva, and all those fellows who had " taken " the darshan got up and left. Surprisingly, during Adhyoga Vasi Ram, Ram-Ram, Swami came back out onto the porch and went around the porch and the veranda, stopping to talk with some of those who sit up there. After bhajans I went up to the top of one building to take a look at the hills of Puttaparthi; you don't see much of those hills now from the Ashram (nor from the Main Street) as so many high-rise buildings have come up in Prashanti Nilayam Township. Something drew my attention to the skies above; I saw thousands of birds flying around, way up there at perhaps 800 feet, just gliding on the thermal currents up there, the joy of flight that birds have. Looking across to the Chitravathi River, I saw this enormous flock of white birds take off and fly along the riverbed. The Puttaparthi Hills … I have memories of walking down Canteen Avenue and seeing the first light of dawn illuminate the dark hills way back in those days when I used to get up in the dark and trudge off to join lines and get eaten alive by the eternal squadrons of mosquito … It's always been the sight of those hills that evoke the fuller sense of place in Puttaparthi. It's funny how seeing the green hills with those patches of earth and scrub brings that sense of home, here at Puttaparthi. Looking around the horizon, the dusk arises and this sense of mystical India emanates from the silent hills. December 31, 2008 Talk about Earth Changes I am dismayed at the number of times the Earth Changes comes up in conversations with people here. Some people (long-time devotees, too!) tell me that certain cities will be under water, and that 75% of the people on the Earth will be " cleared out " so to speak. Then they ask me what I think of that. Sometimes I feel that the people who tell me are being smug and condescending towards certain places in the Middle East when they tell me these theories about the Earth Changes, the end of the Mayan Calendar in 2012 and things like that. I don't think very much of it at all. I think that such talk defeats the purpose of being called to Swami as a devotee. Swami told on Christmas Day, " Hurt Never, Help Ever " . Now you may think that Swami got it back to front when he said that, and that Anil Kumar translated it right; pay attention—swami makes no mistakes and I feel there is some purpose in Swami telling it like that. Hurt Never means not hurting anyone or anything in thought, word and deed. The purpose of being a devotee is to love, love, love. Love God, love others, love all of this creation. If a person were to truly believe and expect that 75% of the world's population is to depart, then they would be a hypocrite chanting " Samasta Loka Sukhino Bhavantu " ; May all the worlds and all beings everywhere be happy… You cannot pray for one thing and believe another. That is fundamentalism. And I am sorry to see this kind of fundamentalism being fostered among devotees. My unvoiced thought is that they are also saying that 75% of Swami's devotees will be " cleared out " , also! Is that what they want? If anything is true, then take notice of the incremental changes which are occurring day by day. Magnetic South Pole has been over South America for yonks; Earthquakes, violent storms, tsumami's and disasters occur daily, and they are caused by humanity itself. The problem is that we don't care for one another, we don't care for the Earth, we assign responsibility to God for these disasters, and not to our karma. Everyone who drives a car contributes to Global Warming. If Swami tells " Hurt Never " first, then we have to pay attention to that, and attention has to be given to all the planes and dimensions upon which we exist, and that includes our thoughts, voiced and unvoiced. I was reading the other day about thoughts and contamination. There is much contamination around the earth at the moment by way of the energy of thought; when we think of another, we become enmeshed with their thought, their feeling, their confusion, their depression. We should turn our thoughts to love, to Source, to the very highest and most pure, beloved Swami. When we do this, we are filled with the highest, and grace and love come immediately. This state of affairs can be changed. After all, Swami has told, " But for my devotees, the world would be in a terrible state! " Constant effort, in accordance with the guidance Swami has given (along with that guidance he gives to all of us on the inner level), will bring very good effects. We can change our negative attitudes, we can avoid negativity, we can turn towards good. Love all–Serve all means loving all of our fellow men and women, all forms of life and evolution, be it conscious evolution or unconscious evolution. Even Bhoomi Devi, our Earth Mother, responds to Love. In other languages, the word " world " means light. Swami sometimes alludes to this in His discourses, when he tells us that this world is " manifested flux " . We are in the Light, we have taken this light, and we have manifested our reality. We have created this world by our choices, our actions, our thoughts. We can also remake this world by our choices, our actions, and our thoughts. Moreover, we can remake this world with our Love–particularly our love for God, for that not only changes us, but others around us–for Love is the basis, the foundation of all that exists. Mayhap Mankind has forgotten this due the veil of separation, but it is Love that all are seeking. Most important is the power of winning human hearts with love, because love, and only love, is able to change the reality you live in. Thanks to Love you are able to evoke many transformations in men. You can set them free from inner shackles and sufferings and direct them onto the path of Love. The power of Love allows the imperceptible work for the good of others to be carried on. December 31, 2008 Turn to God with Love for God Turn to God with Love for God; that is the signature in my mind as I walk to darshan this morning. Sat at the " side " with East Prashanti behind me. That walkway there, it's odd you know. Sometimes the women are five, six deep there … I don't know why they don't go to the ladies side and take a seat in the darshan hall. Families arriving, new arrivals plop their bags there and await the arrival of Swami; then of course, some men decide it might be good to prop there and have a look. Sometimes it gets very crowded in that walkway, never mind after darshan when the crowds pour out of Sai Kulwant Hall. So I took a seat and focussed on the Sai Gayathri, every time a distraction came, back to the Sai Gayathri, Om, Saieshwarya Vidmahe … I noticed these tiny birds flying around, I could not work out if they were finches or the Puttaparthi sparrow; my, my, they were so tiny the could wriggle into the space between those big discs and the roof itself. Might be a sparrow, but the tails suggest finches to me. Lots of chirping up there this morning. Oh, another distraction, a row erupted behind me about who should sit on the benches, who should sit on the ground, men remonstrating with one another. Take a look and ignore it. Another man comes and tells the old man beside me to move forward… everyone wants their place. Waiting for Swami; the mandiram queue get up and line up behind me and shuffle off into the mandir, to take the places for bhajans. Slow shuffle, five at a time. The Seva Dals deal with it patiently. Now waiting for Swami. For some reason the Seva Dals on duty at Yajur Mandir (Swami's " House " ) get the notion to start watering all the plants at around 8.50am, so there are Seva Dal running around all over the place with their buckets; the little grey car comes out and parks at the entryway. Suddenly, men in white emerge and run everywhere, and the Seva Dal drop their buckets and line up. Swami is coming! Devotees in the darshan hall look up and take up space, all inching closer to the front. More men running around. A huge fellow rushes up the side with a canvas seat and a handful of letters; he wants a seat at the front. His posterior is huge, if he sat down, he would take the space of three men, I thought. The Seva Dal send him back. Shortly he comes back and pushes his way to the front and hands letters to a fellow near the front; a good compromise, I felt. He went back to his seat, happy. Right on the start of the Om for bhajans, Swami emerges; there are 8 men in white walking behind Swami, so many this morning! Swami goes a little distance. Stops, turns his head to the security police detail who are dressed in white, and they run and kneel to Swami. More police in white run around the corner and kneel in front of Swami. Swami's head going up and down, nodding, he is looking and speaking. All security police have their hands joined in pranams; perhaps a prayer of thanksgiving, and perhaps, a prayer of blessing for the new year, I felt. These men will give very life and limb to protect Swami, so it was a sweet moment for them. Swami nods again, and they all get up and rush away from Swami, to do their duty. Swami's robe is so brilliant in the sunlight, his hair black, his face clearly visible from so far away. Alack, into the darshan hall, no lights are on, and the back-lighting (from the brilliant sunshine behind Swami) turns Swami into a small dark form in that sedan-chair, car-seat-on-wheels, call it what you will… and he moves slowly through the ladies side. Swami turns his head. One lady in a green shawl comes forward with her hands joined in pranams, and kneels before Swami, with her prayer. Some conversation, the lady gracefully nods and takes padnamaskar; Swami moves on and comes into view more clearly as he passes under the perspex canopy above. Across to the men's side now, the security police are moving slowly beside Swami, and a young, bearded man with long brown hair comes forward and kneels before Swami, and makes his prayer. Swami looks around, nods, and that man moves back to his seat. Swami comes closer now, the light streaming in behind me from East Prashanti makes it much easier to see him, he looks (to my eyes) to be seated comfortably, and turns to look down the darshan hall. Hands go up joined in pranams above all that black hair … and some greying, balding heads, as Swami looks across the men nearby. Shiva eyes spray around the men, that quick, glinting Shiva look, Swami's face is calm, part smile, hand goes up a little way in blessing; closer now, he is looking around and I get up just a little to see his face as he passes by, he sprays those Shiva eyes all over the men around me. Did he look at me? I don't know, men get up more and more and my mind focusses on his face. Suddenly a warmth enters my heart and I feel really warm inside, as if I have been filled with some energy, a strong, lingering, vibrant energy. Swami moves away up to the garage and heat permeates through me; I sit and watch slowing, and keep that image of Swami's face in my mind. Chakravathi is (surreptitiously) taking letters and handing them behind him, (isn't he sweet) and moving slowly along with Swami, they move across the front of the porch quickly and into the Mandir. Surprise for the fellows who lined up for mandir bhajans this morning! The car came across immediately. Three bhajans and Swami called for arathi and left. New Year's Eve (morning) in Prashanti Nilayam. December 31, 2008 High Rise I went up top this morning and took a few photos Just looking around the hills of Puttaparthi Lots of cell-phone towers dot the skyline now And a look across to the Chitravathi River A view of that distant scene last night that brought the sense of mystical India to me but it is daytime now, and not so clear… Where those temple spires are, that used to be called Gollapalli, where all the herdsmen took their cattle to graze, when Swami bought the land for Prashanti Nilayam in 1946. He materialised Rs6000 and wrapped it in the corner of Kamalamma's saree and sent her off to Penukonda to register the purchase … December 31, 2008 Very crowded The darshan hall was crowded this evening. Looking up towards the garage, that area is completely filled by old students; they go in and fill the mandir, so the bhajans were led by old students this evening. Many VIP's here, many people with " Guest " tags, they are all guests of the Central Trust, some donors, some VVIP, many state coordinators of the Sathya Sai Organisations (India). The Guest area filled early, so many were directed to sit where I was placed, and I found myself joined by state coordinators from Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat. Lots of conversation about roles in the organisation, and lots of conversation about initiatives being undertaken in different places. Madhya Pradesh state are beginning a detachment of Prashanti Digital Studio, they will make productions of activities in their state and forward to Prashanti Digital Studio. So interesting times. We also discussed preparation of radio programs. Darshan: some false alarms, then bhajans started. Swami came during the third bhajan, Narayana Sai Gopal, I think it was. Swami stopped just inside the darshan hall, there were no lights on; I could see Mrs Shourie, and I suspect Prof. Gopinath was nearby. Swami talked to ladies for some time, then came further into the darshan hall. Across the centre, Swami paused and spoke with some students, then came across to the mens side. Men got up everywhere, so I did not " see " Swami until he was close by. Letters were being placed on His lap, and some posters were given to him. Swami looking around the men, smiling. Turning right at the garage, Swami stopped for some time and spoke with old students. Further along, some old students got up and prayed to Swami, hands joined in pranams. Swami listened for some time, and then moved on, around the front of the verandah, very slowly, speaking with students there. Hara Hara Gange Mahadeva, the crowd all join in, and Swami moves onto the verandah proper, then disappears into the mandir; the car has arrived and parked on the mandir, and security run around the back to keep a watch on Swami. Then Swami has come out of the mandir and is going down that inside pathway on the veranda, long time coming down there, stopping and speaking with many people. Then Swami came right to the front of the porch and remained there, looking over the devotees, for an entire bhajan. Students edge closer to Swami; one student is called up and speaks with Swami; he leaves and Swami calls him back. More conversation. Then Swami moves closer to the other side of the porch and goes around talking with men seated there. Then he goes down the veranda and passes by the car. A very large crowd here tonight. Dark has fallen; Sai Ram from Prashanti Nilayam. Courtesy: http://saieditor.com/spirit/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You are posting as a guest. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.