PHOTOS AND DISCOURSE SUMMARY The Final Day of the Dassahera Yagnam

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September 28, 2009 – The Final Day of the Dassahera Yagnam

 

 

 

 

 

The Poornahuthi (consummation) of The Veda Purusha Saptaha Jnana Yagna was scheduled on the morning of September 28. It is also celebrated as "Tikka" by the Nepalese. The day began on a beautiful note as Swami arrived in a magnificent blood red robe! A mere sight of Him drew gasps of pure joy and thrill from all the viewers. At the Residence, Swami's security guards, who are gurkhas from Nepal, offered their pranams and offerings to Swami.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Swami blessed them and sprinkled the akshatha grains too. Then He moved towards the Sai Kulwant Hall. As He emerged from behind the parked car, all the ladies saw Him in that vivid vesture! It must have been a proud day for that red robe for it appeared at its beautiful best that day! Swami took a complete darshan round and arrived on the stage. The Veda chanting was on and after a minute, Swami moved to the Bhajan Hall.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

All the priests were in the Bhajan Hall and Swami wanted to distribute clothes to them. As this was on, the priests began to chant the Vedic hymns. The pitch was constantly on the rise and very soon the chants seemed to shake the whole hall with vibrations. Swami sat listening to the chants and once they completed it, He told them to proceed to the Poornachandra auditorium.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

He presented them with a bundle to be offered at the sacrificial fire during the Poornahuthi. He too moved out of the Bhajan Hall. It was also the consummation of the year's Grama Seva and the students from the Anantapur campus of the University were to serve all the permanent residents of the Ashram. The girl students got the prasadam blessed and began their pradakshina around the Mandir. Swami sat at the edge of the Mandir portico blessing all the Anantapur girls with the joy of seeing Him in the beautiful red robe as they got ready to do their bit of distribution in the Grama Seva. Meanwhile everyone else began to move to the auditorium.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Five minutes later, Swami arrived on the stage in the auditorium. He sat in all majesty in the eastern corner of the stage. After a few minutes, He was invited to the sacrificial flames. The Veda Purusha consented and as everyone watched on, Swami moved to the centre. He blessed all the priests by sprinkling the akshatha grains. Ghee was poured through the special silver duct that was held over the flames by a wooden pole. The chanting continued and the tongues of the flame rose up greedily lapping the ghee being poured. It was as if they too longed to glimpse Him in all splendour!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Swami presided over the offering of the holy bundle. It was truly a profound moment and a lesson to learn too! The One offering and the One receiving was the same! And this was the message not only of this Bhakti Yagna but also of the Karma Yagna where the 'giver' and 'receiver' of the food and clothes are one and the same and in the Bhakti Yagna where the 'speaker' and the 'listener' are also the same! It is He who does everything and remains calm as the witness. We just witness everything and behave as though we are the doers!

After the poornahuthi, Swami moved towards the corner where the "Brahma" among the priests too had completed the rituals. Swami received aarthi there. All the ladies who had gathered outside the hall were all thrilled with a mere sight of Him.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Swami blessed them and then retired to the Yajur Mandir. In the evening, Swami arrived shortly before 5 p.m. The bhajans began and Swami soon concluded the darshan rounds. He went into the Bhajan Hall and interacted with all the priests who had gathered there. He presented them with more clothes and gifts. He also gave them vibhuti packets. All of them had the opportunity to plead their personal problems and worries with Him. He patiently and lovingly listened to all of them and consoled and encouraged them. It was a 20-25 minutes interaction after which Swami arrived outside for bhajans. He soon received aarthi and retired.

 

 

 

 

 

September 27, 2009 – The Sixth Day of the Dassahera Yagnam

The penultimate day of the Yagnam was a morning of two wonderful little surprises that the Lord decided to spring upon two tiny tots from the Primary school. The day began like the past few ones with Swami taking a complete darshan round and arriving on the stage. He sat listening to the Vedas for a while and then asked all to move to the auditorium. Then, out of the blue, He called one of the Primary school children and speaking to him, materialized a gold chain for him. The child was delighted as Swami put it around his neck.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Moving further ahead, Swami called another boy and created a gold chain for him too! He put it around his neck before heading to the auditorium. Swami sat for a while at the Yagnam before receiving aarthi in the western corner and retiring for the day. The sight of the whole stage with Vedic scholars and the Veda Purusha seated there was truly awe-inspiring and lovely. The pictures speak for themselves!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The evening saw Swami take a complete darshan round and arrive on the stage. Everyone awaited in bated breath to know whether Swami would finally speak or not. Prof. Anil Kumar spoke for a few minutes before introducing the speaker of the day, Prof. G. Venkataraman or Prof. GV as he is popularly known. After that, Prof. Anil Kumar too requested Swami to slake the parched hearts of all the devotees with a shower of His nectarine words.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Prof. G. Venkataraman took the stage and spoke in a crisp and precise manner

 

Then, Prof. G. Venkataraman took the stage and spoke in a crisp and precise manner. He dilated on the three words, Gnatum (to know), Drashtum (to see) and Praveshtum (to enter). He said that to know about God and see God are the easy steps. The tough part comes when we have to allow God to enter. Pure love and sacrifice are necessary if we want to throw away the doors of our heart and accord God a grand welcome. As always, his talk was sprinkled liberally with humour and spiced with thought provoking anecdotes and facts.

As he concluded his speech, there was a silence. There was almost no motion anywhere as Swami said, "What can I speak?" Prof. G. Venkatraman and a student, both told Swami that He knew what was best for everyone. They prayed that He should speak and fill everyone with joy. Swami nodded and agreed for the mikes to be placed in front of him. Then, began the divine discourse which has been detailed below.

It is My splendour that you see in My creation. Thousands of years ago, it was completely dark. There was no man and the whole area was full of water. This was due to the torrential rains that lashed out for 300 years continuously - both in the mornings and nights. All the mountain ranges and the Himalayas too had melted and were reduced to the earth. Then, appeared the first ray of light. That was from the Sun that had taken birth. Gradually the stars adorned the night sky. Thus the world could be seen now. If there is no light, none can see anything. Till 1900 none knew about all this. The calendar years like 1961, 1962 were all based on light.

The whole world, born of stone, floated on water. From the Sun above came the fire from which originated the wind. The whole sky came into being and thus were the five elements responsible for creation. The sky is blue. Everything is God's creation. God is the blue complexioned one and hence the oceans and skies are blue. But again, they only appear blue. That is because they are at a distance. If you see them from close, they are not of that colour. It was then that the forests came. The process of reproduction set in. God created only initially and then on One became many.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The most Awaited moment, So Divine, So loving ...

The Anantapur governor gifted me with two deer. They were taken to Brindavan where they multiplied. Two from them were brought to Puttaparthi and they have multiplied into hundreds here. That is how God works - creating only the initial two. Humans arrived then but humaneness did not! Man arrived and multiplied. It is always like this. One seed is sown and it gives rise to many. Then it is the process of evolution. A small creature develops into a whale! A cat grows into a tiger. Two humans - one man and woman gave rise to the whole human race. And today there are more than 300 crores as the population. This is the mystery of creation.

(At this point it began to rain and pour in torrents. Swami stopped speaking and asked for all the women who were beyond the northern gates to come in as they would get drenched. It took five or ten minutes for all of them to come in and sit and Swami sat patiently. He also asked, "Why should it rain only now when it did not rain all these days?” The people outside were all seated inside and the rains too abated a bit. Swami then continued to speak, only now the subject changed completely.)

When I was studying in the third standard, I was a very little boy. I am so short now itself, so you can imagine how I was then! There was a person by name Raghavan who was the drill master. A fair was held in Pushpagiri in the Cuddapah district. That place is full of sand and cattle, and the cattle fair needed volunteers to organise it. I used to be solitary, all by myself. I never spoke much, nor did I join any groups or gangs. I also never touched any books. But the drill master insisted that "Raju must be the leader for the group going to Pushpagiri.” All the children too wanted me to be their leader. So I agreed to it. There was a boy called Ramesh and another one called Paresh who would sit on either side of me in the class. I was in the centre.

Ramesh was the son of a rich father. He asked for two uniforms from his father. A whistle, a torch and a stick too were prerequisites for being a volunteer at the fair. Ramesh kept all these items in my desk drawer with a small note in which he had written just one word, "Raju". I saw this and was moved by his gesture. But I told him that I could not accept it. He said, "Raju you are like a brother to me. You are my dear friend." Friendship is destroyed in give and take of material gifts. When I told him that, he agreed and took back his gifts. Now, to go there, one had to walk 11 miles. 5 days had to be spent there and that required 5 Rs, one for each day. But I did not have a single naya paisa!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

There was a boy in second standard who would need third standard books. I took all my books - arithmetic, science, history, etc. and sold them to him. The books totaled 18 rupees which the boy could not afford. I told him that it was sufficient that he gives me five rupees. He took a bundle of coins and with the various annas and dammidis, constituted five rupees. I took all the coins and bundled them. But the cloth was very worn and soon it tore as I tightened the bundle. All the coins fell out and the lady of the house (wife of Swami's elder brother) saw this. She scolded me as to where did I get so much money from. She did not believe me when I said how I had got it. She beat me and took away all the coins. Thus again I was back to the condition where I did not have even a single naya paisa.

The next day everyone came to call and take me to the fair. I made an excuse. If we say fever or cold, they can be determined. So I said that I had a stomachache. None can check for it. All others left for the fair. When it was dark, I started to move in the moonlight. I walked all the eleven miles and it was at the crack of dawn that I reached Pushpagiri. There was no water to freshen myself. I searched and came across a trough which was used for washing cattle. I washed my face there and drank that water. I noticed on a rock nearby that there was an anna coin and a packet of beedis. I detest beedis. I broke them, crushed them and buried them in the ground. Then I made a mistake. It made me feel very bad that I did it. There was a person who was rolling dice out of a tumbler. There were all sorts of cards near him. I gambled on the coin that I had and all the three times I won and soon I had 12 annas. I then quit the game. People egged me on saying that my luck was good. But I did not want any more.

Those days one could get two dosas for one dammidi. So, all the days I ate two dosas for breakfast, lunch and dinner. At the end of the fair, I was left with one anna with which I bought some kumkum and flowers to take home. When I reached home, the lady was very upset with me because in my absence, there were none to get water for the house. I used to fetch water from the River Krishna which was far off. I would wake at 3 in the morning and set off. The people there were very nice and they would join me. I used to sing and go and all were so happy. But since the river was far, I would often get delayed and that would result in further scolding. I also used to make coffee early in the morning and do a lot of housework. The brother was also angry. I was beaten. There was one lady in the neighbourhood who saw this and she felt very bad. The father of this body was summoned when the brother's son passed away.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

He came from Bukkapatnam. When he saw the injuries on my hand (which were due to beatings from a ruler), he asked me how it happened. I told him that my hand had been jammed by a door. Though I hid the facts, the neighbour told all to father. The next day, early in the morning, father had to go to attend to nature's call. I helped him to the fields with a torch. Having completed the ablutions, he came to me and with tears in the eyes asked me, "Have I ever beaten you my son? What is this that is being done to you? Come away with me to Puttaparthi." I told him that it was not correct on my part to do so as brother was in the tragedy of losing his son. I told him to go and that I would soon follow.

The father went to Puttaparthi and told everything to mother. She was heartbroken. She said, "If needed I'll beg to maintain him. Please get him back." Father knew that I would not leave my brother in that condition and so he sent a telegram saying that mother was ill and I must return immediately. I came back to Puttaparthi. There was a person by name Kote Subanna who had come out with a new medicine by name Bala Bhaskara. I wrote the advertising poem for it! It was in Anantapur that I declared that I was Sai Baba. None can gauge Me or understand Me. They can only experience Me. Easwaramma noticed the swelling that was still in My hand. She was in tears. She bandaged it with a cool and moist cloth. I have remained in Puttaparthi ever since.

During the vacations, the brother also came here. The mother and father scolded him. They said that they did not want to even feed him for what he had done. Later he was transferred to Uravakonda. I studied my 5th standard in Uravakonda. There were many good teachers there like Thammiraju. E. H. Rao was the English teacher. I was the one who used to lead the assembly sessions in singing. All the teachers and students said that I had a very melodious voice. I composed poems too. One was on the condition of Uravakonda. They all said that it was the most apt description of the place. In those days the anthem, Jana Gana Mana used to be sung. I composed the anthem in Telugu - Aha Rava Tava. When I used to lead the assembly, all the teachers were in tears. I studied there for three years. In the fourth year, I said that I was leaving. Everyone was in tears. The headmaster then was Lakshman Rao. He declared holidays for 2 days! In those days there were no government rules and the headmaster could take such decisions.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A Muslim boy took my place in the assembly. He too had a sweet voice. But as he stood on the stage to sing, he just began crying. From that day on, that song was never sung again. I studied only till the fifth class but everyone used to say to Me that I was better than a graduate. After I left school, I became reclusive. I spent time all by Myself. There were hills around the Chitravati. I would go there and spend time by Myself. It was then that people started coming to Me from Uravakonda and everywhere else. Many people came and it was Karnam Subamma who would take of the devotees then. The growth of devotees was phenomenal. They manifested in larger numbers with each passing day.

The king of Mysore, Jaichamaraja Wodeyar came to Me. He could come in the car only till Penukonda. From Karnatapalli he had to walk down to Puttaparthi. There were no roads then. He invited me to Mysore saying, "Why do you want to be here? Come over to Mysore." I told him that a sapling must sprout where it has been planted. It must grow there and give shade and shelter to everyone who comes there. That has been the message - to stay in the motherland. The king was a devoted man. He would worship Chamundshwari regularly. A phone call was made to the Andhra Pradesh governor to lay roads to Puttaparthi. It was Thiruvanna Iyengar who was in charge of getting the roads laid. It was not an easy task as Puttaparthi was surrounded by Chitravati on the three sides. Then orders came to put a tar road.

So many kings arrived - the Baroda Raja, Bobbili Raja, Venkatagiri Raja, the brother of the Raja of Trivandrum. They stayed in tents all over the place. People began to ask, "Is Swami only for the kings?" I have no distinctions. All are mine and all belong to Me. Gopal Reddy, the then Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh also came to Me. He had defeated Neelam Sanjiva Reddy in the elections. He was a frequent visitor till he died. The kings are all far now.

I have not come to tell you stories of gods. God is One, goal is one. God is in all. The mother and father are also God. Sweetest indeed is the feeling of motherhood. You must respect, love and salute the mother. Even in the courtroom, it is the mother that will stand by the child and say, "This is my son." The child also will say, "She is my mother." The love of the mother and father is eternal. All the devotees address Me as Mother Sai, Sai Mata or Sai Maa. All are My children. Love the mother always.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Swami concluded the discourse. There was a great satisfaction on His face. He was so happy. As the boys came forward with prasadam, Swami blessed it. He took one of the boxes and asked, "Is it Mysore pak?" He opened and checked. He called the lead singers one by one and to almost six people, personally handed the sweet. One of the students went up to Swami and said, "Swami you underwent so much in your childhood in such harsh conditions. Bless us that we too imbibe your qualities." Swami gave a beautiful smile and blessed the boy. Aarthi was then performed and blessing everyone, Swami retired for the day.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

September 26, 2009 – Fifth Day of Dassahera Yagnam

The Ayudha Pooja (Worship of Instruments) is an integral part of the Devi Navarathri and Dassahera celebrations. The Bharatiya (Indian) tradition considers everything as God, especially the tools and implements that one uses for a livelihood and for life. And so, we see a driver bowing to the steering wheel before beginning his day and a farmer praying to the plough as he begins a new day. Legend has it that in the bygone age, after slaying the demon Mahishasura, the Divine Mother Chamundeshwari lay her weapons down. They were worshipped for being instrumental in the redemption of the Universe. From then on, the tradition of Ayudha Pooja has come alive. In Puttaparthi, this has a unique significance along with multiple dimensions. Swami Himself presides over the worship of the "instruments"!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It becomes profound as Swami, the Ultimate Doer, offers gratitude to all the instruments that serve Him. It is a special day for all 'devotees' as they bow down humbly, for are they too not His instruments? And what else can one do but bow in humility when the Lord offers gratitude? It was just after 9:00 a.m. that Swami arrived from Yajur Mandir. All the cars parked in various sheds of the Mandir had been neatly arrayed on the eastern side of the Sai Kulwant Hall. Adorned with garlands and with lemons under each of their tyres, the cars seemed to exude excitement at the prospects of seeing their Master. At about 9:15 a.m., Swami arrived from Yajur Mandir and moved through the ladies side. He passed by each of the cars and gazed at them. Every God has His/Her vahana (mount/vehicle). Indeed blessed are these cars for they have served as Vahanas to the Kali Avatar!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

All the drivers and other staff associated with the maintenance of the cars were there offering roses and their salutations to Swami. Bhagavan then blessed coconuts to be broken before each of the cars and that privilege went to the current and ex-vice chancellors of the University. Then, with His permission, the grand golden chariot was brought out from its shed. Oh! A glorious sight it was and flooded one's heart with joyous memories of the unforgettable November 17, 2008, when the Lord in gold sat on the chariot in gold!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Swami also blessed prasadam to be distributed before moving along the students and finally to the auditorium. He was there on the stage for about twenty minutes in all during which He received the aarthi at the western end of the stage too. By 10:30 a.m., He retired for the morning.

In the evening, there was another beautiful session of the Prashanthi Vidwan Mahasabha. It all began with Swami arriving at the stage and asking who the speakers for the day were. Prof. Anil Kumar told Him that there were none on the list as all wanted Him to speak. Swami insisted that there are speakers and then told him to announce those names. After his speech, Prof. Anil Kumar introduced the two speakers for the evening.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Prof. Anantaraman,Faculty of the University

 

 

Narrating the mysterious style of Divinity

Prof. Anantaraman seemed pleasantly surprised that he was the first to speak. He moved to Swami and offered pranams at the lotus feet. Swami accepted the rose he presented and put it in his pocket. Then He took the letter from his other pocket. The professor seemed startled and told Swami that it was his speech! Swami smiled and returned the paper to him. The speaker moved to the podium and began his speech.Referring to the Divine Love that Bhagavan is, Prof. Anantaraman said, one could only experience it, but could never understand the same. Calling the gathering at Prasanthi Nilayam a heterogeneous one, the learned scholar in his classic speech displaying rhetoric excellence and mastery over language said that experiences were given to make us richer, to instruct us in the science of being and the art of living. He narrated beautiful experiences, which he preferred to call parables of wisdom, narrating the mysterious style of Divinity showing omnipresence, omnipotence and omniscience.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mr. K. Chakravarthi, Secretary, Sri Sathya Sai Central Trust

 

Calling his speech as no reflection of the speech given by the previous speaker, Prof. Anantaraman, and admitting that he would often go emotional while speaking about Bhagavan, the next speaker, Mr. K. Chakravarthi, Secretary, Sri Sathya Sai Central Trust said that His story has no beginning and has no end. We all add up to some chapters in His continuing saga and how we write these chapters depend on our earnestness and our humility. We are all given some role by Bhagavan in His great saga of service and sacrifice, of love and mercy, of renewal and redemption. "I am constantly humbled by watching the love and devotion, the faith and determination of devotees, young and old, men and women, rich and the poor, the mighty and the meek…I know from the depths of my heart that they, like me, are here not because of any deservedness, but because of His Grace…” said Mr. Chakravarthi in an emotionally charged speech packed with greater wisdom.As he concluded, Swami again indicated that there was no time for Him to speak and none wanted Him to speak. There were loud open pleas by all the students for the Divine Discourse. Swami said, "Nobody even placed a mike for me!" It was the divine drama at its best. A student moved up to the stage and pleaded with Him on behalf of everyone present. Swami said that He would speak the next day and retired after receiving aarthi.