August 26, 2008 (source:http://www.saistudents.org/alumni/home/news.php)

[Guest guest]

Login

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Welcome to our new website..! Any suggestions/comments are always welcome. Please forward them to: mail

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Article Submission

 

 

Alumni Meet photos

 

 

Home

 

 

About Us

 

 

Mission

 

 

Institutions

 

News

 

 

Archives

 

 

Newsletters

 

 

Patrons

 

 

Feedback

 

 

Links

 

 

FAQ

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

August 26, 2008

As announced yesterday, the youth from Tamil Nadu were all set to put

up a drama, Sathya Sai Kavacham, in the divine presence. Swami came out

in the chair. The car seems to have been completely abandoned for quite

some time now. There were times when Swami's arrival in the chair sent

shivers of pleasant surprise through everyone assembled. Now it has

become part of the routine and people are shocked if He uses the car!

Talk about familiarity! Many times, we miss grand and glorious things

happening in our presence merely by getting used to it! The secret to

happiness and peace lies in living the present moment fully and looking

forward to every moment as if it is a new one for indeed it is a new

one!

Moving through the ladies side, Swami reached the centre of

the hall where He took a detour towards the interview room. The Primary

school children were arriving in great hurry and Swami seemed to enjoy

them rushing in. Anyway, rushing for God is a noble quality worth of

emulation by anyone! Swami granted interviews to various devotees till

5:15 pm. He then came out and wanted the drama to begin. The initial

offerings of the card and flowers were made. Once the Veda chanting

stopped, flexible and foldable props erupted on the stage and created

appropriate settings for the scenes to begin.

The storyline was very similar to many dramas put before but

the presentation style was novel. The drama begins with a dialogue

between Narada and Kali (the demigod in charge of the present age).

Kali exults over his power and influence. Narada laughs at him and

challenges him to influence a simple person. Kali uses all his powers

to tempt that person into taking money - by ensuring that he loses his

job, pressures from the family growing and finally with his mother

falling very sick. But the person never yields and Kali surrenders as

the hero's mother is alloted a bed in a Super Speciality hospital under

the Trust's hospital collaboration scheme. Wondering where on earth the

lad gets his sustenance and determination from, Kali discovers the

power of the Sathya Sai kavacham (shield). He too desires to come to

Parthi to see Swami and gives up his crown of ego.

Swami seemed very involved in the drama. He was very touched

when the hero held on to his principles in the face of very stiff

challenges. Swami was moved seeing the hero torn between options and

was pleased to see him select the correct one over the easy one. As the

drama concluded, Swami called one of the participants and told Him that

He would move down for group photographs. He moved down and the boys

clustered around Him. He materialised a gold chain for the Narada of

the drama. He kept saying, "Romba Santosham" and His smile and beaming

face conveyed the same to those who did not understand Tamil or could

not catch those words. He moved up the stage and then brought Safari

cloth pieces from inside. As Aarthi was performed and prasadam was

distributed, He personally distributed white cloth pieces to each and

every member of the performing troupe. The boys were all joy at this

shower of Grace.

Icing up this cake of Grace, Swami asked the boys to sing some

bhajans. The mikes were quickly transported to the youth from TN and

they began singing. Swami kept rhythm as two bhajans were sung and

everyone joyfully clapped and followed. After those bhajans, Aarthi was

performed for a second time. Everyone seemed so happy because very rare

are the days when Swami receives Aarthi twice. Swami raised both His

hands in benediction and Love and told all the participants that He was

very happy. Then He retired.

 

August 25, 2008 Nearly

4000 members of the youth brigade from Tamil Nadu had arrived at

Prashanti Nilayam. It has become part and parcel of the activities of

each and every state in India to have atleast one pilgrimage to

Puttaparthi wherein all can recharge their fatigued spiritual batteries

and continue all the other activities thereafter with renewed vigour

and energy. Swami had very graciously consented for a music programme

by them. An so, by 3:30 pm, all of them were seated in neat rows and

columns in Kulwant hall, making it look like an ocean as all these

devotees were in deep blue scarves.

Swami arrived for darshan and took a complete round of the

ladies side. He cut through between the seated rows of singers and

moved towards the interview room. Coming on the stage, He sat listening

to the chants. Then He wanted to go around. Taking a round around the

stage area, He moved to the portico. Via the portico, He went over to

the ladies side. now this was a bonus that none had dreamt about. This

turned out to be the darshan round that had been cut short in its

"official version"! As He moved through the students into the gents

side, the sea of humanity from Chennai experienced high tides as people

bobbed up and down to glimpse the orange form. Taking letters and

raising His hands in blessings many times, Swami moved back into the

portico and then finally returned back on stage. Then He called all the

card boys and birthday boys and blessed them. The cards were actually

made for the occasion of Janmashtami and Swami seemed to make fun of

the fact that He was being shown cards whose "expiry date" was past!

He then told the Vedic chants to stop and asked for the

programme to begin. The programme schedule was shown to Swami by a

member of the youth - a former student of the University. Swami

recognised him instantly! No wonder it is said that once you become His

student, you never cease to be one. The programme consisted of

devotional songs that the youth had prepared. The original plan was

that the girls would sing their share of songs and then the boys would

present what they had prepared. But with Swami, one has to be ready for

everything. As soon as the girls finished the first song in praise of

Lord Ganesha, He called one of the boys and told him that they should

sing in an alternating manner. This needed some quick adjustments, but

as with the Lord always, when He asks for something, He also gives the

strength and intelligence needed to achieve it. And so the necessary

changes were quickly made and the song programme continued as He willed

it!

There were two little kids playing the mridangam and violin

respectively, and they did it like professionals. Swami seemed very

impressed by them. Most of the songs were in Tamil and one or two were

in Malayalam, a sister language for Tamil, too. The girls especially

were wonderful in their singing as they reeled counters and chords in

the songs that they sang. As they concluded about 8 songs, Swami asked

the students to sing a few bhajans. Nowadays it has become Swami's

favourite bhajan-couple and so those were the bhajans sung - Ram Hare

Hare Ram bolo and Sri Raghunandana. After those two bhajans, Swami sent

word for the All india President of the Sathya Sai organisation and had

it announced that there would be a drama by the Tamil Nadu youth the

next day! Then receiving Aarthi, Swami retired for the day.

 

Click here to see pictures of the event.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Copyright © 2005 - . Sri Sathya Sai Students.

 

 

 

 

 

Share files, take polls, and make new friends - all under one roof.