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The morning of 10th August began with great eagerness. It
was the first of the eleven days of the Athi Rudra homam proper. Prior to
5:30 am the entire Kulwant hall was packed to capacity. At the centre of
the hall was an ornate table in wood with a marble topping. On it was
placed the pedestal with the Lingam. Overlooking the Lingam was a majestic
array of homa kundas, eleven in all, the Pradhana kunda (primary pit) at
the forefront and ten others distributed on either of its sides. Each homa
kunda was in the shape of a square, 6 feet in extent. It attained a height
of 3ft in a three tier fashion and had an inner diameter of 5ft. The
priests had begun the day by getting the Lingam ready for Swami to do the prana prathista (installing life). They performed the kalahoma, angahoma, kalaavahana, Netronmeelanam and so on. Two
groups of priests sat on either sides and were chanting the Arunaprasna in
swasti (line wise chanting). The white-stone Lingam sat on its silver
pedestal. On it was smeared a third eye of sandal paste and vermillion. It
was decorated with a garland of bilva leaves. It had above it a
silver-golden bowl, hanging from a support, with intricate carvings and
studded with precious gems. The sublime settings appeared to be of another
world so much unlike what we come across in mundane life.
Swami came out of the Yajur Mandir at 6:14 am. He was welcomed by the
sonorous chanting of the Rithwiks, the nadaswaram, the conch and the gong.
He came in the car and went about to give darshan. Everyone eagerly waited as Swami came over to the centre where the Lingam was
placed. He got down from the car in front of the Lingam itself and was
welcomed by the head priest with holy water to be offered to the Lingam.
Swami was extremely gracious to get down there itself and to the joy of
everyone present He proceeded to do the prana prathista for the Lingam.
He was helped on to a pedestal and offered water which He sprinkled on the
Lingam with the aid of a long brush braided from holy grass. He then
tapped on the Lingam with the brush. Meanwhile the head priest performed
the worship by offering turmeric, vermillion and sacred grains to the
Lingam.
MP3 download: Sacred Sounds of ATI RUDRA MAHA YAJNA -Purify
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Swami then materialized a third eye for the Lingam. It was plate in gold 1
inch by 21/2 inch in size with a red gem at its centre. Swami Himself
placed the eye on the Lingam below the sandal paste and vermillion mark.
It stuck there and completed the picture. Swami looked at it
till He was satisfied. The priest then performed Aarathi to the Lingam and
to Swami together. Swami was all the time watching intently the third eye
on the Lingam instilling it with power and vibrations. After a while He
went around the table glancing and smiling at the Lingam. His look was
that of a happy mother. It was a divine communication between the two
forms of the same Divinity and a veritable feast for all our eyes.
In all the solemnity that surrounded Him Swami found time for humour in
His own way. There was a wire hanging from a post appearing to obstruct Swami's way. When one person went to lift it above
Swami's head, Swami smiled and conveyed to him that He would easily fit
under it indicating His tiny frame! He then proceeded to the centre stage
to the sofa and seated himself there indicating the commencement of the
yagnam. The yagnam began with a song in Tamil by a small boy calling out
to Lord Sankara as the mother and the father of all mankind. It set a tone
of devotion to the entire proceedings.
At 6:40 am the head priest went to Swami with the Arani (a piece of carved
wood to generate fire) used for creating fire out of wood and got them
blessed. Then by a process called the Arani manthana, the priests created
fire from two pieces of wood by churning one with the other. The fire
began as a little cinder in the wood to which was offered dry fibre, grass
and sticks. It consumed all of them in no time and became big enough to be
placed in
the Pradhana kunda. The head priest then went to Swami with the implements
used for the yagnam like the silver and wooden spoons used for offering
ghee into the yagna kunda and got them blessed by Swami. The priests then
went about getting the Pradhana kunda ready for the yagnam through an
elaborate Shaivagama procedure. In the meantime numerous logs of wood were
offered into the pit feeding the fire that was slowly gathering in
strength.
Swami watched with great attention as the fire began to consume bundles of
wood as it raged and shot forth with its golden tongues consuming
everything in its reach. Ghee was offered to it from a wooden spoon dipped
in a golden bowl. In the meantime the two groups of priests had completed
the arunaparayana and the suryanamaskara mantras. At 7:35 am the head
priest spoke giving the significance of the event. He mentioned how
fortunate the people were to have witnessed the prana prathista of the
Lingam done by Lord Shiva himself. Prana prathista concludes with the
naming ceremony of the Lingam and it was named as Saieeshwara. He then
brought to notice the enormity of the occasion by saying that the yagnam
had started in the holy star of Sravana, which is the star of Lord Vishnu
and is set to complete on the star of Arudra, the star of Lord Shiva.
There was resounding applause when he concluded that we all were blessed
to have the Lord Sankaranarayana Himself amidst us.
This was followed by the panchamruta abhisekham for the Lingam. It
consisted of worshipping the Lingam with various items such as water,
milk, yogurt, ghee, honey, flowers, vibhuti-water, tumeric-water, and
sugar. All this went on with the priests chanting excerpts from the
Namakam worshipping the various parts of Saieeshwara, the Lingam. The
panchamruta abhisekham ended with the priest pouring milk into the silver
cup above the Lingam from which there was a steady trickle of milk onto the
Lingam. All these were intently watched by Swami and every now and then,
He would ask and clarify the various procedures. Everything was done as
per His command.
At 7:45 the chanting of the Rudram began. The entire audience gathered in
unison to chant the Rudram eleven times. At the end of the every chanting
the head priest worshipped the Lingam with flowers and did arathi to the
tune of the nadaswaram and the conches. After the second Rudram was
completed Swami got up and proceeded to the interview room at 8:13 am. At
9 o'clock, He left for Yajur Mandiram. After the third Rudram chanting,
the priests began to get the other yagna kundams ready for the yagnam. As
the eleven times of the Rudram were completed the ten other yagna kundams
were ready for the Rudra homam and Sai Gayatri homam. The rituals
concluded with Mangalaharathi at 12:15 pm.
As the evening session of the second day's proceedings was to commence,
everyone eagerly awaited Swami's arrival. The priests started the session
at 3:10 pm, just before Swami's arrival. Swami came into the mandir at
3:20 pm amidst the vedic chants and music played by the naadaswaram
troupe. The proceedings continued in Swami's presence. The head priest gave a sacred
bath to the Shivalinga named 'Saieeshwara' and thereafter the ghanapaatha
of the sacred mantra 'Rudram' continued as vibhuti abhishekam was
performed on the lingam. Swami then went into the interview room at 4:25
pm and came back after 15 mins. Thereafter a scholarly exposition on
'Rudra' was given by Shri Srikantha Rao. Later the learned speaker went on
to explain the efficacy of the Rudra - Namakam and Chamakam mantras. Then
came a surprise package with two performances by child artists - rather,
child prodigies. The first of them was a rendering of a stotram in praise
of Lord Shiva. The boy was blessed with a chain created by Swami. The
second performer was an 8 year old flute player, who played a famous
keertana enthralling one and all present in the
gathering. Immediately after
these performances came the much awaited discourse from Swami. Swami began
with his famous poem 'Khanda Khandantara........' and stressed on the
stanza that described the rich culture of music, arts and literature as if
to bless these little boys who performed splendidly. Bhagawan emphasized
on the significance of 'yagna'-offering one self to God. In the course of the discourse Swami also told students the
importance of good company and to speak politely without any trace of
hatred or jealousy. After the Divine Discourse, Swami asked for bhajans to
be sung while Prasadam was distributed to all. The day's proceedings ended
with mangala aarati at 6.20 pm.
More Updates!
Athi Rudra Maha Yajna: Day 2 Afternoon Session
Posted on 11th August 2006 at 02:00
Hrs.IST
The
evening session of the Yajna commenced at 3:10 p.m. just before the Divine
arrival. Bhagawan arrived at the Sai Kulwant Hall at 3:20 p.m. , as usual
went for full round blessing the devotees. The proceedings continued in
His Divine Presence and the Chief Priest gave a sacred bath to the Linga
glorified as Sayeeshwara which was followed by Ghanapaatha of the sacred
mantra 'Rudram' while Vibhuti Abhishekam was performed on the Lingam.
As a part of the series of lectures on Shiva Shakthi aspect by learned
speakers
during the
Yajna days, a Sanskrit Scholar and Telugu Pundit and an ardent long time
devotee of Bhagawan, Sri Srikanta Rao gave a scintillating account on the
significance of Athi Rudra Maha Yajna. He has been the President of Andhra
Saraswatha Vijnana Sangham.
Sri Srikanta Rao: Bharat has a
hoary culture. People have been making concerted efforts by conducting
Yajnas and Yagas and Tapas to attain God realisation. There is lot of
unrest, agitation and lawlessness in the world today which is the cause
for restlessness in man. Avatars and divine personalities create awareness
in man through their teachings. Adi Sankara in his treatise Viveka
Chudamani has said to attain God’s grace. Bhakti (devotion) is the most
suitable path. Puja means to worship God with love and devotion. Yajna
means to offer oblations in the sacrificial fire to propitiate the Devatas
(demigods) so that they bestow on us divine
grace. Worshipping Rudra, the embodiment of Agni (fire) with Japa, Tapa
and Homa and Abhisheka is Rudrarchana.
For the amelioration of difficulties and world peace, Rudrarchana is very
important. In it, Laghu Rudra
Homa, Maha Rudra Homa and Athi Rudra Homa form a pivotal part. The
efficacy of Rudra is described in glowing terms in Vedas, Sastras and
Itihasas. Describing and offering salutations to various forms of Rudra is
Namakam. This is also called Rudra Prasna. In the 4th Kanda (chapter), 7th
Prasna of Taittiriya Samhita, ‘Cha’ is repeated again and again. That is
why it is known as Chamaka. There is going to be world prosperity and
peace because of the performance of this Yajna. The learned speaker ended
his scholarly talk saying, Bhagawan’s Divine message and teachings will
surely bring welfare and prosperity to the world.
This was followed two performances by child artists, first being a
rendering of a stotram in praise of Lord Shiva. The boy was blessed with a
chain created by Bhagawan. The second performer was an 8 year old flute
player, who played a famous keertana.
Then came the pleasant surprise…yet another Divine Discourse by
Bhagawan…that was not scheduled. Bhagawan began His Discourse with the
famous 'Khanda Khandantara........' song that describes the rich cultural
heritage of Bharat especially in the field of music, art and literature.
Addressing the priests, devotees and students, Bhagawan reiterated the
sacredness of the land of Bharat …which is the birth place of great sages,
saints, scholars, men and women of valour and women of chastity; but, it
is unfortunate that we are unable to observe and imbibe the ancient glory
and cultural heritage even to minute fraction, added Bhagawan. Stressing
on the importance of developing harmony in thoughts, words and deeds
Bhagawan exhorted the devotees gathered in Sai Kulwant Hall to treasure
all that is heard and bring the same into experience.
On the Yajna being performed, He said Yajnas are performed with a larger
and mightier purpose that is totally selfless, meant for the welfare of
entire humanity. Addressing the students gathered for the function, He
stressed the importance of having company of the holy and good. Good
Company is what is required which would help one to satisfy his heart that
in turn would lead to liberation. Good company leads to good thoughts
which in turn take one to good actions that finally
yields good results. Being a student one should not be proud of his
education…and once one commits this mistake his whole life would be spent in pride and ego, advised
Bhagawan. Referring to the lectures being given by learned speakers in the
evenings during the Yajna, Bhagawan asked the students to inscribe their
teachings in their hearts to emulate in actions.
Stressing on the importance of filling our lives with love…He exhorted one
and all assembled to follow the Divine Teachings. After Bhajans prasadam
was distributed and Bhagawan retired for His Residence after Managalaarati
at 6:20 p.m.
Latest 2nd set of Photos of day two & Yajna News :
"...Immediately after these performances came the much awaited
discourse from Swami. Swami began with his famous poem 'Khanda
Khandantara........' and stressed on the stanza that described the
rich culture of.."
Read more
Wallpapers
Download: YAJNA edition - 'Saieeshwara' Lingam with Sai Baba:
9th August
ATI RUDRA MAHA YAJNAM 1st Day: "...The much awaited Athi
Rudra Maha Yajna aiming at World Peace and Prosperity to the World
at large begins in the Holy Abode of Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba at
Prasanthi Nilayam in His immediate Divine Presence this afternoon at
15:00 Hrs. IST...."read moreYajna
Programme Schedule & Radio Broadcast
Latest: Sai Video clip - streaming video
of Ashadi Ekadashi play on
the Ten Commandments:
350kbs100kbs20kbs
8th
August Sai News Update-
"...This morning, Bhagawan came for darshan at 7.50 am. and during
His Darshan round in the car, spoke to the Karnataka Youth co-ordinator
and the organiser..."
read more
4th August Sai
News Update-
today morning the "Vara Lakshmi Vratham" started out with Lakhsmi
Puja in Puttaparthi. The traditional ritual of puja (pooja) was
performed to Goddess Lakshmi by Sai Baba devotees in huge numbers.
The pooja to Goddess lakshmi was incomparable and very auspicious
since it was preformed in the holy presence of Sathya Sai Baba.
Swami attended the puja and granted wonderful darshan & blessings to
all the devotees. read more
Latest Sai News from
Prasanthi Nilayam, Puttaparthi-
"...This evening, Bhagawan came for darshan at three o'clock, and
after spending a few minutes in the interview room, came outside and
sat onstage for an hour to the accompaniment of Vedic chants..." Read more
Latest Sai
Vichaar:Shri Sai Baba of Shirdi
-Weekly newsletter- 3rd,August 2006 EXPERIENCE OF DEVOTEES: Nishit:
I am here sharing my experience with you all. My sister is a strong
devotee of Sai Baba and I also used to believe in him but was never
a very staunch follower. I wanted to go to Shirdi since long but
could never make it as I believe that he call us but can't go at our
own will. " Read more
2nd August: Video clip of The Sai Intl Symphony Orchestra -
The Sai International Symphony Orchestra again performs in Sai
Kulwant Hall, with a stunning array of beautiful classical works,
with appropriate and helpful introductions to each piece. The
musicians come from 22 countries. They start off with a bhajan that
was arranged by a member of the orchestra --can you recognize it? - 350kbs100kbs20kbs
30th July: Filling The emptiness: Miracles - "Actually His miracles that are really
wonderful are the ones He performs in the consciousness and lives of
His devotees. He changes you so gently and gradually that you do not
even realise that anything is happening until one morning you really
take a good look at yourself and see that you have changed..." read more
27th July Sai News Update:
"
This evening, Bhagawan came for darshan just after 3 o'clock, and
alighting from the car, went into the interview room. After a few
minutes, He came out and walked up to..."
read more
23rd July, Sainews in
brief :
Devotees present at Kulwant Hall today
enjoyed the wonderful and long darshan of Swami since there was a
program by devotees [singers] from Karnataka state, Swami was out on
the veranda between 3 p.m -5 30. p.m. giving us blissful darshan for
nearly 3 hours.
Pictures and details later.
What is life about..?
" Life is not about keeping score. It is not about how many
friends you have..." read
more
Talks with Pedda
Reddy Garu, the caretaker of Planetarium and Sai Geeta:
Q:
Tell us about Sai Geeta's early days.
A:
Sai Geeta was very close to Swami those days. Everyday her
duty would be to wait outside the Mandir in the morning and she
would be ready with a garland..."
read
more
21st July: Puttaparthi Update & Photos:
"..large number of devotees from Japan had assembled in Sai
Kulwant Hall as early as 2.20. Bhagawan came to Sai Kulwant Hall for
Darshan at 2.30 and went outside the Ashram in the car...."read
more
20th July- Poem: "Om Sai
Ram Baba"
submitted by Sussana from Hungry Also download: wallpaper of Sathya Sai
Baba "Sathguru"
Latest Sai
Vichaar:Shri Sai Baba of Shirdi
-Weekly newsletter- 20th July, 2006 " EXPERIENCE OF DEVOTEES:
Sumesh- Dear all Sai devotees, I would like to share a recent
experience in my life where Baba played a major role. I am working
in a company in Bangalore and have been posted to Singapore as
regional manager. But I faced lot of difficulties "Read more
19th July -Latest Prasanthi Bulletin :
"This morning also, the Sai Youth from
Australia were called by Swami and had the chance to sit in the
Bhajan Hall during Bhajans...." read
more
Swami's Profile: 18th July: "Just imagine how Swami
would write His profile" read more