Text & photo source - copyrights: Sri Sathya Sai Sadhana Trust - sssbpt.org - Radiosai.org Prasanthi Diary - theprasanthireporter.org | Web layout - Photo graphic design : saibabaofindia.com "SBOI" | - We gratefully acknowledge the publishers Sri Sathya Sai Sadhana Trust & Sri Sathya Sai Media Foundation
Evening Video Webcast of the Ashadi Ekadashi Celebrations
- Prasanthi Nilayam - 9th July 2014
Live Video Webcast of the Ashadi Ekadashi Celebrations
at 8.15 a.m. (IST) from Prasanthi Nilayam - 9th July 2014
Ashadi Ekadashi…
What Mother India stands
for and what entails her greater glory?.. this was the
central theme of the beautiful presentation entitled
“Yenna Bharath Tanna Bharatha…” by the Bal Vikas and
Youth of Pune District of Maharashtra on the auspicious
Ashadi Ekadashi morning herein Prasanthi Nilayam today.
Today is Holy Ashadi Ekadashi, the holy 11th
day in the month of Ashada. This is the day when lakhs
and lakhs or pilgrims from every nook and corner of
Maharashtra flock to the Abode of Lord Vittala at
Pandharpur seeking His Divine darshan. Symbolic to this
Varkari tradition, devotees of Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai
take up Dindi procession every year, walking on foot
from Dharmavaram to Prasanthi Nilayam in three days,
presenting themselves to Sai Vittala seeking the bliss
of His Divine darshan.
This morning’s programme commenced with the arrival
of traditional Dindi procession marked with great
spiritual and religious fervour. Soon Sai Kulwant was
heard reverberating with the refrain “Jai Jai Rama
Krishna Hari…” and “Jai Jai Vittala…” bringing the
Pandharpur flavour to Prasanthi Nilayam. Over 1100
pilgrims joined this year’s Dindi procession to
Prasanthi Nilayam.
The presentation that followed next had the Essence
of Bharat’s pristine glory. When Bharat’s own spiritual
ideology “Sanathana Dharma” and “Vasudeva Kudumbakam”,
understanding everything as one single family, form part
of its ‘constitution’, Bharat promotes the most potent
and highest of all teachings of spiritual awakening,
Aham Brahmasmi and Sarvam Brahmamayam…that, everything
is Brahmam, the Truth Eternal.
Unity in Diversity, Bhagawan’s message for a nation
with diverse culture, worshipping the Mother as Divine
in the Indian perspective, worshipping Cow, Motherland,
Vedas, Nature, Mother Earth etc as Mother…, Para Vidya,
the Supreme Knowledge or the Eternal Atmic Principle
understanding that Life is Eternal and Sathya Sai is the
True Sadguru and Bharat’s own specialty being the land
of Avatars etc. were depicted beautifully in the next
one hour through segmented presentations, with colourful
children dancing to the fore to the tunes of Bhagawan’s
own compositions. Popularly known as Padyams, these
compositions often preceded Bhagawan’s Divine
discourses, entailing essential wisdom in a nutshell.
Bhajans continued and ended with Mangala Arathi at
0955 hrs.
From Bhagawan’s padyams to music of variety…
Continuing the Ashadi celebrations in the evening
talented youngsters from the city of Mumbai presented a
90 minute musical offering regaling Bhagawan and the
capacity audience. The troupe of 6-talented youngsters
included two of Bhagawan’s alumna, Bro Sanket Modi and
Bro Nishad Mishra, working as a music faculty at Atharva
Music Academy and as a full time composer respectively.
Ms Swarna Tiwari, Ms Deepali Sathe, Ms Kirti Killedar,
Ms Rushy K Kuddyady were the other singers joined Sanket
and Nishad in the evening. Producing rich music with
diversity, ranging from Hindustani to Marati Abhang,
Punjabi Folk to Zufi Devotionals theyregaled the
audience for over an hour and a half. The Team – 6
3were accompanied by Amit Bhavar on Keyboard, Sandeep
Kulkarni on Flute, Dhiren Raichura on Guitar, Ashish Jha
on Tabla, Sai Prasad on Mrudangam and Sanket Modi
himself on Harmonium.
Bhajans continued and ended with Mangala Arathi at
1900 hrs.
Maharashtra Gatha by Balvikas,
Navi Mumbai…
Tuesday, July 8th, 2014
Beginning the week-long Guru
Purnima celebrations, this evening being the auspicious Ekadashi, Balvikas
children from the Satellite City of Navi Mumbai presented a dance ballet
entitled “Maharashtra Gatha” herein Prasanthi Nilayam today. The presentation
was a depiction on the Cultural and Spiritual glory of the State of Maharashtra,
lovingly referred to by Bhagawan as “Mahan – Rashtra”.
Beginning with a depiction of boisterous, yet highly religious
festival of Ganesha Chaturthi, with a traditional Lezim dance, the ‘Maharashtra
Gatha’ continued with the illustration of its famed sons and daughters whose
contribution in the filed of social and educational sector brought about radical
changes, reforming the state to its current pristine glory. Mahatma Phule,
Savitribai Phule, Dr Anandibhai Joshi, Panditha Ramabhai were some of the names
found mention in the evening.
Still on with the presentation, the beaitufil children then
depicted the traditional Mangalagauri Puja to Lord Shiva involving women-folk,
Povada, a folk form depicting the dual between Chatrapathi Shivaji Maharaj and
the infamous Afzal Khan, a presentation on the great devotee cum social reformer
Gadge Maharaj, references to the great social reforms done by Dr Abhay & Rani
Bhai couple reforming the Adivasi (aboriginal) class… and of the social
reformer Baba Amte for his contribution to the leprosy afflicted ones. Colourful
children dancing to folklore Maratha tunes added lustre to the evening’s Maratha
glory.
Final phase of the presentation had the traditional Dindi
Procession of Ashadi Ekadashi, when lakhs of Varkaris from literally every
single village in the state go on pilgrimage to have the Darshan of Lord Vittala
at Pandharpur. The presentation ended with a beautiful energetic dance offering
“Jai Maharashtra Maata…Jai Maharashtra Maata…”.
Earlier, the evening programme commenced with a brief
introductory talk followed by a couple of speeches on the just concluded 3-Day
Sri Sathya Sai Education Conference held in the Poornachandra Auditorium, from 6
July until this evening, on the theme “Sathya Sai Ideal Education”. The
conference was organised by the Sri Sathya Sai International Organisation and
was attended by over 280 delegates from over 55 countries.
The speakers for the session were: Dr (Ms) Margaret Taplin of
Institute Of Sathya Sai Education, Hongkong and Dr Manuel Alberto Morales from
Sathya Sai Institute Of Education, Mexico. Dr Margaret Taplin spoke of the
impact of Sathya Sai Schools and Institutes in the society and at government
levels helping spreading the message of Educare. Speaking of everyday
transformation, she narrated in detail of the positive response for the greater
effort being done in Mainland China involving 58 schools and over 700 teachers.
Acknowledging the bright positive side of SSE, bringing
transformation in societies around the world, especially in children, the next
speaker Dr Manuel Alberto Morales said practising Human Values is the key to
developing understanding between all humanity, building a new and authentic
society. Hundreds and thousands of Sathya Sai Institutes around the world has
one aim, to serve Bhagawan’s mission to restore Human Values, ushering in a
gloden age, said the speaker presenting conclusions and recommendatioins of the
3-day conference.
Bhajans by tinytots, participants of Bhajan Mahotsava in the
State of Maharashtra, turned out to be soulful experience for the capacity
audience in the twilight.
Mangala Arathi at 1900 marked the end of the evening’s
proceedings.
II Samastha Lokah Sukhino
Bhavantu II
Archive
Ashadi in Prasanthi Nilayam…
Friday, July 19th, 2013
Celebrating Ashadi Ekadashi, the
Marata festival of great spiritual significance, Balvikas children along with
devotees from the State of Maharashtra presented a variety of cultural
programmes yesterday at the Sanctum Sanctorum in Prasanthi Nilayam.
On the auspicious morning the programme commenced at 0820
hrs., after half-an-hour Rudram chanting, with a Dindi procession, symbolic to
the age-old tradition of Varkari Yatra to Pandharpur, Abode Of Lord Vitthala. A
couple of dances to the tune of Marati abhangs followed next.
Balvikas children from Mumbai then offered a Musical Dance
Drama entitled ‘The Divine Kaar Rally’. The Divine Kaar Rally this
morning was an encore, with a modified version, of the 1999 presentation in the
immediate Divine Presence of Beloved Bhagawan.
The presentation was a graphic depiction of man’s plight
today. Man, completely enmeshed in materialism, yielding to lower instincts,
looses his track forgetting his real nature.
To get into the “I to He Highway” he has to cross over
Ahamkaar…then Mamakaar…to progress into Chamatkar wherein he will start
experiencing Divine Touch Of Grace as miracles. From there, while in tune, he
will progress with the help of a special bonus, Paropakaar, to Sakshaatkaar,
Self Realisation!
Presented with a touch of humour, with subtle yet profound
messages, the presentation brings in a protagonist who drives in, with his
‘Ahamkaar’ that breaks down only for him to seek helpf from Sathya Sai
Garage…the garagemen were helpless as ‘Ahamkaar’ broke into pieces and was
beyond repair…Mamakaar drives into the scene then which also fails to further
owing to break down.
Even as he thinks how to reach his destination ‘Chamatkaar’
drives the protagonist to much better position wherein he was offered further
assistance by the garage man to rely on Sathya Sai World Bank for ‘financial
assistance’ to progress to ‘Namaskaar’…from there to ‘Sanskaar’ and finally to ‘Sakshaatkaar’.
In the process the protagonist was asked to seek the help of
Sri Sathya Sai Driving School wherefrom he got the essential lessons of Nine
Point Code Of Conduct, to promote to the Sanskaar class.
As advised by the Sathya Sai World Bank official the
protaganist understands the luring schme, that yiels a special bonus as well, of
1 percentage extra grace before reaching Sakshaatkaar, his final destination.
Presenting symbolically the presentation was full of values,
as preached by Bhagawan, illustrating present day man’s plight owing to
ignorance.
At the end all the children were felicitated with special
presentations and bhajans by Maharashtra troupe continued until Mangala Arathi
at 0940 hrs.
In the evening Balvikas children from Thane district presented
a thought provoking dance drama entitle Manav to Mahatma, illustrating the
mateoric rise of Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi to Mahatma Gandhi, India’s Father Of
Nation.
The presetation based on Bhagawan’s Divine Discourse as well
as from the tale of National Independence Struggle depicted how his Mother Jija
Bhai instilled greater values in Gandhiji as a young lad, that helped him to
take a firm resolve to adhere to truth to finally sacrifice his life for the
natioin winning National Independence. Episodes from his sojourn in South
Africa, the famous episode of Hindu – Muslim dispute at the Azad Maidan wherein
Gandhiji brought them together, the trial at the British Court etc. were also
shown. The presentation was intertwined with beautiful dance and song sequences.
At the end, Bhajans continued and Mangala Arathi was offered
at 1820 hrs.
The three day Ashadi festivity will continue today witha
Musical Offering entitled Quantum Signature of God – Confluence of Science &
Spirituality Sri Ganesh Atre & team.
Just a reminder, if you are on Facebook
then you should join our Sai Ram
Facebook-page. We are nearing the 44,000 mark and unlike a lot of pages
that are created and you join and then nothing beneficial ever happens,
we actually send out daily Sai Baba updates and give exclusive content
on most of our postings.
