Text & photo
source: Heart2Heart Team (Prasanthi Diary), sssbpt.org -
radiosai.org - Sri Sathya Sai Media Foundation - h2hsai.org-
saibabaofindia.com & SBOI group.
The alumni of Prasanthi Nilayam and Brindavan campuses of the Sai
educational institutions, the Sai Students, are here in large
numbers for their annual meet. This evening, they presented a drama.
Bhagavan arrived in Sai Kulwant Hall ten minutes after five and
moved to the Bhajan hall after His darshan round. There, He
interacted with the participants in the drama who were ready in
their costumes.
Fifteen minutes later, He came onstage and began
their drama at a quarter to six. The innovative 50 minute
presentation used a video screen as a backdrop and had mythological
characters narrating the story of students and Swami. Bhagavan went
down among them for group photographs and accepted arati at a
quarter to six as prasadam was distributed. He then interacted with
the alumni for a few more minutes before returning to His residence
at seven o'clock. The Chief Minister of Maharashtra was also in the
congregation this evening.
Read more details with photos slides -
With melody at its best and devotion at its ecstatic peak, after a
fortnight’s stay in Prasanthi Nilayam serving and elevating
themselves, a group of Indonesians finally got to have their Beloved
Lord onstage listening to their passionate singing “Mother Oh!
Mother Sai Maa, You are our Life Oh! Sai Maa!”, on a beautiful
evening on 30 Dec 2009.
In a simple but melodious presentation, the troupe sang eight songs,
4 in English and 3 in Bahasa Indonesia, the national language of
Indonesia and one in Hindi spreading devotional ambience, echoing
the air in a packed Sai Kulwant Hall, on the penultimate evening of
year 2009.
“Maa Sai Maa, You are our Life…” was a passionate plea to Mother
Sai, echoed in chorus from a hundred throat, accompanied by high
beat music, effectively amplified by a capacity audience raising the
charged atmosphere to greater ecstatic heights.
Other songs for the evening were “We Bow down to You Sai Baba…”, “O
Sai Baba My Sai Baba…”, “O Swami The Star of Prasanthi…” in English,
“Jadilahinstrument – Nya…” (Be His Instrument), “Sabda Tuhan…” (God
has given to us a beautiful voice), “Kami Bersujud Pada Allah Taat
Pada Ajarannya“ (We bow down to Allah…) all in Bahsaha Indonesia
followed by the one in Hindi, Teri Marzi Se Eh Malik Hum Is Duniya
Main Aye Hai…” (With Thy Grace, Oh Lord! We have come unto this
world).
True to ‘their’singing, Jadilahinstrument – nya meaning “Be His
Instrument”, the group of 340 during this Christmas cum Year End
trip have been engaged in various service activities in Prasanthi
Nilayam. Apart from the Vidyagiri stadium cleaning up, the troupe
was also engaged in dormitory and toilet cleaning in Ashram and a
group of specialized men and women got to do cooking in the Western
Canteen preparing with Indonesian delicacies from Dec 25 to Dec 28.
The group, Sai Study Group of Sri Sathya Sai Organisations,
Indonesia led by Mrs. Indira Ashok Kalvani had 190 men (100 of
Indonesian origin and 90 of Indian origin) and 150 Women comprising
equal division of men and women of Indonesian and Indian origin,
attending the day’s programme. The original strength of the group
was 432.
The bouquet of songs was followed by a stint of bhajans by the same
group upon which Bhagawan went amidst the group to bless them,
moving among and blessing with Padanamaskar and finally with group
photo session.
Most of the members in the group are flying back to Indonesia
tonight and they are sure to hold on to this wonderful memories
savoring each and every moment bestowed upon them by their Mother
Sai.
Posted at 22:56:04 Hrs. IST on 29 Dec 2009
Bal Vikas children numbering over 300 from Delhi - National Capital
Region presented a vibrant programme of songs and dances titled
“Bouquet of Love” in the Divine Presence on the evening of 29th
December 2009.
Bhagawan came to Sai Kulwant Hall at 4.50 p.m. to the chants of
Vedas. As Bhagawan came to the central part of the Hall, He spoke to
a tiny tot lovingly who was part of the evening programme. A vast
expanse of sky and a placid river formed the beautiful backdrop for
the evening’s programme. The theme of the programme was the message
of unity – the same thread of Divinity runs through the entire gamut
of the diversity of creation, from the highest to the lowest forms
of life.
The first item of the programme was a prayer in the form of a dance
to Lord Ganesha, who is the remover of obstacles and who bestows
goodness on all. The Bal Vikas boys’ dance was followed by a joyful
dance by the Bal Vikas girls which conveyed that the power of the
divine name endows one with the strength and fortitude to face the
trials and tribulations of worldly life.
Rajasthan, the desert State in the west of India has a long history
and rich culture of colourful dance and music. The next performance
was a dance by the Bal Vikas boys in the Rajasthani tradition, full
of verve and energy, expressing deep faith in the omnipresent God.
The dance was colourfully choregraphed bringing alive the Rajasthani
culture.
The last dance by the Bal Vikas girls conveyed the theme of unity –
“We Bal Vikas girls, are Your little lamps that light up the world
with Your love”. As all the Bal Vikas boys and girls and the Bal
Vikas Gurus converged in the performing area for His blessings,
Bhagawan gave another opportunity to the Bal Vikas children to
express their love for Bhagawan. A short session of Bhajans
followed. Though it was an extempore effort without much stress on
Raga (tune) and Tala, pure unsullied heart of the children impressed
Bhagawan who was very much appreciative throughout. Bhagawan
materialised a gold chain for one of the Bal Vikas boys and lovingly
put it round his neck. He also went amidst them and gave them the
coveted opportunity to be photographed with Him. Prasadam was
distributed to everyone. The day’s programme concluded with Arati to
Bhagawan at 5.55 p.m.
Children have undergone hectic practice sessions for over three
months to present the same in the Divine Presence. Of the three
hundred stong contingent, half of the children are from Rural Bal
Vikas wherein Sri Sathya Sai Village Integration Programme is
active, said Mr. Jatinder Cheema, State President of Sri Sathya Sai
Seva Organisations -Delhi, who led a 360 member group including
parents, to Prasanthi Nilayam.
"...Christmas is over, but the joy the festivity
brought is still in the air in Prasanthi. One could see a sizeable
populace of devotees from overseas nations camping in Prasanthi,
post Christmas, awaiting the next big occasion, New Year 2010..."
"...Donning pristine white, men and women numbering several hundreds
from the erstwhile USSR, namely, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia,
Macedonia, Serbia and Slovenia all coming from Zone 6, Region 61 and
62 of Sri Sathya Sai Seva Organisations - Overseas, were ready to
embrace the Lord with the songs of their hearts, to sing His glory
in His immediate Divine Presence.
It was obvious that the language of their hearts was already heard
by the Lord well before them bursting out their devotional
repertoire. Bhagawan, upon coming onto the dais at around 4:45 pm,
chose to climb down, blessing the group profusely,...Read
more
"Over 200 children from around 14 countries brought the true
spirit of Christmas with their unified feeling of love for the
Lord, while humming in Prasanthi Nilayam in the immediate Divine
Presence of Bhagawan on the beautiful evening on 26 Dec 2009.
First half of the programme was an evening by children for their
Beloved Swami which later in the second half, at the culmination
of the programme, turned out to become a twilight by Beloved
Swami for His beautiful children from around the world...."Read more with photos
Christmas morning, the world is born…Anew in
Love for Sai the Lord…Glad sounds of joyous praises fill…The air
with happiness and still…More joy awaits the watching ones…this was
a piece of poetic expression on the beautiful morning of 25th
December.
True to the feeling entailed in the expression, 25th
December 2009 indeed was brought forward from the previous evening
wherein the spirit of the festivity was very much ringing in….and
the beautiful morning had men and women clad in white singing
Christmas Carols for the Lord in the Mandir....Read more with photos
"...Joy knows no bounds when you sing your heart in praise of
His Glory. On the auspicious Christmas Eve after an hour-long
singing of His Glory in His immediate Divine Presence, the
International Choir had an unusual word of appreciation, from
none other than The Lord on whom, to whom “they” sung. Towards
the end of the session, calling one of his students, Bhagawan
asked him to announce that the songs sung by the choir were
touching and made Him very happy. ..And after a two hour long
session, the International Choir walked out of the hall with joy
in their hearts that knew no bounds!
Prasanthi Nilayam, the Abode of Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba,
brings to light a diverse perspective of the festivity called
Christmas. As rightly echoed by Bhagawan in one of His Christmas
Divine Discourses, the festivity is celebrated in its truest
sense in Prasanthi Nilayam. Bhagawan, addressing a huge..."
Read more with
photos
Introducing a Cultural Programme commemorating the fifth
anniversary of Prasanthi Dance Group, Prof. Anil Kumar
exclaimed: Life with Bhagawan is celebration; Life with Bhagawan
is music: Life with Bhagawan is ecstasy and dance. It was
ecstatic celebration of music and dance that was in store when a
group of dedicated, talented and devoted students from Sri
Sathya Sai University’s Prasanthi Nilayam Campus got the Divine
nod to celebrate the anniversary of the group, “Prasanthi Dance
Group” in His Divine presence on the evening turned twilight of
23 Dec 2009.
The programme was a dance depiction of Bhagawan’s oft quoted
maxim, Daiva Preethi, Paapa Bheeti, Sangha Neeti - Love for God,
Fear of Sin and Morality in Society, presented through
Bhagawan’s own compositions (poems) intertwined and linked with
tales of yore, picks from epics, namely, Bhagavata, Ramayana
etc.
Entitled “Sathya Vaani – Nrithya Baani”, the programme had picks
from rich spiritual and cultural heritage of Bharat. Dancing
with dexterity, sense of devotion, with a touch of aestheticism
the folk danced to the compositions of Bhakta Jayadeva, Bhakta
Ramdas, starting with a Vishnu Stuthi after Ganesha Vandana,
through Shuklambaradharam Vishnum, sailing through the
Dasavathara Stuthi, depicting the crux of the stories from the
ten Avatars through steps suffused with emotive expressions.
Story of Lord Sri Ramachandra through Bhakta Ramadas
composition, a tillana depicting the tale Bhagavata featuring
Gajendra Moksha were some of the other numbers before singing a
mangalam song for Lord Sai “Sri Sai Ramanikku Jaya Mangalam,
Parthi Nivasinikku Shubha Mangalam”.
The inspirational story of this five year old dance troupe began
dating back to year 2005 when a talented, well trained student
by name Ganesh was given an opportunity to perform a solo dance
during one of the cultural programmes. Impressed by the boy’s
talent, Bhagawan had words of appreciation and encouragement and
opined that “there is ample space; will be nice if more boys
join”. Six more boys, pick of best of dancing talents from the
entire Prasanthi Nilayam campus joined and they had the first
group dance programme in the Divine presence.
The group was slowly evolving as, in 2006, Bhagawan asked Ganesh
to train pick of talents from the Prasanthi Nilayam campus. The
troupe’s onward journey was inspirational. “Swami used to guide
us on the kind of songs, encouraging us to practice rigorously
to perfection. Often Swami would indicate us to get ready before
major programmes”, says Ganesh who has done M.Sc, MBA and a Post
Graduate Diploma in Indian Culture and Spirituality.
The troupe would dance in white dress without any costumes in
the beginning. When Swami started enquiring about costumes, the
troupe had the first opportunity to have a “full-fledged” dance
programme during the Ati Rudra Maha Yajna in Aug 2006. Ganesh,
who has been a trained dancer in Bharat Natyam, Kuchipudi and
Folk forms for the past eleven years have trained more than
forty boys over the past 4-5 years.
The 23rd evening programme featured 25 students of the
University, ranging from under-graduate to doctoral programmes.
The hype and importance of the event was very well evident, when
Bhagawan asked Prof. Anil Kumar to announce the programme,
detailing academic background, place each student hails from
etc.
After the programme the entire troupe was blessed with a coveted
group photo session. Loving Mother Sai is, He asked them to go,
eat and sleep well. Earlier, before the commencement of the
programme Bhagawan blessed the entire contingent with “Divine
pep-up talk”, bringing and building confidence in His wards.
The same group had offered a huge anniversary card to Bhagawan
on the previous evening while praying to stage “their”
commemorative show. Bhagawan was gracious enough to bless new
anklets and dandiya sticks while blessing them to stage the
programme.
At a time when Christmas preparations are gearing up, with a
sizeable western populace camping in the holy township, the
dance programme served as a pointer substantiating Bhagawan’s
view on Bharat’s rich spiritual and cultural heritage.
On 22 Dec 2009, Tuesday, Sri Sathya Sai University had a special
agenda with Bhagawan. The University’s newly developed ERP
(Enterprise Resource Planning) system was blessed and
commissioned by Bhagawan in a small function held in the bhajan
hall in the evening at 4:30 Hrs.
University Vice Chancellor, Registrar, Controller of
Examinations and the Principal of Prasanthi Nilayam campus were
joined by a group of faculty members who had been working on the
same seeking Divine Blessings on the memorable occasion. This
ERP system would help in planning and designing as well for the
entire University Management System.
Salient features and usefulness of the newly developed system
was explained to Bhagawan with the aid of power point
presentation. Prof. Anantaraman, faculty, School of Business
Management, Accounting and Finance took the lead explaining the
features in Kannada.
Bhagawan was the keen observer in the hall, setting Himself as
an ideal. An interesting episode to depict the keenness of
Bhagawan while watching and listening the presentation. As
various quotes of Bhagawan came up in between the presentation,
the professor read out one saying, "Swami, so much of quotes
(about the purpose of the university) from the Convocations have
been included here." Swami retorted, "I told that, not during
the convocation, but during the inauguration of Anantapur
College!" The Professor was humble in accepting Bhagawan’s
version.
The schedule for the execution of the various modules of the UMS
was also presented to Bhagawan and there was a collective
submission and prayer to Bhagawan to officially inaugurate the
same. As the name and password had been typed, Bhagawan hit the
"Enter" key, pressing the UMS for the University into service.
The University website that has been revamped was also presented
to Bhagawan explaining features in short detail.
Various stakeholders who were involved in the making of the
system and the website were blessed by Bhagawan with
Paadanamaskaar. Staff members working in the University
Administrative Block were also present during the occasion.
In the meanwhile Bhajans were on and upon completing the
presentation Bhagawan came on to the dais, cutting across the
upper verandah, blessing scores of devotees. As soon as He was
seated, He pointed to a student and conveyed that He had noticed
him in a photo during the presentation! The boy did not seem to
understood then, but his joy knew no bounds when he realized the
special Grace after the evening's Aarthi! The bhajans were on in
full gusto and enthusiasm. Top
During one of the bhajans, Swami told the singing student, "Sing
Hanumath Sevita". (Praise the Lord as He is served by Hanuman).
The next bhajan was "Kausalyatmaja Rama Charan" which indeed
contained that line! As the bhajans concluded, Swami called the
“Dance Troupe” (group of boys) which was holding a huge card for
blessing, occasion being the 5th anniversary since the inception
of the group. The elaborate and ornate card contained photos of
their momentous moments when they had been blessed to put up
dance programmes in the Divine presence. Bhagawan most
magnanimously blessed the entire group sprinkling Akshata
grains.
New anklets and sticks for Dandia were also blessed by
Bhagawan. Posing curious He asked the troupe as to when they
would be ready with their next programme, and pat came the
reply: "Whenever Swami says." "Let us see on Thursday, was His
reaction. As the boys returned to their respective seats, His
hands rose in “Abhaya” Posture, conferring blessing to one and
all!
Christmas is getting closer and the Christmas Flavour started
showing up in Mandir as well. The Dais and the centre area along
with the pillars were already decorated and one could see the
Christmas Volunteers and Decoration team transporting decoration
items to the mandir, as part of decking up His Abode and
Prasanthi Mandir.
The Overseas Choir is steadily progressing with their rehearsal
sessions, most meticulously done, resonating the Prasanthi air,
purifying the same with hymns on the arrival of Baby Jesus and
so were the little wards from overseas countries getting readied
with the Children Choir.
As the evening was conceding to the twilight at Prasanthi, she
was indeed sensing the Christmas flavour!
"...Yes, it’s Western time again at the holy city of Puttaparthi. During
this time of year, we begin to sense a change in the air. The
weather begins to change and one gets the feeling that Christmas is
in the air bringing great sense of expectancy.
…And in Prasanthi Christmas adorns a new colour. No folks, not
Country and Western but Western Carols for Christmas. It’s the time
of the Blessed Birth of the Baby Jesus. That means that the
“Westerners” get a chance to strut their stuff for their Beloved
Bhagawan. In fact, the westerners get to have their hands on
everything related to Christmas, though the term westerner get a
different meaning and should be viewed from a broad global
perspective.
The fortnight that is passing by marked a steady progression with
the D-Day preparations getting geared up thinning the counting down
numbers...."
Read more
details - Prasanthi This Fortnight
Sunday, Dec 20, 2009 -
Recharging Spiritual
Batteries - Bhagawan Blesses Medicos from Bangalore
Posted at 11:43:20 Hrs. IST on 22 Dec 2009
They were labelled as Divine Guests in Prasanthi Nilayam and
they all wore scarves with a label “Staff” in bold letters. Yes,
they were a members of staff came to Prasanthi Nilayam at His
special invitation.
After the “Group of 120” visit in Mid-November, the second
batch, an exclusive batch of doctors along with families from
the twin hospitals in Bangalore, SSSIHMS and Sri Sathya Sai
General Hospital in Whitefield, came in with a strength of over
200, yet again to bask in His all-conquering Divine Love.
The occasion was called for nothing, but to remind the folk of
His explicit love and grace. As was with the “Group of 120” this
exclusive group of medicos and families was also blessed by
Bhagawan in a most thrilling session held in the bhajan hall on
the evening of 20 Dec that lasted for an hour.
Bhagawan was His usual self, the loving mother. On the marked
day, Bhagawan, coming out bit early at 4:30, spent almost an
hour in the packed bhajan hall moving among them, granting
Himself with darshan, sparshan and sambhashan.
Upon entering the Bhajan Hall, sensing the love and thirst in
the air, He immediately began to move around slowly raining pure
unsullied love. He moved through, taking letters and talking,
consoling and cajoling, correcting and creating! Many mothers
held out their babes for blessings and none of them were
disappointed. Many of them had the fortune to have His
paadanamaskaar as He moved towards the altar from the rear end
of the bhajan hall.
Kannada is undoubtedly the only other language apart from Telugu
that was blessed by Bhagawan using as a medium for Divine
Discourses. And this privileged folk from Bangaluru had the rare
privilege of listening to Him in their “own” language.
Swami began by asking in Kannada whether all of them understood
Kannada. A majority of them were affirmative and Swami decided
to speak in that tongue. Discoursing on service to the poor,
Bhagawan said, it was vital that the poor be served; the more
they are served, the more Bhagawan is pleased, while advising to
ensure quality of treatment.
The feeling of Love is paramount and only that makes up service.
Everyone is an embodiment of God and must be treated that way.
Though called by different names, God is one and He is in all.
The whole discourse was short and focused. After ten minutes,
Bhagawan began to interact with all those present.
He saw two
kids who seemed to be ‘troubling’ their mothers! He called one
of them and materialized a gold chain! The baby was so happy and
began to play with the chain even before Swami could put it
around her neck. Swami lovingly 'chained' her to Himself and
spoke to the parents. Many couples sought His advice and
blessings for various matters and it was as if Swami was
granting mini family interviews!
A few had the blessing to have family photo shoots, and almost
the entire group had the opportunity to have Him closer and
interact. Thus, after a blissful session, Bhagawan moved back to
the interview room, leaving the folks to remain basked
reminiscing the just passed moments.
Bhagawan says that Puttaparthi is a workshop where all the cars
(read devotees) come in for maintenance. He has also called
Prasanthi Nilayam as the centre for the devotees to recharge
their spiritual batteries. "The pot is full of water as long as
it remains immersed in it. Once taken out, the water gradually
evaporates till the pot becomes empty."
It appeared that their pots were full as they remained immersed
in those blessed moments, a rarity in human life…Moments spent
with the Absolute Divinity in Physical Frame!!!
Their batteries were charged to optimal level to drive back to
Bangaluru and continue with their mission assigned, to Love All
and Serve All.
There is no need of any translator. Does everyone know Kannada
in your group? Most of the patients who come to our hospital are
economically poor. You have to speak to them with love and
compassion. Your eyes should radiate love when you speak to
them. Do not be harsh with them (by shouting go … go … ). Never
get angry with them. Speak sweetly and softly to all patients. A
Doctor should develop such noble qualities. But nowadays doctors
crave for only money, money and money…
They do not seek love, i.e., Divine Love. If you attain God’s
love then all your vices will disappear. Also you should have
love for Society (Sangha Prema). When you cultivate Sangha
Prema, you get reputation (Khyati). This reputation is not
worldly reputation, but Character. With love, you can develop
Character. Where there is Character there is Education. The end
of Education is Character. You have to speak to patients with
love. You have to conduct yourselves truthfully, righteously and
morally.
Earning money should not be your only motive. Do not wander
hither and thither for the sake of money. You will get more
money in one place or the other. What is Money? Money comes and
goes, but Morality comes and grows, grows and grows.
You should treat the patients well. There should not be minor
bickering amongst you. If there is misunderstanding amongst you,
what is the use? There is only one God and one Goal. You may
call Allah, Jesus, Rama, Krishna, Eshwar …Though names are
different, God is one. If you abuse someone, it is equivalent to
abusing God. And if you love someone, it is equivalent to loving
God. Love is present equally in all. But there is a difference
in the love between mother and child and husband and wife.
Sanctify your time with love. If you make proper use of love,
then everything good will happen in your life. Love is most
important. This love is God’s Love.
You should cultivate Love for God (Daiva Preeti), Morality in
Society (Sangha Neeti) and Fear of Sin (Paapa Bheeti) to attain
God. When you give medicines (treatment) to patients, render it
with love. Pray for the well-being of patients. Some nurses are
not treating patients in this manner. The doctors have to train
them.
Swami enquired one of the senior doctors - How are the doctors
and nurses at Bangalore? Are they working well?
They should work with love. Love is more important than
medicines. Love is God Live in Love. Love is very important.
There should be Love in your thought, word and deed. There
should be Unity of thought, word and deed. It is said you are
not one but three. The one you think you are, the one others’
think you are and the one you really are. All the three, i.e.,
Manas (mind), Buddhi (intellect) and Chitta (mind-stuff) have to
work in unison.
You should not only treat the patients well but also identify
the reason for their illness. You should also investigate as to
how, where and why they got the ailment?
There were no special programmes at Prasanthi Nilayam over the
last week. The political disturbances in the rest of the state
have not significantly impacted the Ashram and its immediate
vicinity, though the travel plans of many were affected by the
cancellation of bus services in Andhra Pradesh. Bhagavan has
been coming before the evening bhajans commence on many days,
and went for a drive a couple of days ago in the forenoon.
Last
evening, He had come for darshan before half-past four, and had
blessed the ladies' side with a second darshan round before five
o'clock. Functionaries from the defence services of Sri Lanka
and India had visited Prasanthi Nilayam over the last few days,
and today the Chief of the Army Staff of Nepal had an audience
with Bhagavan. Swami blessed many of the members of his group
with vibhuti and also asked for distribution of a booklet and
prasadam before He accepted Arati. After Arati, He blessed some
of the birthday boys from among the students and returned to His
residence at a quarter-past six.Top
Devotees from Singapore
presented a drama this evening. Bhagavan arrived for darshan at
a quarter past four and after His darshan round, began their
performance. The forty minute drama presented the concept of the
Spiritual Bank which was based on a Discourse given by Bhagavan
in 1966. At the end of the performance, Bhagavan blessed the
group with photographs and gave a chain to one of the children.
He then allowed the devotees to sing bhajans, which continued
till ten past six when He accepted Arati and retired for the
day. more details belowSingapore SSE Programme Dec10, 2009
Posted at 11:25:00 Hrs. IST on 11 Dec 2009
More than 350 devotees from Singapore had come in two batches on
a 10-day pilgrimage to Prasanthi Nilayam from 2nd December 2009.
The group included youth and Bal Vikas children. As a
culmination of their pilgrimage, the SSE students and Sai Youth
of Singapore presented a programme “Bank Balance” in the Divine
presence on the evening of 10th December 2009. Bhagawan came for
Darshan at 4.20 p.m. to the chant of Vedas. At the outset, the
organisers offered their obeisance to Bhagawan. An organiser
after expressing his gratitude to Bhagawan for permitting them
to stage a programme in His presence announced that the
evening’s programme was a medley of dance, dialogues and songs.
He also prayed to Bhagawan to permit them to perform again in
the year 2010.
The crux of the programme was taken from Bhagawan’s Discourse
delivered on 14th July 1966 on the occasion of the inauguration
of a branch office of State Bank of India in Prasanthi Nilayam.
After the cast of the drama sought Bhagawan’s blessings, the
programme began with a Chinese dance. The dancers made beautiful
manoeuvres with Chinese hand fans and danced gleefully.
Singapore is a mix of multi-cultural, multi-racial, multi-faith
society, with the main races being Chinese, Malay and Indian.
The performance highlighted these aspects of Singapore through
songs and dances interspersed in the play. Top
The storyline runs thus: A few youth convey their woes of having
lost a lot due to global recession in spite of working hard for
3 years and making good investment in shares. Two Sai Youth
introduce the concept of Spiritual Bank to these youth. At first
the youth, who are worldly-oriented are puzzled about this new
concept of bank. The Sai Youth explain the concept of depositing
good thoughts, good words and good deeds in this bank.
Worldly
money comes and goes, but morality comes and grows in an
individual. The currency accepted in this spiritual bank is the
5 human values of Truth, Right Conduct, Peace, Love and
Non-Violence, of which Truth and Love have the highest currency
denomination. Truth is the highest of all values and love is the
undercurrent of all values. When one deposits these 5 human
values in the spiritual bank by practising these values in one’s
life, God comes to the person’s rescue by issuing an overdraft
in times of difficulty and in bad times. At this point of time,
a banner was displayed which conveyed that truth is the
spiritual dollar. This interjection was an appropriate
introduction which drove home the point.
The concept of Spiritual Bank was well illustrated through the
lives of King Harishchandra and Mother Ahalya. King
Harishchandra was known for the values he practised in his life
especially the value of Truth. He always spoke the truth, always
kept his word and never broke his promise. By adhering to the
Truth at all times, Sathya Harishchandra made huge deposits in
his account, using which he redeemed not just himself, but his
wife, son and the entire kingdom. He scrupulously adhered to
truth, come what may in his life, and that paid rich dividends
at the end.
Though Mother Ahalya’s deposits might not have been sufficient
to get her out of a crisis, God showered His grace ‘as an
overdraft’ to redeem her from a curse, due to her good deeds,
good thoughts, good feelings, good company and constant
contemplation on the name of God. Lord Indra tricked her by
transforming his form to that of her husband Rishi Gautama. When
Gautama saw her serving Indra, he flew into a rage and cursed
her. But when he came to know of the truth, he pronounced that
she would be redeemed when Rama, Lakshmana, Sita and Sage
Viswamitra would pass her hermitage on their way to Mithila. Top
The next illustration was portrayed through the life of a mean
and miserly person who led a happy life giving scant regard to
the poor and downtrodden who came to his doorstep for succour.
In his case, he was only drawing from the accumulated deposits
he had made in his previous births without making any fresh
deposits. As a result, he soon went bankrupt.
The play concluded with the Sai Youth encouraging their friends
to follow and practise Bhagawan’s teachings and to open a new
bank account with the spiritual bank in order to lead happy and
purposeful lives.
The Sai Youth Choir did a commendable job by singing a Tamil
song, a Hindi song and a Telugu song to the delight of the
devotees assembled in the Hall. Top
At the end, Bhagawan went amidst them and blessed them with a
prolonged photograph session with all the participants, and even
asked the organisers to distribute clothes to the cast and
support staff. After the distribution of Prasadam and a few
Bhajans, the day’s programme concluded with offer of Arati to
Bhagawan at 6.10 p.m.
The Sri Sathya Sai Vidya Vihar of Visakhapatnam celebrates its 25th
anniversary this year. The children and teachers of the school were gathered
at Prasanthi Nilayam and presented a drama this evening. Bhagavan came for
darshan a few minutes before five and after His darshan round sat for a
couple of minutes onstage before moving to the interview room.
It was 5.20
pm when He came onstage and began their performance. The hour long drama
showed the positive impact of Sai students on society. There were several
dances punctuating their performance which ended with a group song. At the
end of the performance, Bhagavan blessed the children with group
photographs. This was followed by bhajans for twenty minutes following which
Swami accepted Arati and returned to His residence at seven
o'clock.
More Details below
Posted at 11:42:21 Hrs. IST on 10 Dec 2009
Sri Sathya Sai Vidya Vihar, Visakhapatnam, an institution that is run in line with
the academic features of the holistic institutions in Prasanthi Nilayam is
celebrating its silver jubilee this year. As part of this celebration over 550
students accompanied by teachers and some of the passed out students have come down
to Prasanthi Nilayam to be in His Divine Presence from 7 Dec to 10 Dec, 2009.
The school that is located in Sector 8, MVP Colony,Visakhapatnam that was set up in
the year 1985 has an imposing circular structure as its main building. The Campus
has a prayer hall that is used for regular conducting of religious and service
activities. Though the school is not directly affiliated with the Sri Sathya Sai
Central Trust, Prasanthi Nilayam, it does work under the guidance of the main body
from Prasanthi Nilayam. Following the pattern set by the Institutions under Sathya
Sai University and the Higher Secondary and Primary Schools in Prasanthi Nilayam,
this Institution set up bearing the name of Bhagawan has earned a name of its own to
become one of the most sought after schools.
The school runs under the CBSE system of education teaching from L.K.G through
standard 10. The school has been maintaining high standard of performance right from
its inception. The school is also blessed with the presence of some teachers
appointed by Bhagawan Himself, old students from the Anantapur Campus of Sri Sathya
Sai University, some of whom have been serving for the past twenty two years.
Our tenure at school had taught us not only academics but also the importance of
human values in life. Cherishing school days is a pleasant experience for all. But,
for us, the desire to realize the goals of our lives by following the Sai principles
that we learnt at school is a pleasure that stays with us forever, says the alumni
website echoing the spirit of students passed out from the hallowed portals of this
blessed institution. Top
On the 9th evening the spirited children from the school presented a dance ballet
entitled “Sai Kiranalu”, a depiction of students of Sri Sathya Sai Institutions as
shining examples of love.
The story was essentially weaved through the exemplary lives of three Sai Students
whose contentment in life coupled with high ideals, as taught by the value based Sai
Educational system in the Sathya Sai University, was seen bringing in individual and
societal transformation.
The storyline had three youth, Prasanth, Swaroop and Deepak as pass outs of Sathya
Sai University wielding their schools of thought based on Sai Education they
received from their alma mater, bringing in effective transformation in different
areas of their lives including their professions.
While Prasanth willingly gave up his high profile job to help a depressed youth, and
subsequently to join a school as a teacher, Swaroop who joined as a Joint Collector
was able to run his official show to perfection strictly following the law of the
land with utmost integrity. Deepak was exemplary enough in his business that had
moral and ethical support that earned him respect in the society. Top
After delivering their might in the society, leading lives based on His message, the
trio came down to Prasanthi Nilayam for the Annual Sports and Cultural Meet. And
what their old Professor at the University could notice was something noble,
contentment and happiness on their faces. A beaming professor remarked that it was a
clear evidence of their practice of human values in their day-to-day lives and
Bhagawan would be extremely happy at the transformation of His students.
The colourful drama presentation intertwined with pack of devotional numbers was an
audio-visual treat for the packed audience assembled at the blessed wednesday
twilight, in the Divine Presence of Bhagawan.
Earlier, Bhagawan came at around 5 for a complete round and the presentation started
with an invocation to Bhagawan, hailing Him to be the source and force behind the
school and its onward journey.
…And it was obvious for one and all to see Bhagawan’s involvement. He was seen
attending the programme quite intensively often repeating the telugu poems (songs)
came intertwined in between.
Souvenir and brochure for the institution was blessed by Bhagawan, while the
captains of various houses from the school were with Vibhuti Prasadam, at the end of
the programme.
All the participants were blessed with Safari pieces and sarees, for boys and girls,
respectively. Bhagawan specially blessed a tinytot with a materialised chain.
The presentation essentially serves as a clarion call to the student fraternity to
imbibe His teaching in their lives to make beloved Bhagawan “proud” of His students. Top
Posted at 15:38:37 Hrs. IST on 07 Dec 2009
On the evening of 6th December 2009, the rural Bal Vikas
children from Punjab presented a musical dance drama “Vande Sai
Mataram” in the Divine Presence. Over 400 Youth and 50 Bal Vikas
children from Punjab who had assembled at Prasanthi Nilayam had
the opportunity to have the Darshan of Bhagawan and listen to
talks by eminent speakers in the lecture hall of Ashram. On this
evening, Bhagawan came for Darshan at 5.05 p.m. to the chant of
Vedas. At the outset, the coordinator of Sri Sathya Sai Seva
Organisation, Punjab announced the commencement of the dance
drama “Vande Sai Mataram.” The central part of the hall had a
backdrop bearing the Indian tricolour on the map of India with a
beautiful photograph of smiling visage of Bhagawan. At its
bottom was a collage showcasing the culture of the land of
Punjab. Top
The musical dance drama started with a dance by Bal Vikas
children draped in the costume of Indian tricolour. Sai Youth
from Gujarat were visiting Punjab to see the famous places in
Punjab. The Sai Youth of Punjab were conducting them around the
State. After visiting different spiritual and historical places
like Golden Temple and Jalianwala Bagh, they started discussion
on Punjab and national integration. Some interesting facts about
the Golden Temple were revealed to the audience like the
full-fledged temple was built during the leadership of 5th Guru,
Guru Arjan Dev Ji in 1580, but was completed in 1604. About
5,000 people are fed free at a time in the temple.
Great patriots like Bhagat Singh, Lala Lajpat Rai, Udham Singh
had great love for Bharat. Their dreams were to see a prosperous
and free country and they sacrificed their lives for their
country. In ancient times, when people followed the teachings of
their gurus, there was love and harmony in society. They never
hated anybody and followed the principle of love all and serve
all.
Punjab had passed through bad times too. Evil forces of desire,
anger, pride, greed, delusion and jealousy had subdued peace and
harmony. Even the political system took mileage of the situation
and divided communities.
It is at such a time that people
realised that they had lost their moorings and took to
spirituality and worship of God. God descends on earth whenever
there are discrepancies in the conduct of mankind. That is why
Bhagawan has incarnated on earth. Top
There were interludes in the drama when the rich culture of
Punjab was showcased through dances, the harvest scene of
separating the husk from the grain.
The activities of the Sai Organisation of Punjab were then
presented to the audience like the Village Integrated Programme
(VIP) and Bal Vikas programmes.
The Village Integrated
Programmes were carried out not only in villages but also in
towns. The dance drama came to a close with the vibrant Bhangra
dance of Punjab. Top
After the performance, Bhagawan asked the organisers to
distribute clothes to the participants. Very pleased with their
performance, Bhagawan went amidst them, and a photo session
followed. Prasadam was distributed to all the participants.
Then a group of singers from Punjab
State Organisation sang a few songs, of which “Oh Sai Baba, we
love You Baba” stood out. Arati was offered to Bhagawan at 6.20
p.m. Before retiring to His abode, Bhagawan again went amidst
them, but now, Bhagawan took a full round blessing all who had
been involved with the drama. Another photograph session
followed.
Yes, it was indeed special blessings from Bhagawan for the
participants from the State of Punjab.
Source: sssbpt.org - web-layout & design saibabaofindia.com
Posted at 12: 35: 05 Hrs. IST on 06 Dec 2009
Over 550 Sai Youth from the State of West Bengal came to Prasanthi Nilayam to have
the Darshan of Bhagawan and participate in the youth camp where many eminent
speakers addressed them on the moral way of life with special emphasis on Bhagawan
and His teachings. Some of them even shared their experiences they had with Bhagawan
with the youth. On the evening of 5th December 2009, the youth were blessed with an
opportunity to present a drama, entitled “Transformation – Individual to Global” in
the Divine presence.
The drama started with the narration of Bhagawan’s Chinna Katha where a rich man was
afflicted with a serious illness. Many doctors examined him, but he found no relief
from their treatment. At last, a noble man suggested that his illness was due to the
fact that his eyes were not remaining steady on a particular object. His vision
would become steady, if he looked at one colour, opined the wiseman. Top
Immediately, the rich man ordered that the entire village should be painted green,
even people were commanded to wear only green clothes. When the noble man visited
him again, he was surprised to see the entire village swathed in green colour.
Regretting the ignorance of the rich man, the noble man suggested that instead he
could have worn green colour glasses. The moral of the story was, “One cannot change
the world, but one has to transform himself at the first instance to change the
world.”
Vivek, an ideal Sai Youth, lived his life in a moralistic way. He never swerved from
his ideal path. The drama was set on a natural environment of a tea shop where Vivek
usually met his friends and discoursed on moral principles, a small store and a
telephone booth. His company was about to clinch a huge contract for which Vivek was
playing the pivotal role. The managing director entrusted the entire responsibility
on Vivek and asked him to come up with a proposal.
His colleague in the company, Suresh was jealous of his achievements and the
confidence he had won over his boss. He thought of a ploy to tarnish the name of
Vivek. When Vivek was not in office, Suresh asked for the password of Vivek’s
computer and revealed the contents of the proposal to a competitor company. As a
result, Vivek’s company lost the contract.
Meanwhile, Vivek was identified with a tumour in his brain and had to undergo an
urgent operation. The cost of the surgery was 2.5 lakhs. Vivek did not have such a
huge sum of money. But the doctor was adamant on his business principles. The
managing director of the company thought that it was Vivek who sold the contents of
the proposal and fired him out of the company.
One day Vivek lost consciousness and was urgently rushed to the doctor by his
friends. The doctor recognised Vivek, but stuck to his business principles. His
friend, the tea shop owner and a sikh person were willing to sell their possessions.
The doctor at the beginning laughed at their proposal, but was moved on seeing the
love his friends had for Vivek. He then asked the reason for their strong bond of
love for Vivek. They then told the doctors how Vivek led an idealistic life and how
they were transformed by his simple thoughts which were hard enough to penetrate the
hardest of hearts. The doctor voluntarily agreed to perform the surgery free of cost.
The surgery became a success and Vivek recovered from his illness. Now the managing
director came to know of Suresh’s evil designs and felt sorry for his act and fired
Suresh out of the company. Out of his magnanimity, Vivek asked his boss to forgive
Suresh and take him back in the company. The drama ended on this happy note and a
song with Vivek conveying the teachings of Bhagawan. The song ended with the punch
line that this age is not the age of information technology, but the age of Sai
transformation technology.
Bhagawan materialised a gold chain for the cast of Vivek in appreciation of his
brilliant enacting. The crew was blessed with a photograph session and Bhagawan
specially called for Prasadam to distribute in person. Bhagawan spent more than 10
minutes with the cast. After a few Bhajans, the programme for the day came to a
close with Arati to Bhagawan at 5.55 p.m.
Mr. Ratan Tata, Chairman of India's largest business group, visited Prasanthi Nilayam today, along with his colleague Mr. Krishna Kumar, Vice-Chairman of Indian Hotels Company. Before evening darshan, all the college students and the visitors from the Tata group were seated in the College
auditorium. Bhagavan came for darshan at half-past four to Sai Kulwant Hall in the car and directly moved to the College auditorium for a drama presentation by the students there. After the drama, Swami interacted with the participants onstage for more than half an hour before returning to the Mandir where the bhajans were going on. He accepted Arati from inside the Bhajan Hall after getting down from the car at a quarter to seven and then interacted with Mr. Tata and Mr. Krishna Kumar for fifteen minutes there before returning to His residence in the car.
Phot slides and Details below.
Top
Ratan
Tata visits Prasanthi Nilayam - 3-4 Dec 2009
Posted at 14:35:30 Hrs. IST on 05 Dec 2009 - The man whose business forays with a firm footing on ethics and righteous values made him a legendary figure of international fame, Ratan Tata, made a special entry in Prasanthi Nilayam, the Abode of Peace, on 3rd Dec seeking Bhagawan’s blessings. This is the second visit of Mr. Ratan Tata to Bhagawan, in less than two months. Earlier, during Bhagawan’s recent visit to Mumbai, he was blessed with an audience for forty-five minutes, in Dharmakshetra complex. . Tata’s Credentials Mr. Ratan N Tata, who inherited the Tata legacy from legendary JRD Tata, has been chairman of Tata Sons, the Tata promoter company, since 1991, when JRD stepped down after fifty years at the helm. He is also chairman of other Tata companies, including Tata Motors, Tata Steel, Tata Consultancy Services, Tata Power, Tata Tea, Tata Chemicals, Indian Hotels and Tata Teleservices.
The Government of India honoured Mr Ratan Tata with its second highest civilian award, the Padma Vibhushan, in 2008. Earlier, in 2000, he had been awarded the Padma Bhushan. He has also been conferred an honorary doctorate in business administration by the Ohio State University, an honorary doctorate in technology by the Asian Institute of Technology, Bangkok, an honorary doctorate in science by the University of Warwick, and an honorary fellowship by the London School of Economics.
Mr. Ratan Tata serves in senior capacities in various organisations in India and he is a member of the Prime Minister's Council on Trade and Industry. Top In 2009 he was appointed an honorary Knight Commander of the British Empire. …and the list goes… Extending a warm welcome to this special guest of honour, arrangements had been made to give the guest a quick tour to various institutions in the Ashram, namely, the Super Speciality Hosptal, The University Administrative Block, Prasanthi Nilayam Campus, Indoor Stadium and Chaitanya Jyothi Museum, explaining him in detail of the Mission set in motion by Bhagawan.
Arrived in his private aircraft along with his colleague and close confidant Mr. R.K. Krishna Kumar, Vice Chairman, India Group of Hotels and a member in the Board of Directors for Tata Sons, accompanied by his Private Secretary, Mr. Ratan Tata straight away drove down to the Super Speciality Hospital at Prasanthigram to a warm welcome by Director Dr. Safaya, Secretary of Sri Sathya Sai Central Trust, Mr. K. Chakravarthi, IAS (Retd), former Vice Chancellors of Sri Sathya Sai University, Prof. G. Venkataraman and Sri S.V. Giri, IAS (Retd) and other members of staff. Spending almost forty-five minutes, the dignitary was taken for a walk-thru' to various departments, detailing multifarious features of the state-of-the-art hospital run completely free of cost. Mr. Ratan Tata showed curious interest in knowing intricate details of various functional wings of the holistic institution. In the afternoon Mr. Tata visited the University Administrative Block where he was received by the Vice Chancellor, Prof. Vishwanath Pandit, Former Vice Chancellors, Prof. G.Venkataraman and Sri SV Giri, Secy, Sri Sathya Sai Central Trust, Mr. K.Chakravarthi, Registrar, Dr. Naren Ramji, Controller of Examinations, Sri Srirangarajan along with faculty members from various departments. The dignified guest had a group discussion with the University team about the functioning and features of the University. Top His next visit was to the Prasanthi Nilayam Campus of the University wherein Prof. U.S.Rao, Principal briefed the distinguished guest of various academic features, namely, of the various courses, extra-curricular activities, NAAC accreditation, UGC team visit etc. A brief video presentation was also organized featuring the credentials of the holy institution. This was followed by an interactive session with the guest attended by faculty members of the University.
Premaarpitham, a drama in hounor of the Chief Guest In the evening the stage was set in the University Auditorium for a special drama presentation in honour of the dignitary. Bhagawan, upon coming out at 4:30 straight away drove down to the packed auditorium that had been awaiting His arrival.
The Drama entitled, Premaarpitham, as titled by Bhagawan is the story of a young man caught in a dilemma of choosing his future between going abroad and serving the motherland.
The play starts with a young man expressing his joy to his grandfather on being placed in a top university abroad with a complete scholarship. Even as his grandfather congratulates him, he adds that he has also got an offer to join a good company afterwards. His grandfather expresses his disappointment with the decision and expresses his wish that he serve Bharath. The protagonist is now in a dilemma and wishes to see the heaven of freedom which Rabindranth Tagore sings about in his epic poem.
Guiding him from the dilemma, the spirit of Bharath personifies into a radiant being and tells him about the various young children of the glorious nation who have earned good name unto her. He then narrates instances from the lives of Swami Vivekananda, Yudhishtira, Adi Sankaracharya and the Gopikas of Vrindavan who epitomised the great values of Satya, Dharma, Shanti and Prema. The spirit of Bharat finally ascertains that Educare is in essence the Love of God and the Love for God.
Love in Thought is Truth Love in Action is Right-Conduct Love in Understanding is Peace
After the forty-five minute drama, Bhagawan had a fabulous on-stage interactive session with the drama crew, along with the Chief Guest that lasted for forty minutes. Pepping the spirits up with words of appreciation, often getting into minute details, talking individually, the session was a heavenly gift for the entire crew who had been asked to put up a drama at the shortest possible notice, within two days. Bhagawan interacted with each and every member of the crew, introducing everyone to the Chief Guest with details of the course each one has undertaken. Bhagawan gave away presentations to all the participating members. He even introduced the singers for the drama presentation and asked the lead singer to sing a special song, who sang, the famous Qawali, Mohabbat ki kami dil mein agar ehsaas hoto hai..." Apart from the dignified guests, the session was also attended by Dr. Vijay Kelkar, Chairman of the Finance Commission of India, who was earlier Advisor to the Ministry of Finance, Govt. of India.
In the run upto the drama, Bhagawan had been encouraging and infusing confidence in the crew to come up with the best of their performance in short notice. Giving a shot in their arm, Bhagawan visited the institute auditorium on the 1st evening spending an hour watching a final dress rehearsal, guiding with precision. The title, Premaarpitham was done by Bhagawan Himself. Top Back in the Mandir, the dignitaries had a fifteen minutes private session with Bhagawan in the bhajan hall before Arathi was offered.
Mr. Tata who showed curious interest in the Sri Sathya Sai Water Project Scheme was briefed on the same by Radio Sai Team led by Prof. G. Venkataraman, in the Shanti Bhavan Guest house later in the evening.
Final two destinations for the honourable guest were the state-of-the-art Indoor Stadium followed by Chaitanya Jyothi Museum before the guest was brought back to Mandir for morning darshan, on 4th December. Bhagawan blessed Mr. Tata and his secretary with an audience lasted for forty minutes, followed by a brief interview to Mr. Krishna Kumar. He even materialized a chain for Mr. Venkat, a former student of Sri Sathya Sai University, who is serving as Executive Secretary to Mr. Ratan Tata.
The morning session on the 4th Dec was also attended by the tiny tots from the Primary School, a special gesture, in honour of the dignified guest.
The man who is well known for his exploits, in saving the Tata empire from a decline and fall, through his business acumen coupled with vision for future, and is credited with converting the Tata group into a high-tech empire fit for the 21st century, spent a whole day in the “Valley of Peace” taking back greater lessons with refreshing experiences of service to mankind of highest order, as exemplified by Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba!
Swami was coming before the evening bhajans began for the last few days, and returning to His residence in the chair itself. Yesterday, He came for darshan at 4.45 pm and moved to the interview room. After the five o'clock bhajans began, He went in the car to the college auditorium and
saw a drama rehearsal by the students there. Returning after an hour, He accepted Arati at 6.20 before returning to His residence. Today, darshan was at 5.15 pm, after which Bhagavan gave interviews till past seven when He came onstage to accept Arati. He then asked the students to chant 'Samasta Loka Sukhino Bhavantu' three more times before He blessed the congregation and returned to His residence. Top
