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| A view of the impressive crowd on the day of the inauguration |
CG and I reached the Vitthala temple situated on the first floor of
the temple complex. We knew that this was the central shrine and we
saw hundreds who were waiting inside. Surprisingly, there were
almost no cameramen there. Thrilled at this, both of us took
positions in the sanctum, waiting for Swami to arrive. Five minutes
later, we realized how naïve we had been! That area was
cameramen-free because Swami was in the floor below us inaugurating
the Shirdi Baba temple!
(Dear
reader,
If you have come directly to this post, I would like to egg
you on to enjoy the full story with its history. Link to
part 1 is given below and the link to the next part will be
at the end of each previous part. Thank you.
Hadshi Mumbai diaries - Part 1 - The blessing materializes
 |
| Swami presses the switch the lights up His own photograph |
“We wanted to make a shrine for Swami here. But Swami refused. He
said that the people in the region loved and worshipped Panduranga.
The name of form does not matter to Him because God is one. For the
joy of the people, He told us to make this Pandurangakshetra
(literally, ‘the field of Panduranga’). But we wanted Swami’s temple
also. He converted that into a Shirdi Baba temple. Finally, we just
managed to place His photograph there.”
This
is so typical of Swami. He never bothers about people seeking Him in
the Sathya Sai form. His desire is that everyone seek the ‘Sathya’
that the ‘Sai’ form has come to propagate. So that was how Swami
added one more idol to the
list of
Shirdi Baba idols He has installed.
After this, Swami moved out of the temple and around it towards the
lift to take Him to the Vitthala temple which, as mentioned before,
was on the first floor. All along the way, devotees craved for a
divine touch. The volunteers literally became "wall and tears" and
the students too added to the sorrow of the devotees with their
mighty cordon. But it must be said in their favour that the crowd
was too enthusiastic to be disciplined as they tried to somehow get
to His feet. When emotion overpowers, the voice of reason becomes
faint. CG and I rushed back to the Vitthala temple via the stairs in
front and now, the cameramen were there! Our ‘Bhagawan's guest’
badge helped us to get right back into the sanctum.
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| Swami is thrilled like a little child when asked to do the 'life-instilling' for the idols |
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| Swami, the 'string-puller' of the Universe pulls the strings to instill life in the idols |
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| Group photos for the Jadhav family members |
Swami now agreed for a family photograph and soon all the priests
made way for the family members in the sanctum. Ah! What a heavenly
blessing for the family! In the centre were the idols of Panduranga
and Rukmini and right in front of them was dear Sai! All around was
the family. We took pictures and, having completed my duty, II moved
out of the way to the entrance. I exited the sanctum and sat
outside, in the temple hall. A moment later, a boy came running to
me saying that Swami was looking for ‘His photographer’ as He wanted
to grant a photo opportunity exclusively to the parents of the
Jadhavs. Overjoyed at the special honour for the parents which had
gifted me the opportunity to be called as His photographer, I went
back into the sanctum and clicked furiously.
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| A special photograph for the parents of the Jadhav brothers. |
So many people fell at his feet and many more came within breathing
distance from Him. Swami then moved down the path that had been
strewn with rose petals and came out of the temple. He now was
outside, at the top of the huge stairway that the devotees would use
to enter the premises. He remained seated there so that the
thousands assembled below could see Him and rejoice. The band played
a tribute to Him while the songs continued. Swami presently blessed
a few books in Marathi and was ‘introduced’ to many VIPs by Mr.
Jadhav. Swami then asked for Pt. Shiv Kumar Sharma and his son Rahul
Sharma to be seated by Him and they felt honoured at this privilege.
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| Swami shares a light moment with the Santoor maestro, Pandit Shivakumar Sharma |
Ten minutes or so later, at about 10:40, Swami moved to the lift and
descended. The boys had made a human chain to provide ‘protection’
to the Ultimate Protector and everyone eagerly awaited the
'Descent'. Swami moved down and instead of going into the car, moved
to a nearby area on the northern side of the temple complex where
the final formalities of a
yajnam
were to be completed. Swami, the
Yajnapurusha
of all such sacrifices, attended the
Poornahuthi
(final offering) and blessed the
Yajnashala.
I did get good pictures of this event (Being a photographer is a
funny experience. People look at the photos and are so happy. But
those same also curse and scold when you obstruct their view while
taking pictures! Posterity is thrilled at the expense of some in the
present. It is like insurance where for a good future you undergo
hardships paying premiums!)
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| A beam of sunlight filtered through as Swami arrived to bless the Yajna |
At about 10:50 a.m., Swami started back in the car towards the
Residence and in 10 minutes He was inside. Now, He had lunch with
the elders and the topics of discussion were mainly centered on the
proceedings in the morning. Once the guests were done, Swami looked
at all of us seated on the floor and lovingly said, "Boys, go and
eat." All the tables were soon occupied.
During this time, the discussion on the table veered towards
speeches by the students and Bhagawan asked us as to who among us
would speak. I was about to raise my hand when He announced the
condition – it must be in Marathi! Almost everyone suggested the
name of a senior in our group but Swami wanted someone else.
Finally, He settled on Nishikant and asked him to prepare well for
his talk in Marathi. So, that was the boys' involvement in the
luncheon discussion.
As
Swami was returning towards the lift after the lunch, He called out
to KVSK Ganesh
and
said, "Do not only dance; do some work too." And then speaking to
Mr. S. V. Giri, Swami said,
“Give this boy some work." Mr. Giri suggested that he could study
further. Much to the relief of Ganesh (as he told me later) Swami
vehemently disagreed saying,
"He has finished three degrees! How much more should he study? Let
him work." Then turning to Ganesh, Swami blessed him.
As He moved up, all of us chanted the food prayer loudly. With that,
Swami retired for the morning as we all happily helped ourselves to
the elaborate menu.
By 3:15 p.m., refreshed after a nap, we were again waiting for His
arrival. We had been told that the evening's snacks would also be
served at the poolside along with Swami. In fifteen minutes, Swami
was out and as He came near us, He called Ganesh once again and
advised him to take up a job. It was evident that this was foremost
in His mind. ( It is with great pride and joy that I state here that
Ganesh is now my colleague, working at Radiosai Global Harmony
studios.) Then He called Jagdish Kanadia too and asked about his
brother.
After this Swami enquired about the tiffin to which Satyajit
mentioned that it had been arranged near the pool waters. So Swami
began His, "Pillalu paandi (Boys leave)” when we told Him, "Swami we
had breakfast there. It is wonderful."
Swami: "Oh is it? What did you have?"
One by one all the various items were reeled out and when mention
was made of Ragada Patties, He asked, "What is that?" We all tried
our own explanations.
I
said, "Swami it’s a kind of
vada."
Satyajit explained that it was a sort of cutlet. Finally Swami
seemed to give up trying to understand these mundane things and
said, "Let’s go there. Boys, get into the bus."
Then Satyajit added, "Swami, You please can come in the car. Boys
will walk; it is very near."
“Where is it?”
“Swami, we can see it from here. Shall we go to the balcony?”
Sensing that Satyajit was trying to cajole Swami to go into the
terrace, I got up and quickly told the boys to make a pathway for
Swami to move towards the expansive balcony of the building. It is
so beautiful when the Divine builds up a drama to confer greater
joy. As if He did not know the distance to be traversed! But He
wanted to give another beautiful opportunity to all of us and we did
not know what it was then. Swami moved towards the other side of the
room where the door to the balcony was.
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| Swami points out that the Ganesha is holding an umbrella in the wrong direction! |
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| Enjoying a high-view from the balcony. |
CG and I were already ready there. A gentle breeze was on and the
sun shone down upon the balcony. As Swami looked at the southern
side, the first thing He noticed was the large number of cars that
had been parked. He mentioned how so many people were coming from so
to have His
darshan.
He also saw the temporary shelters that had been erected to feed the
devotees (about 20,000 people were fed daily and one sitting could
accommodate about 6000 people and all this was served entirely
free!).
Swami reached the end of the terrace and began to look at the small
statue of a golden Ganesha holding an umbrella. This sunshade was
pointing in the eastern direction and since the sun was in the
western skies, the beams fell directly on the statue. Swami asked,
"The umbrella is facing the wrong side?"
One of the Jadhavs tried to force it into the ‘proper’ position but
it was of no avail. Swami then told them to let it be as it was.
The swimming pool was also visible from here and Swami had a look at
it. Beyond the gates one could see the devotees who were enjoying
this unexpected
darshan.
Now He moved ahead and saw the northern view which was full of
hills. Swami pointed out and said, "That is a
Trikon."
Literally translated it meant a triangle or 'having three vertices'.
At this point Phaneendra and myself went forward and asked,
"Swami, the spot is so scenic here. Can we take a picture with You?"
Swami agreed and Phani jumped next to Swami. Bhagavan then said,
"All of you come together." And so I took group photos. After taking
two, I gave the camera to Satyajit and, with CG, joined the group.
In no time, everyone was on the terrace and even those not yet on it
were pining for pictures with Swami.
Bhagawan did not disappoint anyone. Starting with the Jadhav
brothers and other members of his family, Swami granted photos also
to the two little kids of Ratnakar. Swami is so happy when this duo
is around and generously showers affection on them. And so He posed
proudly and happily with them. Then Ratnakar too came by and he was
soon followed by the State President of Maharasthra Mr. Sawant. In
between this, I could not resist the temptation of taking a few
close-ups of Swami too. He was looking into the camera, and so, even
as I took the group photos, I zoomed in and clicked only Swami.
“So beautiful Swami”, I exclaimed and thought that He blushed and
smiled.
After everyone had got their priceless moment, Swami moved out of
the balcony.
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| A family photograph which will be cherished forever. |
As He came out, I went to Him and showed the picture of Him with the
children on the camera screen itself. Swami was positively thrilled.
He called out to the kids saying,
“Come and see… your photos are already there!”
When they came, Swami gladly showed them the shot. There was a gleam
in His eye. I felt really happy at His unexpected outburst of
excitement. A sweet little thing happened here. Swami had seen me
sift through the photos of the camera screen by pressing one among
the several buttons on the camera. While showing the photos to the
kids, He too wanted to sift through the photos. So, He began to
press a random button on the camera. That was so sweet and I didn’t
feel like telling Him that He is pressing the wrong button. Every
time He pressed the button, I ‘secretly’ pressed the right button
and the photos shifted seamlessly. I felt happy to have silently
‘helped’ Swami.
The joy I felt there was also accompanied by a realization - the
realization that Swami does for me in life what I did for Him with
the camera. Swami is the silent worker ensuring success in all my
efforts - in whatever field they are. He makes the correct moves,
presses the right buttons and gives the me joy as if I have done it
myself. I am eternally grateful to this Sathya Sai, the silent
worker.
All of us then proceeded down where all the ladies of the group
posed with Swami. Now, Satyajit along with this mother posed for a
picture. The other women followed suit. At the end, Swami confirmed
whether all the pictures had come out well. I was extremely
delighted and showed Him the shots; He held the camera and looked
intently at the screen. The Lord was satisfied and mentioned that it
had come out well. Then He moved out of the Residence and proceeded
in His car to the poolside.
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|
Arrival at the poolside. I really
wish to be like that pool - reflecting the Lord within always. |
As Swami alighted there, it was a beautiful sight to see His
reflection in the still waters - a photographer’s delight! An
umbrella was brought for Him and I remembered Kasturi’s words –
“Holding sunshade over the sun!” As Swami moved beside the pool, He
looked at its clear blue character. Nearing the tables where all the
snacks had been arranged, Swami said,
“These are the same boys who serve us inside; they have made all the
arrangements here (referring to the Sai Youth from Mumbai).” Through
a sliding door and over a ramp, Swami arrived into the balcony. His
table had been arranged and as He sat down and gazed at the
beautiful greenery around, I told Him,
“Swami this is the union of
Prakruthi
and
Paramatma
(Nature and the Supreme Creator)!”
He
looked at me with half admiration and half mockery playing in His
eyes and exclaimed, “Abba!”
He then told the elders to sit on the chairs that had been arranged
and enquired about the whereabouts of the other students too. It was
only Swami who always had an eye out for His boys. He would never
begin or do anything without ensuring that all of us were present.
Soon all the boys came to the balcony and took their seats opposite
to Bhagavan, just a few metres away. Swami was now happy and the
snack session started. When He was told about the swimming pool,
Swami said,
“If I swim, You will not even be able to catch Me; I will quickly
reach from one end to the other!”
The younger Jadhav was sitting next to the Lord and explaining the
scenery around. Swami asked if there was no boating in the lake to
which he explained that it was not yet available (I won’t be
surprised if by now that too is available). CG and I quickly
finished the food and got right back into shooting. Oh! It was a
photographers' delight! God and Nature together enjoying each
other's company!
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| The beautiful scene of the Purusha and Prakruthi |
Once this session concluded, Swami moved out of the huge balcony.
There was a hall by the poolside that was now full with the members
of the Jadhav family tree - inclusive of the twigs and leaves this
time! They had prepared themselves to perform
padapooja
for Swami. When requested, Bhagawan gladly consented to the Jadhav
brothers’ plea to proceed with the ritual. He then moved into the
hall where more than 200 were seated. I had not imagined that I
would be witnessing a very unique and special
padapooja,
the likes of which I don’t think has been performed often for Swami.
to be continued in Part 6
published at the link given below.
