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Special squad of over 450 sevadals, both men and women, from Andhra Pradesh along with 36 cooks from Bhadrachalam were in action in the cooking arena. For the students of the University, Grama Seva has almost become a part of their curriculum wherein they are getting a practical experience of serving the poor taking home the message of “Love All Serve All…” Vice Chancellor Vishwanath Pandit, in his speech on the first day of the Prasanthi Vidhwan Mahasabha mentioned how he could convince and impress upon the special committee set up by the Ministry of Human Resources on this atypical Grama Seva activities done by the University.

Every day during the week witnessed the Veda Purusha Saptaaha Jnaana Yajna in the Poornachandra Auditorium. Bhagawan was present on all days except for one day and would always return after spending half an hour onstage, accepting Mangala Arathi.

The evening sessions turned out to become the assembly of the learned wherein seniors, faculty members and students from the University shared their words of wisdom in His Divine Presence. The speakers who shared the rostrum included, Prof. Vishwanath Pandit, Prof. Venkataraman, Mr. S.V.Giri, Mr. K. Chakravarthi, Mr. V.Srinivasan, Mr. B.N.Narasimha Murthy, Mr. Srinivasan SriRangarajan, Prof. Anantaraman, Dr. T. Ravi Kumar, Dr. Subhash Subramaniam, Mr. Sashank Shah, Mr. Robin Sharma, Mr. Aman Jhaveri, Mr. Bhabhani Shankar and Mr. Akshay Kamath. All these speeches were preceded by rhetoric excellence by Anil Kumar Kamaraju in Telugu who dwelled upon various aspects of the “attributeless” Mother Divine, often peaking with excellent poetic narration. Anil Kumar was the master of the ceremonies for the archetype assembly of scholars.

Ayudha Pooja in Prasanthi Nilayam is atypical with a fleet of cars serving the Divinity getting blessed by Bhagawan, a custom that has been prevalent for years. …And alongwith the same comes the Golden Chariot. 26th Sept, 2009, the scheduled Ayudha Pooja day witnessed Bhagawan blessing various cars bedecked with garlands and neatly parked in Sai Kulwant Hall. Coconuts were broken and chocolates were distributed to everyone.

Dasara is one occasion when the devotees from the state make it to Prasanthi Nilayam despite all oddities. When the week was passing on to a fresh one, handing over the baton, the concluding function, the Poornahuthi to the fresh week, thousands upon thousands arrived at Prasanthi Nilayam braving lash of rains and cloudy sky cover on the previous evening making every available space a scarcity.

The icing on the cake was an exhilarating Divine Discourse lasted for ninety minutes…and on the sidelines came a heavy downpour. Starting off with a reference to the mystery behind Creation and the continuous rains over hundreds of years, He posed a question, as if the downpour was a “Divinely Intended” one, as to why it should rain at the particular time. Pausing for a moment, calling to comfort and accommodate those devotees who were getting drenched outside, in the process granting them greater, grandeur darshan, He continued to mention that the cool climate would make the minds cool that in turn could help devotees to listen and understand the Divine Discourse. Saying so, He drifted Himself to His Own Nectarous childhood story…

 

Earlier, Prasanthi’s unique label of Religious Harmony was on display on the festive 21st evening in Sai Kulwant Hall when the holy occasion of Id was celebrated in a simple yet elegant function in the immediate Divine Presence. Adding flavor to the occasion Bhagawan called the two little brothers onstage, brothers from the Primary School, Sathya and Rama, originally from Iran. Sathya, the seventh standard student gave a short speech in His Divine Presence expressing grateful thanks to Bhagawan for the wonderful opportunity to be in His presence. This was followed by an exhilarating speech by Ajit Popat of the United Kingdom.

The second volume of the book, My Dear Students, compilation of Divine Discourses, was blessed and released by Bhagawan on the 25th afternoon. Pulling the strings of the silver ribbon Bhagawan went through the contents of the book. This series contains 27 Discourses covered under four major themes – Advice to Students, Vidya - True Education, Sanatana Dharma – The Eternal Religion and Short Stories. Through these, Bhagawan has covered practically all aspects of students’ lives both within His University as well as of the students studying elsewhere. He highlights in no uncertain terms what He expects from students, what is good for them and what they should be doing in order to fulfill their role as ideal students and future citizens of the country and the world at large. He has very lucidly, through stories, anecdotes and examples from the scriptures and from the lives of various saints, sages of India and of heroes and heroines of various Indian epics communicated His message to the students. The Discourses are a rare mix of humour, wisdom, caution and appreciation which only Bhagawan is capable of. The first volume of the series was released in November, 2008.

The week’s Rose Beneficiaries were, Mr. Tandon, Sri Sathya Sai Sadhana Trust, Sahayak Division, Mr. Shyamal Sur, In-charge, Prasanthi Security, Mr. Natarajan, Mr. Bhashyam, Mr. Rama Rao, Mr. Prabhakar and Mr. Garimella Krishna Murthy, all working with Sri Sathya Sai Sadhana Trust, Publications Division.

 

While the week was passing, the baton for the final lap of the seven day long Yajna and the Karmic Yajna that has been happening for the past more than a week was being handed over to the fresh week. In a glittering ceremony marked with religious fervour, the seven day long Dasara Jnana Saptaha Yajnam concluded on 28th morning with Bhagawan receiving Poornahuthi as Yajna Purusha, witnessed by thousands in a jam-packed Poornachandra Auditorium. Bhagawan who presided over the Yajna blessed the occasion while the final offerings were being made into the pit amidst the holy Vedic Chantings.

This was followed by the final lap of Grama Seva 2009, wherein women students of Sathya Sai University along with staff members from the University and Primary School distributed Prasadam to all inmates at their door step inside the ashram, marking the end of ten days of Karma Yajna, started on the 19th of September. Yet another memorable occasion in the annals of Prasanthi Nilayam!!!

 

The week that passed off was abuzz with preparations of this Maha Yajna, the revolutionary mission of Bhagawan, reaching out the villages with package of Love. The Grama Seva would be continuing till 28th September covering more than 150 villages in the neighbouring mandals, distributing food and clothes to every household at their doorstep covering population of more than 250,000.

While the two campuses, Prasanthi Nilayam and Brindavan along with the Higher Secondary Wing guided by senior faculty members with the help of senior students would be seen in action for distribution, the students and staff members from the Anantapur Campus would be working in the night till the wee hours engaged in packing of food material.
 

Special squad of over 450 sevadals, both men and women, from Andhra Pradesh along with 36 cooks from Bhadrachalam would be seen in action almost round the clock, in turns, in the special Grama Seva Kitchen that was set up for the purpose.

 

The Mission set by Bhagawan gets complete involvement of the Lord. Right from the planning through to the survey and preparations, Bhagawan’s involvement could be seen blessing the project at each and every step giving fillip to the enthused “White Army” who are ever ready to serve in the Mission of The Lord.

Distribution of Grama Seva kits for the entire set of students was done with the Blessings of Bhagawan on the 19th evening in His physical presence. The kits comprised two T-Shirts, a pair of socks and towels were distributed to all the eligible candidates supposedly attending the Grama Seva.

Bhagawan’s tireless crusade to re-establish righteousness on a firm footing opens the floodgates of avenues of presentations in Prasanthi Nilayam. While one could claim that every cultural presentation, every festivity and every event in Prasanthi Nilayam is aimed at inducing greater messages of love and righteousness, He becomes the Silent Witness blessing the world by His unbounded grace helping it to transform.
 

Enchanting Ramayana, the sweet nectarous story of the Lord of Treta is as familiar to Prasanthi Nilayam as Bhagawan’s very own beauteous form. The Lord who has painstakingly written the story of His previous incarnation in a much lucid style that has revelations hitherto not made and nuances hitherto not discussed has always been stressing greater importance to the epic. He said “Though thousands of years have passed since the story of Rama was first written, the inner story of the Ramayana is being enacted every moment of our life.” …and in Prasanthi Nilayam, His story often takes rounds, acting as a catalyst to bring awareness in the commoners on the ideal life led by Lord Sri Rama.

 

And when the Lord asked for an encore of “His Story” as Lord Rama in Burrakatha form, the evening on Wednesday, 16th September turned out to become an epical evening with the sweet nectarous story of the Lord on stage in the immediate Divine Presence of Bhagawan.

The ever dedicated bunch of students of the University, whose commitment to Bhagawan knows no bounds, was ever ready and they rejoiced singing the glory of the Lord of Treta, bringing nostalgic memories of the illustrious twins of Lord Rama, Lava and Kusha who took to the streets singing the sweet nectarous story of Lord Rama.

The influx of Brindavan and Anantapur Campus along with the week-end rush that was enhanced by an extra holiday on Monday owing to Id-ul Fitr and an additional Parthi Yatra contingent of over 4000 from Warangal District of Andhra Pradesh found Prasanthi throbbing festively making every available space in Ashram a scarcity.
 

…And the week was still not over. …It looked obvious that Bhagawan wanted the week to sign off in a grandeur style but not without an air of suspense. Sunday’s evening turned twilight had its share of drama, calling one and all to Love His Uncertainty. The Parthi Yatra contingent from Warangal district has been praying for Divine Approval for their proposed programme and despite apparent signs of approval the green signal was still aloof. …And it took some time, with almost ninety minutes of Bhajans session over and when the twilight was waning into dark, for the final call to come.

The musical drama entitled “Janani” was based on one of the most favourable themes of Bhagawan, “Love for the Mother”. It was an apt presentation in the immediate Divine Presence of the Mother of All, especially the Mother for the Forlorn. Immensely pleased, Bhagawan interacted with the cast and posed for photo session. Entire cast was presented with clothes as token of Love.
 

The week’s Rose Beneficiaries were Mr. G.L.Anand, Editor, Sanathana Sarathi, English, Col. Dutta of South Indian Canteen, Mr. Punjabi of North Indian Canteen, Mr. Doraiswami, Mr. Patel, Mr. Ramnarain, all from the Shopping Centre of Sathya Sai Sadhana Trust, Sahayak Division and Mr. Banerjee from Bakery of Sri Sathya Sai Sadhana Trust, Sahayak Division.
 

Earlier the Kalasha Sthaapana for the ensuing seven day’s Dasara Jnana Saptaaha Yajnam was done on the 19th morning in the immediate Divine Presence. The seven day Sapataaha Yajna would be commencing on the 22nd in the Poornachandra Auditorium.
 

During the coming week Prasanthi would witness Love rolling into action with the grama seva fever shifts to a higher gear reaching out a greater expanse. Love that He is, He rolls Himself out into the villages filling and fulfilling the hearts of thousands with the greater message: LOVE ALL SERVE ALL; HELP EVER HURT NEVER!!!

The three day programme of Thiruppavai Mahotsavam held from the 9th September in Prasanthi Nilayam culminated on the 11th afternoon with a grand function celebrating the Divine marriage of Lord Ranganatha with his great devotee Sri Andal, the lone female member of the famous twelve Alwars of Vaishnavism.
 

Andal developed deep love for Krishna and considered herself as God’s bride. This love for her Lord blossomed into the immortal work “Thiruppavai.” Andal was so profoundly enthralled by the Bhakti of Gopis and the deeds of Krishna in Mathura and Brindavan during the Dwapara Yuga (aeon) that she too desperately wanted to immerse in the Divine experience.

 

Bridal mysticism, as it is popularly known, the marriage was symbolic of the culmination of Divine Romance between the Lord and the devotee; the soul of the devotee was the bride and God was the Bridegroom; their union was recognised as the spiritual marriage.

While the days were filled with regular rituals and recitations followed by talks by exponents, the day of the Divine Marriage had the gaiety and splendor of a marriage, not ordinary, but of Divine stature. …And in the presence of the Mighty Lord, the occasion turned out to become a splendorous heavenly treat for the thousands of devotees congregated to witness the occasion.
 

These are rare occasions and one would wonder, where else on planet earth one could witness such occasion other than in Prasanthi Nilayam wherein the glory of the occasion multiplies to infinite proportions by the mere presence of the Almighty Avatar of the Age, witnessing and sanctifying the grand occasion.
 

Apart from the Kalyanotsavam the week was normal with sumptuous darshans on all evenings filled with Bhajans that is the order of any day in Prasanthi Nilayam.

A huge contingent of over two thousand five hundred devotees from the Andhra Pradesh district of Mehaboob Nagar was in Prasanthi for three days on a Parthi Yatra.
 

The week’s rose beneficiaries were, Mr. Raoji Patel from the Bhakta Sahayak Sangh, Dr. Jagdish Narain, formerly Vice Chancellor, Rourkie University and currently Senior Functionary in the Publications Division of Sri Sathya Sai Sadhana Trust, Mr. Vaidyanathan, Mr. Sukumaran Nair, Mr. Ramakrishnan Iyer, Mr. Sankaranarayanan and Mr. Balasubramaniam, all from Publications Division of Sri Sathya Sai Sadhana Trust.
 

One could observe the backstage operations getting set for the upcoming mammoth Grama Seva activities on the sidelines of Dasara festivities starting the next week. What could be expected is a fortnight with action packed

devotional surge, wherein, one could see the “White Army” swinging in action delivering the message of Love of Bhagawan, village to village, house to house, person to person, all with one armour, with love being the language of the heart.



 

Prasanthi This Week For the Week ending 6th September, Sunday...
Posted at 1450 hrs. on 7th Sept 2009

Prasanthi This Week - 6th Sept 2009

However, the icing on the cake was the beauty of melody rendered by the Nightingale of South Indian Film Industry, K.S.Chitra. In a fifty minute concert that touched the lofty benchmarks of devotional rendering, the melody queen of South India sung her heart out winning accolades from the thousands and not the least, from Bhagawan. Bhagawan chose to spend considerable time with the singer, interacting, posing for photographs and blessing her child with a materialized chain.

Back in Kerala, while the entire state was relishing the native festivity feasting the occasion with traditional delicacies, Prasanthi Nilayam witnessed the most unusual feast, the feast of Thiruvonam Divine Darshan with an add-on, the Divine Discourse. The Divine Discourse had all essential ingredients of delicacies flavoured with mention on special Kerala delicacies in lucid details: an apt treat for the Keralaties whose hunger for abundance of love was satiated by Bhagawan on the most auspicious day, in His inimitable style. …And came the Divine Pat…Discoursing on the life and greater sacrifice of Emperor Mahabali, Bhagawan went on praising the great tradition and culture of the state, declaring: “The land of Kerala is the Gift of God!

Relishing on the rare feast, while the land of Kerala retreated, Prasanthi was still in a state of bliss with regular joyful darshans, often seeing Bhagawan beaming with abundance of love spending time out granting Darshan. And the eventful week had to sign off in no less than a grand fashion.

6th September, the final evening of the week was a joyous occasion for the 170 odd grateful students of Bhagawan who are employed in various institutions under the Sri Sathya Sai Central Trust. The occasion was the 36th Anniversary of Sri Sathya Sai Central Trust. In a private function held within the confines of the closed walls of the Bhajan Hall that lasted for ninety minutes, it was Bhagawan, the all encompassing Mother Sai, who was seen interacting quite closely with His children who sought His presence from the closest quarter.

Making several rounds, spreading His benevolent Grace, spraying His enchanting Gaze upon all, often interacting with many, He made the evening most memorable, filling the hearts and filliping the souls to greater devotional heights. Welcoming the Mother, singing His Glory, they sang four songs, while, in the meantime the anniversary cake was blessed and cut by Bhagawan. He moved on through the rows, beaming His all conquering smile, receiving letters, chatting up, blessing one and all. While zoom lenses were vying for the best of His expressions with the help of flash lights, it was a “merry-go-round” for Bhagawan, for He found faces beaming with joy, in express gratitude of the greater opportunity to be His instruments at His Lotus Feet, serving in His Mission!

 

A beaming Bhagawan upon ensuring that the entire assemblage was happy, blessed the concourse with raised Abhaya Hastha and what remained in the hundreds of hearts that were present was the beaming smile of their most beloved Mother Divine, whose presence and interaction took them to the nostalgic olden days when He would freely interact with students, often creating most informal productive session imparting greater lessons. Safari pieces were distributed to the entire group before the end of the ninety minutes session.

It was exactly an year ago, during the same occasion, to the same group of grateful students, that Bhagawan whispered the revised Universal Prayer, Samastha Lokaaha Sukhino Bhavanthu! …asking them to pray with a wider universal perspective.

The week's Rose Beneficiaries were Mr. Narendra from the Mandir, Mr. Dave, Mr. Lal, Mr. Vishwanathan, Mr. Venkataraman, Mr.Sitaramaiah and Mr. Gehani, all from Sri Sathya Sai Sadhana Trust, Sahayak Division.

Thus the week signed off leaving cherished memories of Abundance of Love…that He is…Beloved Mother Sathya Sai!!!




 

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