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Thursday, July 31, 2008
Thursdays, of late have become days of
great joy at Parthi , especially among the gents. With Swami frequently choosing to take a
shortcut to the interview room just after the ladies side, the gents devotees are starved of
close darshan. And so, Thursdays become so important. Not only because of the fact that Swami,
since childhood, has assigned special importance to it, but also because the primary school
children come for darshan! So?....So, the gap between the ladies and gents is filled up by the
children and this seems to "force" Swami to make the complete darshan rounds! And when Swami
came out at 4:15pm, He did exactly that as He took a complete round of the ladies and gents
side on the chair and everyone were happy.
Very often, it is said, "God is everywhere. All we
need is a pure heart and a clean mind to feel Him." Whatever be the statement or the Truth, ask anyone who has just had the privilege of seeing Swami from up close. The thrill that
shoots through ones being at being so close to His Being is something out of the world! His
darshan seems to fill the entire body-mind-soul apparatus with sublime joy and pure bliss.
That effect seems more divine and profound especially when one has been starved of it for many
days! It is not simply that the sages and saints, who were ever immersed in the divine, also
got dumbed into ecstatic silence at the mere sight of that same Divine. When the Lord descends
as an Avatar, His darshan is something that one must experience. And for those who swear by
the "God is felt everywhere" philosophy, please, sit for a moment at a yard's distance from
Him and feel the difference yourselves! Today, Swami was all "randomness" if we can
give another name for His famed "uncertainty" ! He moved towards the interview room, but then
moved along the upper portico and interacted with the devotees there.. He also materialised a
gold chain for a devotee seated there.
Moving down, He went towards the primary school
block. He blessed chocolates to be distributed to all the children and this raised the
excitement levels- slightly in the whole mandir and to extreme levels in the children's
portion of it.. As the chocolates were distributed, another treat too was readied and
choco-cream biscuits soon followed suit, only that this time the beneficiaries were everyone
and not the children alone. Swami slowly travelled down the slope along the primary school
students. He collected letters and blessed the kids as the Veda chanting among them reached
"sonic boom" levels. He retraced the same path and granted the children a bonus 'double'.
Through the veranda, He
moved out to the gents side and this time gave the privileged 'double' to the Higher Secondary
School and Institute students. As He neared the area where the birthday boys were seated, He
told them in a joking- admonishing tone,"Ay I already blessed you all!" He
moved to the interview room and then blessed the group from the United Kingdom to put up the
musical programme they had prepared. Quickly, the marble block was cleared and the group to
perform were seated. Hurriedly, a lamp for Swami to light was prepared. However, Swami came
and straight sat facing the devotees and asked for the programme to begin.
he beginning of the programme. Beginning with "Brahmaanandam
Parama Sukhadam", the group sang five songs in different styles and different moods. The final
song was a powerful one that had the catch phrase, "onward, forward, godward". As they
completed their five songs, Swami told them to sing bhajans. The youth from the United Kingdom
had come on this visit to Parthi as part of their sadhana camp! They began bhajans and five
bhajans later, Swami had Aarthi and then retired to Yajur Mandir.
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Wednesday, July 30, 2008
For the last few days, Bhagawan has
been coming for darshan in His chair on most occasions, and going for a second round of the
verandah, sitting onstage for a few minutes and then moving to the interview room.
On Monday, July 28th in Sai Kulwant Hall the group from the USA got a chance to present a
musical programme with enactments by children in Sai Kulwant Hall. At 5.25 pm their programme
got underway when Swami came onstage. Various religions were represented in the group songs
for half an hour. Swami interacted with them, and after a few minutes, they began bhajans.
Bhagawan accepted Arati and returned to His residence at 6.40 pm.
Photo slides and report from SSSBPT below
Devotees from the US (Region 10 – Texas, Oklahoma,
Louisiana, and Arkansas) presented a musical offering to Bhagawan on
Monday, July 28th in Sai
Kulwant Hall.
The program depicted Bhagawan’s love for mankind throughout the ages. It showed scenes of His
various incarnations and messengers to uplift man to enable him to realise his divinity. The
entire group of 276 performed a medley of songs in 7 languages, woven together with
narration. 57 Bal Vikas (SSE) children provided a dramatic portrayal through skits and dances.
The six episodes focused on the majesty of Rama, the mischief of Krishna, the serenity of the
Buddha, the compassion of Jesus, the glory of Allah, and the grandeur of Bhagawan Baba. The
first scene was set to a backdrop of uplifting songs, which described the glory and might of
the Lord, and illustrated the power of the vanaras’ devotion to Lord Rama as they built the
bridge to Lanka. Our prayer is to be, likewise, humble instruments in Lord Sai Rama’s mission.
The second episode focused on the mischief of Krishna, who charmed Mother Yashoda and the
Gopis as He stole yogurt and butter. His leelas, dramatized to a bhajan, inspire us to awaken
the God within who will steal our butter-soft hearts. This scene was followed by a song that
reminds us to remember Hari (Lord Krishna) in all that we think, say, and do.
Set to a traditional chant followed by a bhajan, the next scene depicted the Lord Buddha’s
peaceful aura. His presence was enough to calm the restless minds of spiritual aspirants
depicted by SSE students. By controlling the senses and purifying their intake, the heart
shall become Prasanthi Nilayam and Sai will reside within.
The fourth episode showed Jesus showering His unconditional love and compassion on the blind,
the hungry, the sick, and the needy. Seeing Jesus' loving service, others, who previously were
unwilling to serve, follow suit and therefore are transformed themselves.
The fifth episode showed a traditional Sufi dance set to an uplifting Qawwali praising Allah.
The songs of Allah demonstrated that Bhagawan (in all His forms) is the ultimate embodiment of
All that Is as He is the One behind everyone and everything.
For the grand finale, the boys and girls created two hearts at the Lotus Feet of Bhagawan Baba
while the entire group sang “Hum Ko Tumse Pyar Kitna.” This represented that the whole world -
all faiths, religions, castes, and sects - is arriving at the Lotus Feet of Bhagawan to
participate in His Divine Mission.
Swami responded to this outpouring of love by coming down into the group of children for a
photograph. He granted padanamaskar to several of them, materialized a gold chain for one boy,
and distributed prasadam to everyone.
Swami’s pleasure was evident as He invited the group to sing several bhajans in His Divine
Presence. After accepting Arathi, Swami raised both hands in blessing to all.
Submitted Sai
news & Photos - SBOI GROUP- saibabaofindia.com |
Content
Source: Photos: www. sssbpt.org - text: www. sairadio.org -
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Wednesday, July 23, 2008
This evening, devotees from Italy presented a musical programme. Bhagawan
came in His golden chair, reaching onstage at 5.25 pm to start the proceedings. After 45
minutes of traditional Italian music, Bhagawan asked them to sing Bhajans. At 6.30 pm, He
accepted Arati and moved to the interview room. When He emerged a few minutes later, some
students from the Sri Sathya Sai Higher Secondary School were waiting with a card and a tray
of sweets, on the occasion of their Hostel anniversary. Swami asked the student with the tray
of chocolates in the shape of gold coins to follow Him, and moving to the ladies' side,
distributed the sweets to many devotees and even moved among the ladies on wheelchairs giving
them the sweets personally. Then He returned to the centre of Sai Kulwant hall, had a set of
photographs with the youngest member of their group who had recited Vedam and played a guitar
solo, and asked the students to sing Bhajans. At a quarter past seven, Swami moved towards His
residence, and the session concluded with Arati once again.
Photos below: July 23, 2008
- Read more details from 23rd click here
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Tuesday, July 22, 2008
This morning,
the Bhajans began in Sai Kulwant Hall at 9 o'clock, and Bhagawan arrived in His chair at 9.50
am. After He sat onstage for a few minutes and interacted with the conference organisers, He
moved to the interview room and called in a few lad y
delegates for an interview. Once He emerged from the interview, He came onstage and accepted
Arati before returning to His residence at 11 o'clock.
The final session of the conference got underway in the evening when Bhagawan came onstage
just before five o'clock. The three speakers for the session were Dr. Narendra Reddy, Sri
Nimish Pandya and Dr. Michael Goldstein. Once the speakers summed up the conference
proceedings
and outlined the course of future action, Bhagawan delivered His benedictory message. Swami
stressed the importance of Unity and the feeling that all are the children of one Father. At
the end of His Discourse, He went to the interview room briefly, and returned with Dr.
Goldstein in tow. Bhagawan took the lingam He had given to Dr. Goldstein last evening and
displayed it to everyone, then created vibhuti and sprinkled it on the lingam. He announced
that He's giving the lingam to Dr. Goldstein for him to distribute the water from washing the
lingam to those who are unwell. He then asked for the evening's cultural programme to begin.
Children from the Sri Sai Vidya Vihar, Alwaye, Kerala, presented an hour-long dance drama on
Bhaktha Jayadeva. Bhagawan's face was wreathed in smiles, watching the small children make
their presentation. As they concluded, He got up from the stage and walked down to take group
photographs with them. He then sat onstage and distributed laminated photographs to each of
them as they came up one by one, while prasadam was distributed to all the devotees. He also
threw a couple of sweets to some of the drama participants. It was 8 o'clock when Swami
accepted Arati and returned to His residence.
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Monday July 21, 2008-
Prasanthi Bulletin: This
morning, the morning plenary session of the Education conference was to be held in the Sai
Kulwant Hall, so the Bhajans did not commence at 9 o'clock. Bhagawan arrived at 10.30 in His
chair, and when He reached the stage, Prof. David Gries, the Zone I chairman of the Sathya Sai
Organisation, introduced the speakers. Dr. Tom Scoville, Dr. B. G. Pitre, Dr. Dalton de Souza
Amorim and Sri Srinivasan Srirangarajan were the speakers for the morning, representing the
Sri Sathya Sai Organisation and the Sri Sathya Sai University. They spoke on the techniques
and impact of Sathya Sai Education, with illustrative anecdotes. Bhagawan accepted Arati after
the speeches and returned to His residence at noon.
The delegates for the conference gathered at various venues in the Ashram for their respective
post-lunch sessions and returned to the Sai Kulwant Hall for the afternoon plenary session.
Bhagawan arrived in His chair and moved to the interview room after four o'clock. At 4.30 pm,
the speeches for the afternoon commenced. Mr. Victor Krishna Kanu, Mr. Jeremy Hoffer, Mr. M.
K. Kaw and Sri Sanjay Mahalingam spoke on the inspiration and activities of the Sathya Sai
Education programme. Bhagawan then graciously consented to speak to the delegates.
Bhagawan took the sheet
of questions posed by the delegates and clarifications desired by them, and
reading out the questions one by one, answered them for an hour till 6.30 pm.
Swami stressed on the need for parents to take proper care of their children,
and for the children to love, obey and respect their parents. The students sang
Bhajans for 10 minutes after Bhagawan's Discourse while the delegates moved out
from the centre of Sai Kulwant Hall to make way for the devotees from the CIS
(former USSR) who were to make a musical presentation. Bhagawan returned to the
stage after a brief visit to the interview room and the music program began with
a brief introduction. Songs from Russia, Georgia, Belarus, Azerbaijan,
Kazakhstan and so on kept the packed hall enthralled with their catchy tunes and
lively beat.
After their half-hour programme, Swami asked them to sing one more
song, so they sang the popular "Kalinka" and had the audience clapping all
through. Bhagawan interacted with the organisers, and then, waved His hands to
materialize a large golden lingam. Wrapping it in a small bag, He handed it over
to Dr. Goldstein with some instructions. Blessing all the devotees, Bhagawan
accepted Arati and returned to His residence at 7.30 pm while prasadam was
distributed.
Photos: July
20-22, 2008:
Report & Photos: Divine Discourse and Music Programme
-Sri Sathya Sai World
Education Conference - Golden Lingam Photos
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Sunday, July 20, 2008
Bhagawan opened the Sai Vidya Jyothi Educare exhibition this morning at 11
o'clock For photos from
Sai Vidya Jyothi Educare exhibition
Click on the following link
Photos :
Inauguration of "Sai Vidya Jyothi" - an exhibition on Educare
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Exhibiting the Sai Effect on Education
20th July 2008- The Sri
Sathya Sai World Education Conference 2008 was inaugurated this afternoon. Bhagawan arrived in
Sai Kulwant Hall in His chair after four o'clock, and when He came onstage, He lit a lamp to
begin the proceedings. Dr. Michael Goldstein spoke first, followed by Sri. V. Srinivasan.
Their introductory remarks for forty minutes was followed by Bhagawan's Discourse at 5.20 pm.
Swami spoke for fifty minutes, mentioning at the end that within twenty to thirty years, the
whole world will be one, united in love. The Saisymphony orchestra was to perform next. The
centre of Sai Kulwant Hall was cleared and the musicians arranged their places there, with
more than seventy-five instruments. Bhagawan returned to the stage after visiting the
interview room, and the musical session began just before 6.30. After forty minutes of the
symphony, Bhagawan accepted Arati and returned to His residence as prasadam was distributed.
World Education Conference Report & Photos :
It was during the evening session on 20th
July 2008 when Bhagawan formally inaugurated the World Conference by lighting the lamp on the
dais. Dr. Michael Goldstein, Chairman, Sathya Sai World Foundation, the official body
overseeing the activities of Sri Sathya Sai International Organisation, addressing the
delegates acknowledged, referring to the entire contingent for the conference and devotees in
general who were assembled,
that they were all there because they
were drawn to the basis of love and light, the spiritual source. In an attempt to give an
overview of the conference as an official responsibility, he said, the conference having bore
the Divine Name should have a spiritual overview, and Bhagawan only could give it as it was
conceived and created by Him alone. “Let us apply His Divine Name and Teachings seriously and
responsibly to all aspects of education, Let us apply His Divine Name and Teachings reverently
and lovingly to all aspects of our lives;
The Divine Name is sacred, it is powerful, it is
our salvation”. The spirit of Unity emphasised by Bhagawan should be
inculcated in practice and precept as Spiritual Unity is Divine and it is Heart to Heart,
exhorted Dr. Goldstein claiming that the participants from different parts of the world, were
able to sit together and discuss in Spiritual Unity in a common platform for a common goal.
Referring to the two fold instructions received from Bhagawan in their run up to the
Conference, Dr. Goldstein said, Unity, the first command received from the Lord has been put
in practice to the best of their ability. With reference to the second command
that all the participants should come prepared in their respective countries before coming
over to Prasanthi Nilayam for the conference and 86 pre-world conferences were conducted in 73
countries in a six month period, questions were generated from participants and
would be discussed during the conference in Prasant | |
