Prashanti News - October 2003

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Source: http://pavanaputra.tripod.com/news/prasanthi-news.htm

 

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Prashanti News

 

October 2003

 

Posted on 24-10-2003 at 22.58 pm

Weekly news from Gerald of Ojai in Prasanthi

 

Lovingly shared by Gerald of Ojai

 

On Monday, October 6, the day after Dasara, about forty girls from

the ages of 6 to 12, who attend Baba's school in New Delhi put on a

series of performances for Sai Baba. It was in the center of the

hall with Baba seated in his chair on the men's side.

 

Words are inadequate to describe what they did. I am told that there

will be a video of their performance. If you get a chance, it is

worth watching. The amount of love and devotion that poured out of

them as they performed was overwhelming.

 

It involved singing, dancing and skits. One girl, that had the lead

in one of the skits, sang and danced with such intensity that when

the skit was over, Baba materialized a necklace for her. He

materialized something for another participant later on. He posed

for pictures with them.

 

The skit lasted about an hour.

 

The girls learned at the beginning of September that they would be

doing this performance. They came to the ashram ten days earlier and

had been practicing there. Their teachers wrote the songs and the

skits. They expressed their devotion to Baba. Tuesday October 7th:

A group of musician, I believe college boys, performed for Baba. He

was sitting on the men's side and they were on the verandah in the

center. They sang songs in Telegu, Kannada, Hindi, Tamil and in

Malayalam.

__________

 

Jack Hawley has been here. He is the author a book on spiritual ways

of business management. At Baba request, he wrote a book on the

Bhagavad Gita. Along with his wife, Louise, they have been giving

lectures on every other Wednesday at 10 A.M. above the North Indian

Canteen On October 1st, they spoke about the importance of realizing

and knowing that we are not the body. We are really divine, the

atma. We need to maintain this awareness.

 

On October 15th, they spoke about likes and dislikes. As long as we

have either of these, we are brought back into the physical for the

fulfillment of these desires. We should dedicate all of our actions

to god. Our dislikes and likes should be zero. We should have no

desires.

 

On October 22th, the topic was to turn our attention to god. We

should always remember god. Some ways that we can do this is by

being loving and by doing service. Focus on the goal which is god.

__________

 

Sunday Afternoon: This was the opening of the three day conference

with a parade. At 1:00, seva dals began letting the youths, who were

all male, into the hall to sit them properly. The women's side would

be unaffected. The sitting for the youths would be from the white

tile the goes from women's to the men's side to the very back. The

other area was as usual for college boys, VIP's, verandah people.

Many were left outside. It took two hours to seat the men.

 

The chair came ahead empty at about 3:40, followed five minutes

later by Baba coming in a car which drove right onto the verandah

and stopped behind the center columns. Baba sat in the chair.

 

The parade started. It came up the center of the hall on the

driveway toward the center of the verandah where Baba was seated

then turn left to go onto the men's side and exit onto the street.

There was a band with drums and other instruments. It is hard to

describe everything. Each area of Andhra Pradesh had a part in the

parade. Several had pictures of Baba, some put on a sort of Kung-Fu

type of skit. The parade lasted about 40 minutes. It was clear of

how much they loved Baba.

 

People on the outside of the wall were leaning against the wall to

watch the parade.

 

Bhajans, some of which may have been in Telegu, many of the youths

knew them and were singing with them. Arathi was at 5:00. Baba stood

up and waved.

 

Rain: It started to rain at about 2:30. Many people got wet. When

the parade was marching, it was raining.

 

The Andhra Pradesh youths made a sign thanking Baba for having

brought them together from their regions to function as one unit.

__________

 

Monday Afternoon: More people were crammed onto the men's side.

There was a skit performed that involved singing, dancing, acting.

The performance was done on the white central area in front of Baba.

The two main characters were Hanuman and Narada with a host of other

characters. The best I could figure out is that it was tribute to

avatars and the values that Baba asked of us. Its high point was a

heartfelt tribute to Baba by all the cast. Baba got out of his

chair to pose for a couple of pictures with them.

 

Baba gave a discourse. After arathi, with Baba still there, the

youths chanted praises of Swami. Baba then announced that on

Tuesday, morning at 9:00, he will give a discourse in the

Poornachandra. The intensity of the devotion that they felt and

expressed for Baba brought that about Monday Morning. Baba darshan

as we listened to three speakers in Telegu tell the youth the

importance of their seva and the good work they have been doing.

__________

 

Tuesday Morning: This was to be the final get together of the

conference. Baba came out at 8:10. He decided to deliver his

discourse from the hall and not the Poornachandra. Baba spoke for

100 minutes while standing mostly on the women's side. When he sat

down, he asked a college student to make some comments for him.

After ten minutes, Baba told him some more things to talk about and

he continued. Next, there was a discussion between three men with

Baba. After which the boy returned. He spoke about 20 minutes. Baba

waved at everyone. During arathi he went into the interview room. He

emerged 10 minutes later, got into the car and exited.

 

He praise the value of seva and their role in it.

 

Tuesday Afternoon: Baba came out in the car to the mandir where he

went into the interview room. Later he emerged back into the car and

left.

 

Wednesday Morning: Baba no show physically.

 

Gerald

__________

 

Sunday, October 12, 2003 1:42 AM

Baba Walking Correction

 

Sai Ram,

 

Sunday morning Baba walked.

 

We were seated in the hall waiting for his physical presence, when

he walked out of the Poornachandra unaided taking about twenty

steps. Behind him were two boys following with the chair.

Eventually, Baba stopped and decided to sit in the chair. He was

pushed into the hall for bhajans.

 

As arati was being sung, the chair was pushed. It stopped at the

bottom of the ramp leading from the verandah to the women's side.

Baba walked up to, I believe the interview room or though it could

had been the temple. He spent about 15 minutes in there.

 

The silence in the hall was increbible. You could hear a pin drop.

Everyone waited. Finally, Baba walked back to the chair and was

pushed out.

 

The chair that I am referring to is, in my opinion, a regular

recliner type chair that has wheels on it or they might have been

added. It is not a wheelchair.

 

BTW, seeing Baba walking with the sun shining on him in his orange

robe was enchanting.

 

Sai Ram to everyone,

 

It had been my intention to keep everyone up-to-date with what is

happening in Prasanthi Nilayam. However, there have been many

computer problems here making that task difficult. Since last

Tuesday, there has been no computer cable out of here. I am using a

place that has hooked the computers to the telephone line.

 

I will do my best to get updated.

 

Gerald

__________

 

Monday, October 06, 2003 12:59 AM

Baba-Healthy 96

 

Sai Ram,

 

Sunday afternoon darshan was pretty normal. Baba came out in the

chair. We had three speakers including Anil Kumar. After his talk,

Kumar ask Baba to give a discourse to which he consented. Everyone

was overjoyed.

 

Baba stood up to deliver a 50 minute talk which was punctuated with

applause.

 

Baba reiterated that he is strong and healthy and will be so until

the age of 96.

 

The proof that Baba is strong and healthy is the very fact that he

spoke for so long. People who have had even minor hip operations

would not be able to stand for more than a few minutes, maybe five

minutes, and certainly would be in no shape to deliver this kind of

address.

 

Those who were there experienced a wonderful blessing with his words

and his energy.

 

Baba's love for his devotees was boundless at Monday morning

darshan. He came in the cart, as he reached the women's side he

stopped to speak with some women. He proceeded as he normally does,

slowly coming to the mandir verandah. He stopped several times to

speak with people. Just as the cart was about to pull completely

forward for darshan, Baba said something to someone. The cart

backed up. We figured it was over as he was heading in the direction

of the women's side as he does when he leaves after arathi.

 

However, the cart instead of going straight made a u-turn and head

for the men's side from the verandah. It proceeded down the middle

path and headed to the women's side and the exit. As the cart moved

ever so slowly, letters were taken. Baba was blessing everyone, on

all sides with one hand and with both hands. He was beaming -

showering waves of love on everyone.

 

The entire vibration of the place changed. People were overwhelmed.

It was incredible.

 

Mother Sai did it again.

 

Afterward prasadam of an apple was handed out.

 

Another incredible time in heaven.

 

Gerald