Latest News from Prashanti Nilayam, 8-9 Nov 2003

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Latest News from Prashanti Nilayam

 

Lovingly shared by Gerald of Ojai

 

Posted on 12-11-2003

 

Wednesday, November 12, 2003 1:24 AM

Akunda-Handicap-Birthday

 

Sai Ram,

 

There has been computer problem here.

 

Akhanda Bhajans 8-11-03 to 9-11-03

 

Saturday Morning: Baba came out for 20 minutes, went inside.

Chanting, bajans and arathi.

 

Saturday Afternoon: Baba came out about 3:45, took letters, asked

about the scaffolds. He watched the men remove the top of the

scaffolding. The scaffolding had been removed except for these two

remaining and the men were in the process of doing it then.

 

Baba went inside after about 20 mintues.

 

Akhanda bhajans started at 6:00 with a large crowd. Baba left at

6:45 from inside. He just got in the car and left.

 

Over the night the volume was on low until Baba came about 7:30. It

got loud. The sound system was turned on. Before no one was joining

the singing. I think it was because they couldn't hear the words.

The bhajans were being sung inside the mandir.

 

Baba gave brief darshan and went inside the mandir. About an hour

later, Baba got in the car to leave. The car was proceeding as it

normally does. When it reached the point where it normally makes a

left to enter the driveway to the Poorna Chandra, The car turned

right heading toward the center of the hall. As it did so, the

college boys filled up the empty space where the white tile is in

the center. The car came down the middle and when it reached the

center driveway it turned left, proceeded down thru the arches onto

the Main Road. Baba head to the college auditorium to supervise a

rehearsal for birthday or convocation.

 

What makes this interesting is that there was scaffolding between

the first and second arches. The car had to go between them. I am

not sure if there was enough room.

 

I was outside the Ganesh Gate for Baba to return. He was gone about

an hour. As I watched him coming, I saw the lead police vehicle

followed by Baba in the red Maruti car and a wave of white

following. The white were the college boys following the car. Baba's

car moved slowly, 5-10mph. Baba waved to everyone and seemed happy.

I believe he looked directly at me and blessed me, although I felt

no special buzz.

 

Back in the hall everyone was waiting for his arrival. He didn't

come. He went to the front of the Poorna Chandra by going around the

P-C. After Baba was let out. The car went back to it space in the P-

C.

 

The volume was once again low and few people remained or sung. The

crowd started to build up at about 3:00. By 6:00 it was full..

 

Baba came about 4:10 giving a very short darshan and then went

inside the temple..

 

About fifty of the boys, maybe more, formed a human chain going down

the driveway to the outside of the north side of the hall. Food was

brought in and placed on the verandah, on the women's side and on

the men's side. This took about an hour. Big pots of food were

brought in on wagons requiring two or three boys each.

 

In the middle of all this, Baba came out. The workers who had been

repairing the hall had been seated on the white tile in front of the

mandir and on the women's side. Baba blessed them. Each man came

before Baba and was presented with a watch that was wrapped in red.

Some of the men touched the floor by his feet, others did hands

together. They were grateful and happy.

 

Baba materialized a necklace for the supervisor of the men.

 

As they sat on the floor, Baba decided to feed them. Boys went

rushing about for bowls and food to give them. Each man got two

bowls of food and the gift. They left very happy.

 

Baba went back inside and the boys who were bringing in the food

resumed.

 

After arathi at 6:00, everyone was served prasad which consisted of

one bowl of sweet rice and one bowl of sour rice. Life is both sweet

and sour. The men had formed lines where they were back to back and

then a row. I understand that on the women's side there was

confusion.

 

In the midst of all this Baba left.

 

One proof of Baba's divinity was how he treated the workers. He made

them special. He took time out to thank them and to give them prasad

before everyone else.

 

Monday Morning: Baba came out at 7:20 for about 15 - 20 minutes. He

blessed everyone, went into the interview room. At 8:00 he came out.

The workers had been seated again in the same place. Baba once again

blessed them as a group and individually as they came up to receive

a dhoti from him. He was on the women's side of the verandah. The

work is finished except for some finishing touches.

 

Baba left at 9:45.

 

Monday Afternoon: Baba came out at 4:15, stood by the rail giving

good darshan and then sat down. Chanting. The scaffolding were gone.

Bhajans, arathi. Baba left at 5:45.

 

Tuesday Morning: Baba came out at 7:15, looked at everyone, spoke to

a few people and left at 7:30. Bhajans and arathi.

 

Tuesday Afternoon: Baba came out at 3:10 in the red car. There were

very few people there, a few students and a few VIP's. It entered as

usual went on to the verandah and kept going. It entered the men's

side and turned left in front of the mandir then down the driveway

and out to the college once again. Baba returned at 5:15 going

straight to the PoornaChandra. There were bhajans and arthi.

 

It was interesting how everybody waited for Baba's return. No mass

exodus.

 

The big excitement while we were waiting was the monkey chase. Two

small and medium size monkeys were chased by a large monkey from the

roof of the hall. They went across to East Prasanthi by electrical

line where the large one chased the others particularly the middle

size one. He didn't catch them.

 

Wednesday Morning: Today is Handicap Day. Baba gave various devices

to about 50 handicap people of all ages plus a green cloth or cape.

I am not sure what that was. They were from different places in

Andhra Pradesh. For a few day there has been a large group here from

A-P. Some girls sang songs to Baba in Telugu and a description of

the items were mentioned.

 

Today is Baba's lunar birthday. The A-P women got Baba to light

three candles, signifying purity, for his birthday. They sang Telugu

bhajans and arathi.

 

Baba had given a 30 minute discourse, praising them and that

handicap people usually do more than people who are not.

 

Gerald