SWAMI AND HIS STUDENTS - Prof. G.Venkataraman

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SWAMI AND HIS STUDENTS

 (Article written by Prof. G.Venkataraman, Former Vice Chancellor of Swami's

University, on the occasion of Bhagawan’s seventy-fifth Birthday.)

Three times thus far in the history of mankind, Lord God Almighty has come down

in human form as a Poorna Avatar. The age we live in happens to be one of them,

and blessed indeed are we to be able to have the Darshan, Sparshan and Sambashan

of the Lord. Drawn by His Divine Magnetic Power or Aakarshana Shakti as He calls

it, people of all kinds and from all walks of life flock to Him. Swami loves all

His devotees and showers His Divine Grace equally on everyone. Yet, there is

something extra-ordinarily unique about Swami's involvement with His students.

This relationship is not what meets the eye of a casual observer. Students

should really appreciate what they are enjoying. Only those privileged to have

a ring-side

view, like I have had, can understand, even if it be rather feebly, how

remarkable is the Love that Swami showers on students.

In a formal sense, Swami is the Chancellor of the Sri Sathya Sai Institute of

Higher Learning, but the role He plays is anything but that of the

run-of-the-mill Chancellor. The role may vary from moment to moment and over a

wide spectrum, but the constant and unwavering under-current is Prema. Students

often describe Swami's Love as equal to that of a thousand mothers but this, I

feel, is a gross understatement. Swami's Love is equal only to Swami's Love;

there is nothing else that can match it.

People normally try to measure Swami's Love for students in terms of the gifts

that He constantly showers on them - incidentally, there seems to be no limit

to what He gives; I have seen Him distribute everything from T-shirts to

cameras and films. However, material gifts form just the tip of an infinite

iceberg. It is the constant concern that Swami feels about their welfare, both

worldly and spiritual, that in some measure reflects His infinite Love. Like a

mother, He worries whether they are eating enough and getting enough of

nutritious food. At the same time, like a father, He wants to make sure they

are studying well. He is also their Guru, which makes Him concerned about their

spiritual

development; so on it goes. He is at one stroke, mother, father, teacher, friend

philosopher, guide, and everything else one can think of and much more. When

cases of jaundice are reported in the village, He wants to be sure that boiled

drinking water is available in the hostel. As exams approach, He constantly

checks with the Warden whether students are getting enough rest and are not

staying awake for unduly long periods. While the exams are in progress, He

wants to know how the students have answered and whether the question papers

were stiff. It is not just the students but also their families that receive

attention and care, especially when there is a medical problem. As the

Institute Convocation approaches, one sees Bhagawan in an entirely new role,

which I doubt if He enacted in His earlier Poorna Avatars. Swami becomes very

much interested and also involved in the drama that the Institute boys stage on

the night of the Convocation. There are sessions galore in the Interview

Room, every evening after Darshan. He begins by asking the boys what they are

planning. When they hesitantly unfold the theme, He listens carefully and

advises on how the play should be developed. The script is now prepared and He

goes over it carefully, offering critical remarks and suggestions for

improvement. Then come the songs. He first studies the lyrics and thereafter

calls for the musical rendering. This is when one sees God as Ganapriyudu or

the Lover of Music. Gently, but meticulously, He coaches the singers,

instructing them how precisely the song must be sung, how proper feelings must

be injected, how the action must be in harmony with the singing etc. For Swami,

not only must the tune and the beat be right, but, more than anything else, the

feeling or Bhava must be perfect. Until it comes out the way it should be, He

would insist on rehearsing the song again and again. Meanwhile, He would get

other people busy with the costumes. Especially when historical or

mythological characters are involved, Swami wants to have a preview of the dress

and how it fits the actor concerned. Often, He would Himself do the adjustments

so that the right look is achieved. All this might make it seem that Swami is

the greatest taskmaster ever. Yes indeed. Swami undoubtedly demands perfection

and will never compromise on quality or accept sub-standard performance; after

all, is not God the acme of perfection? However, in the midst of all this

grind, the Mother in Him surfaces; suddenly He would disappear inside for a

couple of minutes, and when He returns, apples, snacks, fruit juice and such

other goodies would follow! He knows how and when to inject relaxation and put

the nervous actors and singers at ease. After weeks of such preliminaries come

the full-scale rehearsals, which take place in the Institute Auditorium. For

the boys it is often a tense affair because pleasing Swami is not an easy task.

 

>From now on, it is rehearsals over and over again. The practice sessions soon

move to the Poornachandra Auditorium and whenever possible, Swami drops in to

make sure that all loose ends are properly tied up. Comes then the great moment

when the play is actually staged before a crowded audience. Swami is now like

the proverbial mother, there He is in the 'pit' scanning the faces of those

around to see if they are enjoying the play; and when they do, how proud He

seems! And how He shows His satisfaction when He comes up the stage at the end,

and how gloriously the Love feast continues later in the backstage when

dignitaries shower praise on the boys for their superb performance! But one

must not

get the impression that that is all there to it. For Bhagawan, the Convocation

Drama is not just routine cultural entertainment. Rather, it is an _expression

of His Divine Message, communicated in drama form by His beloved students. Life

itself is a drama in which the Lord coming down as an Avatar plays as it were a

cameo role. And, as a part of this play, He literally produces and directs a

play - a play within a play! Altogether, it is absolutely fascinating.

After the Convocation comes the annual sports festival, and once again it is a

glorious opportunity for delightful Divine intimacy, but of an altogether

different kind. Swami wants the event to be a gala success, not for His sake

but for the sake of the students. And so He fusses about all the various

details, the band, the march past, the flag hoisting, and the various

individual items. He makes sudden and unexpected visits to the sports field to

inspect the arrangements and watch the rehearsals. When His car is sighted, the

cry goes around, "Hey! Swami's car!" And what a change it brings about on the

playground!

There is one particular visit of this nature that I must recall at this point.

It was not during the usual sports season but a few days before that

extra-ordinarily unique event, the Sri Sathya Sai Unity Cup Cricket Match. As

the big day was nearing, we would often be in the cricket ground doing

something or the other, missing the evening Darshan in the process. As if to

recompense us, Swami came to the ground almost every evening for a round of

inspection and supervision. One evening, as He was about to return, He decided

to step into the Pavilion that had just been completed. He asked His car to be

stopped in front of the Pavilion Block, got down, climbed up the few stairs,

and went round the

various rooms examining the fittings, the plumbing, the curtains, the chairs -

the whole works one might say. Only a handful of us went inside with Bhagawan.

After doing the round, He came to the Pavilion verandah. Meanwhile, all the

boys who were involved with various chores in and around the ground gathered on

the road by the side of Swami's car. There were a few hundred students there.

Swami just stood on the veranda giving Darshan, hands folded behind and gently

rocking. He made no effort to go down and get into His car. I was behind

Bhagawan and therefore could not see His face but from the looks and the

effulgent glow on the faces of the boys below, it was abundantly clear to me

that Swami was simply pouring out His Divine Love in infinite measure. Truly,

it was a sight for the gods! Time stood still for all of us. There was Swami in

total Bliss, and there were the students lost and

mso-fareast-font-family: 'Courier New'">drenched in the downpour of Prema. For

me, it was not only an unforgettable but also a unique experience; among other

things, it taught me what Swami means when He says, "Students are My only

property!"

If there are ups, then there also must be downs - that is the law of life, and

so it is between Bhagawan and students. Sometimes, Swami seems "upset" and the

whole lot gets flung into the "workshop" as one says in Prashanthi. Swami is

never really angry but pretends to be, so that the students realise their

shortcomings and rectify their errors. When Swami seemingly distances Himself

from the students, there is a tense drama of sorts. The boys are in deep

distress; they cannot give letters and give vocal vent to their feelings

because 'Swami is not coming their side'. If students are in agony, the Mother

in Swami too seems anxious for an early restoration of normalcy. But the Father

in Swami seems to

hold back! The fascinating drama continues till one day Swami walks past near

the students during Darshan. They now cry out loud and in deep anguish. Swami

appears to pause; a small dialogue begins. We are too far to hear the actual

words, but it seems that Swami is gently reprimanding the students. Suddenly

there are cries of "No, Swami", "Please Swami", and so on. Looks like there is

going to be a thaw after all. Yes there is, and boys want to make sure; they

burst into songs. Swami stands there listening; there is one song, then two,

and then a third one as well. Hurrah! Swami has been 'won over'! Everyone

heaves a sigh of relief, and, as if to make up for lost time, Swami now

showers more Grace than even before!

Students hardly realise to what extent Swami goes out of the way to confer

favours upon them. They are the ones privileged to lead the Bhajans both in

Prashanthi Nilayam and Brindavan. They are the ones who are permitted to

present special musical programmes on festival mornings. They are the ones who

chant the Vedas before the Divine Discourse, and also on other important

occasions. For their sake Swami comes many times to the Institute to witness

special programmes and also to speak to them. He even answers specific

questions. On occasions, on Sunday afternoons, He spends some time with them in

the Poornachandra Auditorium, before coming out for the regular Darshan. It is

for their spiritual

advancement that He organises the Summer Courses. It is to encourage them that

He takes them to Kodaikanal; and my word, what an experience that is! It is to

give them the delectable taste of Divine intimacy that He holds the famous

'Trayee Sessions' while in Brindavan.

Students may forget Swami after they leave His portals but the Lord never does.

When Swami went to Delhi and Mumbai last year, Bhagawan not only singled out

the alumni from the crowd, but also made kind enquiries. And to those around

Him, He lovingly recalled all particulars about the student concerned, even

though the Student had graduated over a decade or so ago. The list of examples

of Swami's Prema is endless. As if all this is not enough, on Sports Day,

1999,Swami, in an unparalleled act of extra-ordinary and infinite compassion,

took upon Himself a serious injury in order to avert disaster to students who

were to later perform daredevil stunts. Barring just a handful, no one knew

about

this Divine act of sacrifice till several days later when Swami Himself revealed

the details in a Discourse.

Is there any particular reason why Swami appears to single out students for

showering His Love in such abundance? Speaking in Trayee, an elderly devotee

reported that he once asked Bhagawan to explain this mystery. According to this

devotee, Swami replied that those who are today enrolled as students are really

Rishis of the past, receiving their due in this Kali Age. Hearing this, Swami,

in Whose Divine presence this talk was being given, laughed as if to say,

"What! Are you suggesting that these fellows with whom I am struggling all the

time are Rishis?" Swami may have made light of the devotee's remark but there

surely must be some deeper meaning underlying Swami's most compassionate

relationship

with the students, particularly when one recalls Krishna's association with

Gopalas on the one hand and with Gopis on the other. Quite possibly it is all a

part of the same drama and an extension of that glorious chapter of Srimad

Bhagavatham, now being enacted in a different format and under the settings of

the Kali Age. It is my personal belief that this indeed is the case.

According to the Bhagavatham, not knowing who Krishna really was, Brahma the

Creator once tried to embarrass Bala Krishna. But soon he learnt his bitter

lesson, and as he was about to withdraw to his celestial abode, he saw Krishna

playing merrily with the Gopalas. Brahma then mused, "These little boys do not

have any idea of how lucky they are to have the very Lord as their playmate."

Quite possibly, Brahma is saying something similar even now. I hope our

students do really appreciate, value, and treasure the priceless gift of Divine

intimacy that they are receiving, which is exclusively reserved only for them.

Although Swami does not expect anything in return, I believe students owe it to

Bhagawan to be the best exemplars of those who seriously put into practice

Swami's teachings. For Swami, Aacharanam, or observance of His teachings in

daily life is far more important than being able to discourse on them. Students

should unwaveringly aim at Trikaranasuddhi. And, under no circumstance, should

they permit themselves to fall into the category of Aarti [the seeker of

wealth] or Arthaarthee [one who wants the Lord to solve his problems]; instead,

they should constantly endeavor to be counted among those who have realised

their intrinsic Divine nature. Having recognised this truth, they must gear up

for the higher duty that beckons them. They should appreciate that if twelve

Apostles of the Son of God could do so much to spread the Message of their

master, how much they, in their hundreds and thousands, could do to spread the

Message of the Lord Himself. Humanity looks up to them, and they should not

disappoint humanity. To disappoint mankind would in a certain sense

amount to disappointing Swami Himself.

Before I conclude, it is appropriate that I recall a touching prayer once

addressed to Bhagawan by Prof. Sampath, an illustrious predecessor of mine. He

said: "Swami, it is my prayer that when I am reborn, I would be blessed to be a

student of Your School and Your Institute, and one day receive my degree

directly from Your Divine Hands. It is only when I become a student of the

Institute that my life would be complete." Those of us who have missed the

opportunity of being a student of the Institute in this lifetime, might well

consider addressing such a prayer ourselves.

Article of the week

Monday, November 3, 2003

Source:http://www.radiosai.org/Journals/05NOV01/TemplesLearning/SwamiStudent

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