The Legend of Sai Geetha… Unsurpassable and Eternal - II

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The Legend of Sai Geetha… Unsurpassable and Eternal - II “Go happily, peacefully” In fact, Swami confirmed this in His discourse to the students a few days later. He said, “The other day Sai Geetha discarded her body. But I pointed out to her, “Geetha, look here. I am constructing a Mandir for you. She opened her eyes and saw me, but she was very weak. What else she could do? She only shed tears. When the end came and she was going, I said, “So, you are going. Ok, go happily, peacefully.” One cannot but recollect at this point the final moments of Swami’s foster mother Mrs. Subbamma. Though medically she was declared ‘dead’, a peculiar

glow on her face made everybody nervous to take her to the cremation ground and the wise men of Bukkapatnam said, “The bird has not flown yet!” Three full days had passed since the first announcement of her death by the time Swami came to her deathbed after attending a function in Tirupati. But the moment Swami called out, “Subbamma”, “Subbamma”, just twice, she opened her eyes! And her hand was next stroking Swami’s hand lovingly. Swami then put His fingers to her lips and she opened her mouth a little, and from the cupped palm of Swami next flowed holy water into her mouth and she joined the ranks of the Released! Sai Geetha’s merger was no different, though everything was not so apparent to the ordinary onlooker. After Sai Geetha was satisfied completely and Swami had bid her final farewell, He turned His attention to the huge pit dug inside her new building. Sri Pedda Reddy recalls, The final communion... Gajendra Moksha! The silent communication... The last words - "Go Happily, Peacefully! " “He saw the pit and then asked me to come to the Mandir to take Sai Geetha’s dress. He also instructed me how to drape the sequined body blanket on her body and also instructed all the materials that should be put in the pit before lowering Sai Geetha’s body into it.” A Splendid Farewell by the Divine Himself According to His directions, the bottom of the pit was first covered with sand. This was followed by coconut leaves, then Banana leaves, other small plants that Sai Geetha used to relish and finally fresh green grass that she loved the most. It was a multi-layered huge bed with all that Sai Geetha relished. But that was not all. On top of this was poured rice – many bags of

them -, followed by flowers, turmeric powder and vermillion. Once everything was completed as per His divine direction, Sri Pedda Reddy returned to the Mandir and Swami then asked him to open the jewels of Sai Geetha that He always kept in His residence. Along with the dress, Swami also selected some of the jewels that she should be adorned with while putting her to rest at her Samadhi site. And then handing over a pair of silk clothes to Sri Pedda Reddy, He said, “You should do all these tasks. Shower and then wear this new silk dress and be ready, I will come there.” The specially prepared pit Preparations according to Divine Directions Meticulously arranged items for the base of the pit A befitting bed for the beloved of the Lord Just as He had promised, Swami was at the site at 10.45 am. Efforts were on with the help of a crane to lift the 6000 kg body of Sai Geetha and move it to the other end of the compound where the pit was dug. Swami followed the progress of the job every second sitting in His car. The crane was big and could

not enter the building. It was nearly one hour since Swami had arrived and the scorching summer heat was draining everyone’s energy. Sri Pedda Reddy went to Swami and said, “Swami, it is very hot here and moving her is taking lot of time too. You may please return to Mandir.” But Swami’s reply was an instantaneous, “No.” “I will wait till the end,” He said. After 90 minutes of tough maneuvering with the machine, Sai Geetha was finally placed on the bed specially created and Swami, whose eyes were overcome with emotion as He saw His most precious devotee for the last time, blessed her again. More turmeric and vermillion was offered. Lots of garlands were spread on her body including a big one which Swami asked senior members of the Trust to place on her, and finally she was covered with mud. Only then, did Swami return

to His residence. The Princess laid to rest... Bedecked for her last journey Auspicious Offerings of vermillion, turmeric, vibhuti... A life fragrant like the camphor in the arati... The beautiful building that was her home six months ago was now her Samadhi. When we asked Sri Pedda Reddy, “Did you think that the eye-catching elegant structure that Swami built for her would be her Samadhi one day?” He said, “Yes, even while this new building was being constructed, given the carvings and ornamentation that went into making it, I thought maybe one day this would be her Samadhi. I remember, after her old shed was demolished, Swami one day came to me with a plan, called me near and said, ‘See this, we will make a beautiful, big and permanent building for her.’ Still, I never realized at that point that ‘permanent’ actually meant ‘Samadhi’; I only thought of it as her final house from where she will never have to shift again in the

future.” The Samadhi of Sai Geeta... ...A temple of unmatched love Sai Geetha – Ever-fresh in Sai’s Heart Swami had planned every little detail meticulously much in advance for His dearest devotee. And this year, the Lord suddenly changed his plans to return to Puttaparthi from Kodaikanal on May 18, instead of going to

Brindavan as was his usual practice every year, and everyone wondered the reason behind the unexpected divine decision until it all became very clear in a matter of four days. For Swami, Sai Geetha was more important than all the hundreds of devotees that prayed to Him to extend His stay in Kodaikanal for few more days or the thousands of devotees from Bangalore who pleaded with Him repeatedly to visit Brindavan at least for a few weeks. In the 108 names of the Lord, one line exalts him as “Om Sri Sai Bhaktha Paradheenaya Namah” which means, “We salute the Lord who is actually under the control of His devotee.” Just like Hanuman was one, Meerabai was one, Sai Geetha was one – demonstrating to man the power and the pinnacle of pure love. And as Lord Rama laid the dedicated Jatayu to rest on His lap and Himself performed all the funeral rites, Swami too treated Sai Geetha just as His very own. He was there every second directing every act in her last moments. Not only that,

on the 11th day after her burial, He visited the site again and asked Sri Pedda Reddy to place bananas, apples, ragi balls and sweets on the Samadhi and then directed for all these to be distributed to few poor people and also to feed all the cows in the Gokulam. It is a tradition in many houses in India to serve the poor in the name of the deceased on the 11th day after death and here Swami was Himself doing this for Sai Geetha. Truly, no other being ever captured Swami’s heart to the extent this elephant-devotee did. “If Swami is ‘Love in Action’,” says Sri Raja Reddy, a very senior Sai devotee, “Sai Geetha was ‘Devotion in Action.’” As one who had seen Sai Geetha when she arrived at the Ashram as a tiny infant nearly five decades ago and observed her grow into a majestic and magnificent devotee, Sri Raja Reddy in his ‘Ode to Sai Geetha’ says: The Lord arrives... ...for the 11th day ritual Directing the care taker... All rituals done as per divine command An Ode to Sai GeethaSmall you came, Big you became.Big both in body & spiritBut, big in body, small in ego,It is not for nothingSai named you “ SAI GITA”For you have a MESSAGEApt for this AGEDiscipline and DevotionDuty, DiscriminationAlong with DeterminationYour performance based upon, Rain or Shine,You led the Procession Good & GorgeousWith gong on either sideCalm Majesty,Spectacular but silent;Spotting Swami in the crowdIn bubbling devotion you bowed!Once duty performedBack in your dear

AbodeReceding back into Reticence!For years and for decadesThis went on and on !You emulated BhagavanTo make your life a MessageWhile Sai’s Life is Love in ActionSai Gita’s Life, Devotion in ActionYour message, mute but eloquent,Silent eloquence but elephantineWe miss you Sai GitaFor in your absence Missing is intenseAs being, sans air or waterAeons ago, it was Gajendra MokshaThen by Sai VishnuNow it is Gajarani MokshaGiven by Sai KrishnaWith this as our solace,A happy smile’s on our face. Sai Geetha - A

Monumental Ideal and Inspiration Ms. Smruti Rath, a devotee from Bangalore, says, “ Love neither dies, nor it ends, and Sai Geetha taught us how true love lives, even when life comes to an end.” The homage the Sai community paid to Sai Geetha world over, be it special Sai spiritual meetings from Kerala to Kashmir in India or special programs complete with powerpoint presentations and performances by small kids in Malaysia; or the poor feeding done on the 11th day of her passing by the Sai Youth in Hyderabad; or a big card created by the Bal Vikas children of Qatar honouring her or the several cute drawings that the small kids of the Sathya Sai School of Canada sketched in her memory or for that matter, the innumerable ways each Sai devotee remembered in reverence this exalted devotee of the Lord – every act, small or big, only went to show the indelible impact this

elephant-devotee of the Lord had made in the hearts and minds of thousands of devotees from California to Canberra without ever speaking a word. The Qatar Bal Vikas children offer their tribute Tiny tots from the Canada School... ...Express their love for Dear Sai Geeta We love you... ...And miss you too Paying her own special tribute to Sai Geetha, Ms. Jullie Chaudhuri, a devotee from Pune, India, writes: A Tribute to Sai GeethaThe Master, the Lord of the UniverseHad tears in His Lotus eyes?Everything we have experienced of HimThat He has allowed us to,This act defies…Yet, it is so,Emotions did flow,And what did this tremendous flow show?To what did it open the door?Lessons to be learned,So much to be discerned,Lessons of kindness, tolerance, compassion,Acceptance, purity, reciprocation,And

above all, a lesson saturated with love…For Sai Geetha to live, this expansive loveWas more than enough…She was a gift from the animal kingdom To the Lord of the Universe in human form,Her story unfolded to show,Specially for Him was she born…Her life, her focus, her core,Her everything was Swami, Swami, SwamiAnd this is a lesson for the rest of humanity…A lesson of an ideal relationship between Creator and Creation,Of what to choose, and what to shun, No other attraction, And specially no distraction,Complete absorption,Reaching a pinnacle of devotion,A bond so touching, And a reciprocation so fulfilling…What we humans couldn’t do,This monumental example, With matchless devotion as her clue,This grand soul did bring glory to the animal kingdom, And did us all stun…For, she did win the heart of the Lord,And, brought tears in the eyes of our Living God,To wake us up, A

clarion call,A supreme lesson for us all,Her life, her love, her devotion, A lesson for us all,When Bhagwan came as Shri Ram,He performed the last rites to highlight the glory of Jatayu,And from the self-same divine hands, Of this, His present Avataric form,Sai Geetha got her befitting due, and a divine adieu… Be like Sai Geetha and You will be Mine - Swami Towards the end of His discourse to the students in the first moral class session of the Institute, Swami, after speaking for

nearly 15 minutes on Sai Geetha said, “If you can only remember and ruminate on the intense love that Sai Geetha had for Swami and develop such sacred and noble thoughts, I will Myself take you close to My heart. You do not have to do anything else.” Together we are free, Together we are bound; I in you and you in Me... Just like every act of Swami, be it the Hospitals or the Water Projects or the Institute, are models for the whole world to replicate, the Legend of Sai Geetha too is the unfolding of yet another powerful and profound mission manifested by the Will of the Divine to help and guide mankind to scale blissful heights in the spiritual realm, which are very much attainable, and to discover the heaven of lasting peace, joy and happiness. - Heart2Heart Team

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