PHOTOS AND DARSHAN UPDATE - PRASANTHI NILAYAM - Fifth day of Dasara Jnana Saptaha Yajnam

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Saturday, Sept 26, 2009 - Fifth day of Dasara Jnana Saptaha YajnamBhagavan arrived in Sai Kulwant hall just after 9 o'clock this morning. He moved to the Eastern side of the hall where His vehicles including the Golden chariot were parked. The Ayudha pooja was done for all of them and Swami moved to the stage to sit there for a short while with the Vedic chants before accepting Arati at half-past nine. He then moved to the Poornachandra where He sat onstage before accepting Arati there after ten o'clock.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In the evening, Bhagavan arrived for darshan just after half-past four and began the programme of speeches just before five. Prof. Anil Kumar spoke in Telugu, followed by Prof. Anantharaman of the MBA faculty and Sri K. Chakravarthy, Secretary of the Central Trust. Prasadam was distributed when the speeches concluded at 6.10. Swami went to the interview room briefly before returning to accept Arati and retire for the day. Dasara Jnana Saptaha Yajnam A Report with Photos

 

 

 

 

Friday, Sept 25, 2009 - Forth day of Dasara Jnana Saptaha YajnamThis morning, Swami did not emerge from His residence but sent word for the students to move to the Yagna venue in the Poornachandra hall at 10 o'clock and for the Arati to be offered there at 11.30. In the evening, He came before five o'clock and began the programme of speeches at 5.20 like on the last few days. Prof. Anil Kumar's introductory Telugu speech was followed by the All India Sai Organisations President Sri V. Srinivasan, an M.Phil. student Bhabani Shankar in Hindi and the University's Controller of Examinations Sri Srinivas Srirangarajan. The speeches concluded at 6.30 and Arati was offered as prasadam was distributed. Dasara Jnana Saptaha Yajnam A Report with Photos

 

 

 

 

 

September 23, 2009 – Day Two of Dassahera Yagnam

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It was at about 8:45 in the morning when Swami arrived from Yajur Mandir into the Sai Kulwant Hall. The hall had large empty spaces and more than 90 % of the students were away doing Grama Seva. Swami had brought vibhuti packets with Him and as He moved through the lines, He gave a packet each to the people who needed them. Moving to the gents’ side, Swami spoke to the co-ordinators of the sevadal group who had just completed the duty.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Swami blessed all of them and then proceeded. As He passed by the ex-students block, He beckoned to one of the boys and handed a vibhuti packet to him! Moving via the few students and the Veda contingent, Swami moved past the Primary school students and then arrived on stage.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

He sat on the stage listening to the Vedas being chanted. After about 10 minutes, Swami told the students to start moving towards the auditorium. He too followed soon and within the next few minutes all the focus and crowds shifted to the auditorium. Swami arrived and sat in the eastern corner of the stage for sometime. He accepted the floral offerings of the priest performing the suryanamaskars. Then Swami moved across the stage to the western end where the "Brahma" among the priests sat with his wife in worship.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Swami witnessed the worship there for a while as the ladies gathered there basked in the beauty and joy of His darshan. The priest and his wife offered garlands to Swami and after that aarthi was performed. The Veda chanting reached a crescendo with the Mantrapushpam. As a conclusion, the "Brahma" priest knelt before Swami and sang the bhajan, "Easwaramba Priya Nandana" dedicating everything at His lotus feet. Moving across the stage once more, Swami saw the priest who was deeply engrossed in the suryanamaskar. Swami then moved into His residence.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The afternoon session was the day 2 of the Prashanti Vidwan Mahasabha. As per tradition, that day was the day reserved for the worship of Mother Lalita, the Universal Mother. It is believed that the dust from her feet constitutes the holy sindhur (vermillion) mark on Mother Gayathri's forehead. That is the position granted to Mother Lalitha.Though Swami had indicated the previous day that He would be speaking, He blessed three speakers to address the assembly. As Prof. Anil Kumar came forward to introduce the speakers, Swami asked him what the bandage on his right eyebrow was about. He answered Swami and on Swami's behest narrated to the whole audience as to how he had fallen from a scooter and it was sheer Swami's grace that he escaped without any hurt to his eye!

Coming after the day when Dr. Ravikumar had narrated his "eye-opening" experiences, it immediately made a thunderous impact with the audience. The speakers were then introduced and the first speaker for the day was a student from the MBA school, Aman Jhaveri.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mr. Aman Jhaveri, a student from the MBAschool, Sri Sathya Sai University

 

 

Mr. Robin Sharma, research scholar from the University

Aman spoke on how Swami means everything to the students and takes care of them in His own ways. Narrating how Swami had healed him of a terrible backache in a dream and then had commanded him to join the University, Aman thanked Swami for all that had been bestowed upon him.

He narrated a few more experiences, quoting extensively from the scriptures. He concluded with the bhajan, "Sai Mata Pita". Swami was very moved with his talk and lovingly patted him on his cheeks as he went to take padanamaskar after the speech.

The second speaker was a research scholar from the University, Mr. Robin Sharma. Robin narrated how Swami has been a loving mother and guide to him ever since he applied to get into the undergraduate programme years ago. When he relived the initial agony that he underwent when his mother was in her final moments, Swami was visibly moved.

Swami's 'emotions' seemed to reflect what He had felt two years ago as Robin narrated how Swami consoled and assured him that his mother had merged into Him. Robin too concluded with a song that stated his heart's desire of staying forever with Swami. Bhagavan blessed him too with a loving pat on his cheeks.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mr. B. N. Narasimhamoorthy, the warden of the Brindavan campus

 

The final speaker for the evening was Mr. B. N. Narasimhamoorthy, the warden of the Brindavan campus of the University. He began with a stanza from the Lalitha Sahasranaama and another Sanskrit stanza that had arisen spontaneously in his heart in response to a scholar's question "Who is Sathya Sai?" The knowledgeable speaker narrated experiences from his rich and fulfilling life which portrayed the Mother aspect of Swami.

Particularly moving was his experience at Muddenahalli when he had damaged his knee while playing Volleyball and Swami decided to personally stop by his room on His way to Bangalore! In between his speech, Swami went to the interview room and returned after 5-10 minutes. As the speaker continued, Swami said with a smile, "I did not get a chance to speak!" The members in the students' audience who understood what He was saying empathised with Him with smiles! Soon the speech concluded and Swami said, "Sing one bhajan" The Ganesh bhajan was sung after which Swami said again that He did not get a chance to speak! Receiving aarthi and blessing everyone assembled, Swami retired for the day.

 

 

 

September 22, 2009 - The Dassahera Yagnam Begins

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

September 22 marked the first day of the Veda Purusha Saptaha Jnana Yagna. The English translation for the Yagna is "sacrifice" but a Yagna means that and much more. At the physical level, it is offerings made to the sacred fire that is generated in a traditional manner. But the physical is only one of the aspects of the world around us which is influenced to a far greater extent by vibrations. We see it for ourselves in daily life. When we enter a sanctum or the place which has been witness to some great historical or spiritual event, we feel thrilled. We don't know why but we say that there is "something in the air" that seems to enthrall and envelope us.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Again when we are constantly bombarded with violence and negativity by the media, we are depressed and frustrated though nothing physical has happened to us! It is to generate and encourage the magical and spiritual "something in the air" that Swami has encouraged these Yagnams in Prashanthi. With Swami, any ritual is to realize the spiritual! A Yagna is a small manifestation of the unbounded, vast, eternal Sacred Fire that exists in each one of us, invoked from the Womb of Creation. With this background, let us continue to term the Yagna as "sacrifice" and proceed.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The morning saw an assembly of the priests and students in the Bhajan Hall. (The former Bhajan Hall so to say, as of late the Sai Kulwant Hall doubles as the bhajan hall as well!) Swami arrived in the car and headed straight to the Bhajan Hall.

He entered the hall and all the priests gathered there began to chant and carry out some preliminary rituals. As a wonderful backdrop to this, the students and teachers from the University, dressed in orange, continued to chant. Swami sat listening to this for about ten minutes after which He began to distribute sacred clothes to all the priests and the wife of one of the head priests. (It is essential that there be one couple for performing the sacrifice.)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Everyone quickly changed into the new clothes and Swami told all of them to proceed towards the Yagnashala (the ceremonial sacrificial pit) in the Poornachandra auditorium. After the priests left, He directed the staff and students too to leave. They filed out in a single line prostrating as they passed by Him.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Swami arrived in the auditorium soon after that and the priests sought His blessings to begin. The sacred fire (Agni) was generated in the traditional manner by churning wood to give rise to a spark. The spark thus produced was carefully tended to by a priest and as He gently blew into it, it burst forth into a blazing flame. The Yagna then began.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Like the rising sun, Swami was in the eastern corner of the stage in orange. The orange of the sacrificial flame, of the vestures of all on stage and finally of the Lord's robe proclaimed the message of selfless sacrifice to one and all.The chanting of the Rudram - both the namakam and the chamakam was on and the auditorium filled with people. The Gram Seva distribution was scheduled to be in Puttaparthi itself so that the students too could witness the opening day of the Yagna.

Right in front of Swami was a priest performing the suryanamaskar (salutations to the universal provider - the Sun) and he too started it with prostrations at Swami's 'rosy' feet! (He did place a rose on them!) The Devi Parayanam (reading of the glories of the mother goddess) was on and various other texts too were being read.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Swami sat on the stage for more than half an hour and after that, retired to Yajur Mandir. It was at this point that the students and staff moved towards their respective vehicles to carry out the Grama Seva. The priests continued with the worship which concluded at about 12:15 p.m.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The evening session marked the beginning of the "Jyana" (wisdom) portion of the Yagna where learned speakers would address the mammoth gatherings. Swami arrived at about 4:15 p.m. and after a short visit to the interview room, arrived onstage. Then, He started the Prashanti Vidwan Mahasabha.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Prof. Anil Kumar introducing the three speakers of the evening

 

 

Prof. Vishwanath Pandit, The Vice Chancellor of the Sathya Sai University

The translator, Prof. Anil Kumar introduced the three speakers for the evening and the first to speak was the Vice Chancellor of the Sathya Sai University, Prof. Vishwanath Pandit. He began with his recent experience in Delhi where all the deemed universities had to report on their progress before an elite panel. When he started to speak about the Grama Seva, there was nothing else they wanted to hear about! While the other universities were subject to "intense interrogation", he was conferred a friendly chat! And that is the power of sacrifice and service.

Stressing on the concept of having a ceiling on desires, he stated that one must be content with fulfilling the needs, for greed has no limits. He emphasized that it is not sufficient if man just learnt addition and multiplication of wants. He must divide what he has through sacrifice and ultimately 'subtract' himself/herself from the entire picture realizing that God alone is the doer.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mr. S. V. Giri describing the Mother's Glory

 

The second speaker for the evening was Mr. S. V. Giri. The revered speaker celebrated the fact that we were all in the presence of the Divine Mother and went on to describe her glories. Stating that one needed peace of mind and not a momentary state of peace, the speaker went on to highlight how one would be able to achieve that peace of mind.

As he spoke, Swami made a brief visit to the interview room but returned before the conclusion and with a smile said, "You spoke very well." The third and final speaker for the evening was Dr. T. Ravi Kumar, lecturer and asst. warden in the Brindavan campus of the University. As he bowed at the lotus feet, Swami said, "Speak for however long you want. Speak about experiences from your childhood onwards." Swami was so emotional as He said that and that emotion immediately spread to the heart and face of the speaker. The next forty five minutes turned out to be divine as the speaker beautifully passed on that very same emotion to all of the gathered thousands.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dr. T. Ravi Kumar, lecturer and asst. warden in the Brindavan campus

He started from how his father had been introduced to Swami after the death of his mother. His father, after losing his wife, was left with four children to tend for and was struck by tragedy when he was diagnosed with cancer. 25 operations later, the doctor advised that it would be better that he spent his last few days at home. It turned out to be "love after first sight" if we may term it so, when Swami came straight to him and said, "Why did you have 25 operations? Your cancer is cancelled!" He lived for more than 30 years after that day! In fact, the doctor who made the dire prediction about him passed away before him! The speaker also went on to narrate how Swami had guided him to take Chemistry as his core subject after saving him from an academic debacle in mathematics. He concluded with the experience of how Swami granted him his eyes back after hot sulphuric acid had spurted into them! The most miraculous and jaw dropping revelation came when he said that a short while after that, chromic acid tipped into his eyes. And then, the loving Lord granted him with sight for the second time!

 

 

 

 

 

The speaker stood there for all to see - a standing miracle. And Swami's eyes were moist. He seemed to be offering what He has stated is most dear to Him - "Tears of Love and Bliss". As the speaker continued his extraordinary journey of Love, everyone in the audience seemed to be reminded of the umpteen times they had been graced with His love.

As he concluded, the beautiful smile on the divine effulgent face and the thunderous applause said it all! Swami clapped and gently slapped him on the cheeks. Swami seemed intent on signing off the evening session on a devotional high as He immediately asked for the aarti to be done. As it was sung, He indicated that He would speak on the next day. Blessing everyone who had gathered, Swami retired for the day.