OH. WHAT GLORY. A DEVOTEE FROM CROATIA...ZIVCO HIS EXPERIENCE!

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The Scintillating Story of His Spendour Sahasra Poorna Chandra Darshanam - An overview and inner view

 

 

Encase the ocean of Pure Love in a vial of Supreme Splendour and voila, you set a million seeking hearts aflutter! The chemistry of the moment is sheer magic, and its memory, simply spectacular. Etched deep into the collective DNA of the human consciousness, the recent celebration that marked the physical presence of the Avatar on this planet through a thousand full moons, lent a whole new meaning to the concept of the global village, as the world seemed to have descended on Prasanthi Nilayam, the abode of Supreme Peace, to experience a spiritual high that is hard to capture in prose, poetry or mathematical formula. Yet, for each of the hundred thousand participants on the ground and thousands of virtual participants around the globe, the event marked the culmination of sincere spiritual aspirations of their soul, an answer to their deepest yearnings.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

CELEBRATING DIVINE RADIANCE ON EARTH

The Glory of the Grand Celebration

November 17, 2008 – the day posterity will preserve like the oyster safeguards its pearl. For eons to come, mankind will delight in revisiting this momentous page in history to bask in the bliss of that beatific occasion when time stood still and a million hearts gasped in awe as they beheld the heavenly vision. What unfolded on that gem of a day was not only unprecedented and extraordinary, but also so moving and majestic, entrancing and elevating, that to describe it in words would be akin to holding a lantern in front of the Moon.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Devotees started pouring in, nice & early

 

 

 

 

 

Young and old, with babies in arm head to Vidyagiri stadium

 

Right from the early hours of dawn, people of all hues and cultures, from countless regions and nations, eagerly stepped into the galleries and the ground of the impressive Vidyagiri Stadium in Prasanthi Nilayam, India. As the Sun slowly rose, spreading its gentle rays, everybody knew they were about to witness another Sunrise that morning – one that would be a million times brighter and beautiful, heartening and enlightening. Yes, it was the ultimate day of the grand celebration – Sahasra Poorna Chandra DarshanamYagnam, being performed to mark the 83rd Birthday of their beloved Lord, Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba. And everyone was aware, that morning the ‘light of their lives’ was due to ride the alluring Golden Chariot, and arrive amidst them regally, in all splendour, to fill the cups of their hearts with unalloyed joy. And so it happened.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Witnessing an unprecedented Sunrise...

 

 

 

 

 

....Radiating the brilliance of a million splendid Suns

 

Words Could Not Match the Magnificence of the Moment

When the seven-horse driven, golden and glistening divine vehicle glided into the large concourse of thirsting devotees, the sublime euphoria that enveloped the entire assembly was hard to describe. The moment was spellbinding and magical. Every face in the crowd spoke a volume, in silence. There were tears streaming down copiously on some; a few others seemed transfixed as if temporarily transported to some other realm; some were so much in awe that they just gazed with big eyes and open mouths, their palms pressed on their cheeks; there were others who were just ecstatic, big smiles sported their lips - they only wanted to savour every second to the maximum; a few others, who were probably new to Baba, were amazed and seemed to try to fathom the enigma of this divine occurrence; some had become statues of humility with folded hands and heads bowed in deep reverence, they had no clue how else to accept this remarkable blessing; there were hundreds who were simply jubilant, they waved their hands in overflowing joy and embraced themselves as if enveloping their being with the sanctifying air of divine benevolence; there were yet others who were just motionless, in bliss… at times you could see a tear or

two slowly coursing down their cheeks…. How can anyone translate in letters an experience that is so overpowering, intense and deeply moving, and is experienced by each one in their own unique way!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sea of humanity turns into a melting pot of adoration

 

 

 

 

 

Hands raised in supplication

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tears of joy fill hearts with bliss

 

 

 

 

 

Grateful to experience the enchanted moment

 

Brighter than a Million Splendid Suns

As the Lord, adorned in sublime yellow and enthroned on the luminous limousine, smiled generously and blessed copiously, His hand often raised in loving benediction, there was not a single soul in the stadium whose heart was not stirred by the splendour of Sai! To add to the grandeur and excitement of the occasion, the chariot was led by the elegant and agile Sathya Geeta, Baba’s tiny pet elephant. She was followed by the University Brass Band adding scintillating music to the sacred morning. Behind this, was the elaborate procession of students, attired in red, and vociferously chanting vedic hymns. At the same time, the huge speakers stacked at various strategic points in the ground, sprung into action belting out lovely compositions, specially created for the event. Music and poetry have it in them to express the deep emotions of the heart with more ease and clarity than prose.

One of the songs, written in Telugu, captured the beauty of the event wonderfully, and now we wish to share with you the English translation of this soulful rendering, as that is perhaps a better way to communicate what transpired between the divine and His devotees that unforgettable morning.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Arriving in glory and splendour befitting to mark the grand occasion

 

 

 

 

 

“Swarna Ratham Pai Pai Ninche…”

Delectably Enthroned, the Divine Sai…

Oh the timeless, most mysterious and the magnificent One!

Oh King of Kings! The Supreme Lord of Kali!

Oh Brilliant Being, superlatively illustrious,

And adored in all the three worlds of this Universe!

Oh the highly resplendent One,

Whose radiance spans this entire creation, spares none!

 

Behold! Delight in this scintillating sacred sight!

Enthroned on the Golden Chariot is the celestial Lord - Sai!

Every speck of Nature around is as if rejuvenated…

One glimpse of His glorious aura

And each being on earth feels so liberated!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Every hand tries to capture the remarkable moment for eternity in the fist of memory

 

 

 

 

 

Truly, you are the ever-shining Sun,

The thousand-petaled, illumining light of our lives…

You are our most beautiful Moon too…

So pure, so serene, so soothing, so moving,

Ever-new and so full of bliss, eternal!

 

In scores and thousands, from every corner of the globe,

We have gathered, with thrill, eager expectation and joy,

To savour You with our eyes, dear Lord, our heartthrob!

How long have we pined for this momentous morning!

How much have we prayed and penanced for this purifying present!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Savouring the magic ofthe spell-binding moment

 

 

 

 

 

When time stood still and silence reignedat the sight of Supreme Beauty

 

 

 

 

 

Springs of ecstasy, welling from within, have enveloped our entire being,

Witnessing this divine spectacle, unprecedented andabsolutely outstanding…

Our lives have found fulfillment, our existence has found meaning!

 

Purely for our sake, You have descended on this planet,

To regale us and redeem us, You have come again…

But with this, one stupefying manifestation of Your glory,

The cups of our souls are now overflowing…

 

O Lord, the Caring Caretaker of this entire creation,

By this one splendid gift,

You have blessed us with the utmost joy of divine communion,

Elevating us to ethereal heights

Of divine excitement and delectable delight.

You have sanctified us; we have seen paradise!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The very sight of the ocean of love swept every heart, unleashing pure, inner joy

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Oh, what Glory!

 

A Sight that Transmuted the Spiritual Heart of the Beholder

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mr. Zivco Galic recounts hisheart-melting experience

 

Words can only do so much to recreate that divinely riveting moment. But what this event did to everyone’s heart, who witnessed this, is something truly fantastic. Zivco Galic, a devotee from Croatia, who watched this event from the gents gallery, says, “I do not know why, but the moment I saw Swami that morning, I just began to cry profusely. My heart just opened up completely…the entire stadium was so suffused with God energy. He is definitely the King!

"The Divine come again! In His resplendent Yellow, He was truly Lord Krishna; there was so much love around, I was completely drowned in that sea of divine love.... "For me, the Lord arriving on the Golden Chariot is definitely the holy harbinger of the golden age that is soon to come…I did not have a good childhood, but now Swami is my ‘better than the best friend’, my father, mother, my life, my God; He has made me anew. He is so sweet and soft, apparently so much like any of us, but within Him is the infinite reservoir of divine love and powerful energy. I feel so charged, so much in bliss…I do not know how to express….” Zivco now closed his eyes and for the next few seconds just relived those soul-filling moments again. When he was out of his reverie, he was still speechless. Ram ChuganiKobe, Japan