Welcoming the Lord back to Prasanthi - The Return of The Lord

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Sathya Sai Baba 's visit to Pune Mumbai - Hadshi Temple Panduranga KshetraWelcoming the Lord back to Prasanthi

2nd Nov. 2009 - Day 6

The Return of The Lord

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sairam

 

 

 

 

 

Photos Day 1

 

Photos Day 2

 

Photos Day 3

 

Divine Discourse

 

 

Divine Visit to Pune & Mumbai-welcome in Hadshi pics

 

Murthi Prana- Kumbha Abhishekam,Poornahu ti Divine Discourse

 

Go-daan, distribution of implements, soul stirring music

 

 

 

 

Reflections. ..

 

Sai Abode Mumbai

 

Day 5 : Photos

 

Day 4 : Photos

 

 

Reflections from Pune by Ms Julie Chaudhuri

 

Dharmakshetra Sathy Deep

 

1st November, 2009 - Jamboori Maidan Worli, Mumbai & Brabourne Stadium, CCI, Mumbai

 

31st October, 2009 Bhagawan arrived at Dharmakshetra, Mumbai

 

 

 

 

 

Photos Day 6

 

 

Home

 

 

 

 

A) Photos Bhagawan's Departure from Mumbai

 

 

Audio-Video

 

B) Swami's arrival in Puttaparthi

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Photos Day 1

 

Photos Day 2

 

Photos Day 3

Photos Day 3

Photos Day 4

Photos Day 5

Photos Day 6

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Return of The Lord

 

Posted at 17:00 Hrs. IST on 3rd Nov 2009Photo source: sssbpt.org - layout design . comWelcoming the Lord back to Prasanthi is never an ordinary occasion, rather is a momentous occasion to reconnet, for Prasanthi or Puttaparthi can never bear the pangs of separation from �her� Beloved. This is the history

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

of her very existence and the existence is the Divine Being Himself, but for whose presence the spiritual township goes barren.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This time the �gap� was just less than a week, precisely six days, and Prasanthi was ever jubilant with floating devotees making life active. Watching over the activities at Pune and Mumbai, Prasanthi has been updating the events of her Beloved and eagerly awaiting the day, 2nd November to dawn faster.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Roads were yet again spruced up to welcome the Lord, with banners and flower decorations heralding the �Advent� of the Divine. Linking to Mumbai news updates were pouring in hinting at the exact hour of Divine arrival. Entire Airport vicinity was spruced up to welcome the Divine and escort vehicles were set in position well in advance.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Behind the panoramic blue skies with golden sun dotting prominently as if awaiting to receive The Lord, while waning to dusk, the scene was perfect for the Majestic Lord�s Air Chariot to touch down. And dotting in the sky,

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

precisely couple of minutes after the clock ticked five, the tiny birdlike air-chariot, Jet Airliner Boeing 737-700 grew larger in proportion, finally touching down the tarmac of the Sri Sathya Sai Airport at 5:04 p.m. after a more than an hour air sojourn from Mumbai to Puttaparthi.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bhagawan was received by the Secretary of Sri Sathya Sai Central Trust, Sri K. Chakravarthi along with other officials including Airport Director, Capt. Sharma joined by hundreds of eagerly expectant devotees waiting

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

outside for a glimpse of the Lord. And the special guest showed up at the Airport to receive the Master was the little Sathya Geeta, Bhagawan's pet elephant who was at her best exuberance playing pranks. Arathi was offered to Bhagawan before He proceeded to Ashram. The entire aircrew was blessed by Bhagawan before leaving the airport precincts.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Enroute to Prasanthi, covering the three kilometer road stretch, it was celebration all over, with hundreds lined up at vantage points to have a glimpse of The Lord on His return journey. There were many a folded hand, there were flower showers with colourful petals strewn at the Divine Chariot, there were arathi offerings, there were coconut breakings and there were another hundreds silently glancing at Him,

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

all in merriment of His return. . The journey took almost half an hour with Bhagawan reaching the precincts of Prasanthi Nilayam just after 5:30 for a traditional welcome led by Veda chanting and flag bearing university and school students. Heaps of flowers strewn on the windshield was reminiscent of the merriment

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

of the occasion and behind the beauty of these flowers was hiding the beautiful charming Lord of Puttaparthi.Bhajans were going on and welcoming the Lord they sang�Swagatam, Swagatam� Sri Sathya Sai Swagatham!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Upon arriving, the compassionate Lord came for a full round in the car through the gents� side. For a brief three bhajan sessions The Lord appeared on the dais before calling for Arathi.Earlier, back in Mumbai, after an extremely long and busy Sunday, the proceedings on the 2nd of November morning was restricted to the Dharmakshetra premises. The old students of Bhagawan from Mumbai had made a short video documentary depicting the evolution of Dharmakshetra. Bhagawan watched the film in Sathya Deep and blessed all the old students and posed for photographs. These grateful students had a prayer to Bhagawan to visit Mumbai frequently.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Click: Photos Bhagawan's Departure from Mumbai

This was followed by a visit to Shanti Deep, the Bhajan Hall, where Bhagawan blessed many an active workers who were involved in the backstage preparation connected to Bhagawan�s visit. This was followed by a short Bhajan session at Jalan Mandap after which Bhagawan accepted Aarathi and retired to Sathya Deep....And the the schedule hour arrived Dharmakshetra was preparing herself for the pangs of separation that she had endured many a time over the past. Recollecting the parting moments, we have a narration by an active volunteer, Aazmeen Kasad, an Advocate at Mumbai High Court and a Professor of Law, who had been reporting the events from Mumbai during the visit.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Click: Photos Bhagawan's Departure from Mumbai

"At close to about 2 pm, Dharmakshetra witnessed a frenzy of activity and movement, after a brief pause for lunch prasadam which was partaken by one and all who had gathered for the morning darshan in Satyadeep, Shantideep and the Jalan Mandap. Bhagawan had disappointed no one. This despite the fact that His past two days� schedule had been a physically hectic and demanding one, it seemed as if He was willing to fulfil the requests of each and every devotee and make up for the drought of His Divine Darshan that Mumbai had experienced over the past nine years.As the luggage of His guests and students was seen being loaded in the tempos that were there at Dharmakshetra, the message seemed to sink in, that after a glorious 48 hours of bliss and incessant activity, Dharmakshetra would be shortly bidding her Master farewell.As the guests and the students� cars started slowly leaving the gates of

Dharmakshetra, onwards to the Mumbai airport, the Chief Minister of Maharashtra arrived to personally escort Bhagawan to the airport.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Click: Photos Bhagawan's Departure from Mumbai

The devotees� hearts were already saddened by the awareness that Bhagawan would shortly be leaving their city to head back to the abode of Eternal Peace. They lined up on both sides of the pathway to get their one last Darshan in Mumbai.Soon at about 2.45pm, Bhagawan�s car left the gates of Satyadeep, down the long, slope of Dharmakshetra, followed by His convoy of over 15 cars heading to Chatrapathi Shivaji International Airport . His smiling face as He gave His last darshan in Mumbai was the sole consolation to many a weeping heart and eye gathered there. Mumbai�s devotees felt a vacuum and Dharmakshetra bore a desolate look. A huge silence hung in the air and the only prayer on all lips was for Swami to come back soon again!"

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Click: Photos Bhagawan's Departure from Mumbai

Bhagawan arrived at the Airport at 0315 Hrs. escorted by the Chief Minister. ...And The Divine Chariot lifted off at around 3:55 p.m. bidding farewell to Mumbai City...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Photos Bhagawan's Departure from Mumbai

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

click to enlarge

 

 

 

Yes, The Lord returned to Prasanthi, but not before leaving "Himself" at Pune and Mumbai, etched in the hearts of thousands upon thousands. Reflecting the upbeat mood during His presence and the vacuum after His departure, an active worker commented: Mumbai has had a drought of His darshan for 9 years and we thought

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

of making up for all that lost time�we practically made Him live the life of a Mumbaikar. We work sixteen hours on an average but Bhagawan works incessantly. Yes, He works incessantly�and He loves us abundantly�It was His overpowering love for Mumbai that was seen in action for the last three days and Mumbai literally basked in His glory and so was the Sai Fraternity!! !

Photo source: sssbpt.org - layout design . com

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Prasanthi This Week - ending 1st Nov 2009The week that went past clearly belonged to Maharashtra, precisely to Pune and Mumbai as it was the Puneites and Mumbaikars who were privileged to bask in His Divine All Conquering Love, when Bhagawan embarked on a week-long visit to the twin cities.28th October was Pune’s scheduled date with Divinity and the city was blushing like a bride in eager anticipation of her Lord’s imminent presence. Taking off at 8:30 a.m. in a chartered Jet Airliner, with an entourage comprising fifty members, that included students, senior devotees and ‘family’ members, Bhagawan’s Air Chariot touched down the Pune Airport at 9:40 a.m. for a grand reception led by the Chief Minister of Maharashtra Sri Ashok Chavan and former Union Home Minister Sri Shivaraj Patil.Summing up the first half of Bhagawan’s week-long visit to Pune

and Mumbai someone reflected it as “His Celebration of Jadhav’s Loveâ€. True to the saying "God’s Delays are Not God’s Denials", fulfilling the long cherished desire coupled with fervent prayers of the Jadhavs and the Puneites, Divinity encased in human frame, Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba blessed the Peshwa City with abundance, with abundance of His Love, all by His gracious presence for three full days! Thousands upon thousands thronged to have a glimpse of The Lord in physical. It was indeed the fructification of the Jadhavs’ unparalleled devotion and surrender to Bhagawan. …And the blessed village Hadshi in Pune is now blessed with a Divine Abode, Sri Sathya Sai Panduranga Kshetra!It was celebration galore for the next three days with Bhagawan visiting the house of His host twice, attending cultural programmes, sanctifying the triune temple and delivering an electrifying Divine Discourse besides officiating the Poornahuthi of the

Yajna that had been going on, on the sidelines of His Divine Visit. Now, Sri Sathya Sai Panduranga Kshetra stands majestic, blissfully radiating a pristine aura, induced by the gracious presence of her Lord!Enlightening Divine Discourse The enlightening Divine Discourse, the only one during the entire sojourn, started off in Bhagawan’s inimitable style hailing Bharat and her cultural heritage. The discourse was full of Bhagawan’s regular adages divulging topics into His timeless teachings exhorting one and all to raise to the level of Divine Consciousness. Bhagawan spoke about a life of love – not to criticize anyone and to correct

one’s own faults rather than pointing fingers at others. He also spoke about the oneness of all beings and also stressed that our life has to be His message. Concluding the Discourse Bhagawan said: “…If anybody does good, follow it. This is the message of Baba to everyone today. The whole world should be happy. Let all the beings be happyâ€. The Divine Discourse was translated into English and Maratti simultaneously. The Divine Discourse was preceded by three speeches by Mr. Jadhav, the Divine host at Hadshi, Mr. V.Srinivasan, All India President of SSSSO followed by Sri Nishikant Barodekar, faculty, Sri Sathya Sai Mirpuri College of Music.Showing Omnipresence?In His Divine Discourse, Bhagawan also spoke about compassion for all living beings. He particularly mentioned snakes and scorpions and said that these creatures don't attack unnecessarily. They attack only because they fear us humans.Here is a tag to the above

Divine remark. Interestingly, a day prior to Bhagawan's Discourse, a snake was spotted close to the music and lights equipment. The men feared it would get into their equipment so they contemplated killing it. However, two lady devotees stopped them, and instead caught the scared snake in some cushion covers, and handed it to another lady devotee who offered to release it. The lady devotees cautioned small crowd that had gathered around the snake that Bhagawan would never like anyone killing it.And there came His Divine Discourse and an “off-the-cuff†remark about compassion for living beings... He gave His speech and spoke about snakes and scorpions! It is coincidental for the ordinary, but indeed ‘Saicidental’ for the Beloved Almighty Omnipresent Lord!(Incidentally, Sri Sathya Sai Pandurang Kshetra is teeming with snake holes, but there was not even a single case of a snake bite reported. It was as though the snake(s) were

charmed by the Lord and were content with His blissful darshan...)Parting ScenesThree full days of merriments and celebrations and the 31st morning dawned with the blushing bride that she was, Pune, getting herself set to bid farewell to her Beloved Lord! The Lord was set to leave for Mumbai for the second leg of His Divine visit.…And Bhagawan left the Panduranga Kshetra at around 10.45 a.m. with villagers lined up in a disciplined manner giving The Lord a “Guard of Honour “along the entrance and road leading towards Lonavala. One could see the winding procession, the Divine Caravan comprising of motorbikes, two cars with security guards, Bhagawan’s car and a string of 20 cars following. A parting Blessing from The Lord, an Abhayahastha and the convoy sped on, towards an eagerly awaiting Mumbai and His Divie Abode atop the hills in Andheri East, Dharmakshetra.Over to MumbaiSpeeding past the six lane

track Pune – Mumbai Express Highway, Bhagawan reached Dharmakshetra just before 14:00 Hrs. to a grand ceremonial welcome. Over hundred motorcyclists escorted Bhagawan during the journey till official escort equivalent to that of the President of India took over the charge. It was after a long 9-10 years that Bhagawan was setting His Feet at the holy precincts of His Divine Abode, Dharmakshetra.Mumbai witnessed three public programmes, first one at the NSE grounds, Goregaon wherein singer of repute, Sonu Nigam enthralled the Divine with his melodious rendering; the second programme was at Jamboori Maidan, Worli followed by the final programme at Brabourne Stadium, Churchgate wherein the grateful students of Sri Sathya Sai University transported one and all to heavenly heights with their enrapturing devotional numbers.Banking on BabaWhile high-profile dignitaries made a beeline to receive blessings from Bhagawan, it was the

Chief Minister’s special privilege to have Him at his official residence, Varsha at Malabar Hill, for a private session blessing the family and close aids. Later Bhagawan paid a visit to the State Home Minister, Jayant Patil’s residence as well, acceding to his prayers. Earlier on the first day of His visit, Bhagawan blessed the doyen of SSSSO, Indulal Shah’s residence at Khar West with His Divine visit.Following up with the high profile conference on “Ethics and World of Finance†held in Prasanthi Nilayam during October, top shots from the industry converged yet again in the Dharmakshetra complex Banking on His Blessings. Some of the prominent names attended the function were Former ICICI Bank Chairman, KV Kamath, the Chairman and MD of the Union Bank of India, MV Nair, Kotak Bank’s Vice-Chairman and MD, Uday Kotak, Gunit Chadha, the head of Deutsche Bank’s India operations, PMS Prasad, a director on the board of Reliance

Industries (RIL), India’s largest private sector company, and Meera Sanyal, CEO, RBS/ABN Amro Bank and an independent candidate from the South Mumbai parliamentary constituency and Bodhisatva Ganguly, Dy. Chief Editor of nation’s premier financial daily, The Economic Times.Who’s Who?Other who’s who thronged to have a glimpse of Bhagawan included former Chief Minister of Maharashtra and currently Minister of Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises, Chairman, Tata Group, Ratan Tata, Bollywood singers of fame, Hariharan, Sonu Nigam and Kunal Ganjawala, Santoor exponent Pt. Shiv Kumar Sharma, Bollywood Hero Salman Khan’s sister and Bollywood Actress, Alvira Khan Agnihotri and famous Fashion Designer Saina NC, daughter of former Sheriff of Mumbai, Nana Chudasama apart from the high-profile names from the banking sector.The Chief Minister’s residence had a huge chunk of VVIP devotees that included former Union Home Minister

Shivraj Patil, senior NCP leader Praful Patel, Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee chief Manikrao Thakre, Mumbai Congress unit president Kripa Shankar Singh, State Legislative Council chairman Shivajirao Deshmukh, industrialist Ashok Hinduja and leading builder Niranjan Hiranandani. The outgoing Home Minister Jayant Patil also played host to Bhagawan. Bollywood actress Rani Mukherjee and Cricketing Legend Sunil Gavaskar were also present during the occasion offering salutations to Bhagawan.Sri Sathya Sai Central Trust gets felicitatedIn appreciation of the key role played by the Sri Sathya Sai Central Trust in disaster reconstruction in the post flood situation in Orissa, the Orissa State Disaster Management Authority, a Govt. of Orissa Agency felicitated the SSSCT in a state level programme organized at Jayadev Bhavan, Bhubaneshwar on the 29th October. Mr. K.Chakravarthi, Secretary, Sri Sathya Sai Central Trust, received the

felicitation from the hands of the Chief Minister, Mr. Naveen Patnaik on behalf of the Trust. The function was organized coinciding the Orissa Disaster Preparedness Day and the National Day for Disaster Reduction.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In the meantime even during Bhagawan’s physical absence, Prasanthi was full of life with fairly good crowd staying back inducing ‘life’ in Ashram …and the last couple of days become vibrant with the return of University and school students after a ten day long winter vacation. With the Akhanda Bhajan scheduled for next week followed by ensuing 84th Birthday celebrations, students from the Brindavan campus also returned to Prasanthi Nilayam wherein they would be having regular classes for the first half of November.Yes, the week ended leaving Bhagawan in Mumbai…and Prasanthi was bustling with enthusiasm at the imminence of her Beloved’s return, due for the first day of the following week.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Photo source: sssbpt.org - layout design . com