ONE OF THE FINEST EXPERIENCE !!!

It was 1 week before SWAMI's proposed visit to CHENNAI (Several years ago) & I found that I had to make an urgent business trip to CHICAGO just for 1 meeting. In those days, BHAGAVAN was staying in the old Brindavan building in BANGALORE & I had to go & take his permission for the trip.

So when I went to take his permission, BHAGAVAN graciously  said, "Yes, you can go & come back. Anyway I'm coming to Chennai only after a few days." I was to leave that night from Chennai. I waited there with my folded hands & SWAMI asked me to stop at a particular place during my return journey & meet a particular person. I said, "Yes SWAMI, I'll do that".

There were no further instructions!!! I was thunderstruck since I was going to travel 1000s of miles to meet a person without knowing why I was going there & what I was supposed to tell him. Anyway I thought BHAGAVAN would sort out everything & flew that night to CHICAGO.

After finishing my official meeting in Chicago, I called this person (Name withheld) whom SWAMI had asked me to meet & said, "I'm coming to your city to see you".

He sounded a bit curt on the phone & said, "Why are you coming?"

I said, "I'll tell you when I get there!" He sounded curt once again but I said, "SAIRAM" & told him that I was coming by such & such flight. It was a 14 hours flight with a stopover for re-fuelling & I simply had no idea why BHAGAVAN had asked me to meet him!!!

I was quite tired when I came out of the customs area & this particular gentleman was waiting for me. He appeared to be very wealthy & quite aristocratic. He said, "SAIRAM" & we went to the parking lot where he had his Rolls Royce parked. There was 'dead silence' during the car trip & we reached his palatial house at about 2.30AM in the morning.

He straight away took me to his drawing room, shut the doors, sat facing me & asked, "Now, why have you come?" I told him, "I came because SWAMI asked me to meet you & I've no other message!!!"

He said, "What man, you've come such a long distance without any message & without knowing why you're supposed to see me. Are you sure or are you hiding something?"

He repeatedly quizzed me & grilled me but I told him that I had absolutely no idea why I was asked to come & see him!!!

Then he relapsed into dead silence & was lost in thought for about 15 minutes!!! Suddenly he bent forward, reached towards his right shoe, withdrew something from his socks & I saw a glinting blue steel revolver!!!

To my shock, he said, "This is a fully loaded revolver & just tonight I was going to shoot myself!!!" Then he told me how he had got into enormous debts in his business & that he just wanted to end his life! He also said, "BHAGAVAN knew what I was going to do & that's probably why he sent you to meet me!!!" I told him that SWAMI was coming to Chennai in a few days & he said he would be there!

Later in Chennai, first SWAMI never looked at him & later when we thought he's not going to see this person at all, suddenly he called him into the interview room & asked me also to come in! Then BHAGAVAN started really to castigate this person & I was feeling very embarrassed to translate some of SWAMI's words!!!

SWAMI then got very angry with me & said, "YOU'RE JUST A LOUD SPEAKER. YOUR ROLE IS TO SAY EXACTLY WHAT I'M TELLING YOU TO SAY. NO EDITING WHATSOEVER." Then I exactly followed SWAMI's instructions & this man started weeping like a baby.

Finally SWAMI in all his mercy said, "Past is past, forget the past. Everything will be alright for you."

This man had a lot of properties that could not be sold due to the crash in the prices that took place at that time. But then buyers came mysteriously from somewhere & he was finally able to raise enough funds to meet all his obligations!!!

BHAGAVAN'S ways are mysterious. How, where & when he would come to protect you, you don't know!!! BHAGAVAN knows the PAST, PRESENT & FUTURE of every devotee under his care & even though this gentleman had not come to BHAGAVAN for quite some time, SWAMI remembered him & saved him!!! "I WILL NOT LET YOU GO" is what SWAMI SAYS.

PS: Excerpts from an interview with Sri V. SRINIVASAN, ALL INDIA PRESIDENT, SRI SATHYA SAI SEVA ORGANIZATIONS broadcast on 6th OCT '02 & on 10th APRIL '03 on RADIO SAI GLOBAL HARMONY.

Prayer of Surrender

Why get agitated? Let Me take care of all your business. I shall be the one who will think   about them. I am waiting for nothing else than your surrender to Me, and then you do not have to worry any more about anything. Say farewell to all fears and discouragement. You demonstrate that you do not trust Me. On the contrary, you must rely blindly on Me.

To surrender means: To turn your thoughts away from troubles, to turn them away from  difficulties you encounter and from all your problems. Leave everything into My hands saying "Lord, Thy will be done. Thou think of it." That is to say: "Lord I thank you for you have taken everything in your hands, and you will resolve this for my highest good."

Remember that thinking of the consequences of a thing is contrary to surrender. That is to say, when you worry that a situation has not had the desired outcome, you thus demonstrate that you do not believe in My love for you. You will prove that you do not consider your life to be under My control and that nothing escapes Me.

Never think: How is this to end?... What is going to happen? If you give into this temptation, you demonstrate that you do not trust Me. Do you want Me to deal with it...yes or no? Then you must stop being anxious about it! I shall guide you only if you completely surrender to Me and when I must lead you into a different path than the one that you expect, I carry you in My arms.

What seriously upsets you is your reasoning, your worrying, your obsession, your will to provide for yourselves at any price. I can do so many things when the being, as much in his material necessities as in his spritual ones, turns to Me saying: "You think of it." then he closes his eyes and rests quietly. You will receive a lot but only when your prayer will rely fully upon Me. You pray to Me when in pain so that I intervene, but in the way you desire it. You do not rely on Me, but you want Me to adjust your requests.

Don't behave like sick ones who ask a treatment to the doctor, all the time suggesting it to him. Do not do that; but rather, even in sad circumstances, say: "Lord I praise and thank You for this problem, for this necessity. I pray You to arrange things as You please for this terrestrial and temporal life. You know very well what is best for me."

Sometimes you feel that disasters increase instead of diminish. Do not get agitated. Close your eyes and tell me with faith: "Thy will be done. You think of it." And when you speak thus, I accomplish a miracle when necessary. I only think of it when you trust me totally. I always think of you, but I can only help you completely when you rely fully on Me.

—Sathya Sai Baba

Surrender to God Is Your Destiny

 

On another day, Bhagavan turned to me and asked, "How did you like My discourse?"

God wanting human comment on His discourse! Well, it is really a matter of fortune, a matter of good luck, to be privileged to comment on the Divine discourse to God Himself.

Well, then I said, "Swami, Your talk was fantastic! All our doubts are dispelled. All our doubts are clarified. It was a beautiful discourse."

Then Bhagavan said, "Hmmm, you want Me to believe that all your doubts are now dispelled? No! Your body is full of doubts, top to toe. They will never be clarified." (Laughter)

Then I said apologetically, "Swami, if my body is full of doubts that can never be clarified, what am I to do? What is my fate? What is my destiny?"

Destiny in Sanskrit is called gathi. I said, "Swami, what is my gathi, what is my destiny, what is my fate? If I'm full of doubts that cannot be clarified, what am I to do?"

Then Bhagavan said, "What? Repeat your question!" (Laughter)

I said, "Swami what is my gathi? What is my fate?"

He said, "Sharanagathi is the solution." (Laughter)

Sharanagathi means, surrender.

"You surrender to Me. Sharanagathi, that is your gathi. That is your destiny."

That's what Bhagavan has said. So my friends, the only gathi or destiny for all of us is Sharanagathi, surrender to God. This is a nice statement that I wanted to share with you.

-- Professor Anil Kumar

I am everywhere

It was a serene evening in the Mandir during the rainy season of 1990. Swami had completed His usual Darshan rounds and had called some devotees for interview. All the students were eagerly waiting for Swami to come out and spend some time with them. They were surprised by the sudden brush of a cool breeze that heralded soothing showers.

It was the time when the Sai Kulwant Hall had not yet been built. To those directly exposed to the scalding rays of the sun, the rain was a welcome relief. To the students it meant a blanket permit to rush forward and occupy the front portico of the Mandir. It was a vantage spot as it gave us the advantage to be very close to the interview room door so that when Swami came out, His gaze in our direction was guaranteed. I was then in my second year of the MBA programme. Along with another brother of mine I was blessed to secure a strategic spot in the front portico. From here we had a clear view of Swami’s throne in the Bhajan Hall.

As the rain persisted without any respite, I began reading a book on Swami’s miracles in Africa. I was particularly drawn to an incident where two of the devotees who were driving a car on an express way at speeds over 110 km/h suddenly met with an accident. Their car was thrown out of the express way and into the bushes. The car was totally smashed and there was no chance that its occupants would survive such a crash. The devotees in the car however had taken the Lord’s Name on their lips at the critical juncture and had escaped unscathed. They were nonplussed and thanked Swami for His Omnipresence. I was quite overwhelmed by this incident and happened to share it with the brother beside me. I couldn’t but help remark – ‘Look Swami is in Africa also’.

Some moments later the interview room door opened. Swami came out and stood on the upper portico of the verandahh in the Mandir. He paused and looked at me and my brother for a few seconds. I looked at Swami with reverence. Suddenly Swami asked the students sitting in front of me to make way. A path was made for Swami in the tightly packed verandahh. Before I could realise Swami walked straight up to me and then paused. Gazing into my eyes He remarked –“Dunnapotha! You are talking in the verandah.”

Then after a small pause He continued, “I am here. I am in Africa. I am everywhere.” Saying this, He walked away with a nonchalant gait. Do I have to say anymore?

By Sri K. Suresh
- A Former Student of Swami’s Institute.

Closer Than Our Mother

 

I would like to share with you a very prized possession from the museum of my recollections, one of the channels of Bhagavan’s Love, of which we students are recipients of. These are at the dear hostel where the entire atmosphere is permeated with brotherly love. Whenever there is a rainfall there is a brother coming up from the dispensary department with a homeopathy pill saying:

“Brother, it has rained. Tomorrow you may catch a cold, you may catch fever, please take this.”

So one day, in that hostel, due to some reason, there was a 2-hour delay in my lunch. In spite of being in that kind of an atmosphere, I was missing that love saturated motherly enquiry as to ‘why you didn’t have your food?’ (“Bhojan Cheyi leydemi? Bhojan cheshnava?”). I was missing that motherly element and with these thoughts, I had a very absent minded lunch session.

Then after a bath, I came to Mandir. Swami came, graced the cushionsimhasana (Throne), there was a nice Darshan, and as He was going back, He turned towards me and said: “Yemi ra, bhojan cheshnava? (Did you have your lunch?”) That is the Divine Mother! He whispered a thundering truth into my ears that He is the Nearest of the Near, the Dearest of the Dear.

By Bharat Kumar S S
- A Former Student of Swami's Institute.

An Electric Experience

 

During the olden days, the decoration in the Mandir would be done by the students during the festive occasions. And on one such occasion, the students were putting up serial bulbs as part of the decoration. And it so happened that they needed to use a live wire to complete this particular task. A part of this live wire was bare, exposed and un-insulated. Somebody had very thoughtfully placed a stool, where the exposed part of the wire lay, so that no harm would occur to any of the students accidentally through an electric shock. But in the hurry that ensued, during the decoration, somebody moved the stool away from its position.

Swami was watching. He saw the stool being moved away and He quietly moved to the area where the exposed bare wire lay and stood with His legs across on both the sides, so that, the exposed part of the wire was right under Him and so that no harm would befall on any of His students.

From there, He continued supervising the work and giving directions. Till the entire decoration was over, Swami stood right there, in that very same place and exact posture, and finally, when the decoration was over, and there was no necessity for this wire, only then did He move away. And it was at this moment that the students too realized what Bhagavan had taken upon Himself to prevent any suffering to His students. The Lord voluntarily takes up the suffering of His devotees.

If a friend or a colleague commits an error, we know how we react in such a situation. But here was the Lord, who did not utter a word, but volunteered to take away the sufferings and avoid the harm to His devotees, saving the mistake of His devotee.

-- Mr. Subhash Subramaniam, a research scholar in Bhagavan’s University

The Charismatic Charioteer

Devotion to God is fundamental to leading a virtuous life. Swami, through His Divine Love and in His own inimitable way, evokes in each of our hearts, this devotion and builds our faith. I would like to share with you, one such instance, when Swami through a simple and appealing example captured the heart of a young boy in an instant, making him a devotee for life!

During an interview, Swami asked our young son to ask Him a question.

The boy said, “Swami, which is your favourite car?”

My heart sank and I thought to myself, “Is this the question to ask Swami? Time with Swami is so precious!”

Swami gave a lovely smile and answered, “Morris Minor” and went on to tell stories of how He used to drive to Madras and how He obtained a license.

“You used to drive it yourself Swami?” Exclaimed the boy, stars in His eyes!

Swami had woven a bit of magic and our son looked at Swami transfixed.

Swami went on to say, “I will give you a big car. Will you take it? You mustn’t say no!”

And the boy, a bit overawed by now, said, “OK!”

Swami then asked, “Will you give me your car?”

Prompt came the answer, “Sure Swami!”

“Shall I drive it?”

And the boy again said, “Sure, Swami.”

Swami then smilingly placed His hand on our son’s heart and said, “Your heart is the car and I am the driver.”

One of the most profound lessons in devotion had been taught by Swami in the simplest possible manner! Swami says, “Have faith in Him” and “Be free from fear, anxiety and agitation. Surrender to God; His Grace can save you. His wisdom can enlighten you. His power can overcome all obstacles. Faith and surrender are the manifestations of devotion.”

-- Mrs. Mallika Srinivasan, CEO of TAFE [Tractors and Farm Equipment]

God Listens to Every Little Thought

 

Swami once happened to come in His car to the hill view stadium. After completing a round, we saw His car coming to a halt just near the rear entrance of the hostel. With anticipation, we waited to see if His car would turn and take the route into the hostel. Strangely Swami's car just waited there – none of us could guess why. After this brief halt, to our disappointment Swami's car turned away and the divine visit was not to be. The purpose of this short halt did not remain a mystery for long. In the afternoon Swami enquired about a particular boy in the hostel. The warden started summoning boys to where Swami sat, but none of them was the student Swami was looking for. He then mentioned that the boy was a student in the music college. There was a music college boy sitting right next to me and I prodded him to go on upto Swami. As soon as he got up, Swami's face lit up with recognition and He beckoned him to come up front. We were wonderstruck, after all - what was so special about this boy that Swami Himself had to search for him? What we heard from Swami that moment was something none of us could have anticipated. Swami asked the boy "Today morning weren't you sitting near the window of your room with a bad headache? You thought how nice it would be if Swami were to come right there. However you did not to lift yourself and look outside the window – I was right there outside the hostel looking at you!"  Swami had conveyed a profound truth in such a casual and simple way! God is there always waiting, man only needs to lift himself – if he puts that effort then he could experience God.

From Vidhyullekha - Alumini's news letter - Annual Edition 2008 - 2009

Swami's Divine Poornachandra Session with Alumni Students

 

Swami had decided to bestow a great boon upon the 700 Alumni Students them as He had sent word that He would interact with all of them in the Poornachandra Auditorium after the morning bhajans. By 8:30am, all the students sat ready in Poornachandra and it was at about 9:00 am that Swami arrived for darshan. The time scheduled for the alumni was 10:00am.
But though Swami took a complete round of the Kulwant hall, He seemed to be in a great hurry as His beloved children awaited Him in the auditorium and He seemed to be wanting to be there as soon as possible, ASAP as its called! It was just 9:20am when Swami received Aarthi and then moved into the Poornachandra auditorium.
A small stage had been arranged for Swami so that He could be seen by one and all assembled. Swami was welcomed by a small contingent of Veda chanting boys and soon He took His place - on the stage and in the thirsting eyes of every alumnus sitting there.
There were also the elders whom Swami brought with Him- Sri Chakravarthy, secretary of Central trust; Prof. Vishwanath Pandit, the Vice chancellor; Sri V Srinivasan, the All India Sai organisation President; Prof. G Venkatraman, the great scientist and director of the RadioSai studios and Sri S V Giri, the former vice chancellor.
Sri Chakravarthy introduced the speakers for the day. First Sri S V Giri spoke on the responsibilities that rest on the strong shoulders of the alumni. As he spoke, an interesting incident took place. One of the members of the alumni, a senior above 50 years of age maybe, was moving to and fro right at the back, to get a good view of the proceedings maybe. Swami noticed that and seemed a bit uncomfortable. And sure enough, in two minutes, the student next to Swami came walking all the way to the back asking, "Who was it that was walking over here?" At first everyone felt that Swami was disturbed. It got confirmed soon but why had He been disturbed? The student located the disturber and asked, "Sir would you like a chair to sit on? Swami sees that you are not able to sit on the floor." The answering was done with a nod saying, "No" and profuse tears down the cheeks. The alumnus then got up and moving towards the front, sat in the corner but in the first row! Swami saw that and seemed satisfied!
The second speaker was Sri V Srinivasan. He spoke very inspiringly on the growth and spread of the Sri Sathya Sai Seva Organisations in India. Many facts little known to most of the devotees and students were revealed and very deservingly, there were 4-5 rounds of applause for him. After he finished his speech, Swami told him with great pride to announce that he was the All India President. An overwhelmed Srinivasan said that more than anything else, he wished to be a humble devotee and concluded his speech.
The Alumni coordinator then went forward to request Swami for the divine discourse. Swami materialized vibhuti and gave him and then also agreed to address the students. Another poignant scene took place now. Swami noticed a student, Raghuram, who currently works for RadioSai global harmony. He has been physically challenged due to a tragic accident and has been on the wheelchair since. Swami asked him to come over to the dais.. As the boy reached there, Swami waved His hand and materialized a gold ring. Amidst the cheer that ran about the hall, Swami enquired into the well being of the boy's mother and sister. HE promised him that he would very soon speak to them as a family and then put the ring to the right hand. He asked Swami for paadanamaskar. Swami agreed and knowing that it was very difficult for the boy to bend down, Swami did something that none imagined. He slowly lifted His right leg and placed it near the knee of the boy. After he touched it, Swami now raised His left leg too and placed it there! The boy was thrilled at this special paadanamaskar. As he returned to His place, Swami began His divine discourse.

Important Points of the Wonderful Divine Discourse :

1. Swami emphasised on the message of Advaita, stressing the point that there is nothing in this world which is not divine, and that we should conduct ourselves bearing this in mind.
2. Swami also stressed on the need for one and all to realise the inherent divinity.
The most interesting part was when towards the end, Swami asked,"Does anyone have doubts? Ask and I shall answer them now in a perfect manner." What followed was a Divine Question and Answer Session
Question : Swami. We know that we are truth and the truth is everywhere. So we must be everywhere right…..
Swami could not follow the question hence the boy tried to explain! "Swami I'm everywhere but I don't realize it…!"
Swami----You are not everywhere, you are right now here!(everyone laughs )…If you are in path of Truth then you will know you are the Truth…..(Swami conveyed to boy that if he believes he is the Eternal Atma then he is everywhere and if he restricts himself to body then he is now here!)

Question : Swami. We don't have time available for spiritual activities and service as we are bogged by daily activities….what shall we do (there were tears in his eyes out of helplessness)…

Swami : Don't feel bad about it…do as much as you can in little time available …do little service but offer it to lord….if you can't do even that then do your job or activity as the service to lord…..That'll make Him happy
Question :(In kannada) ,Swami as we (boys) plan to do activities and projects in larger scale how do we go about doing the same….do we need to form organized groups and start off…

Swami—(In kannada) Yes….form proper groups and go about in a systematic way…..I've already told this(swami has mentioned the same in Man management)
Question :(one student who was Teacher)…Swami…we all have only one prayer in our hearts …you should walk …like you used to do earlier….
Swami…(with out a pause) …Yes …I will!...I used to walk earlier properly….only recently I had a fall and doctors told me not to walk and take rest…I'm just abiding by their words….I have organize a Yagnam in Parthi (ARMY) and one in Chenni(ARMY ---II)…I'm managing quite a lot like this too…but I'll surely walk…(Swami lifted both His legs and played them in the air as He spoke)
Question : Swami…what should we do to become closer to swami….
Swami---(without delay)…Swami should (will to) take you closer…! (Swami conveyed its His grace that matters not any amount of penance you do…., he added ),If you want to become closer keep Swami in your heart…Then you need not come to Swami and He will come closer to you….
Question : Swami…How do we get Atmanandam (perennial bliss)…

Swami---You should carry less luggage…less luggage is more comfort… Reduce your desires and put a ceiling on it
Question : Swami..how do we take care of our kids in countries where there are not even Indian families forget the Sai centers….
Swami---where are you right now….
Boy---…I've returned back to India….
Swami---I'm very happy…Congratulations…America is not good at the moment…all our people should return to native land…One lakh in USA is equal to 10,000 in India….
Question - Swami---How do we achieve total surrender…..
Swami---Bangaaru! ---Surrender is not so easy…so many after they surrender would still carry the burden of doubt in their minds….so just follow how much you can….and stop doubting.
It was already nearing 11:30am and Swami said that He would speak to all the next day too. Then Swami received Aarthi and blessed those who took a flower and the holy grains upto Him. As He moved back towards the residence, Swami collected letters from all the students who lined up the entire pathway. Swami retired leaving behind cherished memories and wonderful feelings.
Om Sai Ram

From Disability to Ability

The Omnipresent One cares for you in your absence as much as He enthralls you in your presence. One such account by a student of Bhagawan's University sheds light on the affection par excellence of the Divine Mother. Read on for an account by Sri P.S. Priya Chakravarthi, an alumnus of Sathya Sai University as published in Fragrance - A Tale of Love, souvenir brought out by the School of Business Management - Accounts and Finance, Sri Sathya Sai University.

From Disability to Ability

It was during Dasera in 1995, just after my B.Sc. (Honours) Course, in the Brindavan campus of SSSIHL. All the Brindavan boys who stayed back for the vacation were accommodated in the old Hostel located near the Mandir. As usual, the students used to rush inside the Mandir and were often selective about their sitting locations. I used to have a particular seat where I sat for Swami’s Darshan. May be it was my perception, but Swami appeared to avoid looking in the direction where I used to sit.

One day during Darshan, observing my vacant seat, Swami enquired about my absence from my brother (Vamsi, MBA 1995-97) and asked him where I was. My brother was perplexed and he feared that I was absconding from Darshan with no valid reason. Once the Darshan got over and Swami went inside the interview room with a few devotees, my brother immediately rushed to the old Hostel where I was sleeping. He approached me with anger but seeing me, his anger melted down. He saw me in lot of pain and my face wet with sweat. I was finding it difficult to even sit down on my bed. I was struggling with excruciating pain at the right lower side, but I had not mentioned about this to anyone.

He immediately went back to the Mandir and Swami again approached him and asked him as to where Chakravarthy was. My brother promptly replied that I was in agony and was experiencing unbearable pain. This shows the Omnipresence of Swami. Bhagawan exhibits His Love for all His beings where ever they are, immaterial of whether they are present physically in front of Him or not.

Swami smiled at him and immediately calling a doctor, told him to take me to the Super Speciality Hospital. He also directed my brother to accompany me. I was transported to the Hospital and was given medical attention. In the evening Swami again called my brother and the doctor, materialised Vibuthi and gave money to buy tender coconuts to be given to me with instructions that the Vibuthi should be applied externally at the place where the pain occurred. It reached me by evening. This act of Grace repeated for 3 days (Swami materialising Vibuthi, giving money to buy tender coconuts to be given to me)!  The 3rd day, Swami instructed that the Vibuthi should be taken with water.

Then came the D-day, when the senior surgeon recommended that I should be operated upon immediately. I was in a dilemma and could not accept the fact that I was suffering from appendicitis. But the situation demanded surgery and I had no choice. Prior to my operation, I wanted to have Swami’s Darshan and possibly, a chance to talk to Him about my operation (shows my ignorance!). I was permitted for Darshan and was sitting in the front line, mainly to catch the attention of Swami. As usual Swami was busy and He was distributing Prasadam. I was not making any attempt to talk to Him as He was very busy, but the doctor on the verandah began insisting that I should take a chance to talk to Swami. Then, by Swami’s Sankalpa I got a chance to talk to Him. I told Swami, “The doctor says I need to be operated; I need your Grace and Blessings”. Swami gave a stern look and He moved away from me without saying a single wor d. This gave me a shiver that chilled my bones! I was baffled and scared.

My operation was scheduled for the next morning and the doctor administered some medicines. He advised his team to do an initial scan on me to get more clarity about my ailment. But lo and behold! When the reports of the scan arrived, the protrusion of the appendix was literally not visible! The team wrestled with the machine but it always showed a negative report for the protrusion. I was brought back to my ward. The senior doctor was astonished, but was ready to accept this as an instance of the Omnipotence of Swami. I was discharged in a day and I went for Darshan. This time Swami gave me a smile and moved on silently!

This is just one of the many incidents showing His Omnipresence, Omnipotence and Omniscience.

Train service to Sri Satya Sai Prasanti Nilayam

CHENNAI: Southern Railway will introduce a direct train service to Sri Satya Sai Prasanti Nilayam from Chennai Central by extending trains (2691/2692) Chennai Central-Bangalore weekend expresses.

The inaugural service will be flagged off by Minister of State for Railways R.Velu on December 7 at the Sri Satya Sai Prasanti Nilayam railway station. Regular  service will commence on December 12 from Chennai Central and December 14 from Sri Satya Sai Prasanti Nilayam.

The train will leave Chennai Central at 11.30 p.m. on Fridays and reach Sri Satya Sai Prasanti Nilayam at 10.20 a.m. the next day.

It will leave Sri Satya Sai Prasanti Nilayam at 7.10 p.m. on Sundays and arrive at Chennai Central at 5.15 a.m., according to a Southern Railway release. — Special Correspondent

Source: The Hindu

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BHAGAWAN !!!

"The day when you resolve to practise My advice; to follow my directives, to translate My message into acts of service, and to engage in spiritual discipline-that day is My birthday for you. The 23rd of November which you now honor as the day on which I was born, is only like any other day, even if you celebrate it in a routine, ritual fashion. Adore man: the adoration reaches Me. Neglect man; you neglect Me. Of what avail is it to worship the Lord and to suppress man, His counterpart on earth? Love for God must be manifested as Love for man, and Love must express itself as service."

SAHASRA POORNA CHANDRA DARSHANA SHANTI MAHOTSAVAM - GOLDEN CHARIOT

VIDEO : http://sssbpt.org/Pages/83-birthday/videos.htm

When the almighty Lord decided to script His own story for a descend down to planet earth, He had everything fell in place and in that was written in gold – 17th November 2008, and the day was indeed golden.

Inducing nostalgic memoirs of the epochal scene way back in 1997, Prasanthi witnessed yet another grand spectacle, Golden Chariot Procession coinciding with the grand finale of the three day long Sahasra Poornachandra Darshana Mahotsavam.

The atmosphere around was electrifying as thousands of hearts and minds woke up to a morning that promised much, with greater expectation of beholding yet another Divine Sport!

As time ticked to the scheduled hour, it was expectation in the air with greater enthusiasm, as all eyes ready to gaze on the Lord of thousand moons coming in a regal procession on the golden chariot.  Adding to this expectancy came through the mike mellifluous poetic rendering by Madugula Nagaphani Sharma who rendered the air that was intermittently translated by Prof. Anil Kumar, boosting the air of expectancy.  The tempo was further enhanced with the song Sarvam Sai Mayam Jagamantha Sai that was followed by yet another audio on Sai Mahatmyam.

Surya Koti Samaprabha the brilliance of one crore (10 million) suns. As said in the Sloka (verse) Vakrutanda Mahakaya Surya Koti Samaprabha …Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba shone with the brilliance of millions of suns when He entered the stadium at 9.40 a.m. in a glowing yellow robe sitting majestically on the brilliant Suvarna Ratham (golden chariot). It was a sight to behold for everyone, not only for the mortals, but also for the gods of the highest heavens. An attempt to describe such a sight as the brilliance of millions of suns only shows our shallowness, it defies all descriptions.

As Bhagawan ascended the golden chariot and came in the procession towards the Shanti Vedhi, filling the hearts of one and all with Divine ecstasy, a welcome song, sung Shankar Mahadevan, playback singer of fame, describing the Lord’s glory and grandeur rendered the air giving a fillip to the already charged atmosphere.Bhagawan was heralded into the Hill View Stadium in a long procession consisting of two huge elephants, Institute Brass Band playing sonorous tunes, Bhagawan’s beloved elephant Sathya Geeta and a big contingent of about 150 Veda chanting students in ochre dhotis and angavastrams. As Bhagawan neared the Yajna Vedika, like the previous two days of the Yajna, there was a booming display of pyrotechnics.

Upon entering the Yajna Vedhi after a 20 mts. chariot ride, Bhagawan was traditionally and religiously welcomed with Poornakumbham by family members and senior devotees. 

Earlier the proceedings for the final day began at 6:30 a.m. with ganapathi pooja and special sankalpa for the homam. Rithwicks in groups gathered around the 10 homa kundas offering ghee and boiled rice with the accompaniment of vedic chanting, that went on for almost 2 hours.

After Bhagawan entered the Yajna Vedika, this being the concluding day, 17th November 2008, Lakshminarayana Poornahuti was performed for the Yajna. The priests chanted sacred Vedic Mantras in unison, Veda chanting students chanted Sri Rudra Prasna, Purusha Suktam, Sri Suktam and Durga Suktam as Bhagawan was giving Darshan to devotees from the Vedika. He went to each side of the Vedika to bless the vast multitudes of devotees with His Darshan. One could see a huge concourse of devotees literally filling every inch of space in the stadium. Precious materials were offered in each of the 10 Yajna Kundas. Bhagawan blessed them before they were offered in the Yajna Kunda. Final offerings were done in each of the Yajna Kundas with ghee (clarified butter) and fruits.

There was a wide array of Mathadipathis (heads of Maths) from different Maths of India. These luminaries are the heads of prominent Maths in India. They had come to grace this auspicious function by their presence and also shared the dais with Bhagawan. They were: Sri Sri Sri Dr. Shivakumara Swamigalu, Head of Sri Siddaganga Math, Tumkur is a nonagenarian and also spoke a few words on this occasion, Sri Jagadguru Madhwacharya Mahasamsthana Pejawara Mathadeesha H.H. Sri Vishwesha Tirtha, Sri Sri Sri 1008 Sri Sushameendra Thirtha  Sri Padulavaru, Sri Jagadguru Kanchi Kamakoti Peetadhipathi Sri Jayendra Saraswathi Swamigal, Jagadguru Sri Shivarathri Deshikendra Mahaswamiji, Suttur Math, Sri Sri Rangapriya Mahadesika Sri Sri and Sri Sakthiamma, Sripuruam, Golden Temple, Sri Narayani Pitham. Pujya Sri Ganapathy Sachchidananda Swamiji graced this occasion on 16th November. Sri Vilasrao Deshmukh, Chief Minister of Maharashtra also shared the dais with Bhagawan and sought His blessings. This most auspicious and holy function concluded with Jaikars – Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba Ki Jai and offer of Arati to Bhagawan at 11.00 a.m.

After the Poornahuthi, Bhagawan appeared at the front of the Vedika followed by distinguished guests who arrayed on either side of Bhagawan granting a rare spectacle for the multitudes gathered all over the stadium. For the devotees who have been waiting from early hours it was indeed a sight to behold with the yellow clad Lord of thousand moons granting darshan on the most auspicious day. Adding fervour to the grand spectacle came the helicopter drizzling holy water blessing the multitudes from heaven followed by a shower of hues (confetti) rejoicing the grandeur and beauty of this earthly carnival. It was indeed a golden day to rejoice!!!

God and the Ice Cream

One day many years ago, Swami distributed ice cream to the boys. The brand name was JOY ice cream, and it was gifted by a devotee who owned the company. While boys were enjoying the ice cream, Baba went round as usual, asking the boys how they liked the ice cream. And then suddenly He asked a boy, "Boy what do you think God is like?" The boy was taken aback. He was fully immersed in enjoying ice cream, and God was, at least at that moment, far from his mind! Swami asked another boy the same question, and he too blinked. After drawing a blank response a few more times, Swami smiled and slowly said,"God is SWEET like ice cream!" The boys became attentive. Swami continued, "God is SOFT like ice cream!" By now, the boys had stopped eating, while Swami went on, "God is COOL like ice cream!" And then the punch line: "He gives JOY like ice cream!"
What a delightful play on words! Sage Ramakrishna Paramahamsa once declared, "God alone can make complicated things simple, so simple in fact that even a child can understand." How very true!

Wielding the Ultimate Weapon of Conquest: Love

It was the worst nightmare anyone midair could ever go through. With the most menacing looking hijackers staring down at them, the horrified and helpless hostages watched the macabre dance of their imminent end being played out right before their very eyes. Armed to the teeth, the hijackers had strewn broken liquor and perfume bottles along the aisles to ensure that when they did light the fire, the plane would burn brilliantly. Meanwhile, they were running out of fuel and had been denied landing at any of the European cities the flight was hovering over.

The hijackers had originally hoped to land in Athens, Greece. They were seeking the release of two of their compatriots imprisoned there for a former similar misadventure. Their ultimatum to the passengers hardly required any translation from Arabic to English. Their intent was clear enough. With their original plan thwarted, they planned to blow up the planeload of passengers over the North Sea.

The year was 1975 and caught in the thick of this horrifying episode were the American couple, Mr. Sidney Krystal, a prominent Los Angeles attorney, and his wife, Mrs. Phyllis Krystal, a psychotherapist. The Krystals were returning home from India, after a visit to Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba.

Reliving that dreadful moment, Mrs. Phyllis Krystal, now 95, recalls, “One of the hijackers was smoking a cigarette which was hanging out of his mouth. Sydney, being a lawyer, said, ‘We know he is going to blow up the plane here if that cigarette drops on any of this ammunition…. Now, you know, we have had a very good and a long life together…. You are going to have to understand that you will not survive, and you will not see your daughters again.’ And then out of my mouth came the most astonishing sentence. I said, ‘Don’t be so foolish! We are going to survive.’ And I don’t know where that came from.

“I then remembered Baba’s room when we were at Dharmakshetra, [Baba’s residence in Mumbai] So, instantly I visualized it again, and really concentrated on that room and started to say in my very excited English accent, ‘Baba! Baba! Baba! Please help!’

“And the next moment the most astonishing thing came into my mind. It was as if His voice was clearly heard. He said, ‘Send love to them.’
“And I remember saying, ‘Are You crazy? Have you looked at their faces? Have you seen that they want to kill us and you expect me to send love to them?’ And the next thing that came to my mind, which was again very clear, was that I should be able to send His Love because only Sai Baba could see the God even in the hijackers.

“I started to visualize Baba in His room in Dharmakshetra. I was breathing in His Love so consciously as I had never done before, and then I just directed it to the hijackers. As I did it, they got more, and more, and more nervous. They were trembling, they dropped the ammunition. One man dropped the cigarette and immediately put it out.”

Through the force of this invisible energy that Phyllis Krystal was transmitting to the hijackers, the situation on the troubled flight began to change dramatically. The evil doers appeared visibly weakened in their resolve. Confessing her own shock at the effectiveness of the simple guidance she had received, she said, “I was so astonished! I was doing what I was told to do, but I suppose I didn’t realize that it would really work! And so, I was really quite surprised. But it was immediate! The one that was smoking started to tremble.

“Oh, and I forgot to tell you! He cut his wrist on one of the bottles! And then took a handkerchief and wound it around. And they really began to get extremely jittery and they were looking around wondering whatever was making them nervous and where it was coming from… the entire atmosphere was changing rapidly. Thank God, they didn’t suspect me!”
After hours of undergoing the horrific ordeal, the plane was allowed to land at Amsterdam and all the passengers had to slide down the emergency chute for their dear lives, leaving behind all their belongings, including passports, shoes and jackets. Within minutes, the hijackers set the plane ablaze. They were arrested shortly thereafter.

Later the same year, when Phyllis and Sidney Krystal were back in India to see Bhagavan Baba, He confirmed His direct intervention in the situation. Phyllis explained, “As soon as we got there, Swami came to us and I started to thank Him. And He interrupted me saying, ‘Yes, I heard you.’

"And He mimicked my voice in a very English accent which, as my children always tell me, comes out very strongly when I was angry or excited or frightened. It was hysterical and we laughed so much because Baba mimicking an English accent was really very sweet! He invited us for lunch and then gave us a very quick interview.

"And when we were with him, He explained what had happened: From what I understood, the most important thing He said was that the entire plane loaded with people was saved because the plane was filled with His Love.”

-- Mrs. Phyllis Krystal, one of the hostages of the 1975 hijacking