Om Sai Ram!
Life is wonderful. This is the best place in the universe to be. Aside from a few days of cloudiness the weather has been sunny. The crowd has been light except for Dasara. It was a very busy time with yagna, Grama Seva, speakers and musical programs.
A great time to be here. The other programs coming up for Birthday, Christmas, New Years, etc will be just as terrific. Come.
Saturday – October 1. The yagna continued until noon. The evening program
consisted of 3 speakers. Saurabh Kumar explained how Baba wove the 9 paths of devotion as part of the education program at the Universities.
Dr. P.L. Rani spoke about the importance of the 3 S’s: Sri Sathya Sai; Service, Sacrifice, Satsang; Sathyam, Sivam, Sundaram as well as Baba repeating yeS, yeS, yeS.
The 3rd Speaker was Sathya Sai with except of his 21 October 2001 discourse. Sai emphasized the importance of following India’s spiritual culture. Sai said, “Leading a life of character is culture”. He concluded with a bhajan.
Afterwards, there was a musical program by Brindavan students with songs mixed with prayers.
Sunday - October 2. The crowd seems to have gotten larger over night. The weather was cloudy which provided some relief from the higher temperatures and humidity from the past few days.
The system for having darshan produced very long lines and a longer waiting time. However, as I walk along the lines of men and women outside Kulwant Hall, I realized that something has changed.
The message that Baba is alive, well, giving darshan and healing people is spreading. In addition, a major change in the energy of the planet is taking place now leading to world peace and happiness.
Also, today is the anniversary of Gandhi birthday. In the future his birthday will be an even bigger event than it is now. He has not been appreciated as much as he should be.
In addition, this morning in 1974 was the first time that I saw the physical form of Sathya Sai Baba in Prasanthi Nilayam in this lifetime.
In the evening, Shashank Shah spoke about the glory of the mother especially Sai as Mother followed by Kumari Lalitha Sarma speaking about learning detachment. The Sai Mission purifies our intellect. The last speaker was Sai Giridhar SaiRam who spoke about the grace of living in the Prasanthi Nilayam area, living your life as Sai would want you to, surrendering completely to Sai and merging with Sai.
There was another except from a Dasara Discourse where Baba urges us to follow our heart and remember that everything we have belongs to God.
The Anantapur students put on a musical program of songs they composed and put to music. Before starting they placed a miniature Golu on the Samadhi. (Photos) They sang in Telugu, Hindi and multilingual song as well as a Carnatic tune.
Monday – October 3. The morning yagna continued in the Poornachandra. In the evening there were 2 speakers; Rishabh Sachdeva and Prof Anantaraman who is also the media coordinator for the trust. Rishabh said that the best way to meet life challenges was by surrendering to god.
Prof Anantaraman said there were 2 main characteristics of the avatar: Cosmic Will and Absolute Detachment. Everything that Baba wrote in 1947 to his brother has happened. The world will remember Baba by his devotees.
There was another excerpt from a discourse.
The music program was a classical Carnatic and Hindustani concert by staff and students from Baba’s music college. (Photo)
Tuesday – October 4. General Hospital 56 Anniversary Day. Also, Tool Day. Anything you use for work and other reasons was to be blessed this day. It was Durga Ashtami. Baba has often said that gratitude was one of the most important virtues of man.
Baba’s 4 cars and his Chariot had rituals done at 8 a.m. at an altar that was set up next to the chariot. Chants were recited and coconuts were broken.
As I walked from the Western Canteen, I passed a resident who had just performed rituals on his car which included washing it.
In the evening, Shivam Chopra spoke about the importance of gratitude especially to Baba for everything he has done. Baba has also said that you should “Offer all your deeds to Me. That is the gratitude, I want from you”.
Amey Deshpande shared his experiences with Baba. He met a yogi last spring who reminded him not to feel sad. Baba went from embodied form to disembodied form.
Another story was about a student who forgot the tunes to some bhajans he was about to sing. The student thought that Baba also forgot. Baba said, I cannot forget, If I forget the entire universe will come to a standstill”.
Another excerpt from a Baba discourse was played.
Next was a special performance by staff from the General Hospital in honor of their anniversary. In 1954 when Baba was 28, he laid the cornerstone for the hospital. In those days Baba would sometimes act as a doctor by prescribing medicine and give advice to patients. The drama was ”Gamyam Neevuga…Payanam Nee Thoduga”
(Journey to Sai..With Sai..) The message was that while doctors treat the patient it is Baba who cures. Many miraculous cures were mentioned during the drama.
Following were slides and movies of Baba visit to the hospital.
Today is also the anniversary of one of the most exciting and mysterious event in Puttaparthi. Orbs. On this evening in 2007, Baba and most of Puttaparthi went to the Puttaparthi Airport where Baba said he would appear on the Moon. Supposedly nothing happened. Baba was also unable to get out of his car as there so many people. After about an hour, Baba left.
However, some people reported seeing little round orbs at the airport. Later, people
took pictures of some of them in Puttaparthi. They are here to help raise the vibration of the planet.
Wednesday – October 5. This was the last day of Navaratri and the end of Grama
Seva. (Photos)
It was an evening of speakers from Anantapur College. Kum Lalitha stated that the real aim of Navaratri was moving from darkness and ignorance to light and divine consciousness which pervades the entire universe.
Suma Rao, a faculty member, spoke about how God loves us selflessly while we tend to love god for material gain. Baba told her mother that Suma gets angry and goes to the prayer hall to overcome the anger. He said, “Why get angry at all”.
The music program was by students of Prasanthi Nilayam (Photo) along with visual of Sai inaugurating different places that were part of the ashram. The 2002 Dasara discourse was video as well as audio. Also, clothes were distributed to staff and students from all of the various educational campuses.
Thursday – October 6. Today is Dasara with the concluding ceremonies and special yagna (Photos) in Poornachandra. As expected the place was packed. No room for anyone else. It seemed like it was last year as we waited for Sai to come bless the final rituals.
In a way nothing has changed. Baba was present this morning. He sat in chair and walked about. He blessed everyone especially the priest as they did a good job.
And as usual the Poornachandra Hall was filled with invisibles having Baba’s darshan and absorbing the vibrations of the chanting and love transmission.
Near the end the priest walked through the crowd sprinkling holy water on everyone. (Photo) A memory of Baba doing this walking up the center aisle. Today he did it through the pundits.
Later Anantapur students distributed Grama Seva in the ashram. Male Students gave out more rice packets and laddus from trucks.
In the morning new housing for those taking care of the cows at the Gokulam was inaugurated.
In the evening with the hall mostly filled as another program was presented. Shashank Shah spoke about the various reasons for celebrating the holiday. It was a victory of good over evil. Rarheesh Kumbalath spoke about the importance of mother, the motherland and the divine mother. While Sanjay Sahni emphasized that we can never understand Baba and that he is everywhere from the largest to the smallest.
The Baba discourse night was about how only God can provide selfless Love.
The musical was a form of classical music that is about 350 years old performed by Pandit Bhushans, Pandit Rajan and Pandit Sajan Mishra from Varanasi (Photo). They were accompanied by several other musicians.
Friday – October 6. This morning United Kingdom presented a musical program called “Sai Harmony” from 8 – 9:30 which was unusual as this time was reserved for Rudram and bhajans. It was our treat. The music was outstanding. There were vocals and instrumentals. The highlight was the singing by Charlotte, a blind lady, who has sung in front of Baba before. Her voice was beyond the angels. The heavenly invisibles rejoiced to her vibrations.
She also played some bhajans medley on the accordion. Following her were instrumental and group songs. (Photo)
Baba was very happy with U.K.
For all the programs in Kulwant Hall, 2 big screens and several monitors had been set up for viewing Baba slides and videos. Each evening during the playback of Sai giving part of a discourse, the slides were made to give an impression that they were a live viewing of Baba speaking. (Photo)
Also attached are 2 Dasara discourses.
Thought: "Tell me your company, I shall tell you what you are." This is from Baba’s discourse. He has said this many times. As I was reading it this morning, I realized another important meaning of this statement. Baba used this statement when referring to the kind of friends you have, where you work, what you at other times, etc.
However, My feeling is that the real meaning is the kind of thoughts you think about, how much time you spend thinking about God and how much about other stuff.
The company in your mind maybe more important that the physical ones.
Those of you planning to travel to Sri Lanka might want to reconsider. Effective 2012, there will be no more Visa On Arrival. However, you can get a temporary Visa at their embassy or through the computer.
Please when you send me an email, please state under your name where you are from.
Seema messages “The Divine Bird” and “God Knows...God Gives…God Saves”.
Thought for the Day
2 October 2011
Gandhiji looked upon India as one country. He planted the seed of unity of all faiths and all communities, which under his guidance grew quickly into a big tree. He built a great movement on the basis of Atmabalam (soul-force) that strengthened unity and self-confidence. There was a lot of suffering while the freedom movement was on. But sufferings are the prelude to success. Sathyagraha was the path of Truth and Love, of the means being as pure as the ends. He who accepts criticism gladly and thanks the critic for his remarks is the one really human. Since Gandhi was willing to learn and had the humility to acknowledge criticism, he could mould the people of his land and be hailed as the Father of the Nation.
Baba
Thought for the Day
5 October 2011
During the ten days of the Dasara, the Rakshasas (demons) in the form of wicked qualities are destroyed. Rakshasas do not mean demonic beings. The bad qualities in people are the demons. Arrogance is a demon. Bad thoughts are demons. When the Lord metes out a punishment, it may appear harsh. They depend on the time, place and the circumstances in which the Lord acts. Butter can be split with a finger. But a powerful hammer is needed to break a piece of iron. The Lord deals with Sathwic persons in a Sathwic way. The Lord applies the Rajasic weapon against Rajasic persons. Unknowingly, people attribute dreaded forms and qualities to the Divine. This is not proper. The Divine has only one attribute, Love. Love is God. Love pervades the Cosmos. View the world through the eyes of love and you will experience bliss.
Baba
Thought for the Day
7 October 2011
The term "Devi" represents the Divine power that has taken the Rajasic (powerful) form to suppress the forces of evil and protect the Sathwic (good). Whenever the forces of injustice, immorality and untruth have grown to monstrous proportions and are indulging in a death-dance, when selfishness and self-interest are rampant, when people have lost all sense of kindness and compassion, the Atmic principle, assuming the form of Shakthi, God will destroy the evil elements. This is the inner meaning of the Dasara festival. Develop good qualities. Cultivate love amongst all people. All the festivals have been designed to promote Divine love amongst everyone. It is to confer such love on the people that the Lord incarnates on earth. He Himself demonstrates how love should be expressed. He showers His love and teaches everyone how to love. Hence, experience this love and joy in your life and live in peace.
Baba
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