"Journey of Love", the pilgrimage that left Toronto, Canada, on
July 13th to be in the Divine presence of our Beloved Lord
Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba, will forever be etched in the hearts
of all the devotees of the Sri Sathya Sai Baba Centre of Toronto.
Through the Divine blessings of our Lord during this
pilgrimage, many devotees gained the courage, the motivation and
the determination along with a renewed spirit to face life. To our
Dearest Lord we offer our most heartfelt gratitude for giving us
the opportunity to be with Him, and to all those who read this
article we pray that you will also be inspired by the experiences.
The idea for this Holy Pilgrimage was conceived in January 2000
and on September 2nd, 2000 a letter was sent to Bhagavan asking
for His permission, guidance and His blessings to bring the Sai
Spiritual Education children and Youths, as well as adults from
the centre, to Prasanthi to have His darshan and experience His
divinity. As a centre we felt that this permission was granted
when Swami took the letter and also said "yes, yes". Excitedly the
plans began, however the response from devotees as of December
2000 indicated that we had a lot more work to do to encourage
devotees to take advantage of this unique opportunity. The centre
became a hub of activities all focused around the trip and in
March of 2001 we were ready to make the first attempt at travel
arrangements for 174 devotees, all resolved to make this Journey
of Love.
Looking back at many of the groups from various countries that
had gone before us, we realized that we should have our children
prepare an offering of love for our Lord. With this intention we
decided to do a presentation comprising of musical renditions and
a drama. We all realized that permission to stage this for Swami
had to come directly from Him, but we had full faith that He would
do what is best.
With excitement, a feeling of unity and a bond of brotherly
love, we traveled together to Prasanthi Nilayam. The group left
Pearson International airport on three flights, with the knowledge
that we will be re-united in Bombay to board the chartered Jet
Airways flight that will take us straight to Prasanthi. Our joy
was overflowing as we sang bhajans throughout the flight until we
safely landed in the airport at Prasanthi. This flight was given
special permission by Bhagavan to land, because only Indian
airlines, until then, had permission to use the airport. Before
leaving we were informed that Swami would not be in Parthi for
three days, so by the time we reached the ashram, Swami had
already left for Maharashtra. While we did miss him, it gave us
the opportunity to settle in and do some "Sai-Seeing" of the
various highlights of Puttaparthi, including the hospital and the
recently built Chaitanya Jyothi Museum.
Starting on the afternoon of July 17th, our group was blessed
to have reserved seating for darshan. Over the course of the next
five days, we received beautiful darshan and were overjoyed with
Swami’s glances and smiles. He also accepted letters from many
devotees, materialized Vibhuti for some and inquired "How many?"
and "Where are you from?" Nevertheless, we still had not received
any indication as to the date of the presentation. Undeterred we
continued our daily sadhana meetings and rehearsals in a shed that
had been designated for our use.
A few days later on July 21st, Dr. Singh, Central Co-ordinator
of Canada, was blessed with an interview with Swami, in which he
was kind enough to inquire about a date for our presentation. Dr.
Singh, immediately after the interview, told us that Swami
responded by saying, "Birthday time would be better." Dr. Singh
broke this news later to everyone, in the kindest way possible,
all the time emphasizing that Swami knows best. Initially we felt
disappointed, but were consoled by remembering that Mother Sai
always wants the best for Her children. Our efforts grew in
intensity, as we wanted to melt Swami’s "heart of butter" with the
warmth of our devotion. Our prayers were answered on the 23rd of
July, when Swami said to the ladies after morning bhajans,
"Canada, Drama 25th!" This brought joy to all our hearts,
especially the children, and soon after we received confirmation
from ashram officials to begin rehearsals at the Poornachandra
Hall that very afternoon!
In addition to the honour of practicing in the premises of
Swami’s home, we were blessed with darshans backstage during the
practice sessions. It was so sweet to see Swami, as Sai Krishna,
teasing and lovingly poking fun at His children. On the second
occasion, one Youth asked, "Swami, what can we do for You?" In
response, He gave a message that all Youth can strive to follow:
"I want nothing! [Swami raised his hands] Just do your Duty
sincerely. Study Well! Work is Worship."
The 25th finally arrived. Swami, being Sai Ma, showed us His
motherly affection by sending a comfortable bus for the entire
cast, despite the fact that we were in walking distance from
Poornachandra Hall. Prior to going on stage, Swami visited us
twice backstage. The presentation proceeded very smoothly. It was
very fulfilling for all members of the cast to perform in His
presence, watching the Divine Director conducting and enjoying His
masterpiece. Swami was very sweet and loving when He joined us on
stage for the Grand Finale. He was gracious enough to hand out
cloth material and saris to the boys and girls. Out of our deep
love for Him, many of the boys and girls said, "We love you,
Swami!" Swami responded, "I love you, I love you too. Very happy."
Overwhelmed with bliss, we were surprised again when Swami, on
the morning of the 27th, on His way back to Poornachandra after
the morning Bhajans, came towards the group and said "Today 2:00
p.m. come to mandir, Swami will see you". This was simply too
much. He was too compassionate and loving. We quickly got
ourselves together and decided how to arrange ourselves for this
Divine appointment with God. Sitting in the Mandir, awaiting His
arrival, we were eager to know what Swami had in store for us.
After entering the Mandir, Swami overfilled the cups of our
hearts as He walked amongst the devotees, speaking with some,
smiling to others, taking letters, materializing vibhuti and
joking with the children. Swami gave a beautiful discourse,
mentioning the drama and explaining its spiritual significance. He
advised us on how to lead our lives in order to reach God. After
the discourse, Swami asked two boys and two girls to distribute
Vibhuti and small photos to everyone. He then brought basins of
sweets and asked for it to also be distributed. He gently
enquired, "Am I giving you trouble?" What a great lesson for us,
how considerate we should be. He asked for cameras, when we told
him we were not allowed to bring them in, He went outside and got
a camera from the students. He permitted us to take many
photographs with Him, and granted us the golden opportunity to
sing bhajans for Him. He requested that we sing Canada bhajans, to
which the group sang two English bhajans. He was the most
compassionate Mother and Father to all of us. When it was time for
Him to leave He said that He must leave since He was with us for
two hours. It was a bittersweet moment, all of us forever grateful
for His Love and sad that it had to end. However, he did say to
come and bring larger groups to be with Him, and we thanked him
for this boon. He waved good-bye sweetly before leaving the room
for the last time.
On the whole, the trip was a learning experience that brought
us closer as a Sai family, and especially closer to Swami. All the
experiences and blessings provided us with the inspiration,
motivation, and guidance to give Swami what He really asks for –
transformation. Transformation to Love All, and Serve All.
The journey of love has not come to an end…but has just begun!
Jai Sai Ram!
(Chandra Gopie, Toronto, ON)