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Prashanthi Bulletin -
November 20th - 21st, 2005
November
21st, 2005
36 hours more for the Golden Day to dawn. The hourly countdown
begins! This morning Bhagawan gives Darshan at 8.00 a.m. The
decorations in the Mandir is being progressively toned up to
reach a crescendo by 23rd. Today the main pillars of the Kulwant
Hall are all draped with a sky blue colour cloth and above it
thick creepers of beautiful roses (decorative ones) go winding
up spirally. They look very attractive. The Sarva Dharma Stupa
in front of the PC and the garden along with the compound walls
are all lighted up. The entrance to the Shanti Vedika ground
near the gymnasium where a huge Chinese type entrance gate has
been built is also decorated with colourful cloth banners giving
it the typical Chinese look. The various statutes in the Shanti
Vedika are lighted with powerful focus lights and look very
grand in the evening. Many more series lightings and other
decorative lights have been added in the stadium, especially on
the hill. The Ad Block building and the Sanatana Samskruti
Museum are fully illuminated with pink colour light and look
like heavenly objects at night! All this makes Parthi look like
some dreamland!
Swami takes a full round, comes onto the dais and interacts with
Mr. Leonardo Gutter for a while. At 8.15 a.m. Swami moves
towards the front of the interview room, and goes in at 8.25
a.m. granting an audience to the Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister
who arrived yesterday. Bhajans begin at 9.00 a.m. and during the
Bhajans, Swami comes out and enters the dais from the interview
room side and takes a full round moving out at the other end.
All are able to catch a glimpse of the Lord. Aarti is offered at
9.40 a.m.
In the evening, Swami comes out at 3.30 p.m. The artistes of the
Sai Symphony Orchestra are all making arrangements for the
special 80th Birthday offering. Swami goes straight to the
interview room after taking a full round. Over there, He calls a
few gents and asks them to call their wives. Many Ladies
assemble near the interview room. Not satisfied with that, Swami
goes in His chair towards the Ladies side and starts moving
along the pathway. As He moves along, He points out to some
ladies here and there and asks them to go towards the interview
room. It is amazing to see Swami going all along the pathway
towards the PC entrance and then sideways towards the centre of
the Kulwant Hall. Then to everyone's delight He even takes a
turn and goes right until the rear end of the Kulwant Hall near
the gateway. The delegates sitting there are simply thrilled.
The hall is so crowded that we manage to see all this only on
the close circuit television. In a way it gives us better
viewing. There is immense Bliss on everyone's face. Swami goes
back to the interview room and then starts the mega 'sari
distribution'. He starts giving beautiful silk saris - red color
ones - to all the ladies. It takes a long time but Swami is
giving all His time for them. Each one feels that Swami is going
out of the way to make her happy. That is the Love of our dear
Lord!
But then the Divine Mother is not yet satisfied. He once again
starts out on a ride on the ladies side in His chair, and the
students follow Him with the saris. What follows next is a
fantastic Leela of the Lord. As He passes along the pathway, so
many Ladies stretch out their hands to receive the sari. But
Swami delivers it to the correct hands! At times, we see Swami
talking to somebody, chiding somebody for asking. At other
times, He selects somebody sitting somewhere in the third or
fourth row and then flings the sari into her hands. Watching the
wonderful way in which Swami manages all this, even the devotees
start clapping and smiling as they view this on the television.
Swami again moves on until the middle of the Kulwant Hall. He
looks so much at rest; He transcends time and therefore we never
see any hurry or anxiety on our Lord's face. So slowly, He moves
along filling each soul with Bliss. The saris may fill some
hands but His Grace and Love saturates each heart and gets
manifested in the smiles on all faces and tears in some eyes.
Having reached the centre of the Hall, Swami now starts coming
back passing along the centre pathway between the artistes of
the Sai Symphony seated over there. He talks to a few, Blesses a
few and smiles at some. After a long time, He turns back and
reaches the interview room.
We now get prepared for the orchestra. But the bountiful
Mother's Love knows no limit. Some children of His have been
missed out somewhere. How can He be happy? He again goes out
towards the Ladies side, this time concentrating on the area
adjacent to the interview room on the ladies side. He
distributes some saris over there and finally comes back and
goes inside the interview room. A thousand mothers love is seen
and experienced by all today. What compassion and what Grace!
Finally at 5.00 p.m. Swami comes out and asks the Orchestra to
commence. The Set Designer, an Italian by name Mr. Victor
Togliani, presents the programme card to Bhagawan. Swami talks
to him and sees all the details in the card. Then Swami calls
the conductor of the orchestra, Mr. Klaus Maurer from
Switzerland. Swami talks to him and even before the programme
commences, materializes a ring to his surprise and slips it on
his finger. There is loud applause.
The orchestra commences at 5.05 p.m. The instruments playing in
the Orchestra are the Violins, Viola, Cello Bass, Clarinet,
Oboe, Bassoons, Flute, Trumpet, Trombone, French Horn, Keyboard
Harp, Percussion and the Timpani. There are 53 musicians from 20
different countries. They begin with a composition from Johannes
Brahms of Hungary, a piece which captures the spirit of the
Hungarian people. This is followed by compositions from
Gioacchino Rossini of Italy, Franz Liszt of Hungary, Georges
Bizet and Charles Gounod of France, the 40th Symphony of Mozart,
George Enescu of Romania and finally a piece from Franz Von
Suppe, an Italian composer.
Each piece is received with very loud applause from the
devotees. Though the gathering is predominantly Indian, they
still seem to cherish and enjoy the Western classical music very
much. The programme goes on till 6.10 p.m. The best part is
Swami's involvement. He keeps looking at all the artists as they
play and at the end of each presentation, He smiles and
acknowledges with Abhaya Hasta. He does this for every piece.
Finally, He calls the conductor and praises him a lot. Bhagawan
very generously agrees for a group photograph. After the photos,
He spends a long time interacting with the artists. The Designer
Victor Togliani also gets a ring and so does a Trombone player
Mr. Andrija Bosanas from Croatia.
It is 6.20 p.m. Prasadam is distributed to all and Swami retires
for the day. We see the Trombone player ecstatic and jumping
around with joy. All hearts are bubbling with Bliss and the
artistes are left spellbound in His Love.
November 20th, 2005
The Hall is decorated with a new style. Yesterday's decoration
is gone and is replaced with a new one. There are huge banners
with the text - 8th World Conference. The dais is decorated
beautifully. A floral arch circumscribes our Lord Ganesha in the
centre of the dais. The two pillars on either side of Swami's
chair are covered fully with garlands of flowers. A huge Toranam
(garland) of flowers runs right along the full length of the
roof on which the gopurams are located. Apart from the red
Chinese Lamps which have now become a part of every festival in
Kulwant Hall, there are other Chinese Decorative pieces hanging
from the roof of the Hall. The windows of the Mandir in the
Portico are bedecked with roses that look very natural though
made of paper.
At sharp 8.00 a.m. Bhagawan makes a grand entry into the Kulwant
Hall in the Porte. He takes a full round and alights from the
car to sit on the dais. He lights the lamp with the candle
offered to Him by Sri Indulal Shah Garu - the former Chairman of
the International Sai Seva Organisation. Sri Indubhai presents
the programme card to Swami who goes through it very
meticulously. This is followed by a talk by Sri Indubhai.
Sri Indulal Shah remarks how the seed sown by Swami in 1968
during the first World Conference has now become a fruit laden
tree. He declares with joy that today there are delegates come
over here from more than 180 countries. There are 5000 Sai
Centres in India itself and around 2200 Centres overseas. He
reminds all that this Conference is the time to take stock of
the past and draft plans for the future. After an inspiring talk
he concludes saying that this age is not just an age of
Information Technology but ought to be one of Transformation
Technology. The www should not just represent the world wide web
but must stand for work - worship - wisdom.
Sri Indu Bhai is followed by Sri V. Srinivasan, the All India
President of the Sri Sathya Sai Seva Organisation. He highlights
the fact that in the Sri Sathya Sai Seva Organisations, all that
Swami looks for is Love, not wealth, status or position. Here
the stress is on quality and not quantity. He explains to all
the delegates the reason for having the theme of this conference
as Unity-Purity-Divinity. He stresses that we must start with
the individual and reach out to the world. This can be done only
through Unity-Purity-Divinity. He concludes his brief talk by
expressing his gratitude to Bhagawan for providing all the
conveniences to the delegates of the Conference.
It is 8.35 a.m. and Dr. Goldstein, the Chairman of the Prashanti
Council that oversees the activities of the Sri Sathya Sai Seva
Organisations around the world, takes over the stage. He
delivers a very scholarly and insightful talk. Subsequently
Swami interacts with him for quite some time and also releases
some book and goes through it in detail. After this Swami asks
Mr. Leonardo Gutter from Argentina to address the gathering.
This gentleman, the Zonal chairman for the Sai Organisation in
Latin America, comes forward and speaks straight from the heart
touching all our hearts. He reiterates what he has experienced
in his life stating that Swami will never disappoint His
devotees.
He says that he travels extensively throughout Latin America and
there are around 300 Sai Centres in this region. Even the nation
of Cuba has more than 1000 devotees of Swami. Incidentally, even
the son of Fidel Castro has become a Sai devotee owing to the
positive influence of the Sai Devotees and their activities in
Cuba. He narrates a few of his personal experiences. On one
occasion, He was travelling to a different country and midway he
was at Miami airport. Suddenly he finds that his purse is
missing - all with the credit cards, money, passport. He is
shocked. He runs all around, but in vain. He gets very anxious
and finally recalls what Swami says. Bhagawan says, pray until
either you get tired or God gives in touched by your intense
prayers. Therefore, with no option left, he locks himself inside
a bathroom in the airport and cries out to Bhagawan. After half
an hour or so, he comes out. Right at the entrance, he finds a
lady waiting for him with a purse, asking him, "Is this yours?"
This is the power of the Lord and His response to our prayers.
On another occasion, he had met with an accident in which he
injured his nose. Not wanting to delay his trip to Parthi and
preferring to suffer in the Lord's Presence, He comes over to
Parthi. While flying he catches a severe cold and it is terrible
pain to blow a fractured nose. Somehow he reaches Parthi. One
day, Swami calls him for an interview and in the course of the
interview; Swami holds his nose and shakes it vigorously. He has
not told Swami anything about the nose and he is frightened that
he would not be able to bear the pain as Swami holds it tightly.
But to his amazement, after Swami leaves his nose, it is
perfectly fine. The fracture is gone and so has the cold too.
This is the Love and Protection of the Lord.
On yet another occasion, he had prayed to Swami to materialize a
watch for him. The one he had, always ran slow or fast and he
was not happy with it. He also prayed so, to clarify some of his
doubts. As he sleeps with these thoughts, Swami comes in his
dream and says that He will take away his watch as he is not
happy with it. Awakened by this powerful dream, he gets up and
looks out for his watch near his bed. He is shocked to find it
missing. The next day, Swami calls him for an interview and he
sits just next to Swami's chair. Bhagawan creates a watch and
holds it in His Hands. Expecting that it is for him, he moves
forward but Swami gives it to the student sitting behind him.
However, finally before he leaves for Latin America, Swami does
materialize a watch for him and also says that it is endowed
with a special power. If he gets any bad thought, the watch
would stop working.
After this talk that thrilled all present, we have Bhajans. It
is 9.10 a.m. Prasadam is distributed to all - Soan Papdi but
with a chocolate flavour. Swami receives Aarti at 9.35 a.m. and
retires for the morning. Prof. Anil Kumar makes an announcement
that this evening at 4.30 p.m. there will be an International
Choir by 140 members hailing from 70 nations.
In the evening, Swami comes out at 4.00 p.m. As the chair rolls
out of the car, the Vedam Group is chanting Narayana Suktam
followed by Mantra Pushpam. Swami signals for the Vedam to stop.
Mr. Victor Krishna Kanu from Zambia and another gentleman come
to Swami and offer some books to Him - possibly some new
releases. Swami goes through the books and interacts with them
for a while. Subsequently, He gives a green signal for the Choir
to begin.
Before we proceed further with the Choir, we would like to
update you with some more additions to the decorations being
done here. Wherever you go in Parthi, whether inside the Ashram
or outside, you will find huge 'bigger than life size' portraits
of Swami - the screen printed type. They look fantastic. In the
Shanti Vedika grounds, the stage being built for the Music
Performance is slowly coming to a finish. It looks majestic. It
has a huge giant bloomed lotus as the background. Still some
more finishing touches are being given to it. The pathway in the
middle of the ground on which Swami's car is going to glide
along has been set up very well. Short fencing on either side
with small focus lamps at the ground level illuminate the whole
path at night and it looks just like a runway awaiting the
landing of an aircraft. Along the railings above the galleries,
between the multinational flags, we find huge posters of
Bhagawan - almost 20 feet x 15 feet or so. They have beautiful
photos of Swami and His most pithy messages.
Back in the Mandir all the delegates and students-staff are
being provided with lovely hand fans. A cream colour fan with a
violet colour handle. On it is written - Love All Serve All,
along with the Sarva Dharma symbol and other designs. Looks very
elegant and attractive. Good idea, whoever thought of it! Yes,
now coming back to the Sai International Choir, they start with
a bang, singing - 'Swami we celebrate Your Birthday'. There is
loud applause. They sing many more, like - 'We are merging in
the Light of Sai', 'Celebrate Swami on this Holy Day', 'Sai
Mother let me be Yours and Yours alone'. They conclude with 'We
wish You a Happy Birthday'! All devotees start clapping to the
beat. The performance is very good and is very well received by
the audience. It is 5.00 p.m. They appear to be through but
Swami asks them to continue. They are overjoyed and they sing
some more.
At 5.10 p.m. Swami goes inside and Bhajan commences in the
Bhajan hall. By 5.30 p.m. Swami takes Aarti and retires for the
day. As we return from the Mandir, the Chief Minister of Andhra
Pradesh, Sri Y.S. Rajasekara Reddy arrives with a long convoy.
There will be no live Telecast of Swami's Birthday Programme.
However, after the programme, on the same day it will be put in
our video streaming site
www.saicast.org and also on Sanskar TV Channel around 9 o
clock on 23rd night. Timings may vary, but there will be a
scrolling message in Sanskar, please look for it. On 24th Night,
it will be telecast on Zee Jagran channel.
Again on Sunday, the 27th, there will an one hour programme on
Sanskar and on Jagran on Saturday, the 26th.
Source:
http://radiosai.org/pages/PB.htm
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