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Prashanthi Bullettin -
August 8th to 12th, 2005
August 12th, 2005
This Friday witnessed the Varalakshmi Vratam - a ritual
performed by married women on the Friday immediately
following the full moon day in the Indian month of Shraavan.
The Sai Kulwant Hall was beautifully bedecked with floral
decorations. Floral arches adorned the gate leading to
Bhagawan's residence, and even the ganesh gate was
decorated. In the middle of the stage area of the Hall was a
dark stone idol of Goddess Lakshmi. The innermost four
pillars of the Hall were draped with twenty foot high images
of Bhagawan and Mahalakshmi. The nearly thousand ladies
doing the puja had assembled there by 5 o'clock in the
morning. They were seated in orderly rows 60 abreast in the
front part of the Hall, occupying the part of the Hall where
the students of the School and College usually sit.
Nadaswaram music played by the village band induced a
festive air.
Bhagwan arrived at 7.30 am to Vedic chants and the
Nadaswaram music. Taking a round of the Hall, Swami's car
came onstage and Swami came to the centre of the stage in
the retractable chair. At 7.45, He gave the signal for the
proceedings to begin and the priests seated onstage started
with a brief introductory talk in Telugu conveying gratitude
at the chance for doing this puja. The ritual worship
continued till 8.30 am, concluding with the priest narrating
the Puranic story of the origin of this Varalakshmi Vratam,
the story of Charumati the Pativrata to whom the Goddess
granted the boon of this ritual. Thereafter, Vedam chanting
continued with Bhagawan sitting onstage till just after
nine. A special announcement was made, that prasadam had
been arranged for all the participants. Bhagawan then
decided to give a closer darshan to the participants, and
asked for His chair to be pushed around. For nearly ten
minutes, Bhagawan went all around the Hall, going up to the
very end of the group of participants, giving an unexpected
Darshan to all. A few minutes afterwards, blessing the
priests and their wives with clothes, Bhagawan left for His
abode as Arati was sung.
In the afternoon, we were regaled with devotionals by Smt.
Nithyashree Mahadevan, the eminent vocalist. Bhagawan sat
onstage in His car from 3.15 to 4.00 pm while the Vedam
chanting went on. At one point, He asked for the chant
related to Lakshmi Devi to be chanted. At 4 o'clock, He
moved to the centre of the stage, and the musicians took
their places to His left. Bhagawan was very pleased with the
hour long performance, and blessed the artiste with a
medallion, asking her to sing another song on the Mother
Goddess after that. Then Bhagawan went to the interview
room. From there, He instructed that bhajans be sung in the
Bhajan Hall, so the students started the Bhajans there at
5.15 pm. Bhagawan sat in the Bhajan Hall till 5.45, when He
returned to the Poornachandra. Arati was offered ten minutes
later.
August 8th to 11th, 2005
From the 8th to the 11th, there were no programmes in Sai
Kulwant Hall. Swami came to the Hall every day, both in the
morning and in the evening. On the 8th, He came to the Sai
Kulwant at 7.30 am, and directly went out for a drive - upto
the college and back. On His return, He called in one of the
delegates to the Economics conference (mentioned in our
previous update) for an interview. In the evening, the
priests from Mookambika temple in Karnataka state came for
Swami's darshan. These were the priests who had officiated
at the Homam at Brindavan in May. Bhagawan came to the Hall
at 3.10 and called the priests for an audience. 'Bobbattu'
sweets were distributed to all as prasadam. Bhagawan
returned to His abode at 5.10 while bhajans were going on.
On Wednesday evening and Thursday morning, that is, on the
10th and 11th, Bhagawan spent quite a long while inside His
car parked on the Mandir verandah near the interview room,
without alighting. On Thursday evening, He asked for the car
to be manoevered onstage, entering from the gents' side of
the stage area and exiting from the ladies' side.
Source:
http://radiosai.org/pages/PB.htm
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