The Krishanaashtami festival this year was a unique experience. It was very special for me, especially because i got a chance to participate in the key programmes. thus i could have many insightful first hand experiences.
A few days before the festival, Swami expressed His wish to have a cow procession led by students on the festival day. It has been a custom for decades for the students to get the cows to mandir on this day and then Swami would feed the cows with fruits, then bless the students too.Thus it is one of the sought after chances for the students here. but slowly, the many chances that we get on this day have been reducing year after year.
So, this year, none of us expected this event. It was Swami who mentioned it to an elder person and asked for the programme. for days, i had been thinking about how all of us used to enjoy getting lots of chances on this day, in the past. i felt sad that those wonderful times were a thing of the past. Few days later, a student brother came up to me and said that Swami asked for the cow procession and that i was selected as one of the cowboys! my joy knew no bounds.
the next morning, all the selected students assembled in Gokulam for getting a practice on handling the cows. Myself and another student brother were assigned a cow kept near the Samadhi place of Swami's parents. this cow (Gayatri) is special, since the milk given by her (approx. 16 litres a day)is supplied to Swami's residence. She was one of the two cows selected from the Samadhi place for the procession (the other was her mother). Gayatri was four months pregnant. She was very cooperative when we took her for the practice walks, unlike other cows who took the boys for a ride.
After two days of practice, the D-day of festival arrived. We got up early in the morning and proceeded to the cow shed to decorate our cows. The procession began at 8 am. It was truly an amazing sight as the little Krishna Gita was leading some 20 cows. also, there were other animals like the deer, peacock and doves which were being brought by the students. The baby elephant was at her cheerful best.
We we entered the Kulwant Hall from Gopuram gate led by the baby elephant and arranged the cows in rows on both sides. Swami was just arriving to the Hall in car. He was wearing a beautiful yellow robe. He stopped near Krishna Gita, got down and fed Her fruits. KG was ready with her amusing pranks. First, she prostrated before Swami with her forelegs stretched and trunk raised. As soon as Swami offered her fruits, she grabbed it with her little trunk and put it in her mouth. if that wasn't enough, she picked on the fruits that the boys had kept in their plate to offer it later to Swami.
After feeding Krishna Gita, Swami came towards the rows of cows standing behind. There were a lot of people around and so the scene was a huge commotion. Nevertheless, Swami went and started feeding bananas to each and every cow. He didn't miss a single one. some cows refused to eat. Our Gayatri was one of them. When He offered her a banana, she refused to eat it. He looked at me and asked "why are these cows not eating?" i didn't have a clue, and replied "Swami, maybe because she's pregnant!" he smiled and went ahead.
As He reached the portico, some boys took a couple of doves to Him. He blessed them and asked the doves to be released. the boys did so and guess what, the doves refused to fly away from Swami. both of them stood on the railing in front of Him. Even the animals don't want to leave His presence. A few moments later, both of them flew away.
All the while Krishna Gita was entertaining us with her gymnastics like stretching her forelegs and raising her trunk. But the cows behind her certainly didn't appreciate it. They were getting scared and urinating all over. The block was a mess of dung & urine and sevadals had a field day cleaning the floor. We were also getting nervous avoiding the heavy feet of the cows, lest they stamp on us making the day more than a memorable experience.
As soon as Swami blessed all the animals, He instructed Mr S. V Giri to announce that the morning programme was over and that the devotees can leave! Swami had solely come to shower His blessings on the animal kingdom. One of the cowboys shouted " Jai bolo Bhagwan Sri... ..... Jai". Unfortunately, he shouted near the ear of his cow and this scared her (we learnt that when cows get scared, they urinate). The cow was out of control and she almost rammed into our cow while returning back. Due to Swami's grace, the entire event passed peacefully.
We were lucky to have so many such beautiful, inspiring and amusing experiences that day.i really learnt how one should look at society in its entirety. It is only Swami, who by sheer example, sensitises us and teaches us to love and care for these innocent and mute creatures.
Sai ram.

IT`S POURING, AND POURING MORE LOVE.........

Sai Ram, I must apologise for my prolonged absence from the blogging world. during the past 20 days, so many interesting incidents have occured that one or two posts cannot capture them. well, the phrases like "interesting incidents" are a cliche here. But then,listening to any number of these do not quench our thirst enough.
These days, Parthi has been seeing a lot of rain; feels like the monsoon has just begun. Our beloved Swami has been equally unpredictable in His darshans and interactions. Recently, we witnessed the Krishnaashtami and Ganesh Chaturthi festivals. Generally, the mood is upbeat during these times but when we see that Swami too shows a keen interest in celebrations, our zeal knows no bounds. This is what exactly happened this time.
Before krishnaashtami, Swami expressed His wish to have procession of Gokulam cows led by few of our students. There was a lot of excitement on that day, which i have dealt in detail in my next post.
The Ganesha festival was equally wonderful. As a custom, the students prepare Chariots for Ganesha to be taken to Swami during the immersion day. This year, the students showed a lot of skills in their innovation and design. There was a Dragon chariot by 12th class students, a chariot in the form of a huge ship prepared bu class 10, and many other beautiful masterpieces. Even the Hoggwarts school design was not spared!
swami came very late, around 5 pm to see the chariots with Ganeshas. He went around and looked at each of them. we could see that he was very impressed, not because the chariots were good, but because His students had worked hard to impress Him. This is what happens in any programme. And this is what keeps us going. The bond with our mother is so deep and strong that both of us compete in making each other happy.
Well, keeping competition apart (After all Sai`s love has no competition) the entire evening was filled with joy. the chariot boys took Swami`s blessings and left for the immersion. even before the bhajans began, Swami went back to Yajur mandir. we were surprised. No sooner di we think that the session was over than our Lord sent a message: "All boys must return to mandir for bhajans, i want to see them." Can we measure the love of our Lord?
Each day, He makes it a point to come to the portico and sit for some time. it appears as if a shepherd watches over His flock of sheep. And His sheep can only wish that such times may last an eternity.

Central Trust Anniversary Discourse

this day must have been a very memorable one for all the CTBT boys as Swami showered His love on them from morning till evening. In the morning, Swami came in car and proceeded directly to the Bhajan hall where the Central Trust boys were waiting with a programme. For two long hours, He sat in the bhajan hall listening to their songs and speaking to them.
In the afternoon, there was a long list of speakers, mostly senior members of the Central Trust after which they prayed for Swami to speak. their speeches dragged on till 5.40 pm and we felt Swami wouldn't give a discourse today. Well, students propose and Swami disposes. to our amazement, He got up to deliver in His sweet voice. here are a few excerpts:

Dear students

• our boys have sacred hearts, pure minds, they are selfless and humble. they do not commit any mistakes. even if a few do commit some mistake, they immediately correct them. that is why "Central Trust" means "our students". the elders are only administrators, whereas our boys look after all activities. Swami chose to speak today because of these boys. They do great work. they shall support the Trust in future. The Trust is dependent on them.
• Bhagawan wants students to be the future leaders. The future of Trust depends on you. Everywhere around, you see only money matters. money comes and goes, morality comes and grows. It is your morality that supports the Trust today.
• You have expectations and imaginations. you must consider them as illusions, passing clouds. Don't be victims to such imaginations and resist them.
• Your tasks should be an ideal to the world to emulate. Today there is advancement in technology. but all this is only "tricknology". Develop the discrimination to know this truth. the future depends on you.

• (Swami asks how many students work in the Trust. they say 155 boys. He asks all of them to come front.) Get a good name, strengthen your self confidence. It will then strengthen your faith. Faith leads to love. This love will give you all the capacities. Faith is important.
  
• Love is God, live in love. I walk on the two feet of love and self confidence. With these, i achieve everything.
  
• Dear students, whether you believe it or not, every Monday, Swami sends a cheque for Rs 500 crores which is distributed to various welfare activities like Tamil Nadu water project. However, some help is required and so some members of the Trust help in distributing the money.. Inspite of this high expenditure, people from Madras come and say that they do not have adequate water. So, in addition to the Godavari water, some water from Bhadrachalam (Krishna river) too is diverted for this purpose.
• no one gave a naya paisa to Swami for this, nor did Swami ask money from anybody. Bhagawan's will (Sankalpa) is His power and strength. We don't want money but good qualities.With love in your heart, you can attain everything.
• later, bhagawan will explain in detail about love. Never utter lie or resort to injustice or intolerance. Live together in harmony. In Bharat, unity is lacking. therefore there is no unity and thus, no divinity as well.
  
• Do not feel bad that Swami is not talking to students. Swami thinks of you all the time. Without you I am non-existent. I and you are one.

After the this, Swami gave watches to all the CTBT boys. He even gave prasadam to each and every person in the group. It was truly a very fulfilling experience, as though a mother was celebrating with her children. Indeed, Love is Mother Sai.

ONAM BONUS

Since the past 10 days, Swami has been coming everyday in chair instead of by car. All of us are having such a wonderful time here. we have lost count of how many letters we've given to Him. If our silly letters weren't enough, Swami has to bear with the programmes that are being put up every day.

The programmes aren't bad, but people do not understand; everyone wants an opportuntity to perform before Swami. And our Lord is only too compassionate to listen to them. The past few days witnessed a lot of programmes by the Kerala devotees for the Onam celebrations. At the end of almost every programme, Swami would materialise something for the artist.

Some days ago, a very senior person, an ardent devotee of Swami passed away. He had a very peaceful death. Swami gave him water during his last moments.
The month of September is waiting with festivals one after another.the most exciting part is that the festivals of exams are also scheduled in september!Well, this is the easiest time to surrender to our Lord.

August 22 discourse

Swami was very keen to see us today morning. he wasted no time in coming to the point and "hammering on our wavering minds". Well, it's not the hammering that teachers give to us, but one that is unique, for it shapes our mind to be steady and ultimately transforms our character.Here are many of the points that He spoke of:

"today, this meeting is concerned with business management. what is business? it's not mere transaction, exchange etc. it means the entire world

• everything in this world follows an expected procedure. our students should fully realise what's expected of them in every field
• man has 5 senses. all are constantly engaged in business. every limb follows business. a true manager is one who makes proper use of 5 senses
• reading books, studying forex, comparing foreign and indian environment is not business mgmt. Indian business is unique. you must compare deha with desha and then understand business. foreign business is based on domination and power. do not imitate them. you must design your business model based on feeling, needs, etc of this land.
• true business comprises understanding of caste, culture and country. Today, some have given up caste. but do not give up culture. what is culture? adherence to the path of tradition laid before us is culture. it's not possible to give up culture. Human activity is a blend of these three.
• culture is not obtained from relations but can be adhered through discrimination. Heart is the basis. out of discrimination, u can face changes and trasformations in environment. today, absence of discrimination has resulted in perversions. Since culture is spoilt, the country has become weak. it leads to questionable behaviour. Today, each (political) party has its own doctrine, principles etc. therefore country is weak. the best results will come only if there's unity.
• when Swami was 11 years, a certain Hanumanthappa, a communist came to Swami and requested him to compose a song for his party. the song went like this: a child was crying, mother got a swing and a rubber toy and said, "my child don't cry, people won't call you brave.men and women will together fight for independence. (it was a time when Germany was at war with russia). child, don't cry, to kill Hitler, there's the Red army lead by Stalin." the next day after this composition by Swami, Hitler died
• Since a long time, people have run after different fashions to become modern. From moustache to apparel, they haven't spared anything. these fashions are like passing clouds.
• like this,there are changes in education today. Arjun Singh has many plans. he wants to try many permutations and combinations (of science and commerce disciplines) and introduce inter-disciplinary courses. but there aren't enough qualified teachers to teach them. when teachers are good, students will also be good. So, do not run after these changes.
• because of changes in diet, we fall sick.Earlier things were made of clay (pot). Now, we use stainless steel utensils. Plastic bags, plates etc which are non-degradable cause soil pollution. Similarly, junk food causes food pollution. Thus we see that changes have resulted in pollution of various kinds. Therefore, in the field of education, do not change or imitate the west.
  
• You experience Ananda here. understand that this ananda will follow you in future too. Future is based on past. Do not worry of the future. Past is past. The present is omnipresent. Follow the present.
• Only the Sathya Sai University has got its curriculum based on the present. Do not change this system of education. It will ensure you a bright future.
• Help ever hurt never. Never hurt anyone. Thinking of the past, we ruin the present. Right now, you are in a perfect study mind. Earlier, it was dirty mind. Change in man is because of the mind. Parents also do not understand this truth. Our students came up in life in the present. They are ideals to the world. In present there is “less luggage and more comfort”
• Present means you are there in the classroom. Otherwise you are marked absent. (taken at face value, this statement very relevant to us students as we bunk so many classes. and lack of attendance results in promotion problems). Thus being present is important.
• Elders feel bad that the past days were good, young respected the old, showed courtesy. but the present (situation) is bad. People do not follow the righteous path of their elders. Today there’s no purity or unity but only enmity. Therefore, give u the six vices of kama, krodha,etc….. oly then will there be unity.. Bose was driven out of India because of this enmity and selfishness. But wherever he went he served the society and always thought of motherland.
• Instead of earning Rs 10000 abroad, it’s better to earn even Rs 1000 here. Out of Rs 10000, you have so many expenses like rent, food etc. Thus life abroad is difficult. Even a banana is costly, it costs 10 Rs! How can you afford all that and take care of your children? But you want to strain yourself and go abroad. Swami hasn’t gone abroad.
• Swami went to Africa , but only for a short while. He saw wildlife there. It was very beautiful. The animals were so majestic. The elephants there had he ears, all the mosquitoes would get blown away when those ears would flap! But those animals were harmless. They also have values. They don’t hurt you unless you intend to hurt them. Swami fed fruits to the lions. But the animals wanted more! Swami told them He shall give the next day. Animals react based on feelings. Yad bhavam tad bhavati.
• Have the feeling “I’ve studied in this great University, keep the flag flying high. To get a good name join good company. As is the company, so you are.
• The MBA boys spoke very well yesterday. Swami was touched by their talk. All of you should be good boys. Even a gold may lose its value, but goodness doesn’t. Maintain your goodness.
• First, you must have aatmavishwas. Radha, Dhruva, etc all had good thoughts, so they met with good results. People with faith in God will never fail in life. Where there’s faith, there’s love: where there’s love there’s Atma. All are formless. Love is God, live in love. Truth is God. Recognise this fundamental truth.
• Never lose faith. It is the basis of life. Have total faith. He then narrated the story of Ramdas which had the lesson of faith)
• Foreigners have so much faith and confidence. Inspite of a lower standard of life here and many troubles, they have chosen to settle here. Without self confidence and discrimination, there’s no use of vast knowledge gathering. Self realization starts with discrimination. Discrimination leads to self satisfaction.
• You are all pure gold. But sometimes, clouds do appear. Do not get carried away by the passing clouds. Be steady. Study to be steady. Preserve all this in your mind. There’s nothing great about going abroad. Money comes and goes, morality comes and grows. It is not merely the currency notes, but their use that is important. BE HAPPY.

UNENDING SAGA OF LOVE

Till now, i was only discussing about the joy that Swami showered on various devotees and youth groups by granting them an opportunity to put up programmes and conferences. it was really a bother to us to such an extent that we thought students can stop expecting blessings they had before.
How little our minds are! When the Lord says he spends a lot of time thinking of His boys, how can the boys ever think that He has forgotten them?
the independence day programme as we know, was still lingering in our minds. The next programme would be the MBA anniversary day on 21st august. As a custom, the MBA boys prepare a drama on that day. So, we got our second chance at putting up a programme. The exams just got over and the boys had very little time to prepare this drama. two days prior, the Vice Chancellor came to the auditorium to see the rehearsals. Well, what we put up was more like a spoof rather than play. Lord Vishnu and Narada composed their own lines and Duryodhana forgot his hometown of Hastinapura. However, it was well polished and the VC liked it. He said he would inform Swami the next day.
The next day, we were all very excited as there was apparently a sure chance of putting up drama this time. Around afternoon, we got a heartbreaking news, similar to the one before. Swami said he didn't want the drama, he was bored of them. But he hinted on some kind of a programme on August 21.
thus, on August 21, we were ready with songs and speeches. Swami came in His chair, blessed all of us and came to the portico. it was truly looking like a festive occasion. the inaugral speech was given by our Principal, who spoke of the system of education here, particularly MBA programme. it was then followed with speeches by two research scholars. Since, they were also part of the bhajan group, their talk was interspersed with songs too. This really set the tone for what followed later, even till this day. Swami was moved to tears by their talk. He said "I am very happy", "Manchi boys" . the speeches were followed by songs and Swami was asking for more. Finally, the VC and Principal prayed to Swami to speak to the boys. the boys too shouted "Swami, speak to us". But it was already late and Swami said He'll speak later.
After the programme and aarati, Swami got into the car to return back. He remarked to the Principal "manchi boys, all boys are good"
We were very happy that August 21 did not pass like a stale day. At night, we recieved an exciting news that Swami had called the boys next day morning for darshan. He wanted to speak to us.
the message was probably meant for the MBA boys but the warden allowed all Institute boys for morning darshan. Swami came in the morning in His chair again and again took letters from many boys. he proceeded to the portico and asked for the mikes. We couldn't believe our eyes! Well, in Parthi every day is a festival. Swami spoke for more than an hour about business and similar aspects, which i've dealt in next post. He materialised chains for the two research scholars who spoke on the previous day. in the end, He raised both His hands and blessed us all. Could we ask for more?
The evening of august 22 was again booked with a couple of speeches. it seems Swami wanted the boys to speak everyday. So, since August 21, the norm has been that every evening, one student and one teacher would give a speech in Kulwant hall. We only hope the festival lasts indefinitely so that all th boys may get an opportunity they dream of, that is, to speak in His presence. Sai Ram