Borrowing time

Not many of us like summer. Besides the scorching heat, there’s a burning grief, of separation of His beautiful form from our eyes. While some of them have tears swelled up, some have even dried, never to return again. Those eyes will forever look out into the world for a reflection of our Mother’s love.

The past few days have been sober; Swami hasn’t come out as much as our hearts would have yearned for. But when He did come, he made sure to get the choicest blessings for us. On Sunday, the boys of class 10 had put a drama on the theme “Follow the master”. Swami was very gracious to follow the outpourings from their hearts and bless them profusely.

The next day, students of Music College offered their prayers in the form of a gratitude programme. Swami came pretty late; nevertheless He was keen on giving them a memorable parting gift and stayed on till sunset, accepting their love and prayers.

Yesterday, Swami came in chair and took a round towards the ladies enclosure. He sat in the portico for a long time. Many boys got a chance to give letters and speak to Him. One boy said, “Swami, my sister is getting married and wants your blessings. Our Mother replied, “good, what is your brother-in-law doing?” The boy spoke of the details; Swami was satisfied with his answer and blessed him.

Many of the students who have graduated this year have borrowed some time to stay back for a few days and seek His blessings. Since Swami has been coming rarely for morning sessions now, it only adds to our dejection. But today, Swami came out as late as 10 am and sat for an entire hour during the bhajans, delighting us all. He came towards us in the evening too, taking letters and blessing everyone. A boy asked, “Swami, I completed my MBA. What should I do next?” Swami said, “go home, think for sometime and get a good job.”

These beautiful moments give a message of succour, as He said, “You may be this University’s student for a few years, but you will be a Sai student forever.” Surely, a title we wouldn’t trade for anything.

...And they painted the town red

How lucky we are to be born in India! The lord blesses us not only with so much love, but also ensures that we have enough holidays to bask in that grace. A weekend break of four days filled with festivals from 3 different religions- that’s the time to be in Parthi. Unfortunately for us, exams are a dampener along with the erratic rains.

The devotees of Bihar and Jharkhand had come prepared with an offering of programmes celebrating Holi. Last Saturday, we sat in mandir by 4 pm, waiting for Swami’s arrival. I was amused to find many Jharkhand devotees having colours on their faces. They were reflecting the true fervor of the occasion. Swami arrived in Kulwant hall by 4.30 pm. The programme began with the chanting of Gayatri mantra, followed by a bouquet of songs accompanied by dances. The dances were performed by the balvikas children and some of them were truly breathtaking. The dance on shiva stotram and the Ras leela of Krishna stood out among them. Swami’s attention was fixed upon their coordinated and graceful movements. After the performance, Swami called the children and the singers, gave them group photographs. It was truly a memorable day befitting the significance of the occasion.

Yesterday, Swami came out in car for a round at 12 noon. We were lucky to have His darshan just after writing our exam. In the afternoon however, Swami turned up pretty late. Meanwhile, the showers performed above the Kulwant Hall with a thundering noise. Rarely have we witnessed such a downpour in summer. As the rains took leave (perhaps by a stern divine command), Swami arrived here at 6pm. There was a drama by the balvikas children of Bihar on the life of Shabari. Before the programme could begin, Swami went inside interview room and came out with guess what? An Easter egg! He called the primary school boys and handed over the big egg shaped structure (perhaps a chocolate or cake) to the kids. The chocolates prepared by Italian devotees were distributed to the primary school students. The drama was very beautifully enacted, with melodious songs and dances. Swami called the children for group photographs and materialized a chain for Shabari.

The next big event is expected only next month i.e Ugadi. Swami has already been talking about it. He has even given some boys money to buy new clothes, saying He is unable to arrange clothes by Himself due to paucity of time! Hope the exams pass with a wink of an eye.

Seasons in the sun

It’s a very surprising weather these days, but not unusual. There’s rain, and there’s plenty of shine too; seems like nature gods are quarrelling over the chance to be here. Swami has been so gracious to allow everyone to feast on a beautiful darshan.

The pens and pencils are having a busy time now. It’s not because of exams as you might have guessed, but that everybody here wants to give a letter to Swami. Since He has been coming everyday in chair, no one wants to lose this opportunity.

This Sunday morning, swami came out pretty late, when the bhajans had already begun. The defence minister of Sri Lanka had come to see Him. We felt swami would proceed straight to the interview room. To our amazement, He moved around the entire length of the hall again and then came to the portico. We were really happy to have his attention for more than 20 minutes. In that excitement, some devotees would miss the beat on some fast bhajans. Immediately, Swami would give a disturbed expression and then smile. It was a very pleasant morning.

In the evening, He came in chair as usual, went to the bhajan hall and returned to the veranda. A Former Governor (long time Sai devotee) of Rajasthan was called. His wife and two sons joined him. Swami spoke to his wife for a long time. It was an open air interview! Swami materialised a chain for her, gave vibhuti packets and blessed the family.

The next few days were pretty sombre and the weather became extremely hot. Swami used to come out only after 5 pm, but He nevertheless made sure to bless us all by coming around the portico a few times.

Today, Swami did not turn up in the morning, but came pretty early afternoon at about 4.30pm. The boys who are appointed as room leaders in the hostel sat in the front row with the mementos that would be given to them later. They wanted to get these blessed by Swami. Swami had a look at the tray from a distance, but did not respond and went inside the interview room. Soon after, He called for the tray inside. He opened one memento which had the photograph of our Lord with a quote, “Hey bangaru, Always Be Careful”. Well, we couldn’t ask for a better parting message.

These are truly special moments in our lives where every minute has significance. As we count our days, the Lord walks up to us, raises His hand to assure, “You might forget the ABC, but I won’t forget you.” We had joy, we had fun, we had seasons in the sun (pretty hot sun), but the moments that we treasure with Mother Sai are never gone.

GATEcrashing the Party

It was a cloudy morning today and we expected showers very soon. Well, there were showers as expected, and showers that were not expected as well. I’m sorry for beating around the bush, but I’m yet to come to terms with what exactly transpired between Swami and students this evening.

As you would know, the All India GATE entrance exam results were declared today morning. Many of our brothers cleared this test with flying colors. There were 3 ranks within top 10; 2^nd and 4th in physics and 7^th in Biosciences. It is indeed a laudable effort since I personally know how much time could they spent studying for this test. While students elsewhere prepare months in advance, our brothers here get less than a month. There are so many functions, the convocation, a hectic Sports meet season, and then the university exams; I wonder when do these boys spare time for competitive exams? But the results are there for all to see, and it is solely because of Swami’s grace that they are successful. Only a Krishna is capable of making one Arjuna.

And so did the Arjunas march into Kurukshetra. I asked some of them after the exam about their performance. Most of them replied that it was tough, they couldn’t attempt all questions. Rest is history of course, but the aftermath witnessed today is a big mystery.

The GATE rankers (30 of them) sat in the bhajan hall for blessings. Swami arrived in chair and made a few rounds before entering the mandir, where the bhajans had already begun.

A teacher approached Him and mentioned about the rankers. Swami was extremely happy.

He asked one boy, “What do you wish to do in future?”

The boy: “Swami, I want to study MTech”.

Swami: “Santosham (very happy)”.

The teacher said,” Swami, these boys scored well inspite of a hectic schedule and secured All India ranks”

Swami gave an astonished look, “All India?”

The boys: “Swami, it is all due to Your grace”.

Swami : “No, it is your hardwork.”

He then told all of them to sit outside and came down to the portico. A mother was waiting to celebrate the success of Her children, and she wanted the entire gathering of devotees to know about it.

The Vice Chancellor announced the results to the large audience, as per His command. Swami called the 2^nd ranker and spoke to Him. As the boy replied to His answers, tears of joy swelled in His eyes. He called the Vice Chancellor and said, “Tell the people that Physics exam is extremely tough, yet our boys succeeded.” The VC promptly did so. Swami materialized a chain for the boy and patted his cheeks. Later, He called all others to the portico for group photographs. Swami gave watches to all the boys.

One student who secured 7^th rank in biosciences spoke to the gathering, thanking Swami for His love and grace. After the brief talk, he went to Swami and asked, “Are you happy?”

Swami: “very happy”.

The boy: “Swami I want to do PhD. Please be with me wherever I go.”

Swami: “With you? I am in you, around you, above and below you.”

Boys: “Swami please come to hostel. It’s been 5 years since you came.”

Swami: “ Without fail, I shall come. I will tell the date, time and come. Promise.”

And then came Prof Anil Kumar, who spiced things up for the evening. Swami knows it well, and He likes him for that. He asked the Prof to announce that Sri Sathya Sai University provides students with integrated education, that it is the only university to be credited with A++ grade (highest grade in University education in India). Prof Anil Kumar mentioned that the boys actively participate in other activities. Swami asked each boy about his department (every student in hostel works in some department like store, maintenance etc.) He asked the Prof to announce this to the gathering.

Swami: “Where are the medicine boys?”

The Bioscience boys went forward. He asked them as to which place did they hail from. He asked some others, “what are your plans after MSc?”

A student: “Swami, I want to do PhD.”

Swami: “Where do you want to study?”

Student: “Swami, wherever you say.”

Swami smiled and said, “Do wherever you feel comfortable”

Later, the boys told Swami to bless our warden as today is his birthday. Swami called for him. Our warden is a favourite of everyone, right from students to teachers, and Swami. He took Swami’s blessings, when Prof Anil Kumar came in and forced him to go closer and take padanamaskar. He said, “Swami, he is physics lecturer. Today is his birthday.” Well, all had their share of fun today.

50 minutes of overflowing love. Even the rains participated in celebrating the occasion. It is indeed a proud moment for us, to be part of this hallowed institute. With grace comes a responsibility, a task of collecting this overflowing love in the vessels of our hearts and filling other empty vessels that thirst for the love of God. May the Lord with His Akshaya Patra bless this endeavour and sanctify our purpose on earth.

When the conch was finally blown...

March is a month of gratitude programmes, when students of their final year in graduation or post graduation express their love and thanks to Swami, before stepping outside in the wide world. I have already mentioned about the programme of PG students in my previous posts. The final year undergraduate students were praying for this chance since many weeks.

A few days ago, they showed a card to Swami. He was very happy ad asked them to be ready tomorrow. The next day arrived with a 180 degrees turn in the fortunes of our brothers, as Swami brushed aside our warden’s request to Him to watch the programme. They were broken. God’s delays are not His denials. The students went to mandir everyday, ready with a card and lots of prayers.

Yesterday, the boys sat with all their costumes inside bhajan mandir. Swami arrived at 4.30 pm and proceeded to the bhajan hall. He noticed the boys and replied, “Go outside, I’ll come.” The boys were excited. Swami came out to the portico and was greeted by the resonating sound of the conch blown by a student. The programme began, with speeches interspersed between songs. There was also a humorous skit on the theme “purity of vision”. Swami liked the speeches of boys, spoken in many different languages like Malayalam, Telugu, Hindi, Bengali and so on. His eyes would occasionally swell with tears while listening to the boys. As one student rightly put it, “Swami has given us pencils, chocolates and lessons of life”.

While reading the lyric of the songs, He would sometimes look up to check whether all the boys were singing. Though I must admit their performance was pretty ordinary, it nevertheless came from a pure heart and that was enough to melt the utterly-butterly heart of Sai. He called the boys and gave them group photographs. Some boys got safari clothes from Swami. As usual, all the boys surrounded Swami and prayed, “Swami please come to hostel.” Swami replied, “This is your hostel. I’m here with you” Even the hostel teachers were called by Swami who blessed them with padanamaskar and photographs.

I wish time could stand still, but then, we can only hope there are more joyous moments with Swami in store for us over the remaining weeks.

Blessings on the move

Devotees who arrive in Parthi these days must be really lucky. Not only does our Lord spread His fragrance all around us by covering the length and breadth of Kulwant hall in chair, he has also chosen one more vehicle to ensure that no devotee is spared the emotion of happiness from His darshan.

"Car darshans" or "blessings on the move" have become a regular feature these days.Almost every morning, Swami takes a ride in car down to Super Hospital and back. Now that's a vast stretch of road capable of accommodating every living being in Parthi.

Many devotees run alongside Swami's car. While their stamina must be lauded, one cannot discount the anxiety on the faces of security that accompanies Swami. While standing for the bonus blessings, i have noticed that Swami's attention is all the time focused on our marathoners, rather than bystanders.

Coming back to mandir, i can say the sessions couldn't have been better. Many boys have lost count of the letters they have given to Swami till date. one enterprising student claims to have crossed the 200 letters mark in two years. i wonder how many letters does it take us to spell SAI. A couple of days ago, Swami was in an elated mood when he entered the hall. He had just met little Krishna Gita, who came all the way to Yajur mandir to see Him. Swami fed her some fruits and blessed her. Thanks to KG, we were beneficiaries of the bonus grace. Swami came very slowly in chair, taking letters from each one of us. Sometimes, he would stop and wait for the boy seated at the back to come forward and hand him the letter. I must say taking letters from students is quite a task, because boys keep very little space for Swami to walk between the lines; they are all over Him like bees to the honeycomb.

I hope the coming days will be as exciting. there are brief showers these days; guess even Lord Indra couldn't resist the temptation of this overflowing grace!

Fare Well Series 1

Reason fails to explain WHY. Why does a mother love her child so much as to bear the pain of his kicking for nine months? Why does God love his creation so much as to tolerate its quest for self destruction? Love alone can pierce the barriers of hate, of vices that cloud our vision of God.

A few decades ago, one of the devotees asked Swami, “Swami, there is a danger of global warming; studies have shown that the world will be in peril after 50 years.” Swami replied, “I know. God is allowing man to destroy himself so that one day; he will fall down on his knees and turn towards God.”

Well, lets not get into these sad stories, they never please anyone. And as I say this, Swami passes by the portico in chair giving us a wide smile, testifying the view. After all, He has come to lift us out of sorrow. The last few weeks have been “yellow”fied (Swami’s colour of signifying heaven or Vaikuntha). Though I admit I don’t see yellow everywhere, the mood that I observe in my hostel and mandir say it all.

The Sivaratri festival was an amazing spectacle; I’m too late at discussing that. But what I found so special this time was reminiscence of good old times, when He was physically more close to His children, interacting with us frequently. A couple of weeks ago, our class, the final year post graduate students, put up a gratitude programme before Swami. We call it gratitude programme and not a farewell since Swami has rebuked us on many occasions against coining that word. For a Sai student, there is no “farewell”. He remains a Sai student forever. The bond with our Mother shall never leave us.

It was afternoon and all of us had assembled in Kulwant hall. Swami arrived by 5 pm, but immediately went to the interview room. We were getting restless, as usual. But soon after, He returned to the portico and asked “Where is Krishna and Sudama”. There were a couple of short skits, one of them being the story about Krishna and his friend Sudama. The programme began, with short speeches interspersed between songs. Swami was very happy, smiling and moving his fingers to the tune of the song.

After the programme, He decided to get up and come down towards us. All of us rushed forward and surrounded Swami. We had many requests to make and perhaps confused Swami. While some asked, “can we have group photographs?” some said, “Swami, please come to hostel” and others, “Swami please talk to us”. He was smiling and nodding all the while, giving his hand to all of us. One boy said, “Swami, you can come to hostel on Sunday afternoon, stay till evening and then return back.” Swami turned to him, “who are you to decide my schedule?”

It was a very memorable day indeed. He promised us that He’d speak to us soon. Listening to the Sivaratri discourse, I am convinced that the discourse was meant primarily for us.

We have little doubt that that festival had been physically taxing for Swami. But then, we are all descendants of the doubting Thomas and Swami loves to defy our logic and expectations. Right from the festival day, He has been coming out in chair, taking at least two rounds inside Kulwant hall, accepting letters from many. He’s fitter and more enthusiastic than any Indian cricketer was Down Under. Inspite of the apparent physical strain, He’d sit in portico, give interviews, talk to boys and occasionally ask, “are you happy?” Perhaps He is charging our batteries, as we near the end of our term and prepare to return to our hometown. May the batteries be utilized to charge others with the love of Sai. And may all Fare Well in this Garden of our Lord.