MORNING DARSHAN Om Sairam dearest Sai Family, Ugadi greetings from the land of Yuga Avatara, Puttaparthi. Ugadi, telugu new year was celebrated with festivity and gaiety in the abode of Highest peace Prasanthi Nilayam.
The ashram was beautifully decorated on the holy occassion. The kulwanth hall in particular was draped with sky blue cloth around the pillars and on the dias. Beautiful flowers covered the whole dias and a small space left for Lord Ganesha to be visible. Replica of Mangoes, the fruit of the season was hung between pillars and here and there some real mangoes were seen. It was a very bright and cool morning to start with. Being a new year, many Puttaparthians in particular came to the ashram in new clothes and coconuts and flowers in thier hands... Many breaking coconuts to Ganesha, some seriously moving around Ganesha, clearly seemed to be counting the number of rounds and Sai Kulwanth hall was not really jam packed but had good numbers. Being election season, it was also the turn of chota policians to come for Swami's darshan. Being examination season for all the students in India, probably would have been the reason for not so many devotees on this holy occassion. Notably there were no big groups on Parthi Yatra in the recent past for the same reason. Every one were eagerly awaiting Swami for His divine darshan on the auspicious occassion. It was 8:30am and still no trace of His arrival, it was 9am and the bhajans started and made many in the hall little bit curious if Swami will come or not... It was 9:45 and then there was some movement at His residence and in no time Swami out of His immense grace came out from His physical abode wearing the brightness of the bright sun and with a sweet smile. The Deputy Superintedent of Police, Mr..Mallikarjun will be retiring in few days and He had to say a few words to Swami and after a quick chat, Swami entered the Sai Kulwanth hall in His mobile throne. Swami took a full round in the hall. This time, there were beautiful flowers placed on either side of the path way and here and there small baskets with some mangoes were kept.. Swami after finishing His darshan round came on to the dias. After 5 or 6 bhajans, he called upon Mr.Sudhir Bhaskar to make an announcement in place of Prof.Anil Kumar who is not in town. It was announced that Swami's students from Sri Sathya Sai Mirpuri COllege of music, MBA and MPhil students will have a karnatic music programme this afternoon. AFTER NOON DARSHAN: In the afternoon Swami came just after 4pm and this time in a bit bigger Mobile throne. Swami interacted to students and some devotees before He came on the dias. Immediately the music programme started and it was a beautiful programme totally performed and MASTERED by Swami's students. The Alaaps in particular were too good. Iam Music illeterate but there was one elderly devotee probably in his 60s sitting next to me.. When the student was doing the alaap, he was listening to them in rapt attention probably checking if the students were singing it right. His index finger was making small movements as if drawing a ECG graph and his gestures made me more curious and he seemed very much thrilled by the way the students were singing.. Seeing him so much immersed I was definitely sure that he had good knowledge of music. In about 10 minutes I looked at him and this time tears were rolling down from his eyes.. it was definitely a beautiful appreciation not to the students but to the MASTER who made this beautiful music college and no doubt this will be a pioneer music mandir in the years to come.. The students on the other hand were getting big round of applauds after every song and they definitely made our beloved Swami proud to be His chosen ones.. At 6:30 Swami asked for arathi while prasad was distributed to every one. Just out of curiosity, I went to the elderly devotee and asked him two questions... how do you feel and are you a musician? He looked at me as if feeling little bit uncomfortable and in a second he came back to me with a beautiful smile and said so you saw me crying??? It was beautiful and first of its kind experience. For my second question, I was little bit taken back when he said Iam working with A.R.Rahman (the oscar winning music director of the slumdog millionaire fame) and Iam going to share this experience with him. I knew he was a musician but I never thought he would be working with a living legend and this is what our students are!! Swami always says my students are PURE BANGARU (gold) and how true it is!!! This new year, which sounds little bit scary by its name VIRODHI (enemy, opponent) has already created sleepless nights to evey one. Especially many politicians feel it is not a good year for them. Many others think there will be lot of enemity this year. To add to this, there is one email circulated in South Africa reading SWAMI'S PREDICTIONS which has been projected as personally given by Swami to His students and the contents of the letter need not to be mentioned as every word in that is absolutely false and baseless. Swami our beloved Lord, has come to this world, to save His own beautiful creation and to teach us all love and non violence.. The VIRODHI (enemy), in fact VIRODHIS are the jealousy, anger, desire, hatred.... with in us and let this VIRODHI year remind us these VIRODHIS and let us all, by Swami's grace fight these enemies and win the game of life... With humble pranams at the lotus feet of our beloved Lord. R.Satish Naik..
