The staff of the Super Speciality Hospital at Prasanthi gram is also coming to the Ashram in batches on pilgrimage like their colleagues at Whitefield. This evening, the first batch of staff with their families, around 150 in number, were seated in the bhajan hall. Bhagavan arrived as the bhajans went on, and after His darshan round, came into the bhajan hall. He first moved around them all, going around the hall a couple of times. Then He sat in the front of the hall and had group photos with them in batches of ten. After an informal interaction with some of the group members for some more time, Swami blessed prasadam for distribution and moved to the stage as the bhajans continued. Five minutes later, He accepted Arati and returned to His residence at 6.20 pm.
The girl students passing out of the Sri Sathya Sai Higher Secondary School were ready with a selection of songs this evening. Bhagavan came for darshan a few minutes after the five o'clock Bhajans began. He completed His darshan round, at the end of which the students presented cards to Him about their programme. At six o'clock, Bhagavan accepted Arati, concluding the bhajans. He then moved to the Western side of the verandah, facing the girls, and they began their songs. Listening to their songs for more than twenty minutes and accepting letters and cards from many of them, Swami returned to His residence at half-past six.
This evening, the devotees from Adilabad district were ready with a cultural programme. Bhagavan arrived for darshan at half-past five and their programme got underway at 5.45. A 50-minute Telugu drama featuring the many poems and slokas penned by Bhagavan was the first presentation, following which Swami blessed one of the participants with a chain. After Swami went down for group photographs, the devotees began their music programme. Half an hour later, Swami accepted Arati at 7.20. He waited till the clothes and prasadam He sent for the group had been distributed before returning to His residence.
The group from Australia were ready with a programme this evening, so the bhajans did not begin at five o'clock after the hour-long Vedic chants. Bhagavan arrived for darshan only at 7.05 pm. Once He came onstage, He asked the Australian group to begin. A half-hour drama on the importance of the Mother was followed by a few songs. It was half-past eight when Swami accepted Arati. He then moved to the bhajan hall where a new silver base for the lingam used for daily puja had been prepared. The Mandir priest moved the lingam to the new base in Bhagavan's presence and He then returned to His residence in the chair.
This evening, the outgoing boys of X and XII class from the Sri Sathya Sai Higher Secondary School were ready with their gratitude programme. The Sai Kulwant hall was full and overflowing with a large group of devotees from Adilabad district. Also in the congregation was famous drummer Anandan Sivamani. Bhagavan emerged from His residence at ten to six. Once He finished His darshan round, He spent some time on the Verandah interacting with some devotees. Once He came onstage, He blessed the hall tickets of the students who are to appear in the CBSE exams and interacted briefly with Sivamani. As the Vedam chanting went on, Swami sat onstage for half an hour more, and then asked for the Arati. After Arati, He called up some of the students who were holding a card for their gratitude programme, and asked them to begin. Their 50 minute programme began at 6.50 pm, and included short speeches and songs. When they finished, Swami went down among them for group photographs and then left for His residence.
This morning, Bhagavan went for a drive at five to eight, returning to the Ashram via the Western gate and then moving down the main road at Puttaparthi upto the Hanuman temple. Once He returned to the Mandir, He moved to the interview room for half an hour before moving to the stage as the bhajans went on, accepting Arati at ten to ten. In the evening, He emerged from His residence at half-past six and went into the interview room after a round of Sai Kulwant Hall. Coming to the stage an hour later, He accepted Arati after ten minutes and returned to His residence after blessing all with both hands.
The penultimate batch of staff from the two hospitals at Whitefield had come to Prasanthi Nilayam on pilgrimage. This evening, they were seated in the Bhajan hall. Swami arrived for darshan ten minutes after the bhajans began in Sai Kulwant hall. After His darshan round, He moved on the verandah and entered the bhajan hall from the rear door. Moving among the staff and their family members, Swami interacted with them for ten minutes before moving onstage as the bhajans went on. Just before six o'clock, He blessed prasadam for distribution and accepted Arati before returning to His residence.
Bhagavan came for darshan at a quarter to nine this morning. During His darshan round, He blessed one of the Chinese devotees with a chain. He sat onstage for the bhajans for more than fifty minutes before accepting Arati. He then had another interaction with one of the Tibetan monks before moving to the interview room. From there, He sent word for the monks to move to the bhajan hall. There, He interacted with them for a while, returning to His residence after 10.45 am.
In the evening, Swami arrived at ten to six, escorted into Sai Kulwant Hall by a procession led by Chinese lion dancers. Once He finished His darshan round, He lit a lamp onstage and began the proceedings. Offerings by the devotees and chants were followed by a speech, a Burrakatha in English and a forty-minute play highlighting filial piety. As the play concluded at 7.30, Swami went down among them for group photographs and the devotees sang devotional songs and bhajans. Once Bhagavan came onstage, He accepted Arati and blessed prasadam for distribution. He then asked the students to sing some bhajans before accepting Arati again at ten to eight. Moving to the interview room, Bhagavan sent clothes for distribution to the participants in the programme and later came onstage, asking some of them if they had received the clothes. It was 8.10 when He returned to His residence after this interaction.
The Chinese New Year celebrations at Prasanthi Nilayam commenced today. Bhagavan came for morning darshan by half-past seven, and came onstage an hour later from the interview room. He called up the Tibetan monks who were seated in the centre of the hall, and asked them to commence their chanting. After fifteen minutes of chants, Swami asked for the bhajans to commence at nine. Half an hour later, He accepted Arati. Interacting for a few more minutes with one of the monks and the organisers, He left for His residence.
In the evening, Swami sent word for the chanting by the devotees to begin at 5.50 pm. Twenty minutes later, He arrived in Sai Kulwant hall, and sat onstage as the Tibetan monks chanted till 6.30 pm. The devotees then offered some items to Bhagavan, and commenced their programme of chanting accompanied by instruments. Their half-hour of chanting was followed by bhajans, including some bhajans in Mandarin and English. At ten to eight, Swami asked Prof Anil Kumar to announce the drama to be staged tomorrow. With a dedication to all sentient beings, the evening session drew to a close with Arati and Bhagavan returned to His residence at eight o'clock.
On 16th and 17th, Swami spent much of the evening sessions in the interview room, coming for darshan at 5.20 and 6.10 respectively. It was nearly a quarter to eight when He returned to His residence after Arati.
On 18th He went for a drive at half-past noon, and came for darshan at ten to five. During His round of the hall, He interacted with some of the devotees and monks who have started gathering here for the Chinese New Year celebrations. After blessing the 'Birthday boys', Swami blessed prasadam for distribution and moved to the interview room at 5.45. At six o'clock He emerged, accepted Arati and returned to His residence.
Today Swami's darshan in the evening was received with much keenness and fulfillment as Bhagavan had not arrived the previous day. Swami came after 5 p.m. and stayed on till 6:45 p.m. as He granted interviews. The bhajans were also full of vigour and vitality and before aarthi, Swami blessed the birthday boys and raised both His hands in benediction.
This evening, the women students of the Anantapur campus of the Sai University were ready with a musical presentation. Bhagavan arrived at 5.35 pm for darshan, and once He came onstage, began their programme. Fifty minutes of devotional songs were interspersed with a couple of instrumental pieces on violins. Swami went down among them for group photographs after their programme as they sang bhajans, and blessed them with prasadam as they prayed that Swami visit their campus. It was seven o'clock when He accepted Arati. The Brindavan students prayed that Bhagavan visit Bangalore, and Swami blessed all with both hands before returning to His residence.
The Shivarathri bhajans continued through the night and the microphones were turned on at six o'clock, and Bhagavan came to Sai Kulwant hall five minutes later. He moved down the centre of the Hall beyond the lotus gate, inspecting and blessing the prasadam kept there before moving to the stage. Swami sat onstage for half an hour as the bhajans went on. He then moved to the bhajan hall and blessed the food kept there as prasadam. Moving to the gents' side of the hall, He went near the garage area where more prasadam was arrayed, and then made another full round of the hall. After some time onstage, Swami again moved to the bhajan hall and made another round of the front of Sai Kulwant hall. At 7.10, He asked for the Arati to conclude the night-long bhajan, and asked for the prasadam to be distributed. He watched as everyone was served sweet rice and tamarind rice on leaf plates. Moving to the bhajan hall once again, He went into the interview room, and returned to His residence after half an hour, blessing many devotees on the way.
In the evening, Bhagavan came for darshan as the bhajans went on at a quarter-past five. He sat onstage for nearly an hour after coming into the bhajan hall to see the clothes arranged there for the group from Orissa. Wall calendars were distributed as the bhajans went on. The penultimate batch of beneficiaries of the houses built by Bhagavan after the Orissa floods were here during the Shivarathri celebrations, and today Swami was gifting them with clothes. The ladies from the group were asked to assemble in the bhajan hall, and Swami moved there to bless them. He interacted with some of them and moved among them after sarees and vibhuti prasadam had been distributed. After this interaction, Swami returned to the stage, and the gents from Orissa had their clothes and vibhuti distributed in the Sai Kulwant hall itself. It was seven o'clock when Bhagavan accepted Arati and returned to His residence.
The Mahashivarathri celebrations began with Bhagavan arriving for darshan in a maroon robe in the evening at 5.10 pm. He first went to the Poornachandra auditorium where those who could not be accomodated in Sai Kulwant hall were seated. The vedam chanting and students' traditional bands resounded through the Sai Kulwant hall as Bhagavan arrived there 10 minutes later. Once He came onstage seated on the special golden chair, Swami asked for the music programme by the students to begin. More than an hour of stotrams and devotional songs followed, till He asked them to conclude the songs with a Tillana and then commence bhajans at a quarter to seven. An hour later, Swami asked Prof. Anil Kumar to announce that the bhajans will go on all night, and that prasadam would be distributed the next morning after the bhajans conclude with Arati at seven. Bhagavan then asked for the Arati. Even before it concluded, He asked the students to continue the bhajans. Ten minutes later, Swami left for His residence. After nine o'clock, the group bhajans continued into the night without mics.
This evening, Bhagavan blessed a new van for the Mobile Hospital project before arriving for darshan at half-past four. Once He reached the verandah after His darshan round, He asked Mr. Ajit Popat from the UK to be ready for a speech. Swami sat onstage for a few minutes as the Vedam chanting went on, and then asked Mr. Popat to speak at a quarter to five. In his 40 minute talk, Mr. Popat stressed to the audience the necessity of putting into practice the dictum of "I am not the doer", and to live in the present with joy. Swami asked for the bhajans to begin after his talk, and ten minutes later accepted Arati and returned to His residence.
This evening, the devotees from Ootacamund district of Tamil Nadu presented a folk dance drama. Bhagavan came for darshan just after five o'clock, and began their 45 minute presentation once He came onstage, blessing the group leaders who came up to Him. The story of Sathyavan and Savitri was presented first in their Badaga language with dances, and later in Telugu. Swami blessed one of the participants with a chain. He gave clothes to the cast members and went down among them for group photographs. This was followed by a bhajan by the devotees, then one by the students. It was half-past six when Swami returned to His residence after Arati.
Swami arrived at 4.40 p.m. and during the darshan round, He blessed the large group of devotees who had come from the Nilgiris mountains by permitting them to stage a programme the next day. When He came to the stage after completing the gents and ladies side, two research scholars and a senior professor from the Sri Sathya Sai University presented to Him a unique case study done on the Sri Sathya Sai Drinking Water Supply Projects. Swami saw the presentation in its entirety, and then sat on the dais listening to bhajans. At 5.50 p.m. He accepted arathi.
