The Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh, Sri K. Rosaiah arrived in Prasanthi Nilayam for darshan this evening. Swami emerged from His residence at a quarter to five as the Vedic chants went on, and after coming into Sai Kulwant hall, moved to the Bhajan hall. There, He interacted with the teachers of the Sri Sathya Sai Higher Secondary School, blessing them at the commencement of the new academic year. Moving through the verandah, Bhagavan called the CM for an audience for half an hour, and later called some of his cabinet colleagues after he left. After sitting onstage for a few bhajans, Swami asked for the car to be brought. Returning after His drive nearly an hour later, Swami accepted Arati and returned to His residence at a quarter to eight.
Last evening, Swami had gone on two complete rounds of Sai Kulwant hall during his darshan round. This evening, He arrived for darshan at 6.20 and had a twenty-minute darshan round. Sitting onstage as the bhajans went on, He accepted Arati after quarter-past seven and moved to the interview room. It was half an hour later that He returned to His residence.
This evening, Bhagavan arrived for darshan just after six o'clock. The devotees from overseas presented their second day of Buddha poornima programmes today. The Malaysian Sai Choir opened the evening's proceedings after Swami's darshan round. Next was a dance by children from Thailand. Sai Youth from Sri Lanka then presented a drama entitled 'Angulimala'. Bhagavan went down from the stage after the performance and had group photos with the participants. He also blessed one of the group with a chain and gave prasadam to the artistes. When Swami returned to the stage, He permitted the devotees to sing one bhajan before He accepted Arati and returned to His residence at a quarter to eight.
The Buddha Poornima celebrations by overseas devotees at Prasanthi
Nilayam got underway this evening with Bhagavan entering Sai Kulwant
Hall in a procession led by traditional dancers from Sri Lanka just
after 5.30 pm. Before that, Swami had gone to the hall next to Yajur
Mandir and blessed the teachers of the Sai University who had gathered
there for the preliminary session of a two-day orientation course for
new teachers. Moving among the faculty members, Bhagavan interacted
with some of them informally for around 10 minutes before He left for
Sai Kulwant hall.
The programme got underway shortly after Swami came
onstage. Various items were presented to Him, including Sai Literature
from Nepal and Sri Lanka. The Zonal chairman Dr. Ravindran introduced
the two speakers for the evening, Dr. Art-Ong Jumsai, the Sai educator
from Thailand and Mr. Sudhamek of Garuda Food Indonesia. After their
brief talks, a drama entitled 'Yashodhara' got underway at half-past
six. After the 35 minute drama, Swami sent clothes for the
participants and accepted Arati. He went down for group photographs
and blessed prasadam for distribution before returning to His
residence at 7.30 pm.
This evening, Bhagavan emerged from His residence a few minutes after the bhajans commenced at half-past five. He sat onstage after His darshan round and accepted Arati at 6.10 pm. After Arati, He called up a couple of Professors from the University and asked Prof. Veerabhadraiah who teaches Telugu at the Prasanthi Nilayam campus to speak. In his fifteen minute Telugu talk, the speaker conveyed what Swami has spoken about Lord Buddha and His teachings. Bhagavan blessed him with a chain after his speech before accepting Arati once again and returning to His residence.
Students of Swami who had stayed back during their vacations presented compilation of dance and music this evening, 'Lava Kusa Ramakatha'. Bhagavan came for darshan at a quarter past five and sat onstage for ten minutes after His darshan round listening to the Vedic chants. He then moved to the bhajan hall where the students were ready in costumes and spent ten minutes with them. Returning to the stage, He began the programme just after six o'clock. The 45 minute presentation of dances and songs on Lord Rama was narrated by 'Sage Valmiki'. Bhagavan went down from the stage for group photographs and sent clothes for the performers. He also blessed 'Mother Sita' and 'one of her sons' with a chain and a ring respectively. It was a quarter past seven when Swami accepted Arati and returned to His residence.
This evening, Balvikas gurus from North Kanara of Karnataka presented a music programme. Bhagavan arrived for darshan at ten to six and came onstage after His round of the hall. The group had prepared an album of 85 value songs and were ready with a selection to sing in the Divine presence. After listening to them for half an hour, Swami asked the students to sing bhajans. Ten minutes later, He accepted Arati. After a brief interaction with some of the students, He returned to Yajur Mandir.
The weather at Prasanthi Nilayam has cooled down a bit, with overcast skies and brief showers bringing the temperatures down. The lists of provisionally selected students for the new academic year have been announced on the University website. Bhagavan came for darshan this evening as the Vedam went on and came onstage after His round of Sai Kulwant hall just as the 5.30 pm bhajans began. He blessed some of the students and teachers sitting in the front with vibhuti packets before He accepted arati at 6.15 pm and returned to His residence.
Swami came for evening darshan today after the bhajans began. After His darshan round, He sat onstage for a couple of bhajans before asking for His microphones to be brought. From 6.10 pm, Bhagavan addressed the gathering, narrating the stories of Savitri and Harishchandra. He stressed the importance of chastity, harmony and fidelity in the family and that these are as important for men as for women. The students sang a bhajan before Swami accepted Arati at a quarter past seven and returned to His residence after blessing the congregation with both hands.
This evening, the students of the Sri Sathya Sai University presented a programme of songs and dances. Bhagavan came for darshan at half-past five. After His round of Sai Kulwant hall, He came into the bhajan hall and interacted with the students in costumes there for ten minutes. Moving to the stage, He began the programme at ten to six. The fifty-minute programme had semi-classical devotional songs and dances and was narrated by 'Sage Narada'. Bhagavan went down from the stage and blessed the participants with group photographs before accepting Arati and returning to His residence at seven o'clock.
Last evening Bhagavan had come for darshan at six. Research scholars
of Prasanthi Nilayam campus of the Sai University were seated in the
bhajan hall. After His darshan round, Swami spent ten minutes
interacting with the PhD students, moving among them and speaking to
many of them. He then moved to the stage as the bhajans went on and
accepted Arati after twenty minutes. He came for darshan this morning
at 10.10, returning to His residence an hour later. In the evening, He
accepted Arati as prasadam was distributed at hal-past six. He then
blessed the staff member who came up to Him with a chain and later
with vibhuti. Then it was the turn of a student who came up to receive
a ring. Then He blessed the 'Birthday boys' one by one. It was nearly
seven when Bhagavan returned to His residence.
Swami has been coming for evening darshan over the last few days. Last evening as well as this evening, He went into the interview room after Arati. After remaining there for a few minutes, He had made another extended round of the verandah and even moved briefly onstage before returning to His residence at ten to seven. This evening also He moved around the verandah for a second time before returning to Yajur Mandir.
Mother's day is celebrated today, the second Sunday of May, in many parts of the world. Bhagavan asked Sri Ajit Popat of the UK and Sri B. N. Narasimhamurthy, Warden of the Brindavan Hostel, to speak this evening about Mother Eswaramma. After He arrived for darshan at a quarter to five, Swami sat for a few minutes onstage before calling up Sri Popat. After the two talks, Bhagavan accepted Arati at a quarter past six and prasadam was distributed to all.
On this Eswaramma Day morning, Bhagawan emerged in His car at just
before ten o'clock to proceed to the Samadhi of His parents. There, a
private function was held inside the inner sanctum with a song being
sung on Mother Eswaramma. Half an hour later, Swami returned to Sai
Kulwant hall. There, He sat for a while onstage before moving through
the bhajan hall for a second round of the gents' side in front of the
students. Prasadam of Tamarind Rice and Sweet Rice was distributed to
all in leaf plates. Swami accepted Arati at 11.15 am and an
announcement was made about the evening programme. It was half-past
eleven when Bhagavan returned to His residence.
In the evening, Swami came for darshan at ten to five. After His round
of Sai Kulwant Hall, He came into the bhajan hall and interacted with
a group of educators seated there who are to begin a new project based
on Sathya Sai Education along with the Sri Sathya Sai Seva
Organisation. Spending half an hour with this group, Bhagawan came
onstage to begin the balvikas presentation after 5.30 pm. The story of
Bhadrachala Ramdas was presented through many songs and dances in the
fifty minute English drama by Balvikas children from Bangalore. Swami
sent clothes and vibhuti prasadam for the children and they came
onstage batch by batch for group photos with Him. The students sang
bhajans for fifteen minutes before Bhagavan accepted Arati at seven
o'clock. He then interacted some more with the Karnataka state Sai
Organisation President onstage before returning to His residence.
On the eve of Eswaramma Day, this evening, Bhagawan came for darshan 4.45 pm in His car. He moved to the Samadhi through the central gate of Sai Kulwant hall. Statues of Mother Eswaramma and Sri Pedda Venkama Raju garu were readied there. Swami formally unveiled these statues and asked for coconuts to be broken. Spending almost fifteen minutes there, Bhagavan accepted Arathi before returning to the Mandir just after five o'clock. Alighting near the interview room, Bhagawan spent sometime outside the interview room before proceeding to the bhajan hall. He then came onstage as the Vedam went on and sat onstage for the next half-hour. When Swami moved to the interview room, Bhajans began at a quarter to six. When Swami returned to the stage after half an hour, He accepted Arati. An announcement was then made about the Eswaramma day celebrations tomorrow.
Bhagavan came for evening darshan at ten to five. After a full round of Sai Kulwant hall, He went on a second round of the ladies' side before coming onstage. He sat listening to the Vedic chants there till nearly 5.30 pm, when He moved to the interview room. Emerging half an hour later, Swami moved to the Bhajan hall briefly before returning to the stage to accept Arati a few minutes later.
This evening also Bhagavan came for evening darshan in the car. Moving through the centre gate of Sai Kulwant Hall, He left for a drive through the village before returning after nearly half an hour at 5.40 pm. He then sat onstage till Arati just after six o'clock. He then had some interactions in the interview room and later in the the Bhajan hall, returning to His residence after half-past six.
This evening, preparations were made at the Samadhi of Swami's parents for His arrival. Bhagavan arrived for darshan in the car just before half-past four and directly came to the stage. He sat there as the Vedam went on for half an hour. Spending the next fifteen minutes in the interview room, He went to the Samadhi and saw the arrangements made there for the Eswaramma day celebrations on May 6th. Returning to the Mandir as the bhajans went on at 5.40 pm, He sat onstage till Arati at 6 pm.
Bhagavan came for darshan by five o'clock last evening. He sat onstage listening to the Vedic chants till He accepted Arati at six. Before Arati, He called up one of the students in the bhajan group and blessed him with a chain. This evening, He came for darshan just before half-past five. Half an hour later as Arati concluded and one of the students came up to Him with a rose, Swami blessed him with a chain. He then sat onstage interacting with the students for ten more minutes before moving to the interview room. At 6.30 pm, He emerged to return to His residence after a short visit to the bhajan hall.