Prashanti Diary
A Chronicle of Heaven on Earth

SEPT 15: PUBLIC FUNCTION WITH SANT ASARAMJI BAPU.

The ashram played host to Sri Asaramji Bapu, a venerated saint who had come to have Swami’s Darshan. Swami granted him audience on a couple of days, and on Sept 15, 2004, a public function was unexpectedly held. After speeches by a couple of students, Sant Asaramji Bapu addressed the gathering in Sai Kulwant Hall. Talking in Hindi, he was all praise for the singular good fortune of the students and devotees to be with Bhagavan everyday. Just as Krishna gave joy to the Gopalas, Swami is amidst you and giving joy to all, he said. Speaking next, Swami said that the message of noble souls like Sant Asaramji is very essential for the students. Swami also elucidated at length how Divine Grace only flows through true love and exhorted everyone to develop such love.

SEPT 16th: SUNDARAM BHAJAN GROUP FROM CHENNAI.

On Sept 16th, the Sundaram Bhajan Group played Krishna Bhajans for Swami. Taking a cue from Swami’s Krishna Janmastami Discourse that music is most endearing to God, the 14 members of this group from Chennai had come prepared with Krishna Bhajans to regale the Lord. They sang not only traditional songs like Gajanana Vinayakanee (the Ganesha Invocation) and Krishna Krupa but also songs from the great devotees of yesteryear like Surdas (Gopi Gopala Bala etc), Tulasidas (Gopala Gokula) and Purandaradasa (Jagadhodhaaraa) and even Meera Bhajans like Thanee Kayee. The engrossing evening had to eventually come to a close, but the haunting memories of the melodies will linger for ever in memory. Swami was pleased with the singing of the Sundaram Bhajan Group, and asked them to play again the following day. Swami created a ring for the boy who played on the violin.

SEPT 18th MORNING: GANESH CHATURTHI DIVINE DISCOURSE.

The Ganesha Chaturthi celebration started auspiciously with Swami giving His Divine Discourse in the morning. Swami said that Vinayaka has no birth at all, as He created the entire universe. All the Vedas are the result of the divine Sankalpa of Vinayaka. All forms of knowledge have originated from Him. Swami also said that God knows no anger but sometimes pretends to be angry to put the devotees on the right path. He narrated the story of how Durvasa, pretending to be angry, saved the Pandavas who were hiding in a pit underneath him from the wrath of Aswattama, without telling a lie. He also asked everyone to consume only Sattwic food, as Rajasic food gives rise to anger. He also explained the Brahmaparnam prayer and asked everyone to pray in this manner before partaking their food.

SEPT 18th EVENING: SSSIHL SKIT ON GANESHA.

In the afternoon, the Institute students presented a programme based on Swami’s teaching on Ganesha. It started with a Tamil song praising Ganesha. The nine paths of devotion were compared to a pilgrimage starting with Sravanam and ending with Atma Nivedanam. The inner significance of the word Ganapathi was explained based on Swami’s Discourses and they then narrated the story of Lord Ganesha choosing to circumambulate His parents rather than go around the world. The programme was interspersed with songs, Stotrams (hymns) extolling Ganesha and a dance to the Ganesha Pancharatnam. The programme ended with a Qawali on Swami. After the skit, Swami asked the students to sing more songs and gave His Divine Darshan for a full two and a half hours!

SEPT 20th: GANESHA IMMERSION DAY.

Ganesha Immersion Day is one of the most colourful events in the Prashanti festival calendar. Usually on the third or the fifth day after Ganesh Chaturthi, the Ganeshas that have been worshipped are brought in a procession to Sai Kulwant Hall to be blessed by Swami. Then the Ganeshas (usually made of earth) are “sent home” through immersion in a body of water. Almost all the groups in the ashram (from students of the different classes, to the Central Trust and Hospital employees, the alumni and even the Orphanage children recently adopted by Swami) vie with each other in a spirit of friendly and devotional co-operation to decorate the best looking float. This year there were a number of colourful and very attractive floats such as Ganesha in a plane, in a helicopter, a sunflower, a sailboat, and even in a reindeer sleigh driven by Santa Claus. Ganesha also appeared in a dragon that required a small platoon of students to be moved around! All these groups then came up one by one to offer Arathi to Swami on the veranda before the “floating festival” came to a close and the Ganeshas were taken in procession to a nearby tank and immersed.

SEPT 27th: SSSIHL PROGRAMME: CHARACTER - A GIFT OF EDUCATION.

The programme started with a dance depicting the sad state of today’s education. The current scenario was summed up by a student saying that “Man today has cell-phones but no communication, house but no home, knowledge but no wisdom, education but no character”. They enacted the story of King Prahlada who gave away his character and all his other virtues like his courage, wealth, kingdom etc. Personalizing wisdom, education, pain etc. as characters in the play, the students conveyed an abstract concept very effectively. In the end, Wisdom answering man’s query states that today Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba has come to guide mankind onto the right path. The programme was sprinkled with songs conveying the right sentiments and meanings. The effort by the students was very creditable as it was done with their semester final exams just round the corner.

SEPT 28th: SSSIHL SKIT ON KSHAMA.

The postgraduate students of the Institute produced a play entitled “Kshama – the Crest Jewel among Virtues”. The drama starts with King Parikshit being the recipient of the curse of a sage’s son when he put a dead snake around the neck of the father, the sage Sameeka. When the sage came out of meditation and found what had happened he admonishes the son and asks him to show Kshama under all circumstances. The drama then unfolds in four parts and strives to answer the questions: what is Kshama? (it is forgiveness and forbearance); why should we develop Kshama? (so we can learn to accept others views and interests in this diverse world); what are the benefits of developing Kshama? (it brings balance to life); how to develop Kshama? (by having steadfast faith in God under all circumstances and developing selflessness and sacrifice). Examples of Kshama from Swami’s Life were also depicted.

SEPT 30th: DRAMA BY ALIKE SCHOOL – SRI RAMA DARSHANAM.

The students of the Sri Sathya Sai Loka Seva Institutions, Alike, presented several scenes from the Ramayana through the medium of Yakshagana, a combination of musical narration, dance and drama. They narrated so many episodes it seemed the entire Ramayana came to life: from the story of Vishwamitra taking Rama and Lakshmana to the forest to protect the Yagnas to Sita Swayamvara (marriage), the defeat of Parashurama and the sending of Sri Rama to the forest. They also showed us the meeting of the boatman devotee Guha in the forest; Bharata taking Sri Rama’s Padukas; Lakshmana cutting the nose of Shurpanakha; Mareecha appearing as the golden deer; the salvation of Jatayu; the freeing of Kabanda from the curse; and Sabari’s hospitality. Continuing, it told the story of Hanuman meeting Rama and all the episodes including Vali’s salvation and Vibhisana’s surrender till the death of Ravana. With Sri Rama’s Pattabhisheka (coronation), the drama came to an end to rousing cheers from the audience.

OCT 2nd AND 3rd: PROGRAMME BY MEHBOOBNAGAR DEVOTEES.

About 3000 villagers along with about 40 Sarpanchs (village heads) from Mehboobnagar district in Andhra Pradesh came to Prashanti Nilayam to give their thanks to Lord Shiva (in the form of Swami) who made the “Ganges water” flow through the pipes of this arid district (in the form of the Sri Sathya Sai Drinking Water Project). On October 2nd they expressed their thanks in the form of a musical programme where they sang Telugu songs extolling Swami’s immense Love and thanking Him for providing water to the entire district.

The following day, 36 Bala Vikas children from the district presented a drama entitled, “Sri Sathya Sai Karunamrutham” performed against the backdrop of the representation of the water tower of the SSS Drinking Water Project. They recounted how the people had lost faith in the Government and other organisations to provide water to the district. It described the travails of the people who had either to walk long distances to fetch potable water or who became sick from drinking the polluted water available locally. They then showed the transformation in their lives when Swami provided water to more than 109 villages in the district. The drama (which was preceded by a dance programme) contained a number of melodious songs and dances that were enjoyed by all, even by those who do not know Telugu!

OCTOBER 8th AND 9th: MUDENHALLI SCHOOL PROGRAMMES.

On October 8th, the Mudenhalli School of the Sri Sathya Sai Loka Seva Institutions, presented a musical programme for Swami singing in Kannada and Hindi, while their Puttaparthi brothers were busy writing their end of semester examinations. The next day they presented a drama on the life of Bhishma who was the embodiment of humility, patience, perseverance and wisdom. They showed the defining moments of his life that has left a mark on Indian culture - like the events leading to his taking the oath of a Brahmachari, his valour on the battlefield that prompted Krishna to forget His vow and take up His weapon, the Sudarshana Chakra, and also how Krishna protected the Pandavas at Droupadi’s request after Bhishma had taken an oath to kill all the Pandavas on the battlefield the next day. In the final scene Krishna takes the Pandavas to Bhishma lying on the bed of arrows to get advice from him on Dharma and also to learn the sacred Vishnu Sahasranama from him. The drama was very engrossing with their colourful costumes and dialogue and also the novel theme.

OCTOBER 12: ALIKE SCHOOL DRAMA - THE GLORY OF SHIRDI SAI.

The students of Sri Sathya Sai Loka Seva Institutions, Swami’s school in Alike, Karnataka State, came back to Prashanti Nilayam again to stage a drama entitled, “The Glory of Shirdi Sai” on the evening of October 12th. The play comprised of a few selected episodes from the life of Shirdi Sai Baba, Bhagavan’s previous Incarnation. To mention a few, the incidents portrayed included the incident of the lighting of the lamps with water during Diwali day; giving life to the leader of the village who was dead; Ganga water springing out from the Feet of Baba and so on. The drama group consisting of 35 students gave a marvellous performance enthralling the audience and creating awe at the glory of the Shirdi Avatar. Bhagavan who was delighted at the performance of His boys blessed them by posing for group photographs with them at the conclusion of the play. He also created a gold chain with Swami’s picture as the pendant for Sri Suman Bhagawath (of XII Class) who played the role of Shirdi Sai Baba.

We have to stop these Chronicles a little early so we have time to “go to press”. But as we write, the ashram campus is abuzz with preparations for the Grama Seva activities and the upcoming Dasara Festival. We will bring the report on these activities in our next Issue.