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I am submitting a few reports from my
friend Philip who is spending Christmas
at Puttaparthi -- his first visit to
Swami! Blessings,
Laura Brainard
Sent: Wednesday, December 26, 2007 12:56
AM
Subject: Christmas at Parthy
Sai Ram All,
It is 2:05 pm on the 26th of December. I
am running out of here in a moment to
line up for Darshan. Swami said we were
all too tired last night to hear his
divine discourse, so today, in a few
hours we shall receive it. Yay!
Yesterday and today have been beautiful.
We lined up at 4 am to go into the
mandir. Swami made it feel like
Christmas! It was the first morning that
I was really cold! I had to use my shawl
as a protective wrap. Felt like I was
back in Northern California. Once we
entered, at first in row 3, I thought my
good luck had struck again. And it had,
however, we were not to remain sitting
there. We sang Christmas Carols with a
group from Southern California from 6 am
until about 6:30 or so? About ten songs,
sung twice in a row. Then, around 8:20,
Swami came in a bit earlier than
expected and his students raced in with
their instruments and found a spot to
sit until his car drove by. Then, they
found their normal positions. A few
young children were dressed up as Santa
Claus (hopping around throwing candy to
devotees), and others as little drummer
boys. The large candle on the stage, it
was announced, was from Medjugore (where
the Virgin Mary was spotted for many
years), and the Lady of Guadalupe images
hung up in back were from Mexico City.
The students played some Marching Band
type numbers and some jazzy types of
songs (some of them bhajans and others
carols).
In the afternoon, I was in the 2nd
section and row 3. I saw Anil coming my
way and hoped and prayed he would say,
"Thanks again for helping me out. Why
don't you come up on stage with me." He
spoke to the people on my left...and
then the people on my right. Never once
noticing I was sitting there, beaming a
smile and in prayer position. Okay, thy
will be done, right? I let it go. Then,
Swami too came right to where I was
sitting. His car pulled up right in
front of me, down came the window, and a
few fortunate devotees were able to
deliver him letters. Again, a couple
from my left and a couple from my right.
(Haven't I heard this type of story from
Sai Devotees before?) So, scientifically
speaking, from this position I was the
closest I've been to Sai yet, without
anything material between us (like a
window). I keep mentioning I am sitting
in my emails, because I do believe he
radiates and a Love and a Purifying
Grace which can be felt the close one is
to him. He has a radiant beaming face.
And, I have to say, I often feel Swami
resembles my grandfather. Both of them
are a bit stoic and silent at times, but
letting out these cute little smiles of
love and cuteness!
There were 4 speakers. One young adult
woman from Argentina spoke for a few
minutes, and when she returned to Sai to
thank him, he materialized a gold
necklace for her! Cool! That's two
miracles I've seen in person now. By the
end, we all prayed for his divine
discourse, but Swami said we were all
too tired from sitting, and so he
promises to speak to us today. Yippee!
The Golden Voice shall be heard across
the lands!
This morning was a beautiful darshan,
too. I felt very comfortable this
morning, despite sitting for another 3
hours, again. It was very peaceful. At
10:30 am a Catholic Mass was held at the
Ashram by a priest from Africa (I
believe). Arthur and Poppy Hillcoat
brought up the communion. Anil Kumar
said prayers in Telugu. It was over 2
hours long. It was very beautiful. When
the time of Peace Exchange happened, I
looked back and saw Anil Kumar behind
me. He lit up, "Hey! I gave your work to
the publisher yesterday!" We hugged and
exchanged feelings of peace and
goodwill.
Tonight, after Darshan, the first part
of a film called ADVENT will be showed,
which highlights The Birth and Coming of
Sai to Earth. I was sad that I had to
miss the Childrens Project Performance
today at 1 pm (my friend from Trinidad,
Terrance and I were going to go, but
Mass didn't even end until 1) and wish
the children well as they return to
their home tonight. Tomorrow I will
visit Swami Chaitanya and I look forward
to this great blessing.
Hope you all had a wonderful,
joy-filled, merry Christmas!
Love and Light,
Philip
Courtesy: Saibabanews 27.12.2007
Another Christmas report from my friend
Philip Cowlishaw -- Blessings, Laura
Brainard
----- Original Message -----
From: Philip Cowlishaw
Sent: Monday, December 24, 2007 10:12 PM
Merry Christmas from Puttaparthy!
Om Jai Sai Ram Everybody! Glory to God!
Today is the birth of the Lord!
Merry Christmas from across the street
of Sathya Sai Baba's Ashram here in
India. It is 10:30 am on Christmas
Morning, and we have just recently
finished 2 out of our 3 holiday darshan
celebration events.
Last night was quite spectacular for me.
A very Holy Night indeed. Our choir
gathered around 1 pm for the 4:30 event.
The sun was very hot so we held our
spots with our cushions and made our way
over into the shade. I was still
wavering back and forth as to whether or
not by some Major Miracle I would be
called upon to sing "Amazing Grace," so
I stood near the fence going over my
words.
When we finally did shuffle in, I was
amazed to see how close I would be to
Sai Baba. At first count, only 7 rows
back and 3 from the center. After the
musicians and children settled in, I
became part of row 10. When I turned my
head right, I was looking right down the
runway and to the gate where Sai would
be entering. Wow! What a view! And when
He did finally enter in, the 10th row,
the back row, turned our seats around
and we became 1st row for his pathway.
As he grew closer to me I started crying
and saying quietly out-loud, "I'm so
sorry for being so selfish Lord." And
then, there he was...his car passing
right by my feet and his face and large
hair floating by my happy soul.
THAT...turned out to be my Amazing Grace
experience, not my ego trying to make it
all about me; quite humbling.
Once he had made it to his position for
the night, again, I gasped at how close
and right in front of me he was. I
couldn't say if he was looking at the
kids to my right, or our general
direction, or at me, but his gaze was
upon me sooo much of the night! I cried
and prayed to him as he stared at me,
"Swami, please bless my mother and
father, brother and sister, all their
spouses and children, my family, my
friends, all whom I've ever known or
ever will know. God bless all humanity
and all sentient beings everywhere." I
even caught myself and felt a bit
embarrassed as I realized I was
mouthing, "I love you, Swami," to him
while he looked my way.
Our musical program went well. The
children were great and adorable.
Everyone seemed happy with our
performance, including Sai. At one
point, while we sang the lyrics, "Sathya
Sai Baba, is the Name of Names," Swami
began to move his arms in self-adoration
and it was so amazing to see! He was
agreeing with us! 'Yes, who you see
before you (Wow! Anil Kumar just entered
into this tiny little Internet Spot!
Wow! Another Christmas miracle! He is
right behind me talking right now! Cool!
I keep running into him. He is Sai
Baba's Translator...he is asking for the
worker to print out something for him,
cool!) Okay, I'll try to hold it
together and finish my little story
here. Anil is looking for someone to
help him wi
I just helped Anil Kumar! He was looking
for a fast typist. I said, "I type 60 -
70 words a minute." He said, "Oh good. I
just finished my book SAI BLOSSOMS and I
need someone to type the Preface for
me." And with that he sat next to me and
we began. Boy, was I nervous!! It was a
3-page document, which, golly geez, I
guess I could attach to this email. None
of you will go do something wrong and
dirty with it now, will you? While
typing, he told me how he has been to
Los Angeles twice and up to San Jose
where his son-in-law worked/studied. I
asked him, "When is Swami coming to
California?" He gave me that "believe
you me" look and said, "I want Him to
come, too. We'll see." When I finished,
he asked, "How can I repay you for this
kind deed?" I wanted to answer, "An
Interview with Swami please," but
instead replied, "This has been a gift
enough. A great Christmas gift indeed."
As he walked of the small computer room,
he said, "Every time I open this book, I
will think of you." WOW! What a
beautiful thing to say.
Whew...okay...back to Christmas Eve.
(Thank you, Swami! Thank you, Anil!)
Well, what more to say? The evening was
beautiful and holy. I noticed he kept
staring up into the sky. Perhaps he was
watching angels flying around,
proclaiming peace on earth and goodwill
to men. At the end, as he wheeled away,
I saw the cross in the back of his head.
I don't hear a lot of people speak about
this, but it is true, when Sathya was a
young boy, his parents thought for a
moment or two, that he might be
possessed and that is how he had all of
his powers, etc. They took him to a
priest and this man carved the sign of
the cross in the back of little Sai's
head, and then, I believe, poured hot
spice and lime juice on the wound? To
this day...almost 70 some years later,
the scar and the image of the Christian
Cross remain on his scalp, and hair
doesn't grow there. Very cool how God
works!!! So as he rolled away, that was
the last image I had of him, the
Christian Cross on Christmas Eve on the
One who Sent Jesus into Incarnation.
Amazing Grace again!
I walked up to Michael who had played
guitar for the kids and wished him Merry
Christmas. He offered a sweet hug and
then I mosied over to the center of the
center of the mandir stage/platform,
right in front of the "Peace on Earth"
sign, and said this prayer of Surrender
and Thanksgiving.
"Swami, I love you and I thank you for
allowing me to be a part of these
Christmas Festivities. I give you my
body, mind, and spirit for all Eternity.
I give you my every thought, word, and
deed. Thy will be done unto and through
me." And with that I smiled large and
exited the mandir. Christmas had come.
Christ had arrived. Amazing Grace
indeed.
Have a beautiful Christmas everyone!
Oh my goodness! How could I have
forgotten! I saw a Miracle
Manifestation! After our English Songs,
Sai said he also wanted to hear the
bhajans we had worked on. While singing
them, he motioned to our female cellist
to begin playing along. This sweet,
humble white woman picked up her cello
and tried to come up with some sort of
an accompaniment to an Indian Bhajan!
She looked a bit embarrassed by his
request. He motioned to her to come up
to the stage. As she walked up the
stairs, Baba began to move his right
hand in a circular motion, and then it
happened...a gold necklace materialized
out of thin air and from his sacred
palm! Wow! From the 10th row, up close,
I was able to see my very first Sai
Manifestation. Ahh...nice. Thank you,
Swamiji. Needless to say, the woman was
speechless as she bent down and he put
it around her neck, Swami smiling the
entire time. (He likes to give!)
Love and Light,
Philip
Courtesy: Saibabanews 27.12.2007
Another report from my friend Philip in
India with Swami -- Blessings, Laura
Brainard
----- Original Message -----
From: Philip Cowlishaw
Sent: Saturday, December 22, 2007 12:27
AM
Subject: More from Sai-ville...
"It's beginning to look a lot like
Christmas..." as the song goes. A woman
made a faux Snowman in front of the
Western Canteen yesterday. They've got
Nat King Cole singing his heart away
while you eat. I even heard George
Michael coming from one building, "Last
Christmas, I gave you my heart..." This
morning I noticed that they had put Gold
paper around the Main Hall column tubes.
There are little signs around the
perimeter saying Merry Christmas in
different languages.
Choir Rehearsal is going well. We've
grown from 600 people, to 700, to 850 to
a choir of 950 devotees from over 54
countries worldwide! Our director said,
"If only these nation's leaders could
have this much Unity and Peace." She has
many Interview Stories. Here are a few:
One time, a woman, very heartfully said,
"Oh Swami, I am here to help you and
your mission." He looked at her and
said, "Help me! My mission is already
complete. It is only now unfolding." Ahh...beautiful
and anxiety-dissolving. All is well in
the world.
Another story, Sai Baba materialized a
Necklace from out of thin air. A very
loud, pompous woman said, "Oh Swami, can
I do that too?" He looked over at her
and said, "You...you can only cook
rice." Ouch! The humility that Avatars
like to create in their devotees. Kind
of funny though, eh?
And another...Sylvia sat at Swami's feet
and said, "Swami, is Life
predetermined?" He said, "What do you
mean?" She replied, "Was it predestined
that I sit here at your feet, on this
day, at this time, and ask this
question?" He said back, "Ahh, yes,
yes..." Sylvia added, "Even though it's
all predetermined, it doesn't mean that
we are not responsible for our actions
though. (Darn! I thought I was off the
hook!)
Our Choir rehearses twice a day, 10: 30
am - 12:30 pm and 4:30 - 6:30 pm. I am
able to make it to Morning Darshan, but
not afternoon. Also, I will have to
visit the Museum and other places after
Christmas is done. But that is OK! No
complaining here!
Speaking of Darshan! This morning...4th
row! Much better than the night before
when it was dark, my cold and eyes
bothering me...and he was looking the
other way! This time, a beautiful,
bright morning...His car slowly guided
before us, and there he was...about 10
feet away from me, looking our way! I
sat in perfect prayer posture and just
kept repeating, "I love you, Swami. I
love you, Swami..." over and over with
tears rolling down my face. After he
passed, I wept like a baby. He is so
beautiful.
What else? I've met a nice young guy
from Trinidad named Terrance. He keeps
calling me Andrew though. I tell him,
"That's okay, I have a brother and
nephew with that same name. You're
close!" He is sweet. I also met a man
from South Africa last night. He sat on
the cot next to mine and started saying
such beautiful things which I knew were
coming from Swami. "You were with Sai
when Christ was here, when Buddha was
here, and when Krishna was here...that
is why you've been allowed to come to
the Ocean now in this lifetime." Yes,
Sai is the Ocean of Loving-Kindness and
Compassion. Thank you!
I go to sleep around 8 pm or so, after
having showered and snacked. I am
listening to my 2 Adyashanti CD sets to
lull myself to sleep. I purchased
another sheet, so now I have a cover for
my cot. At rehearsal last night, I heard
Swami say inside, "Come to Me clean
shaven." Everytime I hear him I tear
up...even about shaving! So, of course,
I went to the little market here after
rehearsal and bought my supplies. Clean
and fresh I now am. I also bought
detergent. I am excited to clean my
clothes in a bucket!!! Fun! I like this
life. (Although a hot bath sounds good
about now...only cold showers here.)
Okay, I guess that's it for now. More
people responding to me saying, "YES,
keep the emails coming!" You can always
delete them...no hard feelings here.
These are also for me and my book, of
course. This trip shall surely change my
life, some how and some way, forever.
I eagerly wait to sing for Sai on
Christmas Eve! Ahhhh...the Grace of God
prevails!
Much love to you all!
Love and Light,
Philip
Courtesy: Saibabanews 27.12.2007
----- Original Message -----
From: Philip Cowlishaw
Sent: Sunday, December 23, 2007 2:09 AM
Subject: More from the World of Sai...
Hello One,
I finally have gathered some photos and
will send them out tomorrow or the next
day. Things are going well. I just
returned from meeting Michael and the
kids of Childrens Project; an orphanage
about 9 hours from here, which has been
named an official Sai Baba school. Only
some of the 33 children were here, but
the ones who were here were filled with
life, light, joy, and gusto! After
hearing Michael speak, I presented to
him a book and card (with our photo)
from Mill Valley Montessori. I told him
that I too, would be one of his
"beggars" for his children, as they
would love to accept more children and
expand their facilities, but sadly
cannot, due to a present lack of funds.
If any of you feel to donate money or
supplies to these dear angels, here is
their website address:
www.ChildrensProject.org I do believe
they are registered as a non-profit in
the States as well. I also took photos
of and with the children, and played
Balloon Bounce for about an hour! The
girls are divine and their names
represent that; Devi, Lakshmi, and
Saraswati. They called me Uncle and
stole my heart for sure. I was in tears,
you can imagine. I really want to do all
I can for these little ones of Sai. Your
help is greatly appreciated. Good Seva!
Tomorrow is the day. The Choir performs
for Swami, as we gather at 1 pm near the
Mandir. And, it appears, we will be
performing on Christmas morning, too,
with the Southern California group;
traditional carols. Turns out Swami's 2
favorite songs are "Silent Night" and
"White Christmas." Both of which I heard
right after finding this out. We were
told this information at Choir
Rehearsal. When I exited the building, I
found that someone had stolen my shoes!
Ha! Go figure? Was it Swami, or Ganesha
(the remover of obstacles), or just a
plain mistake. No worries. I wandered
down the path to the shop and purchased
a new pair for 54 rupees. In the store,
they were playing music which sounded
like "Christmas with Lawrence Welk."
Kidding aside, I loved it! It made me
feel home again! I was skipping around
the store, barefoot, making some of the
Indians laugh. I was happy. Everybody
loves their Homeland, yes? (I even
bought some Sai Baba Underwear...fancy
that!)
While having lunch across the street at
World Peace Cafe (recommended to me by
George of the San Fran Sai Center), I
took advantage of the rooftop restaurant
and people-watched for awhile in the hot
sun. I looked down upon 7 or 8 young Sai
devotees who were carrying the body of a
dead man, garlanded, through the streets
for all to see. Interesting difference.
In America, we put make-up on our dead
bodies and pump them up with chemicals.
Denial, anyone? I love how raw and real
life here in India seems to be.
As I walked back to my dormitory last
night. I kept feeling compelled to look
up at the moon. Devotees have been
seeing Swami's face in the moon. (The
TRUE, Man in the Moon...rather The Man
Who Created the Moon.) I soon noticed
that many other people were star-gazing
as well. I stopped near some boys and
took out my camera, wondering what I
might capture. They looked so excited
and ran up to me. "Excuse me sir, but
does your camera have zoom?" My $5,
Longs Pharmacy, Kodak Disposable
Camera....sorry boys, but no. Then I
reached into my bag and brought out my
digital. Still to far away. Just a very
bright moon. When I returned to my
dormitory, there too, grown men huddled
together in search of Sai. I told them,
"I don't know what the moon looks like
from here in India usually, but I think
I can see him in the bottom half of the
moon (as I had seen in photos before)."
One gentleman said something very wise,
"Why are you looking for Swami in the
moon? He's just over there," motioning
over the rooftops of buildings and
indicating Swami's home. I smiled,
"People like showy, flashy,
miracles...don't they?" We both agreed.
(Yes, I'm one of them!)
This morning I teared up as I looked
upon the Nativity Scene they have
created in front of the Northern Indian
Canteen. The story of Saint Francis and
how he created the first Nativity Scene
in Italy, back in 1203 A.D. was written.
"Francis' devotion was so strong, that
Jesus actually, physically appeared
before him as a baby in the cradle." How
beautiful to be that devoted to God.
As I ate breakfast, they played Celine
Dion's beautiful version of "O Holy
Night." Whew! That girl can sing! Her
angelic music put me into a bit of a
trance, as I stared upward and outward
of a broken window. I thought, "Why must
I travel across the entire world to feel
such love and have such revelations of
Unity." The answer...I don't. Everywhere
I go, I AM. Thanks be to God!
When I woke, I felt not to go to Darshan.
I am still suffering from my cold and
thought the extra sleep would be nice.
My only real focus right now, is getting
healthy for the Choir Performance. I've
been "secretly" going over my words for
Amazing Grace...hoping and praying that
I might be called upon to sing for
Swami! (A guy can dream, can't he?)
Anyways, I was in the area, and so
around 9:15 am I went on the opposite
side of the Mandir to watch him come out
of his home and into his car. But...he
never came. At 9:30, the bhajans ceased
and everyone walked away. Hm...what does
this mean? Sai Baba says, "Love My
uncertainty."
I've learned that Sai Baba says that
Matthew is the most precise Gospel of
the Bible, for you Christians out there.
This makes sense to me, as I believe it
is Matthew which contains the Sermon on
the Mount and Beatitudes.
Anil Kumar stopped by and surprised our
Choir Rehearsal this morning. Sylvia,
our Director, has been praying that Sai
would stop by decorating the doors and
making the Seva Dals at the door chant,
"Please come, Swami. Please come,
Swami." When Anil came in, Sylvia said
her heart raced just as much as it would
have had it been Swami. This was her
excuse for the mistakes she made. We
forgive her.
Okay, that's it for now. The next few
days may be too busy to email. And on
the 26th, they are offering Catholic
Mass here, and at 1 pm, the Orphanage
Girls will be singing and dancing with
Ladd again. I have also scheduled to see
a young, 10-year old Swami Chaitanya,
who Swami had told his mother, prior to
the little boys birth, that he would be
born in her. I am sure he is quite
amazing. He has black and white skunk
colored hair. I'll let you know how it
goes.
Again, happy holidays to all. I love you
and wish you all the very best!
Love and Light,
Philip
Courtesy: Saibabanews 27.12.2007
Sunday,
December 23, 2007
Christmas Gifts from Sai
It’s been quite a dreadful time
for me in the past few weeks. To
meet the project deadlines, we
(MBA) boys were cutting all
corners out, even to the extent
of going late for darshans at
times. Our Mother Sai knows it
all, for He has changed the
darshan timings these days. It’s
all His grace that made us
complete our projects on time.
Though He arrives late, Swami
makes it a point to bless all of
us, sometimes by spending time
in the portico or watching the
programmes put up by the various
groups of devotees. Parthi
always seems crowded as every
other day, new groups of
devotees land here. Though it’s
Christmas time now, the huge
crowds make us feel it’s Swami’s
birthday festival coming soon!!!
For the past one week, Swami had
been enquiring as to what the
boys were doing, why they were
not putting up any programme.
“So many groups put up drama,
when will our boys present one?”
he remarked. Therefore, a
Burrakatha (folk song) was
presented by three boys few days
back.
As Christmas is a couple of days
away, the decorations in Kulwant
hall have already begun.
Yesterday, Swami sat in the
portico for an hour and blessed
us all. He asked a professor to
give a speech in telugu. There
is a statue of an angel kept
near portico along with other
decoration items. Swami kept
looking at it (with an
expressionless face), turned
towards a student and asked,
“what is all this? Is Christmas
round the corner?” In matters of
humour, none can beat Him.
Some boys showed a card to Swami
yesterday, regarding the drama.
He was pleased and consented to
see it the next day. I can say
He was more than just pleased
because He kept on enquiring
today afternoon whether the
actors are ready. The Vice
Chancellor came running to
Kulwant hall and told the boys,
“Swami is waiting for you. Get
your make up done as soon as
possible.” Our lord finally
arrived at 5 pm and went
straight to the bhajan mandir
where the actors were waiting.
He said, “I was waiting all this
while for you to get ready. Is
your make up over?” He spent
quite sometime talking to the
actors and then came to the
portico.
At this juncture, I must mention
about one of the actors. This
boy was initially dejected when
he got a small role (as
Sravankumar’s father). He was
praying desperately that Swami
should look at Him. As Swami sat
in Bhajan mandir before drama, a
boy pointed out the main roles
of Rama, Lakshmana, Sita etc.
Swami looked at Him and replied,
“ But where is Sravankumar’s
father?” That actor’s happiness
knew no bounds. Since he was
also one of the few who could
speak telugu, Swami preferred to
ask him most of the questions
too.
The drama was very brief and
very beautifully enacted. It had
incidents from Ramayana like the
devotion of Sravankumar, Shabari
and Guha. The songs were well
sung, which was one of the main
reasons that made Him happy.
After the programme, Swami
blessed all actors with
photographs. He materialized
vibhuti and surprisingly, rolled
it in his palms to make a lump
before giving it to every boy.
He materialized a chain and gave
it to the student who acted as
Shabari. Swami looked very happy
and stayed on till Aarati was
given to Him. He said, “I am
very happy with your drama. You
should have portrayed how
Sravankumar’s parents curse
Dasaratha after knowing about
their son’s death. Anyway, next
time, I want you to put up this
drama in Poornachandra
Auditorium with all the sets and
costumes. I will personally come
and direct it.”
Well, that’s our Director
Divine, the Will behind Ramayana
as also behind each of our
lives. MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!
From A Sai Student - 23.12.2007
Divya Prema
On Sunday the students of
Sri Sathya Sai University put up
a program: Divya Prema.
The story line starts with Lav
and Kush coming over to Rama's
court and lakshmana introduces
them. Then, on request of Rama,
they start singing the
Rama-Katha. As they proceed, few
questions are raised by these
youngsters and rama explains
them. As the story unfolds, the
scene of Shravan Kumar and his
bhakthi and sradhdha to his
parents is depicted. Because,
Dasaratha unknowingly kills
him... Duty towards parents and
love for them was well depicted
in this scene, with touching
dialogues between Shravan, his
mother and Father.
Then as the Rama-Katha proceeds,
the story of Guha and his
devotion to Rama is explained by
Rama. This was also depicted,
with beautiful songs and dance.
The dialogue that ensues between
Rama and Guha portrays Guha's
faith and surrender to His lord.
For this scene, there was Rama,
Lakshmana and Seetha, Guha and
few dancers. As Lav and Kush
continue to sing Rama's praises,
Rama explains why and how he
went to meet Sabari.
The actor who acted as Sabari is
an M.Phil student, who did an
excellent job. It was so
realistic and touching. Everyone
in Kulwant hall was moved. Swami
was also in tears. The Love of
Sabari and her unflinching faith
that one day her Lord will come
was depicted thro a Telugu song.
The voice for Sabari was
rendered by one third year UG
student who spoke in a soft
feminine was. The story ends by
sage Vashista highlighting the
importance of these unsung
heroes of Ramayana and how
avatar comes to fulfill the
wishes of such humble devotees.
Some facts about this program:
1. This was not in the agenda of
the Institute's program. As so
many groups of people are coming
to Parthi and putting up
programs, there was hardly any
chance of students programs on
normal days. But about a week
back swami wanted that students
should do some program and
specifically he wanted some
things on Parents, etc.
2. After the news was conveyed
that swami wants a program, some
teachers and boys started
working on the theme and came up
with these ideas.
3. Totally the actors would have
properly practiced for about
four days.
4. Vice chancellor came and saw
the program on Friday night.
That day I told him that only by
Sunday that we can be fully
ready with costumes.
5. Overall, the program was
conceived and executed in a span
of five days.
6. Final confirmation of the
actual approval of the program
came today noon.
7. Three lady characters were
there and make-up for them were
done by boys here in about 1.5
hrs.
8. There were two Ramas and two
Lakshmanas - one in royal attire
and other in Vanavas attire.
9. Minimal settings and props.
10. Swami spent few minutes in
bhajan hall before the program
and then instead of sitting on
stage, he went down and sat
among students. So the program
was staged in such a way that it
was visible to all the devotees
present in Kulwant hall.
In the end, swami praised the
performance and He was very
happy. He also told that the
costumes were very good. He was
interested in staging the same
on a stage, probably in Poorna
chandra Audi, such that all
people can see properly...
He gave chain to Sabari and
vibuthi to all actors. He took
photographs with all actors.
Om Sai Ram
Posted by
KM on 24.12.2007
From a Dear Sai Brother from
Prasanthi Nilayam :
Swami came yesterday
after 5.00 P.M for the evening
Darshan. The Madhya Pradesh
youth were ready with a program
as Swami had permitted them and
they were ready with costumes
and make-up and the settings
were ready.
Swami came, sat outside and
after about five minutes asked
to start the program. The theme
was "Manava seva is Madhava seva".
With the backdrop of the Kasi
Viswanath Temple, the story was
based on Swami's Chinna Katha.
It was a short and sweet
program, with minimum
characters. Songs and script
were really good.
The Second Part of the Programme
was a vocal classical bhajans
rendering by a young Sai Devotee
who is a Disciple of the Great
Pandit Jasraj. It was a really
wonderful Programme as he had a
wonderful Voice and the
rendering was excellent.The
Programme ended at 7 P.M.
Nowadays that is almost everyday
during the Evening Darshan,
Swami is coming at around 5.00
P.M and all the programmes go on
till 6.45 P.M, Almost 2 Hours of
Wonderful Darshan.
Om Sai Ram
sent by KM - 21.12.2007
Sent by a Sai Brother from
Swami's Abode :
Eashwaramma - the chosen mother
Yesterday evening three students
from the Sri Sathya Sai
University performed 'Burakathaa'
depicting the life of Mother
Easwaramba. They were ready for
the last three days, and Swami
had given permission. But He
chose to listen yesterday .
Around 5.45 P.M, bhajans ended
and Aarathi was given. Contrary
to what happens daily, Swami
today came out on the Kulwant
hall dais, and asked the three
boys to perform. He blessed them
and got the microphones arranged
in front of the thousands of
devotees seated there.
The story of the Mother of our
Lord was the theme of the
Burakatha. Dialogues
interspersed with beautiful
songs tuned to different ragas,
the three students drew the
audience to the life of the
chose mother of the avathar.
What to say of the melody and
how to depict the emotions! It
was an awesome performance. Each
and every song and the storyline
depiction sent the audience in
rapture.
Swami was also emotional at some
point of time. All three
students belong to the
Post-graduate section. The main
singer, Prabhakar, doing his
M.A. in economics has a very
sweet voice and it suits this
art form. Today he was
exceptionally good. The ragas
chosen matched the mood and the
episode being narrated. Swami
was very happy at the end of the
program, blessed them and took
photographs with them. There was
aarathi again around 6:55pm and
Swami retired to yajur Mandir.
Every evening is turning out to
be very interesting and has
surprises for everyone. Let us
see what is store in the next
few days, and that too X-mas and
New year approaching....
Sairam.
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