2011 Maha Samadhi Edition
Our Dearest Bhagawan – With Us Forever!
Sayeeshwaraaya Vidmahe Sathya Devaaya Dheemahi Thannassarvah Prachodhayaath
The Taittiriya Upanishad proclaims, “Yatho Vacho Nivarthanthe Aprapya Manasa Saha”. This means, “He is that phenomenon that words cannot describe and the mind cannot fathom.”
The Lord of all creation, that which is perceived and that which is beyond perception, the God of Gods who is unbounded by name or form, the Master of all that is, that was and that will ever be, that resplendent and magnificent being in an act of divine unconditional love chooses from time to time, to take upon Himself a confining role. Adorning the most charming garb of a mortal form and a name that shines as a beacon of hope for all beings of all land, He descends on the same stage of life that we mortals ply. Forsaking all the angels and demigods who wait upon Him, He wills to walk the same dirt that we tread, suffer the same pain that we believe that we go through and yet strives to teach us how Kings must live their lives.
In the glorious passage of time, when earth plays host to her Master, when we His children are blessed to breathe the same air that He breathes, He draws close a treacherous veil of illusion so that we may feel kinship with Him and take joy in His love. We dance with Him, we play with Him, we even begin to feel that He is one amongst us. With a smile that renders any heart powerless and a twinkle that ushers merry abound, He rightfully claims His citadel of glory in our lives. So gentle is His love that it breaks and tears through the boulders of barren loveless hearts. So mighty are His sweet words that it tames the beast in us, taking us from animals to humans and unto divinity itself. In His divine presence we turn into the iron filings that quiver and dance in delight to the tunes of the one Magnet. So thick and unquestioning is this bond of love that in due course we begin to believe that He belongs to us! Of course He does! And so does the entire cosmos and all that is in it; sentient and insentient belong to Him!
None can unravel the paradox … who belongs to whom! Words fail to kiss the hem of His glory. How then can little minds of gross matter comprehend His divine purpose. Men have in vain attempted to lay in reason His divine intent. But can that almighty Lord, who melts at the rustic tunes of Bhajans sung by college boys, who beams like a proud father when a nursery kid recites a prayer, who can sob in front of thousands at the pain suffered by helpless millions across the globe, at whose beck and call kings, queens and men of great power from near and far would flock to please, be understood by mere men like us?
But just as His love, joy and divinity rubs on to many around Him, His indescribable beauty too coloured one and all who came into His folds. Every moment spent with Him was a boon of a thousand lifetimes blessed upon us, perhaps even undeserved! Every single person who chanced came to know of our dear Lord has a saga of love to share. This, singularly is the greatest treasure that He has bequeathed us. Not one Bhagawatham, but countless as many as the stars. The Sai student portal is one such treasure trove. Here is a musing from one of our brothers sharing with all as to why we love Bhagawan:
“Over the years, for me, the reasons have changed. Not a surprise, since through all that time I was bumbling along – growing, questioning, reasoning, loving, failing. A long time ago, His humour and miracles charmed me. At a later time, His attention and mystic power swept me away. Some other times, His implicit trust and respect moved me greatly. Yet many times, He infuriated me. I fell out of love in innumerable ways and a million times. I doubted Him endlessly, unapproving of His unpolished English and simplistic catch phrases. I thought I didn’t like how He looked. Later I became so charmed I couldn’t stop gazing at Him.
I now realize that everyone loves Him because above all, He is the greatest empath. He feels each person’s feeling hundred percent, and is motivated in the purest way to respond at that ‘heart level’. It is the only thing that matters to Him – a pure heart, and simple love. It is all He has, otherwise, ‘I am a short person’ He would joke, adding impishly ‘..only 5’4″, including hair!’ That is why He can ‘walk among kings’ and yet ‘retain the common touch’. I used to admire Him endlessly for how regal He looked on a throne, while being utterly simple in His habits. Just when I was dazed by His majesty, He would poke fun at Himself and make us all laugh. He truly cared for the poor, and those in utter misery. No matter how terrible the experience someone may have had in life, if they spoke with Bhagawan, He would lift the weight of the world off their shoulders. Have any of us any idea how utterly devastated people, would come out smiling from the interview room? Each person, each time, every time. Once, Bhagawan told a few of us, ‘Boys, have you wondered why Swami loves you so much? Do you think Swami loves you because you are so handsome? There are so many people far more beautiful than any of you. Do you think, then, that I love you because of your intelligence? There are so many in this world that are far more intelligent than you. Then, do you think I love you because of your devotion? There are people who, for My sake, will give up food and drink. Then, why do I love you? This, you will not understand. I love you for love’s sake. And so even if you understand nothing of Swami, never forget this one thing – Sai Baba is utterly selfless, from top to toe. There is not even a trace of selfishness in Me.’”
It would be a futile effort to wrap in words this relationship of unconditional love that He had for us as His students. Generation to come will wonder as why so few were blessed with so much. But then, He has always stood beyond reason and time. He would shower His love and affection in such immense ways that recipients are often left dumbfounded to the point where they are so profoundly transformed in ways He would like to see us change
When such a powerful force so chooses to briefly take leave, perhaps another act of love to transform and elevate, we beings for whom He is and has been the basis are suddenly left groundless. Like kites whose strings have snapped, we are buffeted in the gales of pain and strife. Like mute beings who stand witness to the cruel loss of their greatest possession we look on aghast in stark horror. In best words, we were fish out of water. As one of our brothers very eloquently writes:
“Parthi wore a deserted look – everything was completely shutdown – shop shutters down, no street vendors, no food, no restaurants and no hotels operating. The whole town was in deep mourning. In my decades of visiting Parthi, I had never seen it like this. There were no flowers…anywhere. There were no coconuts…anywhere. There was nothing…just people all over….wearing a confused, surprised, shocked, sad, and yet hopeful…hoping that this is all a dream, praying that this is just Swami’s play, and all will be normal and happy all over again.
We made our way to Yajur Mandir, and as always, I became very cognizant that we must maintain silence near the Yajur Mandir. Alas, though that my dear Bhagawan was not in the Yajur Mandir anymore! That is when it really hit me, struck me hard, that He was not in our midst in the physical form that we had adored for all these decades. A tear rolled down my cheek, and I felt my throat choke up. I heard later that Bhagawan was brought from the Yajur Mandir in a full procession – the same way in which He used to stroll in during each of the festivals. A colorful, flowerfull procession and full throated Veda chanting. No stone was left unturned as the Lord came through the gates of Yajur Mandir… I had a glimpse of the casket, and then of the robe. Another tear rolled down my cheek. I managed to steal a quick glance of His face, but quickly turned away as I could see no more. I moved to the back of the Mandir, the ‘old boys seating area’, and waited till the chaos subsided and till I could gather the courage to come forward.
Through the evening, I saw hope in people’s eyes, I heard hope in people’s voices, singing loudly, and very emotionally to the Bhajans of the like of Aao Aao Nandala, Aao Pyare Nayana Hamare, Darsh Dikhao Mere Sai Nandala” and more such Bhajans, urging the Lord to come back to us in the physical form. Each time a new Bhajan started, I, and others craned our necks to see if there was any possible movement in the body, almost assuming that in the next Bhajan, He will listen to our prayers and get up.
As the fateful Sunday came to an end, and the staff and student crowds started to subside a bit, I made my way to the front around midnight, and settled myself 5 feet away from the casket for the next 3 hours. During those 3 hours, looking at His physical form continuously, and chanting, praying and singing, I shed a few more tears, and went through lots of mixed emotions – deep sadness at the loss of a very dear one; fear at the loss of someone that I considered my strongest support – who would I turn to now when I have questions, when I have the smallest to biggest decisions to make; regret that I did not do enough with my life during the Avatar hood; hope, that Bhagawan is just playing with us, perhaps teaching us a lesson, perhaps giving us a electrical jolt to power us up to the next level…”
As another post so beautifully resounds the intense feeling in all our hearts:
“What ode do you pay to One who is in more frames of your life’s play than you are? What is the story to be written on the epitaph of the One who is the author of all the stories? The wound is too deep for words, too raw for eulogies. He was the actor before, now He would be like the screen – always present but never seen.”
It is true that the illusion that He casts is intoxicatingly sweeter than the wisdom He has come to bestow. As one of our brothers once said, “Swami, Your presence is sweeter than your omnipresence!” Why then would the stories of exploits of the Lord be held closer that the sacred aphorisms? Why would the Gopis of Brindavan be remembered and admired more than the sages of great penance? Why then would He be so endearing, so loving, so complete in His giving of Himself? Why question when we can simply love Him and fill our lives with His love?
Another brother writes in words so true:
‘As a famous quote goes, we love Him, perhaps not for what He is, for we know not His Glory in its entirety. We love him, for what we are, when we are in His presence. For what we reflect in the light of His altar. For what we find out about ourselves that we didn’t find otherwise. If you’ve been there, you’ll know it to be true.
No glance, no word, or act of His lacks meaning or purport. The light of some we grasp in our time. Many we will come to reap in the right time. He is a force like none other, to reckon with. He will still be the Lord supreme who rules our lives, dearest Bhagawan. Who will ever guard and guide us, our sweetest Swami. Who will occupy the one throne that we have for Him in our hearts. He is no mortal whose farewell is to be mourned. For where is the farewell, where is the distance… Can light abandon the sun, can music abandon the birds, how then can we imagine that He abandon us? Here are words from one of our elders, who was so abundantly blessed with His immense love and affection and is now playing an important role in his mission as the warden of the Brindavan campus – Shri Ravikumar Sir
Special Story: Prema Bandham 2011
The entire Sai family is still coming to terms with the fact that Bhagawan’s mortal frame is not amidst us anymore. What comes to our collective minds at this juncture is the Prema Bandham of Janunary 2011 – the wonderful Darshan, Sparshan and Sambhashan with our Divine Lord. It is in constant Smaranam of Bhagawan’s Leelas and the golden moments with him that would give us all the strength to do His bidding during these troubled times. Here is a pen picture of those wonderful moments…
As the world awaited the New Year with bated breath and lot of gaiety, the New Year 2011 in Puttaparthi was heralded by the customary Vedam chanting, Suprabhaatham and Nagar Sankeerthan. Sai Kulwant Hall was positively charged with the wonderful vibrations of the divine chants by Mandir staff and the singing of Bhajans. The alumni in the Vedam procession, Venchamaram (Yak tail fans) and flag bearer groups escorted our beloved Bhagawan from Yajur Mandiram to the dais.
The entrance gate of the Western end of Kulwant hall had a huge arch with wordings, ‘Om Sai Kaalatheethaya Namaha’. The South African decorations adorning Kulwant Hall for Christmas were still retained for the New Year. As it was a weekend, there was significant crowd of devotees both in Kulwant Hall and the Poornachandra auditorium. The small lane near East Prashanti accommodated devotees who couldn’t find a place in either of the places. There was a huge screen placed in Poornachandra auditorium for devotees to have continuous Darshan.
After Bhagawan arrived from His residence at 7.15pm, he went straight into Poornachandra auditorium. Bhagawan seemed to keep everyone in suspense on His possibility of coming down from the stage and giving Darshan amidst the lines. But our beloved Swami proceeded to Kulwant Hall escorted by the Vedam procession, Venchamaram and flag bearer groups. The Lord took a complete round of the hall. One of the alumni coordinators was fortunate to receive a Vibhuti packet from Bhagawan’s own hands. Bhagawan was on the stage at 7.20pm as the students’ Bhajans were still on. He lit the lamp and received the roses offered to him with love. Bhagawan also cut the cake that was placed in the Eastern side of the stage and then moved to a position wherein he was facing everyone. He tossed a Vibhuti packet to a photographer and to the same alumni coordinator.
Soon Bhagawan instructed the programmes to commence. It was the moment that everyone was eagerly waiting for. The Lord of the universe was about to enjoy a grand devout musical fiesta in His divine Durbar! Select alumni went in front of Bhagawan with a beautifully made card, flowers and cloves. The music program began with a Lord Ganesha invocation played by the alumni band group. The individual songs began after this. The song performances were unique as it spanned singers from very old batches to some more recent ones – all gathered in front of Mother Sai to sing out their hearts. Bhagawan meanwhile had started reading the letters given by alumni. Family members of alumni present were fortunate to be a part of this wonderful occasion.
After a few songs and a Qawwali of a lengthy duration, Bhagawan instructed a couple of singers to start singing bhajans. Bhagawan knows the heart of all his devotees. He knew that devotees want to whole-heartedly sing Bhajans, rather than be spectators. Bhagawan called one of the students of 1978-81 batch of the Brindavan campus and enquired about his well being. He was overwhelmed with Bhagawan’s love. Swami enquired about this student’s wife whose heart condition remained bad despite a surgery. Even though the student couldn’t catch many of the words, the heart-to-heart communication was enough to melt anyone with its love. The Lord then created a gold chain with a locket for this student who was seated on the steps. The student was moved to tears. Bhagawan looking at the student for a long time was moved too. He took letters from alumni. Bhagawan then instructed for Prasadam (a unique combination of liberal amounts of Vibhuti, a box of sweets and savouries) to be distributed. Bhagawan then mentioned to the photographer that Prasadam was being distributed by the alumni. Bhagawan blessed everyone with a wonderful Abhayahastha after Mangala Arathi at 8.40pm. The photograph of Bhagawan giving the chain to the student was brought and shown to Him. Bhagawan had a look at it and gifted it to the student; He returned to Yajur Mandiram at 8.45pm.
On 3rd January 2011, the alumni who stayed back expressed their thanks and gratitude to Bhagawan for giving them a chance to express their love for Him. Bhagawan replied, “Why thanks? Those are worldly expressions.” Bhagawan then blessed all assembled with Abhaya Hastham and mentioned, “Stay here, I’ll send Prasadam.” He went to the interview room and sent Vibhuti and pocket calendars for all. In a divine plan to conclude the recently occurred Prema Bandham meet, Bhagawan blessed the alumni with a private session inside Bhajan Hall mandir in the evening. After word was received to assemble in the Mandir hall, the alumni sat in an orderly manner in three aisles so that Bhagawan could move about.
Bhagawan arrived a few minutes after 6.00pm. After looking at all the alumni for a few minutes, he started to go around the alumni. Many got blessed with Padanamaskarams. Many got Vibhuti packets and an opportunity to give letters to Bhagawan. Some had the golden opportunity to have brief Sambhashan with Bhagawan. The Lord came to the front – he was in a very relaxed mood. He spoke these golden words:
“Very happy. Be Good, don’t have bad thoughts, there is bad all round. Talk less, have character. Boys are going around talking too much. Stay at one place and don’t roam around. Come again and keep coming”.
With Bhagawan’s image and grace in our hearts, the alumni would continue to congregate every New Year with renewed vigour to carry Bhagawan’s mission forward.
