 |
|
Granting padanamaskar to
all the people who had worked for the Hadshi trip. Swami was
very happy that the Jadhav brothers were largehearted enough to think of everyone getting a chance with Swami. |
We were told that Swami was on His way to
inaugurate the new guest house nearby. As Swami was granting the
namaskar
to the family members, we were all so engrossed
in witnessing it. The news of the guest house visit came as a
surprise to all of us. We did not have the slightest idea as to
where the guest house was. We quickly got into the bus and in
that hurry, none of us wore footwear. This is nothing new with
God. It is said that in the
Dwapara
age, the cowherd girls and boys of Brindavan
forgot whatever they were doing and rushed to Krishna. Though we
might not boast of such devotion, we certainly rushed to Swami
in the same hurry. And that was because in the heart of our
hearts, we knew that He was our sole refuge. Thus, we forgot our
‘soles’ refuge and sat barefooted in the bus that followed
Swami’s car into the hills.
(Dear
reader,
If you have come directly to this post, I
would like to egg you on to enjoy the full story with
its history. Link to part 1 is given below and the link
to the next part will be at the end of each previous
part. Thank you.
The previous part which is Part 7 is located at the link given below in case you missed that.
Hadshi Mumbai diaries - Part 7 -
Part 8 continues below)
The previous part which is Part 7 is located at the link given below in case you missed that.
Hadshi Mumbai diaries - Part 7 -
Part 8 continues below)
 |
| The guest house as it is seen from a distance from where we had to walk, alighting our bus. |
As we moved in the convoy, Swami's car took a detour
into the mango groves. Mr. Shivajirao Jadhav had expressed a desire
that Bhagavan should see the plantations and the Lord had graciously
consented. The trail now became very narrow and there was no way
that our bus could enter that route. So we alighted and began to jog
behind the car. Our soles hurt as the path was strewn with chipped
stones and soon we were left way behind Swami’s car. The kilometre
long winding route appeared like miles for us.
It was only after we reached the guest house that we
did realize that this building was actually only a few hundred
meters away from the Residence! We had followed Swami on His
circuitous route! We felt we were so dull-witted nevertheless I
remembered Swami's quote, "Of all the craziness that afflict man,
God-madness is the least harmful and the most beneficial."
 |
| A memorable capture during the Vijayabhojanam, details of which are coming up ahead! |
 |
| Swami is happy seeing around the airy and beautiful guest house. |
Bhagavan first moved to the
pooja
room of the house and, on the request of the other photographers
present there, posed for pictures. There was a burst of flashes and
soon Swami reacted, "That is enough”. He then was taken around on
the ground floor including the kitchen where a small table had been
arranged for Him to have tiffin. The elders occupied the other
chairs. For the boys, snacks were arranged outside. So we went there
as per His direction. But everyone got busy with emptying the
plates. Before the reader concludes that we were being shamelessly
greedy, eating so often, let me clarify that we emptied out plates
by placing the various food items into an extra container. The
little jog to the guest house had hardly melted any of the lunch we
had!
There was a beautiful fountain gushing by our side
and the surface of the water was covered with multiple blossoms. It
looked really out of this world. At about 5:40 p.m., once the
tiffin session concluded Swami emerged from the guest house. His
feet had been decorated with Bilva leaves and it was visible as He
came down the ramp towards the car.
 |
| The refreshing sight and smell of the fountain in the guest house compound bowled us over. |
Sitting inside, Swami moved towards the Mandir. Along
the way, He had a look at all the kitchens and feeding halls where
all the people would have their meals. This time, our soles were
saved as we were in the bus. Some of the more enthusiastic ones
amongst us however continued to run slowly and bravely behind His
car. By the time we reached, it was 6:00 p.m. and we learnt that
there was a programme due. So Swami asked all of us to leave
immediately to the presentation venue. Soon we were on the massive
stage that had been lit and carpeted.
 |
| The Feet adorned with bilva leaves |
“How wonderful if I always herald the Lord, wherever
I go”, I thought. And trust me, the thought came not because of the
importance that was being given to me but because of the joy that
would blossom on the faces of the people. That expression of joy is
addictive. The easiest and fastest way to multiply my joy is to give
that joy to everyone around and the best joy that could be conferred
is true joy. And as Swami says, that true joy or happiness lies in
union with God! I said a small prayer that Swami that I should
become capable of carrying Him with me always.
By 6:05 p.m., we were all on the dais and we started
singing
bhajans.
Swami arrived shortly thereafter and took His position on the stage
even as thousands slaked their thirst for His
darshan.
After about ten minutes, Swami’s permission was sought for the
musical programme by the ‘little champs’. These were children who
had participated in a TV show with the same name, which showcases
the talent of the young in vocal music, and all of them had achieved
various levels of success in this show. They had now come prepared
with devotional songs and
abhangs
in Marathi.
 |
| The Little Champs offer their respects as a smile lights up on Swami's face. |
Each of the five children moved to Swami and offering
a rose to Him, bowed at His lotus feet. Swami’s face was all smiles
as He accepted both - their roses and devotion! The next hour was
one of sublime delight as the children excelled in their
presentation.
There were two boys and three girls. The youngest
among them was one who was barely 3 feet in height and yet she had
climbed the heights of the musical scale! She rendered a lovely song
on Mother Saraswati in
raag
Saraswati and all those among us who were musicians were in absolute
wonder and thrill that she could present that
raag
with such mastery and class. Each one seemed to better the other and
they sang three rounds of songs. One of the girls got so lost in her
singing that she began to slowly dance in tune and Swami was so
pleased. It was a feet-tapping number,
Damadam Mastakalandar.
The two boys offered a song in the form of a dialogue
where they described the joy at being in the presence of Sathya Sai
at Hadshi. It was a fast and enthusiastic number which made the
whole audience clap in glee as Swami smiled in joy. A sample of the
audio on that day alone can do some justice to give you the real
feeling of that evening.
When three rounds of songs were over, Swami called
all the kids and asked them whether they could sing one more
together. They had not expected this and so all of them huddled to
examine the common songs in their repertoire. The accompanying
musicians, all of whom were elders, soon came to their rescue and
the group was ready to sing a patriotic song in Marathi
Jayostute.
Swami looked at them with a gleam in His eye and
said,
"Come to Puttaparthi. There too you can sing in front
of a large audience."
The young musicians nodded enthusiastically. He then
called them and gifted to each statuettes of Vitthala and Rakumai.
Not only this, He also felicitated them by placing shawls on their
youthful shoulders like it is done for veteran artists. Coming from
the Lord, it was the greatest honour. What more, the parents of
these kids were also on the dais seeing their little ones please the
Lord with their talents!
(As Swami had mentioned, these children indeed came
to Puttaparthi and sang on the eve of His 84th Birthday on November
22, 2009)
 |
| A grand finale song which all the five of them participated in. |
After this, Swami blessed them with
padanamaskar.
Some of the children requested Swami if their younger siblings who
were sitting in the audience could be blessed by His proximity.
Bhagavan agreed and the kids rushed to bring their younger
brothers/sisters who were tinier than them! They placed them at
Swami's feet. This indeed was a beautiful sight. Truly brothers and
sisters ought to be like this – ever eager to bring us closer to His
Lotus feet. The programme concluded with
aarti
and Swami blessed the gathering with both His hands raised in
blessing before moving down the stage and up the sloping road to the
Residence.
 |
|
Blessings for one and all after the concert. |
"Those children are so self-confident. More
important, they have so much feeling. Did you see that girl who
began to dance lost in her song?" Bhagavan was indeed happy with the
little champs and that beyond doubt made them deserve that title. A
true champion is one who wins God over! Swami continued to sing
their praises and the elders too joined Him in this ‘song’. Swami
then went into His room for a short while and returned soon.
He had something special planned for that evening and
He revealed it in parts. First He said, "Today, I shall have dinner
with members of the Jadhav family." And so, the Jadhavs along with
their parents, sisters and brothers-in-law occupied the table along
with Swami. In fact, He Himself fixed the position of each member.
Dinner was then served. He tasted everything, ate a little and was
just happy watching the family dine with Him. CG and I went about
capturing those moments even though my mind was partially on the
photos that were supposed to arrive from Pune – these were the snaps
where Swami had posed with the members of the Jadhav family in the
afternoon.
Soon Swami began to speak to them. Mr. V. Srinivasan
volunteered as the translator but he turned out to be more of an
amplifier as Bhagavan spoke in Hindi and he in turn communicated
that message aloud so that all the members could hear. This is in
brief what Swami said:
 |
| A blessing that the Jadhavs didn't imagine even in their most beautiful dreams... |
"You
are a very blessed family. The sons and daughters are good, so are
the in-laws. The mother is most important. The scriptures say that
the first God is the mother, then comes the father, followed by the
teacher and finally the Almighty God. The mother takes complete care
of the child. If the little one is sick, she gives up food and sleep
to nurse it back to health. The father too has love and supports
financially, but he does not love the child like the mother; he may
even at times go out and eat in a hotel if there is no food at home!
The mother should always be respected and taken care of. The sons in
this family are noble like Shravan Kumar who used to serve as the
only support and refuge for his parents.
(Swami became very emotional as He narrated that
legendary story).
The family is blessed and has a good fortune not only
now but for generations to come.
Swami has gone to many places. In Delhi the Prime
Minister wanted Swami to dine on a common table with Him. So many
others too have asked the same of Swami. But Swami has never
consented. Here you have been blessed with that opportunity. It is
not that others don't love Swami but nobody is so sensitive to His
likes and dislikes. I thought that we are going North and so we will
be served north Indian dishes. But everything here is cooked in such
a homely manner and I did not miss anything!
 |
|
"Sri Sathya Sai is the head of
this family - a silent listener of ever conversation; an unseen
guest at every meal." This picture is what I shall keep in my mind always at home! |
When the Pandavas requested Lord Krishna to dine with
them, He replied that He would do so after the war had been won.
That was termed as the Vijayabhojanam (the banquet of highest
victory). This is also the same. This is vijayabhojanam. Swami is
very happy with all the arrangements."
After this, Swami revealed some personal details of
the family and also clarified their doubts. I got lovely pictures of
Swami's expressions and that is a treasure in itself. (one of them
is presented with the "madness" quote in this blog itself!)
In between, I moved out of the dining hall to check
if the photos had arrived. When Swami was in such a ‘bestowing’ mood
on the family, I wanted to offer the photographs. I faced the
“Abhimanyu” and the Chakravyuha problem wherein I knew how to get
out but was not aware of how to get back in. That was when the
fortuitous turn of events took place. First the photos arrived.
Then, it so happened that there was a blackout due to power failure.
People began to rush to check the problem and, thus, I quickly was
able to move into the hall again. Soon after, there was light and
Swami had a sweet smile on His face. I was happy at the prospects of
showing the photos to Him. Swami asked us to take pictures moving to
the side of the table as from that angle all the family members’
faces would be seen. We did just that.
Meanwhile, as I had the cover of photos with me, Sai
Krishna came to take the camera from me so that he could take photos
of me showing the pictures to Swami. But before this, when Swami saw
Sai Krishna holding an envelope He enquired about it, so he handed
over the photos to Him and quickly withdrew giving me an opportunity
to go to Him. Swami said, "Dekho,
hamara boys aisa photo kartha hain
(See My boys take such photos)!"
 |
|
A chance to offer the blessed
family, their photographs with Swami. Swami spends time looking
at each of the 5-6 photographs.
|
I was so pleased that He considered me as His! The
family members were all delighted as they passed the images around
for all to see. Swami too was happy and this really delighted me. It
was 9:40 p.m. when Swami began to move from the dinning table. All
the members of the family were in tears. They had been conferred the
rarest privilege and their hearts knew not what else to do but beat
for Him.
As Swami moved towards the lift, I gave Him the
pictures of Mr. Ratnakar’s kids with Him on the terrace. Swami
gladly called out the lucky little ones and gave them the photos.
And now all the members of the Jadhav family gathered around Him to
perform
aarthi.
Using this chance, Mr. Shivajirao Jadhav asked Him about his mother,
"Swami, after her fall, she has a lot of pain in the
knees. We need to do a knee replacement surgery but she is not
willing. What should we do?"
Swami said, "I will take care. Do not go for the
operation. It is only rheumatic pain which have been there for long.
Just ask her to walk more and all will soon be fine."
He then blessed all of them and it was almost 10:00 p.m. when He retired for the night. After this all of us had our dinner and my mind weighed with sorrow as the next day would mark our last moments with Swami in Hadshi before we set out to Mumbai.
to be continued in Part
9 which is at the link below:
Hadshi Mumbai diaries - Part 9 - Goodbye Hadshi, Hello Mumbai
Hadshi Mumbai diaries - Part 9 - Goodbye Hadshi, Hello Mumbai
