Adilabad District Parthi Yatra…

Devotees from Adilabad district of Andhra Pradesh had come on a pilgrimage to Prasanthi Nilayam to pay their homage to Bhagawan. This pilgrimage is the seventh year in succession of the devotees of this district.

As part of their pilgrimage, they staged a dance drama on the evening of 23rd February 2013. At the outset, Sri Ranganath Raju, an alumnus of Bhagawan’s Institute from the district addressed the gathering. Speaking on Bhagawan’s compassion on the devotees, the speaker said during their third Parthi Yatra, Bhagawan gave Padanamaskar to each of the 3,300 devotees. Narrating an experience from his student days, the Sri Raju said, nine years ago, Bhagawan had called the students to Poornachandra Auditorium for a session. Bhagawan asked him as to where he had come from. When he replied that he was from Adilabad, Bhagawan said, “Only recently the devotees from this district had come. They are all good boys.”

The dance drama began with a dance symbolically welcoming the Lord. The drama had a mythological touch with Narada as the narrator of the drama. Interspersed with dances by tiny tots, this short dance drama portrayed the anguish of devotees in the absence of Bhagawan’s physical form. When they used to come every year, Bhagawan would lovingly ask them as to when they came, how many had come; He also lovingly gave Padanamaskar to all of them.

The drama begins with a scene of the celestials – Indra, Brahma and others expressing their shock at the missing of their kith and kin. Even Lord Vinayaka, Goddess Saraswati and Hanuman are missing. Narada and others decide to meet Narayana to find a solution to this problem. Lord Narayana tells them that God has incarnated in Puttaparthi as Sathya Sai Baba. Bhagawan has installed these deities in Puttaparthi. That is the reason for their absence.

In another scene, the village folk express their agony by saying that in spite of the fervent prayers of devotees all over the world, Bhagawan decided to shed His mortal coil. Narada says that God always answers the prayers of devotees. Bhagawan only requires the love of devotees. Try to reform yourself. That is what is important. Sabari patiently waited for Lord Rama’s Darshan for years, Radha continuously longed for Lord Krishna’s Darshan expressing her pangs of separation and ultimately the Lord condescended to her prayers.

To refrain or stop praying is not the quality of a devotee. One should continuously pray to the Lord. That is the duty of every devotee. The drama ended with a clarion call to devotees to wake up and banish Maya (illusion). At the end, all the cast converged and clothes were distributed to them. After a photograph session of all those involved with the drama, the programme concluded with distribution of Prasadam and Arati at 6.10 pm.

II Samastha Lokah Sukhino Bhavantu II