Soulful Musical Offering by Brindavan Boys…

Festive fervour grips Prasanthi as Devi Navarathri festival entered into the fifth day here in Prasanthi Nilayam today. Into the third day of Veda Purusha Saptaha Jnana Yajna, the proceedings at the Poornachandra Auditorium commenced at 0700 hrs. this morning to continue for the next  four hours.

On the Grama Seva front, 20 villages in the Bukkapatnam Mandal, Anantapur District have been served on the fifth day, today.

In the evening, as Prasanthi Vidwan Mabasabha entered into day-3, there were two speeches, Bhagawan’s Divine discourse and a musical offering by the Brindavan Campus today at Sai Kulwant Hall in Prasanthi Nilayam.

The programme commenced at 1640 hrs. with invocatory Vedic chanting by the students from Muddenahalli Campus. A brief introductory address by Sri Srikanth Khanna, Research Scholar at Dept of Mathematics & Computer Science, followed next. Referring to the Supreme Glory of ‘Mother Divine’, Srikanth related the same with the story of six blind men’s attempt to describe an elephant, a futile exercise for man with myopic vision. Speakers for this evening session were Sri Ruchir Desai, Associate Professor with Dept of Commerce at the Brindavan Campus and Dr Deepak Anand, Asst. Professor with School of Business Management & Finance at the Prasanthi Nilayam Campus.

Sri Ruchir Desai, a two time Gold Medalist at Bhagawan’s University, spoke first sharing his apprehensions, general predicament, in explaining Something, Someone, Who Is vaster than the vast.  He then narrated a beautiful experience of a Mumbaikar, from the early 70’s, a thrilling story of transformation, transmuting something into golden.

Relating the story of transformation with Bhagawan’s “chamatkar” Sri Ruchir Desai said, being a Sai devotee is not a passport for a trouble-free life. It is His touch that makes one golden transforming ‘copper into gold, as happened with the Mumbai based lady’s story of “chamatkar”. Concluding his enterprising speech with a simple yet profound interaction he had with Bhagawan, Sri Desai said quoting Bhagawan that, the distance between a devotee and Bhagawan is the same as the distance between Bhagawan and the devotee.  It is in every one of us to determine where ‘we’ stand in our relation with Bhagawan.

Dr Deepak Anand who spoke next began referring to some of the essentials that a devotee should accept and reject in his spiritual sojourn. Elaborating on the theme, Dr Anand elucidated on the temporary illusory world that should not be taken as a real entity, that fails to stand the test of time. Touching upon the present day plight of Sai fraternity, about the physical absence of Beloved Bhagawan, Dr Anand urged fellow devotees to shelve the apprehensive thought that Bhagawan is not with us anymore. He is the shining, resplendent entity in our lives, verily shining from within, living within each one of us, all the time. Similar to a bird, moving about, flying around the sky, no devotee who take refuge in Bhagawan once can ever move away from Him, said the speaker, quoting Bhagawan Himself. Wheels of life are two in number, grace and self-effort, and it is the onus of every single devotee to make use of it, echoed Dr Anand in conclusion reminding devotees of their responsibility to spread devotion among fellow men.

Bhagawan’s Divine discourse followed next, played on the public address system. Bhagawan ended His Divine discourse with the bhajan “Bhaja Govindam…Bhaja Govindam…”

A Musical Bouquet by the Brindvan Campus was the last item of this evening’s itinerary.  Beginning with a Violin recital, accompanied by Ghatam, playing the famous Carnatic number, “Vaatapi Ganapatim Bhaje…” singing on the all-conquering love of Mother Divine, next they presented a beautiful Hindi rendition “Kysa Pyaar Bahadey Maiyya…”.  Famous Swati Thirunal composition “Sarasaksha Paripalayamam…”, another Carnatic number, next was followed by “Shiva Naach Teri Mahima”, “Sai Ram Sumiran Jo Bhi Bole…”, both in Hindi, to conclude with “Pranathosmi Guruvayoor Puresham”… a devotional number on The Lord Of Guruvayoor, Bhagawan Sri Krishna. It was a soulful offering by the budding musicians from the campus.

Bhajans continued and ended with Mangala Arathi at 1830 hrs.

II Samastha Lokah Sukhino Bhavantu II