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Index of earlier Bulletins
October 3, 2006
This morning, Bhagawan came for darshan at around 7.40 am. Cutting across the ladies' side, Swami alighted near the interview room. The priests who conducted the Dasara Yagnam were asked to come to the Bhajan Hall. Bhagawan interacted with them for quite a while, the session concluding with Vedic chanting by the priests at a very high pitch. Bhagawan retired to His residence after morning Bhajans as usual.
In the evening, after evening darshan at 3 pm, Swami went into the interview room. He came for a round of the verandah after time, and coming into the Bhajan Hall through the rear door, interacted with the students there who were getting ready with costumes for their dance programme. Then He returned to the interview room and called some devotees for interviews. Finally, at 5.05 pm, Swami came onstage asking the students to present their dance programme, which was similar to the one they performed during the Ati Rudra Maha Yagnam. After their dance items, including one in Yakshagana style depicting the Ramayana, Swami graciously came down from the stage and had group photos with the dancers. Accepting Arati, Bhagawan retired to His residence at 5.45 pm.
October 2, 2006
Vijayadasami marked the concluding day of the Veda Purusha Sapthaha Jnana Yagna as well as the Grama Seva programme this year. Bhagawan came to the Sai Kulwant Hall at 8.50 am. Sai Gita, His elephant, was waiting at the gate for leading the procession of pundits to the Poornahuti of the Yagnam. Swami came directly to the Mandir cutting across the ladies' side. Alighting from His car, He came in the chair down the central ramp of the stage and went up to Sai Gita, feeding her with apples for nearly 10 minutes. Then Bhagawan returned to the stage and blessed some 'Birthday boys' and some more students with Durga puja articles. The priests of the Yagnam arrived in the Bhajan Hall, and Swami went there to speak to them.
The girl students of the Anantapur campus were to do the Grama Seva today, distributing food prasadam and clothes to the Ashram inmates. When Bhagawan went inside, they got up and chanting Vedam and bhajans, circumambulated the Mandir and went in a procession to the Poornachandra. Bhagawan sent word for the rest of the students to the Poornachandra, and they too left. Swami arrived at the Poornachanra shortly before 9.30 am, and came onstage after a few minutes. The pundits had made all the preparations for the final oblations to the Yagna kunda or sacrificial pit - the Poornahuti. Swami asked to be taken near the Yagna kunda, and the priests started the final offerings after getting the items blessed by Bhagawan. By ten o'clock, the Arati to Bhagawan at the Western end of the stage was also completed. Then the priests sat around Bhagawan onstage and chanted the Rudram in their grand style. As they concluded, the holy water to be sprinkled on all was brought for Bhagawan's blessings. Swami Himself spinkled the water on the priests, and then asked them to continue the sprinkling (Prokshanam) for the rest of the gathering. As the priests started the Prokshanam, Swami retired for the morning.
A shamiana had been erected near the Ganesh and Subramania temples, ready for the Bhoomi puja for a Shiva temple to house the Sayeeshwara lingam worshipped during the Ati Rudra Maha Yagnam. Bhagawan did not conduct the Bhoomi puja today.
In the evening, Bhagawan came onstage from the interview room at around 4.40 pm and asked Dr. M. Hanumanthappa, former Vice-Chancellor of the Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Learning, to speak. Like yesterday, Bhagawan asked the speaker to continue when he asked for permission to stop after 40 minutes. So, the narration of experiences by Dr. Hanumanthappa continued till 5.40 pm. After the speech, Bhagawan asked for Bhajans to commence. After 20 minutes of spirited Bhajans in the Kulwant Hall, Bhagawan accepted Arati and retired for the day.
October 1, 2006
This morning Bhagawan sat onstage for a while after His darshan round at 8.50 am. Then He Blessed the Prasadam and the students circled the Mandir, leaving for Grama Seva. Bhagawan went into the interview room and emerged some time later in His chair. After going down the length of the Mandir Verandah, Swami turned and went towards the ladies' side. Taking a full round of the ladies' side and returning via the ramp at the centre of the stage, Swami went back to the interview room. At around 10 o'clock He proceeded to the Yagnam stage at the Poornachandra. Aarathi was offered at His behest and He returned to His abode at around 10.30 am.
Today's Grama Seva touched villages in Puttaparthi, Kothacheruvu and Bukkapatnam mandals.
In the evening, Bhagawan came to the Sai Kulwant Hall at around 3.45 pm and went into the interview room after His darshan round. At 4.15, He walked onstage and sat there to the applause of the packed Sai Kulwant Hall. In a few minutes, He called up a Research Scholar, Sanjay Mahalingam, and asked him to speak. Sanjay spoke on the nature of Vairagya, and on 'Rama Tatwa' as Bhagawan had instructed him. After 20 minutes, he asked Swami's permission to conclude, but Swami asked him to continue! So, he spoke for another 20 minutes on the nature of Sthitaprajnas or those with steady minds. Next, Swami asked Dr. Ravi Kumar, lecturer in Chemistry at Brindavan, to speak. He spoke movingly about the deep devotion his father had, and about all that Bhagawan had done for them. At the end of these two speeches, Bhagawan delivered His Divine Message at 5.25 pm.
Swami's Discourse mainly dwelt on the Rama story, and the ideals of behaviour enshrined therein. He concluded at 6.15 with the bhajan 'Rama Rama Rama Sita' and thereafter asked the students to sing - they sang the first few stanzas of the Rama Katha till Swami asked for the Arati at 6.30 and retired to His residence.
September 30, 2006
Ayudha Puja commenced this morning with Bhagawan's darshan at 8.20. After a full darshan round, Swami
came onstage and sat for 15 minutes. Then, He moved towards the garage on the Eastern side of the
Mandir, where four of His cars were kept ready for His Blessings. The students' Bhajan group started
bhajans there, and the village band added to the festive mood. The puja was done for the cars with
breaking of coconuts. The Golden chariot (in which Bhagawan had given darshan during the Paduka
festival in 1997-98) was also brought out and worshipped. Bhagawan then came to the Mandir Verandah
and saw off the students who went around the Mandir and proceeded for Grama Seva. Bhagawan then went
into the interview room. At around 10 o'clock, He went to the Poornachandra. After a few minutes
onstage, at around 10.15, He asked for the Arati, and then returned to His abode.
More villages in Puttaparthy Mandal were covered in today's Grama Seva.
In the evening, Swami came out at 3.20 pm, and directly went out on a drive to the Indoor Stadium
construction site. When He returned after half an hour, He alighted near the interview room, walked
down the Verandah talking to some elders on the way, Blessed Prof. Anil Kumar by calling up some
family members and granting them padanamaskar, sat onstage for fifteen minutes listening to the Vedic
chants, Blessed the 'Birthday boys' and then went to the interview room. At 4.55 He came into the
Bhajan Hall and asked for Bhajans to begin. Accepting Arati at 5.35 pm, Bhagawan retired for the day.
An interesting sidelight during the Veda Purusha Sapthaha Jnana Yagna is the evening puja conducted
in the Poornachandra Auditorium after the proceedings in the Sai Kulwant Hall conclude. This puja,
conducted in the Western end of the stage area, concludes with chanting of excerpts from the Vedas,
Upanishads, various branches of learning like poetry, grammar and astrology, and the narration of
episodes from the Ramayana, Bhagavatha and Devi Bhagavatham. The evening puja will conclude tomorrow,
since the Yagna comes to an end with Poornahuti on Monday morning.
September 29, 2006
After morning darshan at 8.20 am, Bhagawan sat onstage for a while, listening to the Vedic chants by
the students. At around 8.45 am, He Blessed the Grama Seva prasadam and went inside. The students who
were to go for the Grama Seva circumambulated the Mandir and proceeded to their vehicles. Bhagawan
came out of the interview room after a few minutes and took a round of the Verandah area in His
chair. Entering the Bhajan Hall from the rear door, He exited again the same way, and returned to the
interview room. Some time later, He again came out, and went towards the Primary School students in
His chair. Calling up some young boys, He asked them to come near and to take Him around the ladies'
side. So, the honour of conducting Bhagawan's chair came to the excited pre-teens!
After a round of the ladies' side, Bhagawan crossed over to the gents' side, still with the Primary
School boys pushing the chair, came up the slope to the Verandah from the Eastern side of the Mandir,
and went into the interview room. He then got into the car and proceeded to the Poornachandra. After
sitting for a minute or two onstage at the Poornachandra, Swami asked for the Arati. The priests
started the Mantrapushpam chanting, Swami received Arati and retired to His residence.
Today's Grama Seva was to villages in the Kothacheruvu mandal.
The evening programme started with a difference - Bhagawan had not yet come to Sai Kulwant Hall when
Sri Chakravarthy, the secretary of the Central Trust, started the proceedings "by the Divine Command"
at 4 o'clock by introducing the speakers for today: Sri Anil Gokak, the Vice-Chancellor of the Sri
Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Learning, and Prof. G. Venkataraman, former Vice-Chancellor. Sri Gokak
started his talk about the three facets of the Divine Mother worshipped during Dasara, and Bhagawan
arrived in His car. After a full round of the hall, Bhagawan came to the Mandir verandah and sat near
the interview room next to the car. Sri Gokak concluded after 15 minutes, and Prof Venkataraman also
spoke with Bhagawan continuing to sit near the interview room. At the end of his talk, he prayed that
Swami may bless us with His message, and went up to Bhagawan for Blessings. Swami smiled, and finally
acquiesed. He got up, walked to the stage and began His Divine Discourse at 4.45 pm.
Bhagawan mentioned in His Discourse that He had come to the Hall after the proceedings began, not for
any other reason, but for the sake of some devotees. He stressed the importance of keeping good
company, even in the books we read. As Swami spoke about the clouds covering the Sun, it started
raining heavily. In just a few minutes, the rain stopped as suddenly as it began. Bhagawan concluded
His hour long Discourse with the bhajans 'Govinda Krishna Jai' and 'Vaheguru'. Then He asked the
students to sing Bhajans, and went into the interview room. From there, He proceeded to the Bhajan
Hall, where the ladies of the Ratnakaram Raju family - the family in which the Sai Avatar has taken
Birth - were asked to assemble. Going amongst them in His chair and Blessing them with sarees, Swami
came onstage, accepted Arati and retired to His abode at 6.20 pm.
September 28, 2006
Bhagawan came to Sai Kulwant Hall at 9.30 this morning. Once He reached the Mandir verandah, He asked for Prasadam to be distributed, so the students got busy with the apple vessels once again. Next, Swami gestured for the students to go around the Mandir and proceed with the Grama Seva programme. That was done, and the Vedam group students left for the Poornachandra auditorium where the Yagna was underway from early in the morning. Bhagawan also came to the Poornachandra by 10.10 am. After sitting for sometime onstage observing the proceedings, Swami said that He would 'go and come' and left. Once again, at 10.30, He came onstage in His chair, sat for a minute or two, and then asked for the Arati. The priests conducted their concluding rituals with Arati to Bhagawan to the chants of the Mantrapushpam at the western end of the stage and Swami retired to His residence.
Today's Grama Seva was to villages in the Bukkapatnam and Kothacheruvu mandals.
Evening darshan was at around 4 pm. Bhagawan went into the interview room and came onstage at 4.15 pm. This evening there were two speakers, Sri Ajit Popat from the UK, followed by Sri V. Srinivasan, All India President of Sai Organisations. Both of them stressed the need to practise Bhagawan's teachings in our daily life. At 5.30, Bhagawan rose and gave His 40 minute Divine Message in which He exhorted all of us not to be swayed by modern bookish learning, but to give importance to Wisdom. Following Bhagawan's Discourse, which He concluded with 'Hari Bhajan Bina', bhajans were sung for 15 minutes with apples being distributed to all, finishing with Arati at 6.20 pm.
September 27, 2006
This morning, Bhagawan came to Sai Kulwant Hall at 8.45 am. At 9.10, the students were asked to proceed for the Grama Seva. Swami came and stood onstage while the students were circumambulating the Mandir prior to going for Grama Seva. After the students left, Bhagawan called some devotees for interviews, and left for the Poornachandra at 11 am. After taking Arati there to the priests' chanting of the Mantrapushpam, Swami retired to His residence.
Today's Grama Seva was for some of the villages in Puttaparthi mandal.
In the evening, Swami went inside the interview room after His darshan round in the car, and came onstage around half an hour later. Just a minute or two after He sat onstage, He asked for Sri S. V. Giri, the former Vice-Chancellor of the Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Learning. After Blessing the "Birthday boys" Swami asked Sri Giri to speak. Sri Giri narrated a personal experience of his where Bhagawan saved him from a very sticky situation when he was in charge of relief operations during the floods in the Telangana and Godavari districts in 1986. His theme was the gratitude which we must all offer to our Divine Parent for all that He is doing for us. After his 30 minute talk ended at 5 pm, Swami stood up and delivered His Divine Discourse for nearly 50 minutes, concluding with the bhajan 'Prema Mudita'. Then He asked for more bhajans to be sung. After 20 minutes of bhajans by the students, Swami accepted Arati and retired for the day.
September 26, 2006
The first day of the Veda Purusha Sapthaha Jnana Yagna during the Dasara celebrations at Prasanthi Nilayam coincided with the start of the 'Grama Seva' (village service) programme, now an annual feature in which Swami's staff and students participate. Amidst Vedic chants and nadaswaram recital our loving Lord came to Sai Kulwant hall at 7:55 am. Thereafter He sat outside for a few minutes quenching the thirst for Darshan of all those gathered.
Swami then proceeded to the Bhajan hall and blessed the Ritwiks performing the Yagnam and the Vedam group. At 8:55 am Swami permitted the Ritwiks to take the 'Poornakumbham' to the Poorna Chandra auditorium where the Veda Purusha Saptha Jnana Yagna is being performed. Bhagawan then graciously permitted the staff and students of the Sri Sathya Sai Higher Secondary School along with those of the Prasanthi Nilayam and Brindavan campuses of the Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Learning to circumambulate the Mandir and proceed to the Poorna Chandra Auditorium.
The stage was set at Poorna Chandra for the Yagnam to start and Bhagawan came in at 9:10 am to overlook the proceedings. He observed the conducting of the Yagnam till 9:45am. Thereafter, He proceeded to Yajur Mandir, His residence.
Following this, Swami's boys proceeded to the vans that were lined up along the South Indian canteen. The Convoy then left for the day's Seva of distributing Swami's prasadam and clothes some of the villages around Puttaparthi. The Seva activities wound up for the day at around 1 pm.
In the evening, Bhagawan came out just before 3.00 pm, and after entering the Sai Kulwanth Hall in His car, turned left towards the Gopuram gate, visited the Indoor stadium construction site and returned in around 30 minutes. The car circled around the block where the Primary School and Anantapur students were seated, and came to the Mandir verandah. Bhagawan alighted and came to the Bhajan Hall, speaking to some elders on the way. There, He sat for a few minutes talking to former Vice-Chancellor Sri S. V. Giri. At the end of His conversation, Swami called up the Head of the Physics Department who helps with the Mandir PA system, and asked him something. Bhagawan was enquiring about a lady devotee. Word was sent to the ladies' side for her, and Swami went into the interview room. When Bhagawan came back to the Bhajan Hall after half an hour, He spoke to her and remarked that He notes everyone, wherever they might be sitting!
At 4.30 pm, Swami asked for Bhajans to begin. Students with vessels of apples came up to Him for getting the Prasadam blessed. Swami took an apple from each vessel and threw them to two of His students seated nearby. As the distribution and Bhajans went on, He called up some more students with prasadam vessels, asking the Principal of the Anantapur campus to distribute the apples on the ladies' side of the Bhajan Hall. So, Prasadam was distributed to all inside the bhajan hall also. After half an hour of enthusiastic Bhajans, Bhagawan accepted Arati at 5 pm and retired for the day.
September 25, 2006
This evening, clothes were distributed to Swami's students who are to embark on the 'Grama Seva' (village service) programme tomorrow. Sarees were distributed to the girl students, and white safari cloth to the PG students among the boys. Bhajans began at 5.20 pm and Bhagawan returned to His residence after Arati at around 6 pm. T-shirts and caps with the 'Grama Seva 2006' theme, emblazoned with the motto "Manav Seva is Madhav Seva" - Service to Man is Service to God - were sent to the respective Hostels and distributed to the students there.
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