Yet another week fades away, not before presenting one of the most auspicious festivities in the Hindu almanac. The week bows out worshipping the Lord who is hailed as the Lord without an OverLord, the Lord who is worshipped as the primary deity praying for the removal of all obstacles, Lord Ganesha. The auspicious sunday, the festive evening, was marked with special Ganesha Strotrams sung in the Divine Presence followed by a scintillating Carnatic vocal that was cherished and appreciated by one and all including Bhagawan Himself! And the Lord was gorgeous in “His strides”, moving along the assembly of devotees, with adorable beatific countenance, blessing one and all including the chunk of “spontaneity and innocence”, the tiny tots from the Primary School.
Earlier during the week, after quite a waiting with extensive rehearsal sessions, the youth from Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh, numbering over 2150, got their opening with a dance drama entitled, “Manasa Bhajare Gurucharanam”. Coming afresh from the glory of previous year’s rich experience, that brought them blessings in abundance, the youth lit up the evening turned twilight with the message that could be termed apt for the modern man who is reeling under the vagaries of the monkey mind. The message was clear that only by controlling the mind and surrendering it at the Guru’s Feet that one could attain self-realisation.
The week also witnessed “God’s Own Folk” turning up en mass, numbering over four thousand, from Anantapur. Rewarding the greatest boon bestowed upon this terrain in Rayalaseema region, by virtue of hosting the Divine Abode - Prasanthi Nilayam, Bhagawan had declared long ago that He would make Anantapur into Anantapuram.
This group of over four thousand was brought under the auspices of the Sri Sathya Sai Seva Organisations, Anantapur in a “Parthi Yatra” to relish the beauty of the God in human frame living “next door”. In a rain drenched friday evening 173 selected forlorn from the district were given essential implements in the Divine Presence that would help them to eke out a living. This was followed by an influx of Divine messages, aptly displayed through a presentation entitled “Dharmodharaka Sri Sathya Sai” going back in time, bringing anecdotes from the lore of yore.
21st August being the 23rd anniversary of The School of Business Management and Finance, Sri Sathya Sai University, Bhagawan released the revised edition of the popular book, “Man Management”, a management book for commoners based on His Divine Teachings. Blessing the occasion, Bhagawan most magnanimously browsed through some of the pages to the delight of Prof. U.S. Rao, the Dean of the Department, Prof. Kumar Bhaskar, the editor and compiler of the book and other colleagues including research scholars, who had put in unstinted effort in releasing the revised edition. The book contains Divine Discourses on the theme, Management, delivered on various occasions, especially during the anniversary celebrations over the years.
On the 21st evening, in response to the prayers of Mr. Srinivasan Chettiar of Sathya Sai Padhuga Trust, Madurai, a Sphatika Lingam, brought from Nepal and made out of 98 percentage crystal, which would be installed in the sanctum sanctorum at the Meenakshi Sundareshwara Sawmi Temple, Madurai was blessed by Bhagawan along with an Ashta Dik Palaka Padhuga. This Padhuga symbolically signifying the eight gods ruling eight directions would be taken out to different places for worship aiming at universal peace, said Mr. Srinivasan Chettiar.
The week did not have much of “group movement” except for three small groups, a tiny group from Germany which has been camping and doing rehearsal sessions over the week, and another sixty member group of students from Sathya Sai Vidya Vihar, Baripada, Orissa and a two hundred member group from Sri Sathya Sai Seva Samiti, Tirupur. Women students from the Anantapur Campus had also been to Prasanthi to attend the Ganesh Chaturthi celebrations.
Earlier Ganeshas representing different batches from the University were brought to Yajur Mandiram for Divine Blessings on the penultimate evening, 22nd August.
The week’s Rose Beneficiaries were, Mr. Unni, in-charge, Accomodation, Mr. Suresh B. Koppikar working with Sri Sathya Sai Central Trust, Mr. Vinod Kumar Passi, in-charge, Finance and Accounts, Sri Sathya Sai Central Trust, Col. (Retd.) Bose, caretaker, Chaitanya Jyothi Museum, Mr. Dixit, Civil Engineer with Maintenance Dept as well working as Public Relations Officer, Mr. Kashi Viswanathan with Eternal Heritage Museum and Mr. Tejo Murthy with Shanti Bhavan Guest House.
The week fades away, leaving the splendor as Ganesha is onstage, being worshipped all over in Prasanthi Nilayam, as every single section would be having a Ganesha of its own to worship, a Prasanthi tradition that has been on for quite long time. The expectant week would be witnessing Ganeshas mounting the chariot for the much popular immersion ceremony. The OverLord in Prasanthi Nilayam is expected to officiate the function when Ganesha’s would be taken out in procession for immersion and thus the week that follows evinces greater interest.
