As much as to the great epics so much so to the great inspiring lives of celebrated devotees, Prasanthi’s timeless theatre often unravels tales of “celebrations” from Bharat’s rich treasure-house of lore of yore, having greater spiritual import.
The week in the run up to a fortnight of action packed Dasara and Grama Seva witnessed celebration of rarity, of a celestial calling, thrusting forth the greater import of Divine Romance, unsullied love for the Divine in fullest measure.
The three day programme of Thiruppavai Mahotsavam held from the 9th September in Prasanthi Nilayam culminated on the 11th afternoon with a grand function celebrating the Divine marriage of Lord Ranganatha with his great devotee Sri Andal, the lone female member of the famous twelve Alwars of Vaishnavism.
Andal developed deep love for Krishna and considered herself as God’s bride. This love for her Lord blossomed into the immortal work “Thiruppavai.” Andal was so profoundly enthralled by the Bhakti of Gopis and the deeds of Krishna in Mathura and Brindavan during the Dwapara Yuga (aeon) that she too desperately wanted to immerse in the Divine experience.
Bridal mysticism, as it is popularly known, the marriage was symbolic of the culmination of Divine Romance between the Lord and the devotee; the soul of the devotee was the bride and God was the Bridegroom; their union was recognised as the spiritual marriage.
While the days were filled with regular rituals and recitations followed by talks by exponents, the day of the Divine Marriage had the gaiety and splendor of a marriage, not ordinary, but of Divine stature. …And in the presence of the Mighty Lord, the occasion turned out to become a splendorous heavenly treat for the thousands of devotees congregated to witness the occasion.
These are rare occasions and one would wonder, where else on planet earth one could witness such occasion other than in Prasanthi Nilayam wherein the glory of the occasion multiplies to infinite proportions by the mere presence of the Almighty Avatar of the Age, witnessing and sanctifying the grand occasion.
Apart from the Kalyanotsavam the week was normal with sumptuous darshans on all evenings filled with Bhajans that is the order of any day in Prasanthi Nilayam.
A huge contingent of over two thousand five hundred devotees from the Andhra Pradesh district of Mehaboob Nagar was in Prasanthi for three days on a Parthi Yatra.
The week’s rose beneficiaries were, Mr. Raoji Patel from the Bhakta Sahayak Sangh, Dr. Jagdish Narain, formerly Vice Chancellor, Rourkie University and currently Senior Functionary in the Publications Division of Sri Sathya Sai Sadhana Trust, Mr. Vaidyanathan, Mr. Sukumaran Nair, Mr. Ramakrishnan Iyer, Mr. Sankaranarayanan and Mr. Balasubramaniam, all from Publications Division of Sri Sathya Sai Sadhana Trust.
One could observe the backstage operations getting set for the upcoming mammoth Grama Seva activities on the sidelines of Dasara festivities starting the next week. What could be expected is a fortnight with action packed devotional surge, wherein, one could see the “White Army” swinging in action delivering the message of Love of Bhagawan, village to village, house to house, person to person, all with one armour, with love being the language of the heart.
