Birthday to the Birthless Energy - 23rd Nov 21

 

Aum Sri Sai Ram.  What a day. By his sheer sankalpa , my work was manageable so that I could take a day-off today , on the glorious occasion of the birthday of the Sathya Sai Physical form of the Parabhrama. My Mother co-operated with me , as I got up in the wee hours of the day to take part in the NagarSankeerthanam planned in the Chitlapakam Samithi , Chromepet at 5.00 am. The unpredictable rains were temporary sent to the sheds by swami , as he was well aware of kids rolling over to him on this day at all places. Like ants surrounding a piece of sugar candy, as the seva dals started the rangoli , decoration and other tasks to be ready for the occasion devotees ( Samithi members) started getting pulled into the ambit of the Samithi , as mother Sai was expanding her love to accommodate all of her children who came running into her lap. The Ashtothram and Sai Gayathri chanting , the Jyoti meditation and other preliminary agendas were duly executed as a group of 20 , almost equal number of gents and ladies took to the streets , singing out their hearts with clash-cymbals and hand beats.  

Youtube Link : NagarSankeerthanam Part 1

But the highlight before all this is , as I entered , near the gate of the Samithi , the bhajan that most affects me for its tune and rendition was being played . Bhajan Link : Gopala Giridhara Bala .This particular bhajan always moves me into tears and when I heard it being played in the mobile phone by a member , I just couldn't think of anything else other than feeling grateful of how individually , distinctly , he welcomed me for the day. I literally read it as : " come vignesh , ra ."  Best feeling . Many drops of tears slowly found their way down my chin, unnoticed by others as bhajans ensued.

The nagarsankeerthanam ended on a blissful note as prasad and swami's pictures were distributed and we all dispersed.  We also got a chance to circumambulate the Shiridi Sai Mandir opposite to the samithi , which was not opened fully to public due to the pandemic . My sentiments with Swami's previous avatar are as deep and as high as my love for swami. What I enjoy with the Sai Avatar is a Blessed Amalgamation of Avataric Love and when people ask me are you Shiridi Sai devotee, Sathya Sai devotee , my first reaction will be a smile. I try to read if the person is asking out of idle curiosity or real interest and respond accordingly.  

The next interaction was at 10.00 am,  for physical bhajans.  So , 3 hours forward , devotees and members thronged the premises of the Samithi as resounding , pining , blissful bhajans were going on. I had taken my own self made copy of my favorite bhajans , which rang a deep note on my system.  I wasn't technically prepared or rehearsed for a bhajan , but I noticed one gent and one lady sairam were alternatively singing bhajans in a packed Samithi. One elder Sairam then prompted me to sing an Anjaneya bhajan and somehow I sought Bhagwan's assurance to sing without messing up the rising up spirit of the gathered souls.  I opened my note and selected Jaya Vijayi Bhava song and it came out well. I mentally made a note that , for such impromptu occasions , I should practice well a bhajan of all deities for all occasions. If possible, 2 for each god as well , when there is a bhajan requirement at any context. Ah , as I lead the bhajan and the chorus of the audience followed , I felt so blessed for his involvement of me. 

Senior devotees offered their presence inspite of their challenges and working folks too parked their personal - professional work to not miss this opportunity to be with swami at his function. The Bhajans were so intoxicating , sairams distributed sweets , udi with the udi manthra.  Cake cutting was performed with kids of sairams and it was a combination of physical and mental satisfaction of senses of sorts. I think , among the 1000 + thoughts that we get while on service / seva / Samithi duty , at least a couple of them should only be ones of gratitude for having been enrolled in a Satsang such as the Sai Fraternity . Looking at each one of us , with our individual karmic journeys , we should mentally at least wish each other the very best , in our journey towards Swami and bow in gratitude for offering each other company.  Due to the long gap , fellow Sairams exchanged pleasantries , enquiries on each other and embraced each other.  The next and final interaction on the joyous occasion of Swamivaru's Birthday will be at 6 pm evening , where the traditional Online bhajans will be done , slowly ending the day on a note of nothing but Swami , our everything .

The Invisible Guardian in my life until the Vision

Jai Sai Ram .

Many of us will have an introductory moment in our journey with Swami,  and I am no exception . But, when one day I started connecting the incidents, I was amazed how he has been silently overlooking me in his own special divine way. I am narrating here the various instances in my life how Swami has been in touch with me, without me noticing it .

The Emblem

All through my growing up years back in Mylapore, we had this bureau made of metal , around 5 feet in height in average condition which we used to store clothes. This was something which was given to us by our paternal aunt, whose husband allegedly had been a swami devotee, which I came to know only in 2020 . That uncle had long passed away. That bureau had this all religion circular emblem which we all identify with Swami's call of One religion  [also shown above in this post) . Is that emblem sticker on the bureau not enough for him to watch me grow up when I had no idea about the Avatar ? . The warmer thing to note here is that, thanks to my parents, sister I got tuned to Swami's Shiridi Avatar without reason and somehow his hold on me was established all through my journey up the years in all my good and bad moments.  

The College Connect

Fast forward , high school pretty much had me hooked on to my academics and I scored very high marks and got into a good College. I met this guy, who was from a different department and somehow by swami's inspiration we both started talking when we travelled in the college bus. He used to come up and tell me Swami's experiences and I used to tightly hold on to my then Guru and Overall guardian , Shiridi Sai. Internally I used to think, no one can equal my Baba, this guy is just trying to brainwash me with stuff and somehow I never even spared a moment to take interest in Swami. Now, when I look back, my eyes well up with tears, thinking why Swami didn't drag me by the ear through someone , some random person alteast once to Sundaram , in Mylapore to quell the noise and sculpt the misshapen intellect once and for all. But he alone knows what is best for all of us and I just have to accept that as his own will.  

The Doctor Connect 

I also remember meeting a Doctor Dr .G Sairaman, who used to have a big Smiling Swami portrait as shown above and I have frequented him whenever any of us fell sick including once when I got dengue. The doctor had a calm demeanor about himself and was tall and had a good grip of his medicinal craft. Imagine the odds, when a well gifted doctor was just 10 minutes away from our home  who practiced medicine and was a Sai devotee. The familiarity that swami has been silently sowing in my unsuspecting mind. This is still from my Mylapore days. 

Enter The Telugu & Andhra Connect 

Then came the time of placement when we attended interviews and I had to go to hyderabad for the training period in the company where I got selected.  I stayed with my paternal uncle, who is an ardent Iyyappa devotee, and he had so many portraits. In those 3 months of my stay there, so many good things happened. I developed a beautiful connection with my cousin, who didn't have any comfortable vibe towards me though every summer vacation she used to come all our house for stays and bonding over childlike stuff but we never felt any vibe between us. It was so non-existent.  But in the time I stayed in their place,  now we are so close and it all sounds so crazy how things change between people . My uncle , pretty much leads all the affairs of his house and he had so many photos of all gods in his wall , hung with all old flowers and dried leaves and papers etc . I took interest and devised a plan with my cousin to clean up the entire place . There were 3-4 Swami photos of different sizes and not once did I even register his face or bothered to even look in his eye out of the slightest curiosity. Now in 2020, when I was going through my pictures, I saw his portraits and It all flashed , how he still kept looking out for me when I was in the training period of my very first employment. Also to add here is that,  like Swami often says how he will achieve multiple things with one stroke,  I also learnt telugu language through my self interests and purely his sankalpa. I speak fluent telugu now orally and we all know Swami's mother tongue is Telugu . In one  event in my life, swami made me learn his mother tongue, establish a beautiful bond with my cousin, made me clean up the altar of my uncle which had his photos .

Forgotten Sai Injections

Back to Chennai, I continued to be loyally associated with Shiridi Sai until my USA trip happened. I came back home, started printing out his pictures, making small cards, hanging photos , reclining photo cutouts in absolute relish for seeing him constantly when my eyes caught sight of a Shiridi Sai Cardboard collage which I had done a few years ago in my previous house. If you see this picture, he had convinced me to paste one of his photos in the ALL Shiridi Sai cardboard cutout and through that picture he had been silently monitoring me. In this excitement, I began to raid my old purses, family bags etc to uncover some more pictures buried between old papers and cards . One was Swami beside his Samadhi picture and 2 of the Sai Trinity pictures. I immediately did some crafting work and made them off portrayable quality. 

And Now

All through my life, until he officially onboarded me under his wing, his signature of the Silent Guardian has been there all along . These days, I choke up terribly thinking of my missed opportunity of having not seen in his Sagun form of a body, when I could have massaged his legs, washed his feet and drink that water as holy tirth. But, it all happened for a reason. He alone knows when I was ready enough to receive him. The comfort and consolation for me is that, he cared, is caring and will always care about me and somehow he will makeup for the physical intimacy I missed out with him. Until then, sai love continues.. 

Today is Swami's 95th Birthday Celebrations . May swami Bless us all to make us the ideal devotees who don't get affected by the pair of opposites and maintain singular Devotion and concentration on the Lotus feet of Swamiwaru Bhagwan Baba .

SamasthaLokah Sukhino Bhavanthu