I really enjoyed the movie “Avatar,” which I saw on Sunday. News stories say that it cost $310 million to produce, and it’s easy to see where the money went. It’s right there on the screen.

As spectacular as the movie was, the story seemed to borrow ideas from a lot of places. I noticed two cases of that: one from neuroscience and one from comparative religion.

At one point in the movie, the chief scientist (played by Sigourney Weaver) says that each tree in the planet’s forest connects via its roots to 10,000 other trees in the forest. As it happens, each neuron (nerve cell) in the human brain connects to between 5,000 and 10,000 other neurons, although the number of connections can go even higher. So it seemed to me that by referring to 10,000 connections, the movie suggested that the forest was a giant brain and was conscious.

The indigenous people on the planet were called the Navi. Their most intimate greeting to each other is “I see you.” That seemed to have been suggested by Hindu religious beliefs. In Hinduism, darshan is a spiritual experience in which a person sees and is seen by God. To see or be seen is very significant.

Yogamaya Mandir at Old Govindadev Temple, Vrindavan

 

Jagadbandhu Prabhu sent Sri Ramdas Babaji to Vrindavan at a young age (around 17 years of age) through a letter delivered by a disciple. (The following text is taken from Dr. OBL Kapoor’s The Saints of Bengal)

Dear Rāmdās! From Hātharas you must go to Vrindavan alone. A renunciant goes alone wherever he goes. He does not depend upon anyone. He neither insists that others should follow his line or accept his point of view, nor opposes anyone. He always adopts the easiest path of truth. Bhagavān has infinite attributes out of which six are preeminent. Vairāgya is the most important of all. You have the support and strength of vairāgya. Therefore always remain free and fearless. Live on mādhukari. First of all go to the old temple of Govinda Dev. What you have to do next you will come to know at the appropriate time. At the appropriate time you will meet me. — Your Bandhu.”

One day Rāmdās lay down under a Kadamba tree in Kālīyadaha with his head supported by a root of the tree as a pillow and fell asleep, just as a child would fall asleep in the lap of his mother while sucking at her breast. In a dream at the end of the night he saw a goddess whose body was shedding light like a thousand moons, uttering a mantra in his ear.

In the morning he went to the kutir of Vrajabālā and told him all about the dream. Vrajabālā was excited. He embraced Rāmdās and said, “Yogamāyā! Yogamāyā’s mercy! By the mercy of Yogamāyā you have gotten mantra in a dream. Later you will get it from a mahapurush. Jagadbandhu did not give mantra to you. He does not give mantra to anyone. Do the japa of this mantra. You will realize the desired End.” Rāmdās shivered to hear this. A few drops of tears trickled down his eyes.

Rāmdās Bābājī had already received the blessings of all the great mahātmās of his time. He now received the blessings of Yogamāyā. After this what remained? What remained was the fulfillment of the blessings. It was not long before the fulfillment came. One day while going about in different places in Vraja for the darśana of the places connected with the līlā of Śrī Krishna, he reached Radha Kunda.

He was sitting at the bridge over the confluence (sangam) of Radhakund and Shyamakund when he saw two young gopīs standing on the bank of Radhakund and talking with each other. The beauty of their faces, beaming with transcendental light, stole his heart. As he looked at them, the conceit of his being a male was transformed into the conceit of a mañjarī, a sakhī in the service of Rādhā. Suddenly they disappeared. Slowly the sun set and night approached.

When it became dark the same gopīs came laughing. They asked him to accompany them. Like one spellbound and possessed by a transcendental bhāva Rāmdās Bābā followed them in his mañjarī form. After going some distance he saw a beautifully decorated swing hanging from the branch of a banyan tree, on which were seated Radha and Krishna and the same gopīs were pushing the swing back and forth while Rāmdās in mañjarī form was enjoying the transcendental beauty of the twin divinities and singing. Suddenly the whole scene disappeared but his Rādhā-dāsī (mañjarī) bhāva remained, which became permanent.

Today is the disappearance anniversary of Sri Jiva Gosvamipad.  Festivities are underway at Sri Radha-Damodar mandir.  Sadhus from Vrindavan and beyond have gathered together to celebrate Sri Jiva’s literary contribution to the Gaudiya Vaishnava canon by holding a simultaneous reading Jiva Gosvamipad’s various works.  Here are some photos of this morning’s celebrations. (As usual, all photos are clickable)

Sri Jiva jivana-dhana, Sri Radha-Damodara Jiu

Sri Jiva Gosvami

Mass reading of Sri Jiva Gosvami's books by Braja-vasi Vaishnav Sadhus

Jai Sri Radhe!

Seems the rumor is true: Radha Damodar Mandir now allows photos … the floodgates of Damodar Kripa are open! 

Jai Nitai!

Damodar Mukharavinda

From left to right: Radha-Vrindavanchandra (served by Krishnadas Kaviraj), Lalita Sakhi and Sri Radha-Damodar (of Sri Jiva Goswami), Sri Radha-Madhava (of Sri Jayadev Gosvami), Sri Radha Chailchikkan (of Sri Bhugarbha Gosvami), and Sri Goverdhan Sila in the front worshipped by Sri Sanatana Gosvamipad

Sri Radha-Damodara-Lal!

Download New large size wallpaper 1600 x1200 Also available in wide screen

Click here for: Shirdi Sai Baba wallpapers only

Daily updates: Sathya Sai Baba Latest Darshan News & Photos Sunday, Dec 06, 2009 – Punjab Youth – Balvikas Parthi Yatra “…Bal Vikas children from Punjab who had assembled at Prasanthi Nilayam had the opportunity to have the Darshan of Bhagawan and listen to talks by eminent speakers in the lecture hall of Ashram. On this evening, Bhagawan came for Darshan at 5.05 p.m. ...” Read more

PRASANTHI THIS WEEK “December arrived and came along with the wintry season. While passing off, the first week of the last month left vivid pictures of a vibrant Prasanthi that had enough of actions in its kitty. Topping the list comes the visit of India’s Industrial tycoon Ratan Tata. Yes, the week that passed by had a hectic twenty-four hour schedule for India’s topmost industrialist, Ratan Tata, in Prasanthi Nilayam…” Read More Sai Baba Vibhuti Miracles in Indonesia THE SANGUINE SAI MESSAGE OF LOVE - INCLUDING 8 VIDEO CLIPS 84th Divine Birthday check all the updates & photos here

More Wallpapers download -click on the pages below :

Sathya Sai Baba Wallpaper Pages 1- 2 – 3 – 4 – 5 – 6 – 7 – 8 – 9 – 10 - 11 – 12 – 13 – 14 – 15 – 16 – 17- 18 - 19 – 20 – 21 – 22 – 23 -24 – 25 - 26 - 27 - 28 - 29 – 30 - 31- 32 - 33 – 34 – 35 - 36 - 37 – 38 - 39- 40 – 41- 42 – 43 – 44 Shirdi Sai Baba Wallpaper Pages Index |1 |2 |3|4|5|6|7|

Shirdi Sai Baba all purpose Greeting & prayer cards

]]> http://miraclesofavatharseshadri.wordpress.com/2009/12/08/%e2%80%9cchi-chi-dirty-dirty%e2%80%a6%e2%80%9d/ Tue, 08 Dec 2009 12:10:13 +0000 miraclesofavatharsesha http://miraclesofavatharseshadri.wordpress.com/2009/12/08/%e2%80%9cchi-chi-dirty-dirty%e2%80%a6%e2%80%9d/

Om Sathguru Sri Seshadri Swamigal Thiruvadikkae

Shri A.V. Srinivasa Iyer, Police Inspector, a true devotee of Avathar Sri Seshadri Swamigal, along with his wife came to Swami for his darshan. Swami pulled his wife’s ear rings studded with red stones saying, “Chi, Chi, dirty, dirty.” Within a month, thereafter they received a pair of diamond ear-rings. They were also blessed with a son after a year.

]]> http://rajraj.wordpress.com/2009/11/29/bhartrihari-niti-shatak-in-hindi/ Sun, 29 Nov 2009 06:25:01 +0000 दीपक भारतदीप http://rajraj.wordpress.com/2009/11/29/bhartrihari-niti-shatak-in-hindi/

भर्तृहरि महाराज कहते हैं कि
——————————
कि वेदैः स्मृतिभिः पुराणपठनैः शास्त्रेर्महाविस्तजैः स्वर्गग्रामकुटीनिवासफलदैः कर्मक्रियाविभ्रमैः।
मुक्त्वैकं भवदुःख भाररचना विध्वंसकालानलं स्वात्मानन्दपदप्रवेशकलनं शेषाः वणिगवृत्तयं:।।

हिंदी में भावार्थ- वेद, स्मुतियों और पुराणों का पढ़ने और किसी स्वर्ग नाम के गांव में निवास पाने के लिए  कर्मकांडों को निर्वाह करने से भ्रम पैदा होता है। जो परमात्मा संसार के दुःख और तनाव से मुक्ति दिला सकता है उसका स्मरण और भजन करना ही एकमात्र उपाय है शेष तो मनुष्य की व्यापारी बुद्धि का परिचायक है।

वर्तमान संदर्भ में संपादकीय व्याख्या-मनुष्य अपने जीवन यापन के लिये व्यापार करते हुए इतना व्यापारिक बुद्धि वाला हो जाता है कि वह भक्ति और भजन में भी सौदेबाजी करने लगता है और इसी कारण ही कर्मकांडों के मायाजाल में फंसता जाता है। कहा जाता है कि श्रीगीता चारों वेदों का सार संग्रह है और उसमें स्वर्ग में प्रीति उत्पन्न करने वाले वेद वाक्यों से दूर रहने का संदेश इसलिये ही दिया गया है कि लोग कर्मकांडों से लौकिक और परलौकिक सुख पाने के मोह में निष्काम भक्ति न भूल जायें।

वेद, पुराण और उपनिषद में विशाल ज्ञान संग्रह है और उनके अध्ययन करने से मतिभ्रम हो जाता है। यही कारण है कि सामान्य लोग अपने सांसरिक और परलौकिक हित के लिये एक नहीं अनेक उपाय करने लगते हंै। कथित ज्ञानी लोग उसकी कमजोर मानसिकता का लाभ उठाते हुए उससे अनेक प्रकार के यज्ञ और हवन कराने के साथ ही अपने लिये दान दक्षिणा वसूल करते हैं। दान के नाम किसी अन्य सुपात्र को देने की बजाय अपन ही हाथ उनके आगे बढ़ाते हैं। भक्त भी बौद्धिक भंवरजाल में फंसकर उनकी बात मानता चला जाता है। ऐसे कर्मकांडों का निर्वाह कर भक्त यह भ्रम पाल लेता है कि उसने अपना स्वर्ग के लिये टिकट आरक्षित करवा लिया।

यही कारण है कि कि सच्चे संत मनुष्य को निष्काम भक्ति और निष्प्रयोजन दया करने के लिये प्रेरित करते हैं। भ्रमजाल में फंसकर की गयी भक्ति से कोई लाभ नहीं होता। इसके विपरीत तनाव बढ़ता है। जब किसी यज्ञ या हवन से सांसरिक काम नहीं बनता तो मन में निराशा और क्रोध का भाव पैदा होता है जो कि शरीर के लिये हानिकारक होता है। जिस तरह किसी व्यापारी को हानि होने पर गुस्सा आता है वैसे ही भक्त को कर्मकांडों से लाभ नहीं होता तो उसका मन भक्ति और भजन से विरक्त हो जाता है। इसलिये भक्ति, भजन और साधना में वणिक बुद्धि का त्याग कर देना चाहिये। भक्त  करते समय इस बात का विचार नहीं करना चाहिए कि कोई स्वर्ग का टिकट आरक्षित करवा रहे है।
——————————
संकलक एवं संपादक-दीपक भारतदीप,Gwalior

————————————

यह पाठ मूल रूप से इस ब्लाग‘दीपक भारतदीप की अंतर्जाल पत्रिका’ पर लिखा गया है। अन्य ब्लाग
1.दीपक भारतदीप की शब्द लेख पत्रिका
2.शब्दलेख सारथि
3.दीपक भारतदीप का चिंतन

With love for the Baba

A grand event was staged to celebrate Puttaparthi Sathya Sai Baba’s 84th birthday.

To celebrate the 84th birthday of Puttaparthi Sri Satya Sai Baba, a five-day festival of music was organised. Several associations of his devotees, followers and members of the city seva samithi in association with the pupils and teachers of Sri Satya Sai Vidya Vihar in MVP Colony, organised the festival of music, dance and drama.

The ballet Sree Paadaalu scripted and directed by M. Prakasa Rao, staged on the penultimate evening on last Sunday was the highlight of the festival.

Enacted by about five scores of pupils of the Sri Satya Sai Vidya Vihara on the imposing stage, attracted a very large gathering. It depicted the story, how a very prideful scientist who was an atheist got totally reformed after coming to know about Sathya Sai Baba from one of his staunch devotees whom he came across by chance.

As was advised by the devotee, he went along with him on a pilgrimage to get ethically worthy enough to visit Prasanthi Nilayam, the abode of Sathya SaiBaba at Puttaparthi and fall on his feet to get blessed by him for deliverance from the ill effects of the sinful life that he had led.

Visualisation as to how his desire gets fulfilled marked the grand finale of the ballet. All dialogues in prose and lyrical form for all the dramatis-personae were perfectly rendered by professionals (evocatively, musically, melodiously and aesthetically) and were pre-recorded. Makeup, sound and stage management were admirably accomplished. No wonder, watching the ballet, spell bindingly turned out to be an enthralling and elated experience.

The Hindu Reference

Seeing Sai Baba
VASTHU SASTRA
By T.SELVA

Our columnist has a spiritual time in a remote village in India.

INTRIGUED by his teachings on human values and the fact that he has followers in 170 countries, I travelled to Puttaparthi, India, last weekend to experience Sathya Sai Baba’s darshan (blessings).

Puttaparthi is a remote village in Andhra Pradesh state in India’s south-east that has been placed on the world map as a top pilgrimage centre owing to the presence there of Baba, who is considered a living god by more than 100 million followers worldwide.

The shops, hotels, banks and other business outlets in the village all depend on the floating population of thousands who come there from all over the world throughout the year to seek Baba’s blessing and peace of mind.

My first glimpse of Sathya Sai Baba is when shopkeepers rush out of their stores to join the crowds lining the main street – Baba is passing by in a car escorted by police and volunteers, returning to his abode.

He’s returning from a visit to the Sri Sathya Sai General Hospital, which treats the poor for free and also handles cases related to cardiology, urology, nephrology and ophthalmology.

I later discover that to get into Baba’s Prasanthi Nilayam (Abode of Peace), one must go through airport-style security checks, including going through a metal detector and being frisked. And just like on an airplane, cameras, mobile phones, pens and sharp objects were prohibited. Men and women are separated to opposite sides of the huge hall.

The day that I’m here, Nov 7, is special because on the second Saturday of November every year, devotees in Puttaparthi and at Sai Baba centres worldwide sing bhajans (devotional chants) continuously for 24 hours to confer peace, joy, harmony and bliss to all of mankind.

Thousands of vocalists sing with full devotion and the divine vibration is said to have the power to remove negative thoughts, soothe the nerves, purify the mind and heal those within earshot.

I am overwhelmed by the vibrations of the sacred sounds the moment I step foot into the holy space.

Seated in a lotus pose in silence, I feel a sudden surge of energy rushing into my body when Satya Sai Baba arrives in a wheel chair.

Wearing a saffron coloured robe, Baba seems, to me, electrifying – so much so that I feel goose pimples, and tears well up in my eyes.

Some of his devotees tell me later that such experiences are common in the presence of a “realised master” because his mind is saturated with “God consciousness” and a great ecstasy will develop within any individual close by, without any mental or intellectual effort.

Sathya Sai Baba is pushed slowly along an aisle lined on both sides by over 10,000 devotees; he stops occasionally to receive letters and wedding invitation cards from his followers, and some cry with love and joy when he’s close.

He does not speak but gazes deeply into the eyes of everyone he comes into contact with; when he reaches the dais in front, he sweeps his eyes over all his devotees. His disciples clasp their hands in prayer and bow, while the crowd basks in the peace he is emanating.

Sathya SaiBaba was born on Nov 23, 1926, and, right from his childhood, there were consistent manifestations of his divinity. For instance, his birth was accompanied by strange phenomena – like the musical instruments in his house playing on their own and a cobra lying unthreateningly under his bed.

Even as a small child, he was against violence and refused to touch meat; by the age of four, when most children have not learnt to share yet, he began displaying compassion and generosity.

At the age of 14, he declared to his family that he did not belong only to them and set out with others who believed in him to launch his divine mission in the service of mankind.

He would enchant his followers by doing things like distributing sweets from an empty bag, plucking a variety of fruits from a tamarind tree, and creating holy ash in his hand.

One of his strongest messages then was to surrender completely to him, that he would take over his followers’ worries and fears.

According to Baba, surrender means not having expectations, not being upset if the outcome of events is different than anticipated. He says he can only help when an individual completely entrusts him or herself to him totally.

Baba says energy passes from him to devotees in his presence, and that whatever his eyes see will be vitalised.

In the meeting hall, I am five rows away from Sathya Sai Baba and cannot pass him the letter I am carrying for a Malaysian devotee – but Baba stares at me and then at the letter I am holding, and, somehow, I feel that he knows its contents.

Baba does not perform any miracles that day but some of his devotees experience visions and say they feel a sensation of relief and contentment in his presence.

I feel lighter and almost blissful after the two hour session in Sathya Sai Baba’s company.

Many who arrive there come “expecting” but return “accepting” the true purpose of life and of the power of love and compassion.

Vasthu talk
The columnist will present a talk on how to choose an auspicious property and create a happy home following Vasthu Sastra principles at 2pm on Nov 27 at The Star Property Fair at Hall 4, Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre. Admission to the talk is free. To register, call 012-329 9713.

Senior News Editor T. Selva has spent years researching and writing about the ancient Indian science of construction, better known as ‘Indian feng shui’. He is the first disciple of 7th generation Vasthu Sastra Master Yuvaraj Sowma from Chennai, India.

The Star does not give any warranty on accuracy, completeness, usefulness, fitness for any particular purpose or other assurances as to the opinions and views expressed in this column. The Star disclaims all responsibility for any losses suffered directly or indirectly arising from reliance on such opinions and views.

The Star Reference

The project started many years ago, when a bounch of friend started to buy and work a piece of land in Lido di Venezia.
The purpouse of the project was to build a meditation center just a couple of meters from the sea. A dream was born.
After 15 years and many meditations, happening, Enlighted persons, parties and good food, the project started to have a big challenge…the piece of land became a real stripe between Lagoon and sea, a gate to wellness and joy: Zorba the Buddha.
Summer of 2010 will be the official opening of the Energy Darshan, an osho meditation center with the freshness of a holiday resort with a vegetarian restaurant, a meditation Hall, 5000 m² of Garden between the lagoon of Venice and the Sea, close to a wild and beautiful beach, like Goa.

Hace más de un año, en este mismo diario digital, escribía sobre mis experiencias con Mata Amritananda Mayi, más conocida con el cariñoso nombre de Amma (“Madre”).

En aquél post (“La santa de los abrazos”), yo describía sobre todo mi visita a Amritapuri, el hermoso y siempre en desarrollo ashram de Amma en la India, exactamente en el estado de Kerala, al suroeste del país.

Aprovechando la próxima visita de Amma a Barcelona (11-12-13 de noviembre 2009), en el marco de su ya clásica gira europea, me gustaría describir brevemente en qué consisten estos programas espirituales y mis sensaciones al respecto

Darshan

En alguna ocasión ya he dicho que la palabra darshan significa “visión”. En el contexto espiritual se llama darshan a entrar en contacto con una persona (o elemento) santa o sagrada. Es decir, que cuando un santo da darshan, lo que está haciendo es permitirles a los devotos que vean, a través de su presencia física, una porción de la Divinidad.

No hay que malinterpretar; esto no se trata de un acto de exhibicionismo o de egocentrismo. Siendo el santo justamente un santo, el sólo hecho de estar en su presencia física otorga bendiciones.

De hecho, según se explica, la presencia de santos en la tierra no tiene otro fin que el de ayudar y guiar a las personas y al mundo hacia una evolución espiritual. Con esto quiero decir que un santo, si es verdadero, no necesita del elogio público o de la exposición a las masas para sentirse realizado en la vida.

De hecho, la única realización que necesita ya la tiene, y se llama auto-realización, que sería llegar al propio y entero conocimiento de lo que uno es, que según la filosofía espiritual de la India, consiste en saberse parte de la energía universal, que con perdón, también podríamos llamar Dios.

Un darshan no se limita a personas, sino que también incluye, por ejemplo, lugares santos, imágenes sagradas de templos, tumbas de grandes almas.

En el caso de Amma, el darshan que da no es sólo la posibilidad de verla, sino que además abraza a todas las personas que llegan a ella.

Colas

Justamente los abrazos de Amma son lo que la han hecho, en primera instancia, famosa en todo el mundo. Teniendo en cuenta que son, literalmente, miles las personas las que van a verla en cada uno de sus programas espirituales, una de las preocupaciones principales es “¿Habrá una cola muy larga?”.

La primera vez que vi a Amma en el año 1998, en un pueblito del sur de Francia, la cola era breve. En mi visita a Amritapuri, ya éramos más personas. En Milano (2005) y en London (2006) los espacios designados para el programa (generalmente polideportivos y grandes recintos) estaban llenos. En Barcelona pasa lo mismo.

De todos modos, los organizadores y devotos de la misión de Amma se las ingenian para hacer el proceso lo más liviano posible. De hecho, las únicas verdaderas colas que hay que hacer son dos: Una para recoger el número para el darshan (en este caso, refiriéndose al abrazo); otra, para acercarse al escenario donde está Amma, y recibir el anhelado abrazo.

Aunque para algunos este hecho de dar números le suene como ir a la pescadería y le parezca alejado de lo espiritual, tengo que decir que es una forma muy práctica de organizar la gran cantidad de personas que llegan cada día. Esta distribución de números permite que uno solamente haga una cola larga, que sería la primera; pues la segunda, con el número ya en mano, es mucho más corta y hasta placentera, ya que nos acercamos con expectación hacia Amma.

Según entiendo, esto también podría tener un componente de sacrificio. Es decir, ya que Amma se da a todo el mundo, gratis, durante largas horas, abrazando hasta la última persona, el gesto de ir a hacer una cola para buscar el número es lo mínimo que uno puede hacer.

Por un lado, si los números no existieran, las personas llegarían a verla y querrían pasar inmediatamente a ser abrazados. Por otro lado, al uno tener su número bien delimitado, puede dedicar todo el resto del tiempo a hacer otras actividades, ya que en paneles se va marcando el avance numérico permitiéndonos así calcular nuestro turno con mucha anticipación.

Extras

Aparte de los dos hechos básicos de ver a Amma y ser abrazado por ella, hay una gran variedad de actividades alternativas que se pueden hacer cuando vamos a su darshan, en cualquier lugar del planeta.

Por un lado, hay muchos pequeños puestos con artículos a la venta, siempre relacionados con Amma: CD’s de música; videos de las giras de Amma; ropa típica india; fotografías de Amma.

También hay puestos de masaje, y otros donde se informa y difunde sobre la obra caritativa de Amma en la India, que es muy vasta. De hecho, todo lo que se recauda en los programas se destina a su obra humanitaria.

Otra buena oportunidad que hay en estos programas espirituales, sobre todo si estamos esperando nuestro abrazo, es el de hacer seva (servicio). Hacer seva es hacer algún tipo de servicio, en este caso para Amma. El servicio en general es una práctica espiritual muy recomendada, porque sirve para dejar de pensar en nosotros mismos, al menos por un breve período. Esto se debe a que el servicio es gratis, no es para ganancia personal, se hace para el beneficio de otros, y no hay recompensa (al menos material) por ello. Además, haciendo servicio uno no sigue estrictamente las propias motivaciones, sino que se adecua a lo que necesita un tercero.

En cada programa de Amma hay un puesto de seva, donde uno puede apuntarse para hacer alguna tarea. Pueden ser varias cosas, pero típicamente es ayudar a preparar la comida; lavar utensilios de la cocina; servir los platos; limpiar la cantina.

De todos modos, para los que quieran alejarse del mundo gastronómico también hay opciones. Lo que pasa es que por alguna razón, cada vez que voy a ver a Amma termino haciendo algunas de las tareas antes citas.

En cuanto a la comida, el ir a un darshan de Amma es una buenísima chance para probar excelentes platos indios, incluyendo el afamado chai, té indio.

Canto

Por otra parte, si uno está presente durante todo el día de programa puede disfrutar de los discursos de Amma y también oírla cantar, en su clásico estilo de trance divino. Cuando Amma está abrazando, son entonces sus discípulos quienes llevan la batuta musical, de manera incansable. Los músicos de Amma son en verdad un grupo muy profesional y es un placer escucharlos.

A este respecto, recuerdo que cuando fui a ver a Amma a Milano, en Italia, tuve la chance de cantar frente a ella, junto con otros devotos italianos. Esto fue posible porque una vez que entra la noche, también se les permite a otros devotos que toquen o canten, ya que el grupo oficial también aprovecha para tomarse un respiro. De todos modos, no se deja a cualquiera hacerse cargo de la música, y generalmente hay que tener ya una plaza reservada.

Una de las personas con las que yo estaba ese día, logró que le permitieran tocar unas cuatro canciones, y entonces yo junto a otras tres o cuatro personas lo acompañamos.

Sin dudas mi voz no se destacaba, pero eso no era importante; el sólo hecho de poder estar muy cerca de Amma, cantando para ella, era ya toda una bendición.

En otro sentido, si lo que uno prefiere es quedarse quieto, sin cantar ni hacer servicio, es también posible, ya que a pesar del murmullo constante debido a las miles de personas, uno puede sentarse cómodamente a meditar bajo la energía omnipresente de Amma.

Si acaso al leer esta descripción, alguien tiene la sensación de que los programas de Amma, de tan masivos, pueden ser caóticos, pues que no se preocupe; debajo de la primera impresión de masividad, está el basamento inmutable de la paz de Amma. No hace falta recibir el abrazo para apreciar esto, basta con observarla por un tiempo para también sentir su energía.

Devi Bhava

De todo los ingredientes que componen un darshan de Amma, quizás el más especial sea Devi Bhava (Devi es “diosa”, y Bhava “estado o manifestación”). Para muchos de sus devotos, Amma es la representación terrena de la Madre Divina, es decir, la energía dinámica del universo en su aspecto femenino.

Devi Bhava es el fenómeno a través del cual este aspecto de Amma se hace más evidente. Según se lee en la página oficial de Amma en español[1]:

“Cuando Amma se presenta en Devi Bhava,  manifiesta un poco más de la gloria del Amor Divino. Se viste, no con el usual sari blanco, sino a la manera de Devi, la Divina Madre del Universo, tal como ella ha sido descrita en la escrituras desde tiempo inmemorial.

En los primeros años de su misión, Amma se dio cuenta de que la gente se abría más cuando se presentaba en Devi Bhava, y eso les ayudaba a tener fe en Dios.

Ella ha dicho que el objetivo de vestirse como Devi era para dar fuerza a nuestra actitud devocional.

Incluso en Occidente, tal practica ha continuado, pues la gente aprecia el gozo y las bendiciones que la Madre otorga en ese momento”.

Un detalle es que en las giras de Amma, Devi Bhava tiene lugar durante la última noche de los programas. En el caso de Barcelona, este año esto sucederá la noche del viernes 13 de noviembre. Como regla general, el Devi Bhava siempre finaliza a altas horas de la noche, y con mucha frecuencia incluso a la mañana siguiente. Esto depende del número de personas, ya que Amma no se marcha hasta que haya abrazado hasta el último de los presentes.

En mi caso, a pesar de haber visto a Amma muchas veces, nunca la había visto en Devi Bhava hasta hace poco. Por razones de trabajo y cronogramas, mis últimos darshan fueron más bien nocturnos, de manera que pude comprobar personalmente la cantidad de horas que Amma pasa abrazando.

De hecho, en alguna de estas ocasiones, habiendo llegado tarde y sin tener número, tuve que esperar hasta el final de todo para recibir mi abrazo, lo cual podía ser 9am del día siguiente!!

Cierre

Tendiendo en cuenta que el darshan empieza a las 7/8pm, se trata de muchas horas de amor ininterrumpido por parte de Amma. Para un hijo de vecino como yo, entre la comida, el servicio, los cantos y los puestos, el tiempo pasa bastante rápido. Amma, en cambio, pasa todas esas horas abrazando a todos, uno tras otro.

La noche de Devi Bhava es aún más especial, no sólo porque Amma va vestida diferente, sino porque su energía parece ser siempre mayor. A medida que pasan las horas su radiación de paz aumenta y si uno tiene la chance de verla en el final de Devi Bhava, difícilmente pueda dudar que está frente a la Madre Divina misma.

Para quienes estén cerca de Barcelona el próximo viernes, y estén interesados en entrar en contacto con la energía Divina, la invitación oficial se puede leer en:

http://www.ammachi.es/images/Amma-BCN-09-anverso.pdf

http://www.ammachi.es/images/Amma-BCN-09-reverso.pdf

De todos modos, Amma misma lo dice, no hay que creer en nada para ir a verla. Ella sostiene que su religión es el amor, y puedo asegurar que sus darshans son las más fieles Escrituras para difundir ese credo.

Fuentes Fotos: http://media.onsugar.com/

http://grupotam.com.ar/

http://img6.travelblog.org/Photos/

http://ravedrama.files.wordpress.com/

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/

HTML clipboard

Sathya Sai Baba ’s visit to Pune Mumbai – Hadshi Temple Panduranga Kshetra Welcoming the Lord back to Prasanthi   2nd Nov. 2009 – Day 6 The Return of The Lord Sairam Photos Day 1 Photos Day 2 Photos Day 3 Divine Discourse Divine Visit to Pune & Mumbai-welcome in Hadshi pics Murthi Prana- Kumbha Abhishekam,Poornahuti Divine Discourse Go-daan, distribution of implements, soul stirring music Reflections… Sai Abode Mumbai Day 5 : Photos Day 4 : Photos Reflections from Pune by Ms Julie Chaudhuri Dharmakshetra Sathy Deep 1st November, 2009 – Jamboori Maidan Worli, Mumbai & Brabourne Stadium, CCI, Mumbai 31st October, 2009 Bhagawan arrived at Dharmakshetra, Mumbai Photos Day 6 Home   A) Photos Bhagawan’s Departure from Mumbai Audio-Video B) Swami’s arrival in Puttaparthi Photos Day 1 Photos Day 2 Photos Day 3 Photos Day 3 Photos Day 4 Photos Day 5 Photos Day 6 The Return of The Lord Posted at 17:00 Hrs. IST on 3rd Nov 2009 Photo source: sssbpt.org – layout design saibabaofindia.com   Welcoming the Lord back to Prasanthi is never an ordinary occasion, rather is a momentous occasion to reconnet, for Prasanthi or Puttaparthi can never bear the pangs of separation from �her� Beloved. This is the history   of her very existence and the existence is the Divine Being Himself, but for whose presence the spiritual township goes barren. This time the �gap� was just less than a week, precisely six days, and Prasanthi was ever jubilant with floating devotees making life active. Watching over the activities at Pune and Mumbai, Prasanthi has been updating the events of her Beloved and eagerly awaiting the day, 2nd November to dawn faster. Roads were yet again spruced up to welcome the Lord, with banners and flower decorations heralding the �Advent� of the Divine. Linking to Mumbai news updates were pouring in hinting at the exact hour of Divine arrival. Entire Airport vicinity was spruced up to welcome the Divine and escort vehicles were set in position well in advance. Behind the panoramic blue skies with golden sun dotting prominently as if awaiting to receive The Lord, while waning to dusk, the scene was perfect for the Majestic Lord�s Air Chariot to touch down. And dotting in the sky, precisely couple of minutes after the clock ticked five, the tiny birdlike air-chariot, Jet Airliner Boeing 737-700 grew larger in proportion, finally touching down the tarmac of the Sri Sathya Sai Airport at 5:04 p.m. after a more than an hour air sojourn from Mumbai to Puttaparthi. Bhagawan was received by the Secretary of Sri Sathya Sai Central Trust, Sri K. Chakravarthi along with other officials including Airport Director, Capt. Sharma joined by hundreds of eagerly expectant devotees waiting outside for a glimpse of the Lord. And the special guest showed up at the Airport to receive the Master was the little Sathya Geeta, Bhagawan’s pet elephant who was at her best exuberance playing pranks. Arathi was offered to Bhagawan before He proceeded to Ashram. The entire aircrew was blessed by Bhagawan before leaving the airport precincts. Enroute to Prasanthi, covering the three kilometer road stretch, it was celebration all over, with hundreds lined up at vantage points to have a glimpse of The Lord on His return journey. There were many a folded hand, there were flower showers with colourful petals strewn at the Divine Chariot, there were arathi offerings, there were coconut breakings and there were another hundreds silently glancing at Him, all in merriment of His return. . The journey took almost half an hour with Bhagawan reaching the precincts of Prasanthi Nilayam just after 5:30 for a traditional welcome led by Veda chanting and flag bearing university and school students. Heaps of flowers strewn on the windshield was reminiscent of the merriment of the occasion and behind the beauty of these flowers was hiding the beautiful charming Lord of Puttaparthi. Bhajans were going on and welcoming the Lord they sang�Swagatam, Swagatam� Sri Sathya Sai Swagatham! Upon arriving, the compassionate Lord came for a full round in the car through the gents� side. For a brief three bhajan sessions The Lord appeared on the dais before calling for Arathi. Earlier, back in Mumbai, after an extremely long and busy Sunday, the proceedings on the 2nd of November morning was restricted to the Dharmakshetra premises. The old students of Bhagawan from Mumbai had made a short video documentary depicting the evolution of Dharmakshetra. Bhagawan watched the film in Sathya Deep and blessed all the old students and posed for photographs. These grateful students had a prayer to Bhagawan to visit Mumbai frequently.   Click: Photos Bhagawan’s Departure from Mumbai This was followed by a visit to Shanti Deep, the Bhajan Hall, where Bhagawan blessed many an active workers who were involved in the backstage preparation connected to Bhagawan�s visit. This was followed by a short Bhajan session at Jalan Mandap after which Bhagawan accepted Aarathi and retired to Sathya Deep. …And the the schedule hour arrived Dharmakshetra was preparing herself for the pangs of separation that she had endured many a time over the past. Recollecting the parting moments, we have a narration by an active volunteer, Aazmeen Kasad, an Advocate at Mumbai High Court and a Professor of Law, who had been reporting the events from Mumbai during the visit. Click: Photos Bhagawan’s Departure from Mumbai “At close to about 2 pm, Dharmakshetra witnessed a frenzy of activity and movement, after a brief pause for lunch prasadam which was partaken by one and all who had gathered for the morning darshan in Satyadeep, Shantideep and the Jalan Mandap. Bhagawan had disappointed no one. This despite the fact that His past two days� schedule had been a physically hectic and demanding one, it seemed as if He was willing to fulfil the requests of each and every devotee and make up for the drought of His Divine Darshan that Mumbai had experienced over the past nine years. As the luggage of His guests and students was seen being loaded in the tempos that were there at Dharmakshetra, the message seemed to sink in, that after a glorious 48 hours of bliss and incessant activity, Dharmakshetra would be shortly bidding her Master farewell. As the guests and the students� cars started slowly leaving the gates of Dharmakshetra, onwards to the Mumbai airport, the Chief Minister of Maharashtra arrived to personally escort Bhagawan to the airport.   Click: Photos Bhagawan’s Departure from Mumbai The devotees� hearts were already saddened by the awareness that Bhagawan would shortly be leaving their city to head back to the abode of Eternal Peace. They lined up on both sides of the pathway to get their one last Darshan in Mumbai. Soon at about 2.45pm, Bhagawan�s car left the gates of Satyadeep, down the long, slope of Dharmakshetra, followed by His convoy of over 15 cars heading to Chatrapathi Shivaji International Airport . His smiling face as He gave His last darshan in Mumbai was the sole consolation to many a weeping heart and eye gathered there. Mumbai�s devotees felt a vacuum and Dharmakshetra bore a desolate look. A huge silence hung in the air and the only prayer on all lips was for Swami to come back soon again!”   Click: Photos Bhagawan’s Departure from Mumbai Bhagawan arrived at the Airport at 0315 Hrs. escorted by the Chief Minister. …And The Divine Chariot lifted off at around 3:55 p.m. bidding farewell to Mumbai City… Photos Bhagawan’s Departure from Mumbai   click to enlarge Yes, The Lord returned to Prasanthi, but not before leaving “Himself” at Pune and Mumbai, etched in the hearts of thousands upon thousands. Reflecting the upbeat mood during His presence and the vacuum after His departure, an active worker commented: Mumbai has had a drought of His darshan for 9 years and we thought of making up for all that lost time�we practically made Him live the life of a Mumbaikar. We work sixteen hours on an average but Bhagawan works incessantly. Yes, He works incessantly�and He loves us abundantly�It was His overpowering love for Mumbai that was seen in action for the last three days and Mumbai literally basked in His glory and so was the Sai Fraternity!!! Photo source: sssbpt.org – layout design saibabaofindia.com   Prasanthi This Week - ending 1st Nov 2009 The week that went past clearly belonged to Maharashtra, precisely to Pune and Mumbai as it was the Puneites and Mumbaikars who were privileged to bask in His Divine All Conquering Love, when Bhagawan embarked on a week-long visit to the twin cities. 28th October was Pune’s scheduled date with Divinity and the city was blushing like a bride in eager anticipation of her Lord’s imminent presence. Taking off at 8:30 a.m. in a chartered Jet Airliner, with an entourage comprising fifty members, that included students, senior devotees and ‘family’ members, Bhagawan’s Air Chariot touched down the Pune Airport at 9:40 a.m. for a grand reception led by the Chief Minister of Maharashtra Sri Ashok Chavan and former Union Home Minister Sri Shivaraj Patil. Summing up the first half of Bhagawan’s week-long visit to Pune and Mumbai someone reflected it as “His Celebration of Jadhav’s Love”. True to the saying “God’s Delays are Not God’s Denials”, fulfilling the long cherished desire coupled with fervent prayers of the Jadhavs and the Puneites, Divinity encased in human frame, Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba blessed the Peshwa City with abundance, with abundance of His Love, all by His gracious presence for three full days! Thousands upon thousands thronged to have a glimpse of The Lord in physical. It was indeed the fructification of the Jadhavs’ unparalleled devotion and surrender to Bhagawan. …And the blessed village Hadshi in Pune is now blessed with a Divine Abode, Sri Sathya Sai Panduranga Kshetra! It was celebration galore for the next three days with Bhagawan visiting the house of His host twice, attending cultural programmes, sanctifying the triune temple and delivering an electrifying Divine Discourse besides officiating the Poornahuthi of the Yajna that had been going on, on the sidelines of His Divine Visit. Now, Sri Sathya Sai Panduranga Kshetra stands majestic, blissfully radiating a pristine aura, induced by the gracious presence of her Lord! Enlightening Divine Discourse The enlightening Divine Discourse, the only one during the entire sojourn, started off in Bhagawan’s inimitable style hailing Bharat and her cultural heritage. The discourse was full of Bhagawan’s regular adages divulging topics into His timeless teachings exhorting one and all to raise to the level of Divine Consciousness. Bhagawan spoke about a life of love – not to criticize anyone and to correct one’s own faults rather than pointing fingers at others. He also spoke about the oneness of all beings and also stressed that our life has to be His message. Concluding the Discourse Bhagawan said: “…If anybody does good, follow it. This is the message of Baba to everyone today. The whole world should be happy. Let all the beings be happy”. The Divine Discourse was translated into English and Maratti simultaneously. The Divine Discourse was preceded by three speeches by Mr. Jadhav, the Divine host at Hadshi, Mr. V.Srinivasan, All India President of SSSSO followed by Sri Nishikant Barodekar, faculty, Sri Sathya Sai Mirpuri College of Music. Showing Omnipresence? In His Divine Discourse, Bhagawan also spoke about compassion for all living beings. He particularly mentioned snakes and scorpions and said that these creatures don’t attack unnecessarily. They attack only because they fear us humans. Here is a tag to the above Divine remark. Interestingly, a day prior to Bhagawan’s Discourse, a snake was spotted close to the music and lights equipment. The men feared it would get into their equipment so they contemplated killing it. However, two lady devotees stopped them, and instead caught the scared snake in some cushion covers, and handed it to another lady devotee who offered to release it. The lady devotees cautioned small crowd that had gathered around the snake that Bhagawan would never like anyone killing it. And there came His Divine Discourse and an “off-the-cuff” remark about compassion for living beings… He gave His speech and spoke about snakes and scorpions! It is coincidental for the ordinary, but indeed ‘Saicidental’ for the Beloved Almighty Omnipresent Lord! (Incidentally, Sri Sathya Sai Pandurang Kshetra is teeming with snake holes, but there was not even a single case of a snake bite reported. It was as though the snake(s) were charmed by the Lord and were content with His blissful darshan…) Parting Scenes Three full days of merriments and celebrations and the 31st morning dawned with the blushing bride that she was, Pune, getting herself set to bid farewell to her Beloved Lord! The Lord was set to leave for Mumbai for the second leg of His Divine visit. …And Bhagawan left the Panduranga Kshetra at around 10.45 a.m. with villagers lined up in a disciplined manner giving The Lord a “Guard of Honour “along the entrance and road leading towards Lonavala. One could see the winding procession, the Divine Caravan comprising of motorbikes, two cars with security guards, Bhagawan’s car and a string of 20 cars following. A parting Blessing from The Lord, an Abhayahastha and the convoy sped on, towards an eagerly awaiting Mumbai and His Divie Abode atop the hills in Andheri East, Dharmakshetra. Over to Mumbai Speeding past the six lane track Pune – Mumbai Express Highway, Bhagawan reached Dharmakshetra just before 14:00 Hrs. to a grand ceremonial welcome. Over hundred motorcyclists escorted Bhagawan during the journey till official escort equivalent to that of the President of India took over the charge. It was after a long 9-10 years that Bhagawan was setting His Feet at the holy precincts of His Divine Abode, Dharmakshetra. Mumbai witnessed three public programmes, first one at the NSE grounds, Goregaon wherein singer of repute, Sonu Nigam enthralled the Divine with his melodious rendering; the second programme was at Jamboori Maidan, Worli followed by the final programme at Brabourne Stadium, Churchgate wherein the grateful students of Sri Sathya Sai University transported one and all to heavenly heights with their enrapturing devotional numbers. Banking on Baba While high-profile dignitaries made a beeline to receive blessings from Bhagawan, it was the Chief Minister’s special privilege to have Him at his official residence, Varsha at Malabar Hill, for a private session blessing the family and close aids. Later Bhagawan paid a visit to the State Home Minister, Jayant Patil’s residence as well, acceding to his prayers. Earlier on the first day of His visit, Bhagawan blessed the doyen of SSSSO, Indulal Shah’s residence at Khar West with His Divine visit. Following up with the high profile conference on “Ethics and World of Finance” held in Prasanthi Nilayam during October, top shots from the industry converged yet again in the Dharmakshetra complex Banking on His Blessings. Some of the prominent names attended the function were Former ICICI Bank Chairman, KV Kamath, the Chairman and MD of the Union Bank of India, MV Nair, Kotak Bank’s Vice-Chairman and MD, Uday Kotak, Gunit Chadha, the head of Deutsche Bank’s India operations, PMS Prasad, a director on the board of Reliance Industries (RIL), India’s largest private sector company, and Meera Sanyal, CEO, RBS/ABN Amro Bank and an independent candidate from the South Mumbai parliamentary constituency and Bodhisatva Ganguly, Dy. Chief Editor of nation’s premier financial daily, The Economic Times. Who’s Who? Other who’s who thronged to have a glimpse of Bhagawan included former Chief Minister of Maharashtra and currently Minister of Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises, Chairman, Tata Group, Ratan Tata, Bollywood singers of fame, Hariharan, Sonu Nigam and Kunal Ganjawala, Santoor exponent Pt. Shiv Kumar Sharma, Bollywood Hero Salman Khan’s sister and Bollywood Actress, Alvira Khan Agnihotri and famous Fashion Designer Saina NC, daughter of former Sheriff of Mumbai, Nana Chudasama apart from the high-profile names from the banking sector. The Chief Minister’s residence had a huge chunk of VVIP devotees that included former Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil, senior NCP leader Praful Patel, Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee chief Manikrao Thakre, Mumbai Congress unit president Kripa Shankar Singh, State Legislative Council chairman Shivajirao Deshmukh, industrialist Ashok Hinduja and leading builder Niranjan Hiranandani. The outgoing Home Minister Jayant Patil also played host to Bhagawan. Bollywood actress Rani Mukherjee and Cricketing Legend Sunil Gavaskar were also present during the occasion offering salutations to Bhagawan. Sri Sathya Sai Central Trust gets felicitated In appreciation of the key role played by the Sri Sathya Sai Central Trust in disaster reconstruction in the post flood situation in Orissa, the Orissa State Disaster Management Authority, a Govt. of Orissa Agency felicitated the SSSCT in a state level programme organized at Jayadev Bhavan, Bhubaneshwar on the 29th October. Mr. K.Chakravarthi, Secretary, Sri Sathya Sai Central Trust, received the felicitation from the hands of the Chief Minister, Mr. Naveen Patnaik on behalf of the Trust. The function was organized coinciding the Orissa Disaster Preparedness Day and the National Day for Disaster Reduction. In the meantime even during Bhagawan’s physical absence, Prasanthi was full of life with fairly good crowd staying back inducing ‘life’ in Ashram …and the last couple of days become vibrant with the return of University and school students after a ten day long winter vacation. With the Akhanda Bhajan scheduled for next week followed by ensuing 84th Birthday celebrations, students from the Brindavan campus also returned to Prasanthi Nilayam wherein they would be having regular classes for the first half of November. Yes, the week ended leaving Bhagawan in Mumbai…and Prasanthi was bustling with enthusiasm at the imminence of her Beloved’s return, due for the first day of the following week. Home Photo source: sssbpt.org – layout design saibabaofindia.com

Thousands Throng Hadshi To See Sai Baba
TNN 31 October 2009, 06:25am IST

PUNE: Thousands of people thronged the village of Hadshi, about 60 km from here, on Friday for a darshan of spiritual leader Sri Sathya Sai Baba, who has been in the village for the last three days.

The spiritual leader’s appearance on the stage near the village led to loud shouts of ‘Sai Ram’.

Chief minister Ashok Chavan’s wife Amita Chavan and former Union minister Shivraj Patil were among the politicians and eminent personalities who have come to the little village on Friday to visit Sri Sathya Sai Baba.

During the three-day discourse, other politicians, including ministers Patangrao Kadam, Harshvardhan Patil and Dilip Deshmukh also sought darshan.

Sri Sathya Sai Baba is expected to leave for Mumbai on October 31.

On Friday, people began gathering at the venue hours before the actual programme started, wherein child stars of a reality show performed a few devotional songs. There were also a number of foreigners among the crowd, who clapped and hummed bhajans along with others.

For Yamuna Deodhar, a resident of Mahad, the trip from her town about 100 km away was one she would always remember simply because she got what she wanted. “A darshan of Swamiji was something I had never expected to take place, so this is definitely a dream come true,” she said.

For Mukund Mule, a financial consultant from Sangamner, it was the social work of Sathya Sai Baba that inspired him to become his devotee. “He and his followers are working for the betterment of the society and the deprived class. I respect that,” he said.

Echoing the same sentiments Sunil Ahire said that he has come for the spiritual discourse after hearing about the work carried out by Sathya Sai Baba’s various organisations. “I have come to this spiritual discourse for the first time. I wanted to listen to the thoughts of Baba and this was a good opportunity for me since the programme is taking place very close to my village,” said Ahire, a resident of Paud village.

Some politicians had come along with their families and were staying near the venue for the last three days. “I had heard his spiritual discourse in the late eighties for the first time. Since then I have been following Baba’s discourses for more than 20 years. I regularly visit his ashram in Puttaparthi,” said Dayanand Londhe, sarpanch of Malad, Baramati, and a former member of zilla parishad.

Times Of India Reference

Young Devotees Wowed By Sathya Sai Baba
The youth were captivated by the guru’s message of love and respect for mankind
By Vishakha Sharma
Posted On Saturday, October 31, 2009 at 02:38:20 AM

Hundreds of devotees of Sathya Sai Baba in the city gathered to catch a glimpse and listen to their revered guru from Wednesday, October 28 to Friday, October 30. Pune Mirror spoke to some of Sathya Sai Baba’s devotees who told us of their experience.

Aloka Deane-Chinnayya (30) felt blessed to have met Sathya Sai Baba. She said, “It was an amazing experience meeting him. He taught us how important it is to love and respect mankind. The love he shared with all the people here is unbelievable. He spoke to everybody in a lay man’s terms so everyone could understand. He taught us some phrases which we should use in our lives like help ever, hurt never and love all, serve all.” We also found some young devotees at Baba’s darshan and they were equally happy.

19-year-old Vrushali Swatantramath said, “Meeting him felt like meeting god. Just like all his devotees were happy, Swami was happy too. It was wonderful to have him with us.”

16-year-old Ragini Ramachandran, recollected an old memory and shared it with Mirror. She said, “When I was three years old, my father had this drinking habit which he would not leave. One day, my mother and I decided to attend Swami’s bhajans and asked my father to join us. He refused saying he did not believe in him. So the two of us went. But later, my father called up, asked us for the bhajan’s venue and attended it. He was sitting in the last row and refused to meet Swami. But after coming home he had a transformation and quit drinking. Sathya Sai Baba spreads the message of love and helps transforming people for their better,” added Ragini.

Pune Mirror Reference

Sri Sathya Sai Baba To Visit City Tomorrow
TNN 30 October 2009, 06:32am IST

MUMBAI: Spiritual leader Sri Sathya Sai Baba will bless his devotees in the city on a visit scheduled from October 31 to November 2. Sri Sathya Sai Baba will be staying at his divine adobe ‘Dharmakshetra’ in Andheri.

The schedule for the Mumbai trip includes bhajan and darshan at these locations: Bombay Exhibition Centre in Goregaon on October 31 at 4 pm ; Jamboori Maidan in Worli on November 1 at 10 am and Brabourne Stadium in Churchgate on November 1 at 5 pm.

He visited Mumbai for the first time in 1967 and laid the foundation for Dharmakshetra, which was inaugurated in 1968. Dharmakshetra is an initiative involved in many social activities like education and medical care among other things.

Times Of India Reference