|
Christmas-day evening 2002 report
At 2.40 p.m. the sound of music
in the form of instrumental carols welcomed everyone to partake
the bliss of divine proximity and heralded the commencement of
another unforgetful evening in the lives of all those present.
Walking between the ladies devotees from overseas and children
from the Institute, He showered His grace by accepting letters and
materialising vibhooti on two occasions. After granting an
interview to a doctor from USA, the Lord came out at 3.05 p.m. and
occupied His chair.
The Lord indicated to a group of
students from the Institute to chant from the Vedas. After the
consecrating chanting, Bhagawan called upon the first speaker for
the day, Mr. Hillcott, to share his thoughts.
Articulating his feelings in a
clear manner in his brief speech, Mr. Hilcott said that he felt
specially blessed to be in the divine presence on this holy day.
He recounted his experience during the 65th birthday celebrations
of Bhagawan when one of the programmes was a dance performance by
a young lady. Seemingly out of place, he looked toward Bhagawan
who showed no signs of it being incongruous to the milieu. Later,
understanding his predicament, Bhagawan called him and revealed
that the 'lady' was actually a boy of the institute.
Mr. Hillcott felt that the most
important thing in life was to search for the right understanding
after which the life becomes simple. He said that as the dream is
a reality while sleeping, the waking state is too a dream in a
different state of consciousness. What makes us cling on to this
dream, he said, was attachment. In this context he narrated the
story of a young man who never bothered about the lady next doors,
event though she was facing grave sickness. But after he was
married to her, a slight discomfort to her would make him sick
with worry!
The learned speaker held that
though we humans want only what is good and become dismayed when
we run through rough patches of life, it is not the correct
approach to life. We must accept our share of difficulties with a
smile and be focussed on God. We do not say "Why me?" when the
Lord grants us the opportunity to be in His divine presence from
among the billions present in the world, he said. Mr. Hillcott
made a point when he beckoned all Sai brothers and sisters to look
within and try to know their own realkity by asking the question,
"Who am I?"
Today also happened to be the
anniversary of the old students association of the Anantapur
campus of the Institute, called Messengers of Sathya Sai. The Lord
inaugurated the proceedings by lighting the sacred lamps.
The first programme was a song in
Telugu that expressed the happiness of the students at being back
in their home, in the presence of their mother Sai. The speakers
of the day were introduced by Ms. Sai Leela, a lecturer at the
Anantapur Campus of the Institute.
The first speaker was Dr. Latha
Sitaram. She said that life outside the portals of the Institute
was not easy for her in the beginning. Things improved with the
dramatic transformation of her husband and his coming into the Sai
fold in 1992 on the Eshwaramma Day that they celebrated in
Philippines. The learned speaker said that at every step of her
life, she felt the presence of Bhagawan.
She went on to recount a personal
experience that took place in November 1999 when a regional
newsletter was launched by the Sai devotees of the region. After
taking print-out, she kept the first copy in the altar of her
house. When the first printed copies were offered to Bhagawan for
blessing, the Lord said, "I already received a copy in
Philippines. But can I have one more copy?" She said that this
proved to her beyond all doubt that Bhagawan in His omnipresence
accepts all acts of service offered to him, irrespective of time
and place.
She also recounted the experience
of the phenomenal success of the EHV programme in various
countries in a very short span of time, and attributed it to the
grace of Bhagawan. Even in difficult situations the programme had
met with resounding success and many of the students have been
having experiences of Bhagawan, she added. She recalled that the
best of her time was spent in the divine atmosphere of the
Institute and ended her erudite speech with a re-dedication of her
life to the service of Bhagawan's mission. On an emotional note,
the speaker said that what Bhagawan gives us is the education for
life and one cannot possibly repay for this invaluable gift in the
short span of ones Earthly sojourn.
The next speaker of the day was
Mrs. Chetna. She started her speech with a reference to the
current facing mankind. The reason for this, she opined, was the
deficiency of true spiritual education. She said that the journey
of soul's perfection does not end on being embodied in a human
frame, and that human beings have to become divine by following
the path shown by Bhagawan Baba. She reiterated that a big
proportion of humanity today had the chance of this evolution due
to the avatar's advent. Even on the physical plane, the coming of
many leaders to Bhagawan to seek His guidance had helped in
dissemination of values in society.
The learned speaker said that the
questions like, "Will Earth acquire perfection like Utopia"?,
"Will God walk on Earth"?, and "Will there be one religion"? have
been asked since time immemorial, and today we can say "Yes, Yes,
an emphatic Yes" for we are in the presence of God Himself. She
added that all students of Bhagawan must be spirited and
participate in the fulfilment of this mission divine.
The speaker ended her outstanding
speech by saying that Swami is the lighthouse for entire humanity
and sought His blessings for growing worthier of His love. She
pledged that the students of Bhagawan will spend every drop of
their blood in serving His divine mission and spreading his
message.
The last speaker of the day was
Ms. Rajeshwari Patel, a lecturer from the Anantpur campus of the
Institute. She began her succinct speech by referring to a tragic
incident that happened in Tokyo where a mother, uncared by her
busy daughter, is found dead after many days of her demise. She
said that this is a glaring example of the value crisis that our
society is facing today.
She referred to the visit of the
NAC (National Accreditation Committee) team to the Anantapur
campus on the 3rd of December. Showing them the campus, he herself
realised that Bhagawan has been doing so much for the student's
community. She stressed the point that the girl students and
teachers of the nation have to, and must play a regenerating role
in the transformation of the Indian society.
On an emotional note, she
recalled the golden days when Bhagawan would visit the campus
frequently and said that Bhagawan has lighted the lamps of our
hearts and we pledge to spread this light of love to all.
After the talks, starting 4.30
p.m., Bhagawan blessed the gathering with His divine discourse.
The full text of the discourse has been separately provided. The
programme for the day ended with 'arthi' to Bhagawan at 5.30 p.m.,
after which the Lord retired for the day.
A Christmas has come and gone,
but sure enough, for all those who were fortunate to be present in
the divine proximity, it has left behind sweet memories to
treasure for life and a joy that could be perhaps compared to
another blissful presence in the presence of the of Bliss
personified.
Source:
http://www.sathyasai.org/news/2002/02xmas/xmasdayeverpt.htm
Copyright
http://www.sathyasai.org/
|
