Prashanthi Bulletin

July 18, 2006    

This morning also, the Sai Youth from Australia were called by Swami and had the chance to sit in the Bhajan Hall during Bhajans. In the evening, Swami sent word from inside the interview room, asking the Music College students to present a programme. Within 10 minutes, they were ready with vocalists, mridangam, sitar etc! At 3.50 pm, Swami went outside and sat onstage and the programme began. They called their presentation "Rama Namamritam". The "Nama Ramayana" made famous by M. S. Subbalakshmi was a much appreciated piece. After 45 minutes of vocals, it was the turn of the Sitar player to enthrall the audience with scintillating music. Bhagawan appreciated his playing and materialized a chain for him. Then the student continued his performance by playing several bhajans on the sitar. It was five o'clock, and Bhagawan asked for regular vocal bhajans to commence. So, the Bhajans were held in the Sai Kulwant Hall itself, and all had the opportunity to see the Lord and sing His glory. At 5.30, Swami took Arati and proceeded to His residence.

July 17, 2006

The DMACS conference was coming to a close, and also several groups of devotees from the USA, Australia and so on were waiting for a chance to present programmes in Swami's presence. Bhagawan chose to call the Australian Sai Youth, led by one of the old students of the Institute, for Bhajans inside the Bhajan Mandir. Some of the evening Bhajans were sung by the Australian youth, and some by the usual Mandir Bhajan singers from among Swami's students.

July 15, 2006

The Department of Mathematics and Computer Science of the Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Learning is hosting an International Conference entitled NexGen IT for SAI - Next Generation Information Technologies for Societal Advancement and Integration - from the 15th to the 17th of this month. The conference is being held in college Auditorium of Prasanthi Nilayam campus of the Institute. As part of the evening session of the conference, Swami's students presented a drama entitled "From I to We to He". The presentation began at 3.40 pm, expanding on Swami's quotation of Man being a limb of Society, Society being a limb of Nature and Nature being a limb of God. We have to proceed from the level of caring about Vyashti or Individual to Samashti or Society, then to Srishti or Creation/Nature and finally to Parameshti or Divinity. In the context of a modern biotechnology firm, these concepts were brought out with all the ethical dilemmas facing modern man. Bhagawan had gone to His residence half-way through the drama, and returned near the end to bless the participants. Bhajans were at 5 pm as usual.

July 13, 2006

This evening, once again preparations for a cultural programme were made, but Swami did not come onstage till 4.30 pm. Then, He went and sat in the Bhajan Hall and conversed a bit with some of the students seated there. The international chairman of the Sai Organisations, Dr. Goldstein, prayed to Bhagawan that a programme by the Canadian children was ready, and Swami said with a smile, "Start it!". So, the programme started at 4.40 pm, and after the preliminary announcement, when the voices of the participating children were heard, Bhagawan got up with a smile and walked to the stage to see the presentation. The students, teachers, parents and trustees of the Sathya Sai School in Toronto, Canada, presented "The power of One" with participants declaring themselves to be "petals in the growing garland of Love" as the theme. The story is based in the future, with a student of the Sai School in Toronto, who is a loving grandmother and a famous humanitarian, being interviewed on a talk show by a TV channel. The talk show hosts play for the audience a tape of a programme presented by the Sai School at Prasanthi Nilayam in July 2006! The fifty minute programme concluded on a joyous note with Swami interacting with the participants.

July 12, 2006

This evening, it was the turn of the Balvikas children from Indonesia to present a programme in front of Bhagawan. The centre white marble area was cleared for the drama after Swami arrived and spoke to Dr. Goldstein and others. The programme commenced at 4.15 after Swami went and sat onstage. The musical offering was entitled "Be a star in God's Heaven" and was based on the life of Prince Dhruva. Dhruva exemplified the practice of the five Ds as taught by Bhagawan - Duty, Devotion, Discipline, Discrimination and Determination. The presentation was narrated by a grandfather telling his grandchild how Dhruva became a star in the firmament. The children concluded their half-hour presentation with a multi-lingual song to Swami.

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Source: radiosai.org