SHIVARATHRI 2015, NEWS FROM PRASANTHI NILAYAM

SHIVARATHRI 2015, NEWS FROM PRASANTHI NILAYAM

Aum Sairam dearest Sai Family

Swami's immense grace and love was filled in Prasanthi Nilayam, as thousands of devotees literally flocked to this place to seek blessings of our beloved Lord.. There is a tiny village by name Veerapuram about 45 kilometers from Puttaparthi towards Bangalore where thousands of painted strokes (looks like cranes) fly about 6000 kilometers every year from Great Russia ice desert in Siberia to India. This year due to acute shortage of water, the tiny pond of this village didn't fill up so the birds didn't turn up this year which happened for the first time since 100 years..

But Puttaparthi, in spite of "physical absence" of Swami, didn't stop the Russian devotees in Particular to shy away from Parthi as about 600 of them were camping in Puttaparthi to celebrate Mahashivarathri in the divine presence of our beloved Lord. The amazing thing about, at least 80 % of Russian devotees is that they don't know a word in English and yet the yearning in their heart is so strong that they just want to know about Swami and His teachings more and more. You will see them always having some satsang or other in devotees' houses to share the message of Sai. On a negative level they have also been a easy target for some " misleading" forces who are giving an entirely different perspective of Swami and His avatar hood and diverting their attention from Prasanthi Nilayam.

The Mahashivarathri evening started off with the ceremonial arrival of the " Sai Eswara Lingam" the most sacred lingam blessed by Swami during the first Ati Rudra Mahayagna in the year 2006. 

Students and staff brought the lingam from the bhajan mandir as the music college boys played the music. The head priest who conducted the Ati Rudra Mahayagnam Sri.Nanjudayya Dixit was again given the opportunity to do puja for the divine lingam along with his team of priests who chanted all the relevant mantras which went on for 45 minutes or so.

Later an audio discourse of Swami was played where Swami spoke on declining Human values and the necessity to chant God's name. This discourse, based on the strong and commanding voice of Swami seemed like it was delivered in the late 90s.  Just before the divine discourse started a Rudraksha Japamala which was adorning the Sai Eswara Lingam fell hinting the divine presence of Swami and approval and blessings for the puja done by the Ritviks.

Click this link to watch the 20 secs video

http://goo.gl/tCSAV3

HUMBLE REQUEST TO RADIO SAI:

If any of the Radio Sai Team members are reading this and if you are open for suggestions here is one. Prasanthi Nilayam is the head office and you guys are the ones who are having thousands of videos of Swami which were shared with you by devotees who took the videos on big ocassions as Radio Sai didn't have that facility yet.

This is an era of videos and we devotees are little surprised when you just play an audio discourse when you have lots and lots of video discourses of Swami sitting in the Radio Sai Studios.  If a small Sai Center in the remotest place in the world plays an audio discourse it makes sense as they have limited facilities. By playing an audio discourse on such a big occassion, that too in Prasanthi Nilayam, you are actually dampening the spirit and joy of such a beautiful celebration. It will take a little extra effort to pull out one nice "situational" video and share it with devotees. Every one wants to see, relive the moments of Swami giving discourses, see the command with which He talks, His hand movements, smile, the way He claps as He sings bhajans and so on. 

After the divine discourse, the students took over the bhajan session paving way for the start of night long vigil on the holy Mahashivarathri festival. As it is the tradition, at 8 PM the mikes were turned off and the devotees representing various bhajan groups were given opportunity to go in the middle and sing bhajans at the stipulated time slots. The " Western Canteen" bhajan group had the largest contingent consisting of 100 men and about 300 women (majority Russians) singing full throat ed in praise of Sai Shiva.

The ashram gates were open the whole night. Petty businesses like tea vendors, and fruit vendors were making few extra bucks this holy night. The police personnel were also seen in good numbers making sure every thing goes well in and out side the ashram.

As the bhajans were sung in the middle of Sai Kulwanth Hall, Brother Vedanarayan along with students were chanting vedas on one end of Sai kulwanth hall which i thought was a very good thing to happen. Even in the middle of the night, Sai Kulwanth Hall had a good gathering and by 4 am in the morning, every one came back to hall and exactly at 6 am sumptuous tamarind rice and sweet rice was served to every one in Sai Kulwanth hall.

It was a beautiful Shivarathri 2015 with fond memories to every one who touched this divine soil.

ATI RUDRA MAHAYAGNAM FROM MARCH 1 TO MARCH 12 IN SWAMI'S WHITEFIELD ASHRAM:

Ati Rudra Mahayagna headed by the priest Sri.Nanjundayya Dixit will be held in Swami's Brindavan in whitefield from March 1 st to March 12th. Ati Rudra Maha Yajna was performed twice in Bhagawan's physical prsesence, at Prasanthi Nilayam in 2006 and in Sundaram, Chennai in 2007. The proposed Yajna will be performed in 11 Homa Kundams, officiated by 140 ritwiks proficient in the Vedas. This event which is being performed for " World peace" is an OPEN FOR ALL and i was told there are also sign ups for volunteers especially during weekends where the Bangalore devotees would be coming in big numbers. If at all you have a chance to make it to Whitefield do participate..

With Pranams at the Lotus feet of our beloved Lord,

R.Satish Naik