July 27, 2010 – Copious Blessings to Beneficiaries of Orissa Housing Project

The Guru Poornima celebrations had just concluded at Puttaparthi, but the grace and Love showered by Swami continued as always. The Orissa Flood rehabilitation Programme had been completed in November 2009 wherein solid homes were constructed for those who were cruelly ravaged by floods. It was on Ramanavami Day in April 2009 that the first batch of beneficiaries made the pilgrimage to Puttaparthi to see their “Thakura” who had responded to their prayers for succour and help.

That day, the final batch of beneficiaries was to be blessed in the Divine Presence. The story of Orissa’s misery and Sai’s Love that rushed to help is one that evokes tears from our hearts! Heart2Heart carried a story on this glorious episode of seva in two parts.

From H2H Archives:

Abodes of Happiness – I and Abodes of happiness - II

For those who arrive to this point of the narrative after going through the links above, it must have become abundantly clear of what Swami has now come to mean for these poor people. It is an example of how “God” transforms from a concept into an experience. That day would be the beginning of such an experience for some; the continuance of the same for some others. The people who had assembled that day were from the villages Khadikera and Nirmala.

It was at 5:45 p.m. that Swami came for darshan that day. Even as He moved through the ladies’ side, He took a detour and cut towards the portico. Soon He was on the stage. It was very apparent that something was on His mind as He kept giving instructions to the students by His side. The bhajans were on and after a short while, the beneficiaries from Orissa were plucked out from the crowd and made to sit in special blocks in the front. Swami insisted that the same be done on both sides - gents and ladies. Then He indicated that He would move down the central ramp on the stage. Swami moved to the ladies’ side and began to distribute sarees to these people.

Ah! It was a sight to see. The bhajan, “Deena Dukhiyon Se Prem Karo Mera Sai Prasanna Hoga” found new meaning as Swami conferred a deep sense of fulfillment along with the sarees He distributed to these victims of nature’s fury. It is really hard to call them ‘victims’ for such was the abundance of Divine Grace they were being subjected to. As it happens in such cases always, the mouth remains shut and the heart opens up, communicating through the language of tears!

The women broke down and naturally so for what Swami had done for them was of a magnitude unimaginable till now. Swami instructed the security lady to be gentle while handling the women and permitted them to fall at His feet. Everyone was in tears. One lady began to say, “Swami, I don’t need anything! You have given me everything! You have given me all!” Soon she was almost wailing! Swami was the centre of calm in this emotional storm. He went about distributing sarees and Grace.

The ladies’ side being completed, Swami now moved across to the gents’ side and began to move through the rows of beneficiaries. He began distributing dhotis here. Ten minutes later, that was complete and Swami seemed so happy as He moved back towards the stage. Swami sat on the stage and now bhajans gained greater fervour.

The type of bhajans sung also reflected Swami’s attributes as the Divine mother and the one who uplifts the downtrodden. Everyone joined heartily in the bhajans. It was about 6:50 p.m. when Swami smiled and indicated, “Two more bhajans!” He seemed to have changed His mind when after one more bhajan, He indicated for the aarthi. After the aarthi, He blessed the entire gathering and then retired to Yajur Mandir.

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