A couple of days ago, Bhagawan had blessed the Brindavan staff who were leaving to begin the new academic year. Today, He blessed the teachers of the other campuses also. This evening, the professors and other staff of the Prasanthi Nilayam campus of the University and the Higher Secondary School were seated in the Bhajan Hall. After His darshan round during the Bhajans, Swami went for a second round of Sai Kulwant Hall and moved near the teachers of the Anantapur campus and the Primary School, blessing a lady with a chain. At six o'clock, He came into the Bhajan Hall from the interview room, moving to the end of the Hall and interacting with many of the teachers. It was 6.30 pm when He accepted Arati and returned to His residence.
This morning, Bhagawan came for darshan while the bhajans went on, at 10.15 am. Coming onstage after a full round of the hall, He sat there for twenty minutes before accepting Arati and returning to His residence at 11 o'clock. In the evening, He sat outside after His darshan round for ten minutes while the Vedam chanting went on, and went inside just before the five o'clock bhajans commenced. Half an hour later, He emerged from the interview room to come onstage, where He sat for twenty minutes more before accepting Arati and returning to His residence. The results of the entrance examinations of the Sai University and Higher Secondary School have been announced, and the newly admitted students as well as those in higher classes will begin their classes next week.
This week, Bhagawan has occasionally come for morning darshan in addition to coming to Sai Kulwant Hall in the evenings. He has been interacting with some of the students, and accepting letters from devotees on His darshan rounds. This evening the baby elephant Sathya Geetha had come to Swami's residence and made her presence felt with loud trumpeting when Swami came for darshan just before five o'clock. The weather at Prasanthi Nilayam has cooled down a bit after cloudy skies and thundershowers have signalled the imminence of the monsoon rains.
This morning, as on last Monday, Bhagawan came for morning darshan by 8.30 am. He interacted with some of the students sitting onstage for ten minutes after His darshan round before going into the interview room. In the evening, He arrived by 4.40 pm and sat for ten minutes onstage before moving to the interview room. He came back onstage as the bhajans went on, sitting there for half an hour before accepting Arati at 5.45 pm. On Tuesday also Swami had come in the morning - at 9.45 am. That evening, He called Sri Ashok Singhal of the VHP for an audience, and later blessed a student with a ring during the evening bhajans.
This evening there was yet another ministerial visit - the Union Civil Aviation Minister Sri Praful Patel was here for Bhagawan's darshan. Swami came to Sai Kulwant Hall by 4.20 pm, and after His darshan round, moved to the interview room. After twenty minutes, He came onstage and sat there as the Vedam went on, interacting with some of the students. He called up the Primary School boy from Iran and asked him to chant some lines of the Vedic hymns. After twenty minutes of interaction, He returned to the interview room just as the five o'clock bhajans began. He came back onstage to accept Arati and bless Prasadam for distribution. It was six o'clock when He returned to His residence in the car.
This morning, Bhagawan came for darshan by 8.20 am and granted an audience for the Chief Minister of Maharashtra Sri Ashok Chavan who has been here since yesterday. In the evening, the Buddha Poornima celebrations continued. Swami arrived for darshan by 4 o'clock and moved to the interview room. From there, He asked for the Buddhist chants by the devotees to commence. At 4.30 pm, once the chanting had begun, Swami came onstage and after a few minutes, asked for the drama to begin. The half-hour play by youth from Singapore entitled 'Ahimsa Paramo Dharma' brought out the relevance of the teachings of the Buddha and Sai on non-violence in modern life. Swami moved down from the stage to grant group photos to the participants, and bhajans by the devotees began. Clothes were distributed to the participants and prasadam was distributed. Twenty minutes later Swami accepted Arati and returned to His residence at 5.35 pm.
The two-day Buddha Poornima celebrations got underway this evening. Around a thousand devotees from the Far-Eastern countries are here for the celebrations. Bhagawan arrived for darshan by 4.30 pm to the accompaniment of Indonesian traditional drums. After ten minutes in the interview room, He emerged to come onstage at 4.50 pm, with the programme beginning shortly thereafter. Short talks by Dr. Art Ong Jumsai from Thailand and Mr. Allen Yeoh from Hong Kong were followed by a Balinese dance from Indonesia and the Malaysian choir. Bhagawan called up the conductor of the choir and blessed him with a ring. The Bhajans by the devotees had begun, and when the lady singer began her bhajan, Swami called her up and blessed her with a chain. He sent clothes for the performers and moved down from the stage to take group photographs with them. Prasadam was distributed to all. When He came back onstage, He accepted Arati and returned to His residence at 6.30 pm.
This evening, Bhagawan came from His residence at 3.50 pm. Coming straight to the Bhajan Hall, He interacted with the students dressed in costumes for the Burrakatha for nearly half an hour before moving to the interview room. At around 4.30 pm, the President of India Smt. Pratibha Patil arrived in the Mandir in her convoy. After a half-hour interaction with Bhagawan the President and her party moved out of Sai Kulwant Hall. The bhajans had begun at five o'clock. Swami came onstage at 5.15 and stopping the bhajans, began the Burrakatha performance onstage. After the 45 minute Telugu presentation on Shirdi Sai, Swami accepted Arati and left for His residence at six o'clock.
This morning, the Sai Kulwant Hall was decorated and the stage had a large portrait of Mother Eswaramma as a backdrop. Bhagawan arrived at 9 o'clock in a yellow robe in the car for the Eswaramma day celebrations. Moving through the Sai Kulwant Hall as the Vedam went on, He proceeded straight to the Samadhi for a private function there with the family members and students chanting Vedam and singing bhajans. At 9.45, He returned to the Mandir and came into the bhajan hall to bless the prasadam kept there. Coming to the stage area, He sat there for a few minutes before accepting Arati at 10 o'clock and returning to His residence. Tamarind rice and sweet rice prasadam was distributed to all in Sai Kulwant Hall in leaf plates.
In the evening, as announced yesterday, the students presented a Burrakatha. Swami arrived for darshan and came into the Bhajan Hall where the students were ready in costumes. After a few minutes of interaction with them, Bhagawan moved to the stage and began the Burrakatha programme just after five o'clock. The stories of Eswaramma and Karnam Subbamma were narrated by the students in their hour long Telugu presentation. Bhagawan asked for an announcement to be made after the Burrakatha, that the President of India is arriving at Prasanthi Nilayam tomorrow and that the same batch of students would present another Burrakatha on Shirdi Sai tomorrow evening.
Bhagawan arrived back at Prasanthi Nilayam from Kodaikanal this morning. His flight took off from Madurai at 10.15, and an hour later He was driving to the Mandir from the airport. By 11.45, He had accepted Arati after the welcome song and poornakumbham by Vedam chanting students at the Sai Kulwant Hall and moved to His residence in the car. In the evening, as was His practice before going to Kodai, He arrived for darshan after the five o'clock bhajans began in the Hall, and sat onstage with a brief trip to the interview room before accepting Arati at 6 pm and retiring for the day.
