Tuesday 10 September 2013

Waiting for the Lord - Ganesh's experience with Sri Sathya Sai

The story of a dancer
A beautiful idol of Natya Ganesh. 


It was a fine evening in Prasanthi Nilayam, the abode of supreme peace. It was the seventh day of March in 2007. The clock read 4:15 pm and the Vedic chants rented the air. Sitting in the first line of the Veda chanting group was Ganesh, pouring out the chants with his gun-throated voice. He was (and is to this day) a regular at the Prasanthi Veda chanting group with immense knowledge of the various Vedic hymns and incantations. He used to regularly teach students in hostel and I too had been his student for a while, learning the Vedas in the early hours of the morning.

But Ganesh was not just a master at the Vedas. He was (and is) also a class act when it came to dancing. He had learnt the art of Bharatanatyam professionally for nearly a decade and had found a very good patron in his Swami, Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba, when he became a student in the Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Learning. What started as 2-minute, solo dance performances in between scenes of a drama soon grew into full-fledged, hour-long, group dance performances in about 3 years.

A group known as the Prasanthi Dance Group (PDG) was formed and every year, new students of the Institute who wished to learn dancing and perform in Swami’s presence enrolled. Swami was the inspiration and Ganesh was His instrument as far as dancing was concerned. In just a couple of years, more than a dozen students had found fulfillment of their innermost desires of interaction with Swami via dance programmes.

Swami too took great interest in dance as He did in any other form of art that the students wished to pursue and cultivate. Soon, it became the norm to have at least one dance in each and every programme that the students put up in the divine presence. This was apart from the full-scale dance-only programmes that were put up in front of Swami under the able guidance and leadership of Ganesh. In fact, he earned the epithet Natya Ganesh or Nritya Ganesh (the Ganesh who is happy dancing), after the 15th form among the thirty-two forms of Lord Ganesha!

The reason for the elaboration on Ganesh was to ensure that the reader is able to better understand why a lad chanting the Vedas in the Prasanthi mandir was lost thinking about different combinations and movements in dance. Ganesh was lost in trying to come up with a nice choreographed sequence for the next programme, whenever that would happen. In the course of mentally choreographing, Ganesh was also thinking about the many chances Swami had given him and the students’ dance troupe. And somehow, today, among all the other moments, one particular memory kept pounding from within. That was the memory of Swami telling him and the other dancers,
“Keep practicing very well and regularly. Practice is most important.”

He felt the pangs of guilt suddenly as he realized that though the dance troupe was practicing intensely before every programme, they were not training and practicing regularly if there was no programme to be put up in front of Swami. In other words, practice for the dance troupe depended completely on Swami seeking a programme in His presence. Ganesh felt that this was not what Swami meant by practice. He planned to start a regular practice schedule for all the existing and wannabe dancers, irrespective of whether there was a programme in mandir or not.

Dancing to His tunes

His train of thoughts was abruptly halted with the arrival of Swami for darshan. That is the mesmerising effect that the mere sight of Swami has on people. Ganesh continued to chant the Vedas though for that had become part of his routine. Swami completed the darshan rounds and arrived on the dais. He sat there listening to the chants that were on. After a few minutes, He looked at Ganesh. Ganesh felt his heartbeat quicken like it had happened on hundreds of occasions before. Every time Swami looked at him in the eye, he always felt his pulse speeding up. Swami continued to look at him and then, with a finger, beckoned to him to the dais.

In a trice Ganesh was kneeling on the marbled steps of the dais, lending his ear to what Swami had to tell him.
“Will you put up a dance programme?”, his Lord asked him.
“Definitely Swami. Your wish is our command. When do you want it?”
“Now...”
Ganesh was stunned.
“Swami, the boys are all seated in different places in the hall.”
“Gather them together then...”
“Swami, the costumes are in hostel...”
“I will wait here. Take your time, go and get them.” Swami replied.
The only excuse remaining now was the truth that the dancers were out of practice but Ganesh did not dare tell that to Swami.
“Yes Swami. I shall go and get everything organised for the dance...”
“And I shall sit, waiting here for you dancers”, Swami smiled.



The next half an hour was sheer madness for Ganesh. With the help of a few other students, he managed to intimate all members of the PDG to assemble in the bhajan hall of the mandir. He also rushed to the hostel with a couple of boys and raided the costumes room, picking up as many dance costumes as the boys in the group. He also picked up a handy mp3 player which was a repository of hundreds of songs. On his way to the mandir, he sifted through the different songs, trying to select a few songs for this extempore performance that Swami had asked for.

It was 45 minutes since Swami had asked for the dance programme and all the members of the PDG were ready and dressed in the bhajan hall. They thought that they should have a quick practice inside before going out but Swami sprung another surprise on them - He entered the bhajan hall.

‘Dance’ lessons from Nataraja

“Are you all ready?”
There was an excitement in Swami’s voice. On any other day, that would have thrilled Ganesh but not today. He knelt before Swami and said,
“Swami, we have not practiced. No idea how good it will be...”
Swami smiled again and said,
“This is also my leela (sport). Just watch...”
Then Swami asked,
"Why are you in a white dress when others are wearing colored dresses?"
"Swami, I did not find sufficient colored dresses. For sake of maintaining symmetry, I picked the white one for myself."

With that, Swami exited the bhajan hall from its front entrance while the dancers came out from its back entrance. Within minutes, the PDG was performing in the divine presence, in the Sai Kulwant hall. There were at least 8,000 people in the audience who felt that the dance was exceptional in its poor synchronisation - and that included the dancers themselves. Swami’s statement that it was all His leela gave them hope that something would happen out of the blue. Nothing like that happened. Twenty five to thirty minutes later, an embarrassed Ganesh told Swami that the performance was complete, though not up to His expectations. Swami smiled, blessed all of them and said,
“Practice well.”

Not one of the PDG's finest moments, but the members carried on with a smile. (Ganesh is seen here in the white dress)
Looking back to  that day, Ganesh realizes that it holds several lessons for life - lessons that go beyond simply practicing dance. For one, it taught him what it feels like to make God wait. But more than that, it taught him what it means to wait for God and how one should wait for God.

How is that? Through a simple connection, to understand which, we shall briefly re-live the story of one of the greatest ‘waiter’ for God on earth - Shabari.

Shabari’s example

In her mad love for God, Shabari runs away in the middle of her wedding to the hermitage of sage Matanga who promises her that she will attain what he heart desperately longs for. Years pass after which it is time for sage Matanga to give up his body. As he does so, he reassures Shabari,
“Continue to stay on here. The Lord as Sri Rama will visit you and fulfill your deepest desire of having darshan and serving Him.”

An artist's depiction of Shabari serving her dear
Lord Rama. 
Thus Shabari continues to live alone in the hermitage. She is filled with great joy at the prospects of seeing her Lord. So she wakes up early everyday wondering if that would be the day Sri Rama would arrive. She completes all her chores and starts making the place ready for Sri Rama's arrival. She collect fruits and berries for him to eat if he did come, removes the thorns, weeds and stones along the path that he would trod so that her beloved Lord wouldn't be hurt. She does this for more than a decade with the same sincerity and love.

Finally, Lord Rama arrives to her hermitage with his brother Lakshmana. Having ‘practiced’ for this day for almost a decade, everything goes perfectly as planned for Shabari. She invites Him to her hut. There, she decides to offer the sweetest berries to Rama. So, she tastes each berry before giving it to Him. Lakshmana is scandalised by this. However, Rama is an epitome of peace and love as he partakes the berries and blessed Shabari. Once the Lord does so, Shabari is liberated. Rama then tells Lakshmana,
“Dear brother! Nothing that I have ever eaten in life could equal these berries offered with such devotion. You taste them and then alone will you know the ‘sweetness’ they contain.”

Waiting for the Lord - what it means?

For a moment, just imagine that Shabari got disheartened midway and stopped doing her daily routine. What would happen when Lord Rama arrived at the hermitage? Just imagine, what would have happened if, just one day before the D-Day, Shabari had said, “Enough is enough”?

Lord Rama would be at her doorstep and what would she say?
“Lord! You are just a wee bit late... I am sorry nothing is ready.” OR
“Oh Rama! Till yesterday I did everything perfect. Today I am not ready for you; please give me some time.”

Nothing - the months and years of sincere work before that day - would matter then right? And that would be because when it mattered the most, Shabari would have failed in her duty.

On the face of it, this may seem unfair. But does not an athlete prepare for years to run his/her best race, whenever that may happen? Does not an entrepreneur keep attempting and trying hard in quest for that break which opens up a world of new opportunities? Don’t we insure our property and lives, paying out large sums of money in spite of not knowing when death or loss may occur? Whenever it comes to things we are not sure about, the solution we adopt is that of being sincere and regular in our efforts. Why not have the same attitude when it comes to waiting for God too?

There is another reason why we should adopt this attitude while waiting for God. Unlike the wait of an athlete, entrepreneur or insurance buyer, the wait of a sincere seeker is ALWAYS rewarded. So, it makes a lot of sense to have faith, patience and perseverance in our efforts of waiting. Inculcating these virtues is sure to bring boundless joy to us, like it brought Shabari. It will also ensure that we do not get caught unawares like Ganesh and his troupe.

Ganesh learned this lesson that day - Do whatever Swami says with utmost sincerity. That in itself will bring the greatest rewards one can ever hope for. Even though Swami ‘caught’ the PDG unawares, He did that as His leela. There is no doubt in that because He gave the PDG many more opportunities to perform in His presence and the PDG lived up to ‘His expectations’ each and every time, thanks to their continuous and incessant practice.

Before concluding, it must be said that even the ‘embarrassing’ performance on the 7th of March 2007 won the PDG accolades from everyone as
“The dance group members, intent on pleasing Swami alone, performed in spite of being given no time for practice without caring for the fact that they would not be able to put up a good programme. They were least bothered by what the world would think of them. Their only intent was pleasing Swami.”

“So”, as Ganesh concludes,”it was a win-win situation where we learned a lesson and everyone else too learned a lesson. At the end of the day, all were happy and so was Swami.”

Hearing Ganesh’s narrative, I was just lost in admiration for Swami. How He strives to teach a lesson and ensures that the ‘students’ progress well! He inspires, then evaluates and finally congratulates too. He is like a mother, beaming happily when the child recites a rhyme successfully. The only difference is while there is the reason of relationship in a mother’s love, there is no ‘rhyme’ or reason in the Divine Mother’s love.

I understood a little better, the meaning of Swami’s statement,

"I am Nataraja - the dance master, the first among dancers. You are all dance pupils. I alone know the agony of teaching you each step in the dance!"



Thank you Swami for your love and patience. We will surely learn the ultimate dance that you are teaching us. And for that, we will keep dancing to Your tunes.


For all readers:
(If you enjoyed this and wish to subscribe to this blog, please go to the right hand side and choose the last 'box' which says subscribe. Another blog which I maintain with more than 200 articles on it is at http://aravindb1982.hubpages.com. You may visit that at your leisure. If you wish to be added to my mailing list, please email me via this page with the subject "ADD ME TO MAILING LIST".


Also, use the Tweet and FB buttons below here liberally to share with your friends and family! Thank you)

Wednesday 4 September 2013

Begging for change


Caught between the horns of a dilemma

It was a fine day, the 21st of February, 2008, to be precise. It had been nearly eight months since I had been employed at Radiosai Global harmony (at Prasanthi Nilayam, Puttaparthi) through an amazing sequence of events. I was happy and contented, enjoying the transition from a student’s life to working man’s life. Completing my work that morning, I set out for lunch in the South Indian canteen. I bought some coupons and was about to enter the canteen, when I was accosted by a blind person.

“Sairam sir. Could you help me?”
I told the others who were with me to continue without me and then held the hand of this person.
“Tell me, how can I help you?”
“My name is Raju. Here are all my certificates that prove it...”
So saying, he began to dig into the shoulder bag to pull out several sheets of paper. I was taken aback. Why was he showing me proof for his name? Why didn’t he just state what he wanted?

“Raju, please, I do not need proof for your name. Is there someplace where I can drop you off at?”
“Sir, I have to go to Karimnagar. I am a poor person and I have completed my high schooling. I cannot afford university education though I have a strong passion for academics. I was told that there is a free University in Puttaparthi. So, I have come here with all my certificates. But people here say that I cannot join the University because admissions do not open till April and they do not have facilities to serve my special needs.”
“ I am very sorry to hear that, but I am afraid that is the case.”
“So, I want to return home now. But I have no money with me... I am stuck here. Can you help me?” Raju trailed off.

And in an instant, I was between the horns of a dilemma.

Should it be "Guilty till proven innocent"or
"Innocent till proven guilty"?
“Either Raju is really in trouble or he is a wonderful actor and con artist who plans to swindle me”, was my first thought. The subsequent thoughts too were all along those lines. I did not know what to do. Should I walk away and risk being a heartless person? Should I help Raju and risk getting swindled? My mind was a whirlpool of such thoughts.

For those that are a little lost at my predicament, let me take you through the reasons behind these thoughts.

The problem of beggary in India

Begging and beggars are rampant in many countries of the world. India, my motherland, boasts of being home to the maximum number of beggars in the world. That is definitely not a statistic that I am proud of. It pains my heart and I want to do something for them. However, beggary is not a straightforward problem which can be eradicated. Please allow me to present a few points which highlight the ‘controversy’ in the problem.

1. When people are not willing to work hard, ‘help’ rendered to the beggars might be actually encouraging people to be lazy! In fact, in the tenfold path to divinity, Bhagawan Baba stresses,

“Do not throw coins when beggars stretch their hands for alms; help them to become self-reliant. Provide food and shelter, love and care, for the sick and aged.”

2. There are studies which show that in many cases, beggars earn more than workaholics! Beggary is a lucrative and easy ‘profession’ which is being forced upon many children too. It is run like a business with many mafias being the stakeholders.

3. Swami has often stressed that apart from the person who actually does the sin, there are four others who also share the burden of the sin - one who is the cause, one who encourages the act of sin, one who shows the ways and means to commit the sin and one who witnesses it. I have myself observed how a lady with a starving child pleaded for some milk powder in Puttaparthi. One person’s heart melted and she purchased a box of milk powder from a medical store. Once she left, the begging ‘mother’ returned the box to the story in return for a few rupees. Both the beggar and the shopkeeper had made a neat swindle!

So, you see, when it comes to serving beggars, it is not a simple issue. One has to be diligent and vigilant like the devotees in Chikmagalur (Karnataka) are.

And now, you will also understand the cause of doubt in my mind and my hesitation when it came to helping Raju.

My solution

My first thoughts were to take Raju to the security office or the PRO (Public Relations Officer) office and let him seek help there. I suggested this to him and even accompanied him to those offices. But there was nothing they could do. I told Raju to sit on a bench and told him that I would be back soon. I went to the other end of the bench and sat down. I closed my eyes in my attempt to shut down my mind which was speaking both ways - for and against Raju. I tried to get in touch with my Swami in my heart.

My experience has been that Swami always answers when one seeks. I got the answer almost instantaneously and I ‘knew’ that this was Swami speaking. I ‘knew’ because my thumb rule in distinguishing between the voice of the mind and the voice of the heart never fails me. I got up with a smile in my heart and went to Raju. I told him,
“Shall we go to the bus station?”
“Whatever you say...”
“I will buy you a ticket to Karimnagar.”
“Will you? Really? Wow...” Raju was so happy.
We went to the APSRTC bus stand in Puttaparthi. I made Raju sit on a bench there and went to the counter. There was a bus for Karimnagar in a few hours time. I asked how much the ticket would cost. The reply was that it would be about Rs 350. I shuddered for a moment. That was almost 8% of my monthly salary! The mind immediately jumped into play,
“I think that Raju guy is a fraud. Don’t simply give away your hard-earned money!”
But then, the soothing yet firm voice from deep within seemed to speak through my mouth,
“One ticket for today evening’s bus please.”

Within moments, I was with a beaming Raju who was thanking me. Seeing his joy, I was sure that he was not any kind of scamster. I took his hand and placed a 100 rupees note in it. I told him,
“Here. This is 100 rupees okay? I am telling you so that you should not get cheated by anyone. Use it for your food during the long journey.”

Quickly, I bid him goodbye and returned to the South Indian canteen for lunch. I somehow felt so full without even eating.

The doubts come tumbling back
I don’t know how it happened or why it happened, but, my doubts about Raju came rushing back in the darshan that evening. Maybe it was because Swami did not even look at me and I had felt that I would receive a special blessing because of my ‘good deed’. Today, thanks to Swami’s love and grace, I know a few things about the way karma works which I did not know then. So, I felt a bit discouraged. A sad and confused mind is a fertile breeding ground for the devils called doubt, disillusionment, disappointment, discouragement and ‘dis’ease.

Within moments, I was feeling terrible that I had not only bought Raju a ticket but I had also paid him an extra 100 rupees.
“10% of my salary down the drain because of my stupid sentimentality”, I thought and felt more horrible. Such thoughts ruined my whole day and Swami, on His part, did not do anything to assuage me of my doubts or reassure me in any way.

Isn’t it funny how fast we forget the wonderful experiences and get mired in doubt? I had experienced joy that had made me almost give up my lunch and yet, here I was, hours later, brooding and repenting!

The dream

That night I had a dream. And that changed everything. My doubts melted and the joy returned to my heart because I know that dreams of Swami are always true. The dream was like this:

Swami came in the car and He stopped it in the porch of the and He wanted me and me alone to help Him come out of the car to sit on a wheelchair. However, when I went near Him, I felt that He needed no help. So, I just stood, waiting and watching. He proceeded to get up but then, all of a sudden, He collapsed back into the seat of the car!That shocked me and with both my hands, I plunged into the car. I helped Him up like I would help a baby. Then, the wheelchair was brought in by somebody. As I was going to seat Him on the chair, I again had a thought that my help was not needed. I just let go and again, He  fell down next to the chair. I was horrified this time. More than me, Swami seemed horrified and there was pain in His eyes. That pain was surely due to my doubting mind that had made me ‘let Him down’ for a second time! I rushed on to my knees and then the way I held Him, it was to ensure that He would never fall again. I was hugging Him and I helped Him sit. As He sat, I went to His ear and apologised. He seemed to say that it didn't matter.

As I woke at 4:00 am, the first thought in my head was, "Oh my God, Swami needed help yesterday and I made Him suffer only because I kept doubting whether He really and genuinely needed my help or not."

Due to some hard experiences, somehow I do not trust people that easy. They are under suspicion till they prove to be good. That is not good, I learnt. I should give everyone my love like I give it to Swami. He will take care of me to ensure I do not suffer for He is always there with me, guiding me from within.  All I need is the courage to follow the guidance from within.

And so, when it comes to people begging or seeking anything from me, I seek an answer from my heart. It may seem unbelievable, but every time, the answer is there. After that, I pray for the courage to follow what the heart is saying and go ahead.

That, I feel, is what we must do when someone begs for change. ‘Beg for a change’ in them! And then be ready to assist them in that change. For, every time we beg for a change and achieve it, Swami’s face will light up in joy. He will know that He can rely on us. Isn’t that fantastic? Trusting in God is one thing, but God trusting us! Amazing right? Those are my two cents on the topic of begging and beggars.

If you enjoyed this, you might also enjoy:



For all readers:
(If you enjoyed this and wish to subscribe to this blog, please go to the right hand side and choose the last 'box' which says subscribe. Another blog which I maintain with more than 200 articles on it is at http://aravindb1982.hubpages.com. You may visit that at your leisure. If you wish to be added to my mailing list, please email me via this page with the subject "ADD ME TO MAILING LIST".


Also, use the Tweet and FB buttons below here liberally to share with your friends and family! Thank you)


Who Is Sathya Sai Baba?

"Who is Mr.Swami?" An interesting thing happened some years ago. As I was furiously plodding away at the keyboard, reliving my bea...