Bankers insure with the Divine
The first day of November 2009 dawned bright and sunny in Mumbai. After the privilege of sleeping just outside Swami's room for three successive days in Hadshi, I spent a night in the hostel at Dharmakshetra. Most of the music boys had been up late in the night practicing for the concert that was supposed to be held later in the day. In spite of that, all of them had risen pretty early and seemed geared up for the big moment. By 9:00 a.m. we had finished our breakfast and were waiting for Swami.
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| The Chief Minister, Sri Ashok Chavan addresses the gathering. |
Meanwhile the hall at Satyadeep had become full with eminent men from the world of finance which included bankers and heads of national and multinational financial institutions. Also present was Mr. Ashok Chavan, the Chief Minister of Maharashtra as well as the Leader of Opposition, Mr. Gopinath Munde.
Even as these dignitaries were awaiting His arrival, on the request of Mr. Keki Mistry, an orthodontist and a longtime devotee of Bhagavan, many of them started sharing their thoughts and feelings about Swami. First was the Chief Minister who was followed by Mr. Gopinath Munde. The latter in his brief talk mentioned that though, as the Leader of the Opposition, he often disagreed with the Chief Minister, on that day he wholeheartedly concurred with Mr. Chavan’s views because it was all about Swami and His love. We have often heard words of praise about the love of God. But what I witnessed right now was akin to a dog and cat embracing each other!
(Dear reader,
If you have come directly to this post, I would like to egg you on to enjoy the full story with its history. Link to part 1 is given below and the link to the next part will be at the end of each previous part. Thank you.
The previous part which is Part 9 is located at the link given below in case you missed that.
Part 10 continues below)
Soon others joined and many corporate heads who were part of the Conference on Ethics in the World of Finance held a couple of months earlier (in August 28-29, 2009 to be precise) in Puttaparthi started recounting their experiences. This session of heartfelt outpourings, which had really turned into a satsang of CEOs, continued for more than an hour. Still Bhagavan had not arrived. So the Sai Youth and students started bhajans. And no sooner did this begin, there were signs of His coming! It reminded me how the Lord is Gaanapriya (Lover of Music). As He has said, He installs Himself wherever His Glory is sung. Was that a coincidence? I didn't think so.
By 10:20 a.m., Swami was seated right in front of the small group of students who were singing. Two bhajans later Swami began to move amidst the congregation and now all these financial honchos, completely unmindful of their positions and statuses, seemed to simply dive at His feet at every available opportunity. All chairs, therefore, were discarded and almost every one of them was ‘floored’ by His love. As far as I could see, there was nothing "financial" going on here. Many sought guidance for their personal problems while others just wanted one private moment with Him. No one is an exception where the need for the Divine is concerned and Swami showers His Love on one and all in boundless measure! He says ‘If you need Me, you deserve Me’ and He graciously blessed all of them showering smiles and collecting letters all the while. In the end all the business bigwigs gathered around Swami like children and posed for a group photo.
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| Swami's arrival finally occurred when the bhajans started - Music invariably pulls the Lord! |
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| Whether one is a banker, a head honcho, a CEO or a Chief Minister, at the feet of the Lord, all are His Children! |
