The best gift to seek from God

The PC session (as narrated by Sri Ashok Sundaresan - 1st batch MFM 1993-1995)

A picture of a Poornachandra Session in progress in the 1990s. 

It was sometime in the year 1994 or 1995. All the students in the Institute boys’ hostel were excited. Swami, as they lovingly called Sri Sathya Sai Baba, had agreed to grant them all a “PC session.” The term PC stands for “Poorna Chandra”, the auditorium (one of the largest pillarless ones in Asia) at Prasanthi Nilayam ashram. The PC session, like the Trayee session, was a special session which Swami granted only for the students and teachers of the University. And just like in the Trayee session, many interesting things would happen in a PC session and Swami would speak ‘informally’. 

That PC session turned out to be unforgettable in terms of the lessons it provided.

As the boys entered the auditorium, they saw multiple piles of so many things heaped up. They quickly took their places to sit on the carpets spread on the floor. And then began the excited talk. Apparently, Swami had decided to gift all the boys with something. Everyone was discussing about what the gifts probably might be. 

Swami arrived on the dais and there was a hush that fell on the entire gathering. He gently glided to the end of the stage and descended. Moving to the first pile, He picked up the first thing that His hand could get hold of and threw it to the boy nearby. It was a canister of shaving foam. Then, He summoned some boys and told them to simply give away one each of the items to all the boys gathered. 

The heaps of objects turned out to be toiletries and each boy was getting something at total random. While one got a toothbrush, one got a shampoo while yet another got a deodorant stick. The ‘luckier’ ones got perfume bottles and electric shavers. Within moments, the silence was gone and there was loud murmur that developed in the auditorium as each student looked at what the other got and compared gifts. 

Naturally, those that got ‘mere toothbrushes’ envied those that got the electric shavers. But those boys too were not free of envy - they longed for the perfumes. It was not as if those that got perfumes were happy. The bottles were only 100 ml and would soon get exhausted. So, they had gifts which they could not use if they wanted to preserve the memory. In short, though all were happy in some way or the other, all were sad too in a way! 

The Second Coming - Jesus Christ and Sri Sathya Sai Baba

An artist's impression of the second coming of Jesus Christ

Christianity is a fascinating religion in many ways. One of the special things about Christianity is that a lot of it is derived through the writings of the apostles of Christ. The religion offers the aspirant different perspectives or views of the same master, Jesus Christ, through the eyes of many. Thus, we have the Gospel according to Mark, Gospel according to Matthew, Gospel according to John and so on. Each is the Truth in itself and we battling by quoting one against the other would be akin to blind men fighting over their respective descriptions of the elephant!

“Munde Munde Matir Bhinnah”, says my Master and Lord, Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba. In spirit, this translates into ‘there are as many interpretations of the Truth as there are heads’ because everyone is allowed an opinion. And so, when I read through the description and interpretation of the same master through ‘different heads’, rather than get confused and upset at things that do not match my perspective and opinions, I celebrate the grand diversity and beauty of the Master. The Master’s concern is always for the individual and therefore, there are as many ways to God as there are individuals. The Master allows the aspirant to seek a path most suited for him/her to progress spiritually. Thus, I try to enjoy the perspectives and interpretations for none of them are wrong - all are right in their own sense because, ultimately, there is only One Truth and nothing else.

Among the different things I was reading, one subject that interested me tremendously was that of the second coming of Christ. Why did that interest me? Simple. I would love it if God were to come on earth in physical frame once again! I have been blessed to have enjoyed the proximity of dear Swami and I know how wonderful, holy, elevating, uplifting, sanctifying and fun Divine company can be.

{By the way, my notion that the 24th April 2011 (Easter Sunday) is a day of Swami's‘departure’ was shattered through a miraculous experience that happened exactly a year later - on the 24th of April, 2012. Swami showed that it is a day to mark His ‘arrival’ into our homes and heart(h)s!}

You just have to search the term, “The Second Coming” on the internet and, in a span of seconds, you will see nearly a billion results hit your computer screen! That should suffice to say that it is an intensely debated and discussed topic. There are interpretations galore. So abundant were the interpretations offered that I decided to go to the actual Christian ‘Book of Revelation’, the final book of the New Testament, credited to the apostle, John. Again, there are so many versions and I referred to the King James’version of the Bible, chapter 19. What I found there simply thrilled my heart. The reference to the descent of the “King of Kings and the Lord of Lords” was so wonderful.

And here, I shall present these as stated in the Bible along with my interpretation and understanding. (The relevant passages from the Revelations have been presented in bold.)

19:11 And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war.

Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba as the Second Coming - an impression
of the artist - Alexander Prowse. 

According to the Hindu concept of time and ages, God incarnates from age to age to establish righteousness on earth. In the present Kali age, the incarnation is that of Kalki, a Kshatriya riding a white horse. The similarity of the description struck me and I remembered that one of the photographs Swami materialized was of Himself riding a spotlessly white horse! Many artists and painters have depicted Him that way too! Also, "faithful and true" indeed seems like a translation of the word "Sathya".

Swami indeed is here, waging a war - a war like one that the world has never seen before. Just like a buffalo imagines God to be a large buffalo, we imagine war to be one with destruction and demolition. But Swami says that the weapon He has come armed with is that of Love. As He revealed during His Shivarathri 1955 discourse

“In this Avatar, the wicked will not be destroyed, they will be corrected, reformed and educated and led back to the path from which they have strayed. The white ant infested tree will not be cut: it will be saved.”

The blessings of pain - Amey's experience with Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba

The need to ‘love God’

It was during a session at the 39th Annual State Conference of the Sri Sathya Sai Seva Organization in Odisha that a young man got up and asked a question,

“How can we love and worship God when we are ourselves in such pain and need? Isn’t it true that we can focus properly on spirituality only if our needs are met and pains assuaged?”

Even as this question was asked, I began to ponder about it. It is so natural that this question arises. In fact, Swami Vivekananda is quoted to have said,

“Don’t teach spirituality to a hungry man.”

Roti, Kapada and Makaan (food, clothing and shelter) are recognised as the basic needs without which, one cannot think of one’s mental and emotional needs also. That is what the famous Maslow’s hierarchy of needs also states powerfully - that human beings are motivated by a hierarchy of needs. It is only when the needs that constitute the lower levels are satisfied that a person thinks about fulfilling higher level needs. This theory is represented by a pyramid as shown below.

Maslow's hierarchical pyramid of needs.

Physiological needs are the physical requirements for human survival which include food, water, clothing and shelter. Safety and Security needs include personal security, financial security, health security and a safety net against accidents. Love and Belonging needs are covered in belonging to some societal group, a family; having friendships and intimacy.  Esteem needs present the typical human desire to be accepted and valued by others. It is only when all these four are met and achieved that a person contemplates self-actualization, which is defined as achieving one’s full potential. Different individuals perceive this fifth need differently and it can get expressed as professional excellence, being a perfect parent, artistic magnificence and so on.

With that in mind, we get back to the question,

““How can we love and worship God when we are ourselves in such pain and need? Isn’t it true that we can focus properly on spirituality only if our needs are met and pains assuaged?”

If we delve a little deeper, we realize that loving God, as a need, works in a way more mysterious and subtle that all the five needs mentioned by Maslow. And to make that clear, it would be apt to narrate a life-experience of Amey Deshpande. Amey is not a person needing introduction to a regular reader here. He is a dear Sai-brother of mine, who has been involved in several of my experiences with Swami (Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba) including the one in which Swami accepted me as His best friend. I have earlier penned down how he took a step towards Swami and was blessed with a beautiful assurance. I have also written about his most painful experience when he got thrown out of Swami’s school - a case of things having to go horribly wrong before being set aright. In the same vein, here is another educative experience of his.

An ‘ill-fated’ Sunday-morning bhajan session

After losing his seat in Swami’s school in 8th grade, Amey had tried hard to get back into the school in 11th grade. Since that had not happened, he had tried getting admitted into the BCom course at the University. That too had not happened. So, he enrolled in the Sheshadripuram College at Bengaluru (Bangalore then) and graduating in honours with a BCom degree, Amey got employed at Hewlett-Packard. He also became a Seva Dal volunteer at Brindavan, Whitefield. He has been blessed with a wonderful voice and it is not surprising that he soon became a lead bhajan-singer there. Every Thursday and Sunday, when the Bangalore Seva Dal got the opportunity to lead bhajans, Amey was in the forefront.

Hadshi Mumbai diaries - Part 3 - Welcome to Hadshi

Swami moves from the aircraft into the vestibule-lift at the Pune airport

Happy landing? Ultimately yes, but a lot of uncertainty for me

The Pune airport, where we were scheduled to land is a ‘complicated’ airport. It is shared between civilian and military aircraft and thus, extra rules and regulations exist there which complicate life for the normal traveller at times. Some of the elders had scared us - especially the ones with cameras - that we ought to be very careful at Pune. Our cameras might be snatched away for security reasons, they had warned us. Even as the plane landed, I could see a plethora of dignitaries who had arrived to welcome Swami. 

(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.

Hadshi Mumbai diaries - Part 1 - The Blessing Materializes)

Prominent among them was the former Lok Sabha speaker, Sri Shivraj Patil. Hordes of security people hovered around the craft and a couple of them even came and sealed the back exit, damming us within the plane. The elder Jadhav, Mr. Uttamrao, himself was literally held hostage at the back exit of the plane due to the guards. CG and I were also held up, but then I told the security personnel,

“See, all those important persons will want a photo with Swami. In case they ask us why we did not capture images, we will have to blame you. So please let us go there.”

I had a look at the name on his badge as I spoke. He reluctantly said that he would permit one of us to go. I asked CG to go since a video camera captures more than a photograph. If a picture is worth a thousand words, imagine a moving picture!

CG went to shoot no doubt, but very soon, he also went away in the divine convoy! Meanwhile, I was at the plane’s rear with the Jadhavs and the State President of the Maharashtra Sathya SAi Seva Organisation, Mr. Ramesh Sawant. As I got down from the plane, I got to know that the entourage would be proceeding to Hadshi in a specially arranged bus. Swami would be visiting the Jadhav residence in Pune before driving to Hadshi. Now, I began to envy CG’s good fortune and began thinking how I too could go to the Jadhav residence.

I saw Mr. Sawant running in another direction. I caught up with him and asked,

“Uncle can I come with you?”

“Sure”, he said with a look of surprise. I was under the wrong impression that he would also be going to the Jadhav residence. Even as I realized that I had been wrong in my assumption, I saw the elder Jadhav brother hop into an Audi SUV. I was barefoot and I ran, camera around my neck, towards the SUV in the hot sun. Luckily, the vehicle slowed down and I pressed my face against the window glass. The Jadhav recognised me as the photographer on board the flight and asked me whether I would join him. I nodded gladly and in moments, was cooling off in the super-power air conditioner of the car. Apparently, the younger Jadhav was already at home and the elder brother beside me was Swami’s escort from Puttaparthi who had got left behind.. All the other boys, in the meanwhile, were being transported to Hadshi in a luxury bus.

In the car, Mr. Uttamrao asked me what I intended to do when I reached his residence. I had no idea about anything and I told him that I would ‘see’ what had to be done.

“It will be impossible to get into the house there. Knowing the huge crowd that Swami attracts, security has been arranged so that nobody other than the family gets into the house. So here, take this badge. It is a ‘Family’ badge and now you will also be allowed in.”

I gratefully accepted the badge. It struck me as very singular that when you work for God, the entire world becomes your ‘family’ in no time. My only credentials were that I was ‘Swami’s photographer’ and here was Mr. Uttamrao instantly making me part of the Jadhav family! That is His magic!

The happy luncheon session at the Jadhav home wherein Swami ate almost nothing and used the visit to
bless all the family members. 

By the time we reached the home of the Jadhavs, Swami was already there at their dining table. I flashed my ‘Family’ card to gain entry into the home. I saw CG in a far corner of the large hall, busy capturing visuals which posterity would appreciate. I too moved in slowly and took up a position nearby.

Swami was at a dining table and a ‘host’ of people surrounded Him in the pretext of serving Him. In India, it is tradition that one’s love and appreciation towards the guest is directly proportional to the amount of food that one can feed that guest! It seemed as though Swami had become a victim of this tradition! He was being served from more than 20-30 dishes that had been prepared. However, in His plate were not more than a few morsels of food!

Swami's smile is so cute and sweet! Here, the younger Jadhav
washes the Divine hand after the meal.

I have not had many chances to see Swami dine from such close quarters and have mostly let my imagination fill in the gaps as to how it might be. That day as I saw Him, Swami felt so human! He saw me and, suddenly, a smile of recognition lit up His face. Everyone looked up to see who was receiving this lovely smile from the Lord. I felt very special. That smile was to have a lingering role as we shall see later!

Swami was asking about the different items on the menu, though He was not eating everything. He seemed interested in a particular type of vada (a fried, Indian delicacy). More of it was brought accordingly, but Swami did not take anymore. Now an interesting episode took place. Mr. Shivajirao Jadhav's wife entered with a plate filled with eats. Swami asked,

"What is that?"

Mr. Jadhav replied, “Swami, the same saboodana vada. She has cut it to small, conveniently-sized pieces for You to eat."

Swami was so pleased at this attention to detail! As a reward, He accepted a few pieces. He then asked Mr. Srinivasan and Satyajit to have a few tidbits as well. As CG and I shot pictures, both of us were offered fruit salad. I was feeling quite hungry because I had not eaten anything since morning (I had skipped the in-flight breakfast to click photographs)! But as the Divine sight was on us, we politely declined. And Bhagavan seemed satisfied and happy at the way we had conducted ourselves.

Swami soon finished the meal and blessed all the members of the family. To a lad who wanted to pursue MBA after finishing his BCom, Swami advised to do Chartered Accountancy as it would come useful for the family’s business. As He slowly moved out, Swami was told that all would be going to Hadshi. Shortly, aarthi was taken and I was the lead singer simply by the sheer absence of any other singers nearby!

The Lord's visit is never a secret! Crowds had already gathered in Pune to catch a glimpse of the lovable form in orange.

And so began the drive from Pune to Hadshi. I was in Mr. Uttamrao Jadhav's car and, talking to him, I found out about how they had organized the Latur-Chakur trip as well. He told me,

"This visit to our home was a last minute job. Swami agreed to bless us in this fashion out of the blue. Therefore, the arrangements were not so good. See the arrangements we have made at Hadshi."

“Wow!” I thought, “If this was supposed to be a ‘last minute job’, I want to see their thorough arrangements!”

He further acknowledged, “Swami was so very happy when He saw you. You students are loved so dearly by Him! It is amazing.”

I could only trace all this admiration and respect to one source – that single smile from dear Swami!

We were the third car behind Swami's Toyota Estima on the journey
from Pune to Hadshi. 

Before long, we could see the beautiful Mandir atop the hill from a distance. All along the way, hundreds of villagers stood in awe and devotion as Swami's car passed by. Many of them did not seem to know which vehicle to look at, thanks to over a dozen cars arranged by the Jadhavs, which were all similar to Swami's Toyota Estima! Once the climb began, I had a glimpse of the arrangements. The entire road to the top was lined with children and devotees welcoming Swami with flags, placards and ribbons. At every hairpin bend were beautiful posters carrying His message and teachings. All along the way were banners inviting Bhagawan to Pandurang Kshetra. Yes! That was the name for Swami’s shrine at Hadshi.

All along the way, for dozens of kilometers, people lined the road. There were also many arches and
banners which I photographed from the moving vehicle. 

We presently arrived at the main entrance of the grand "fortress-temple" that towered over us. I jumped out of the vehicle to march in front of Swami's car on foot, taking photographs all along. Little did I realize that there was almost half a kilometre to be traversed before the final destination! Music from the bands reverberated in the air. Little boys wearing orange turbans with cymbals in hand welcomed Swami. It was a real "red-carpet" reception for Bhagavan, right up to His residence. The entire stretch had been barricaded but nothing could prevent the fervent prayers and passionate longing of the people from reaching the Lord. Mr. Uttamrao Jadhav, the elder brother, was in a devotional fervour as he, alighting from the car, moved amidst the people egging them to sing aloud and rejoice, for the Lord had arrived. His enthusiasm was highly infectious!

A view of the sea of humanity at Hadshi, waiting to welcome Swami.

Traditionally dressed Maharashtrian village women with pots balancing delicately on their heads were also part of the welcome team. Everyone was so thrilled at the mere sight of Swami’s car. The red carpet now gave way to a green one and a congregation chanting Vedic hymns began to lead the procession. Soon we arrived at the Residence. A shehnai artist accompanied by percussionists filled the ambience with welcome tunes. In fact this was to become a daily feature during the entire period of our stay - a shehnai artist playing music outside the Residence as it was done outside the palaces of emperors! The members of the Jadhav family had lined up at the final stretch before the divine home. A beautiful, circular rangol, about two metres in diameter, adorned the entrance with the words ‘Aum Sri Sai Ram’ etched in Devanagari script.

The drive-through in Hadshi, at the Pandurangakshetra itself was about a kilometer long.

A pink ribbon fastened across the door awaited the inaugural snip from His hand. I wanted to rush in to take pictures from the inside but was rudely prevented. This time the younger Jadhav brother issued instructions that I was not to be stopped and must be given complete access! Again, the power of the Smile I had received at the Jadhavs’ residence in Pune… So it was that I could get a photo of Bhagavan inaugurating the Mandir and arriving inside.

The magnificent Residence building which Swami inaugurated by cutting a pink ribbon. 

A golden rose lay on Swami’s lap, offered by a devotee. As soon as Swami came into the Mandir, the Jadhavs washed His feet, and collected the sacred water into a silver plate to be taken as teertham (holy water) by the privileged family. Aarthi was then performed as all the members of the family gathered before the Lord.

A note here about the Jadhav family – The total number of members ran in excess of two hundred and the family tree had multiple branches, twigs and leaves! They seemed to be harvesting the fruits of joy and satisfaction which the Gardener had delivered to them. Since this was a huge ‘tree’, only the 'trunk' and 'primary branches' were in the Residence and they added up to almost twenty to thirty members!

Their large and airy home had four guest rooms, one at each of the corners of the rectangular hall. Swami’s dining table stood at the northern side of the hall, while about half a dozen other tables for the guests were arranged at the southern end.

Swami moved across the length of the entire hall and had a look at the four rooms. He was immensely pleased with the meticulous care and effort of the Jadhavs. In the south-east corner of the House stood the kitchen, where the youth waited for Swami. They were the youth from Mumbai and Maharashtra who had been chosen to serve Swami and His guests for the trip. Swami blessed them.

Meanwhile, the rest of the students who had been driven down by bus straight from the Pune airport arrived. Swami was very happy to see them, even as He moved towards the lift which was a small enclosure with a grilled gate inside and a wooden door outside. It was just sufficient for Swami's chair and Satyajit. As He entered the lift, Swami brought the index finger and the thumb of His hand together to gesture the sign ‘excellent’ and said,

"It is so nice here. There are all facilities (anukoolanu) for everyone to stay comfortably."

Swami was very happy with the facilities for all as He moved into the lift to go to His room. 

Swami then went up to His room which was in the northwest corner of the Residence. There was a huge atrium in this one-storeyed building to allow natural light from the sky to fill the house. This central area had a wooden parapet and from here Swami saw all of us gathered below as He moved to His room as He retired for the afternoon.

After this, we did a silent Brahmaarpanam (the food prayer) and had a hearty meal. Soon after, we were shown our living quarters. There were three double rooms and each one contained six cots. Ah! The beds were so inviting. We dived into them instantly to stretch out our tired bodies.

After an hour’s rest, we were back in the Mandir.

(I call the Residence as the Mandir, for that is the term for the place where God resides.) We waited down in the area resembling a verandah and soon, Swami came down the lift. He called all the elders to have tiffin with Him. And so, Prof. G. Venkataraman, Mr. S.V. Giri, Dr. Dash, Mr. Gokal Das, Mr. Balaram and Mr. Naganand occupied the table along with Swami.

After they had finished, Swami asked for their plates to be cleared and fresh ones laid. He also supervised the dishes served, and then He beckoned me! I was taken aback and realized with excitement that Swami was inviting me to eat at His table. I was so delighted that I quickly found myself there. He continued, "Mugguru mugguru ikkada kuchondi (Three each sit on either side).” I called out for a few others and soon Phaneendra, KVSK Ganesh, Aravind Sai, Sai Dath, Nishikant and myself were at His table seeing Him for most of the time with momentary glances at the items served on our plates!

The rest of the boys now filled the other tables and soon a thundering Brahmaarpanam began. Everyone around me seemed to close their eyes. I however opened mine as wide as possible and drank in deep the darshan of sweet Swami. I was feeling so privileged. I am sure I have done nothing to deserve this but as He says, "If you love me, you deserve me!" I was feeling such a surge of happiness welling in me. I managed to look at Neeraj Acharya and asked him to take a snap of that glorious moment! Swami then told us to start eating.

Sitting at the farthest end to Swami's right, it was an unbelievable opportunity to dine with Him.

As I began, Swami asked me, "Ay photographer, nee video cameraman ekkada?" (Photographer! Where is your video camera man?)

I quickly rose and called out to CG who was at another table. He came forward. Swami saw him and then asked him to return and eat well. Again I was so happy that at the physical level Swami had identified me as something – a photographer! He told all of us that we would not eat well if He was there! And so, He left saying He would be back in a while by which time we should have filled our stomachs freely.

I ate with trembling excitement and soon Sai Krishna told me that the privilege we had been blessed with was not bestowed upon anyone even in Kodaikanal – sharing the table with Swami! Once we were done, we waited once again to receive Him.

to be continued in Part 4 located at the below link:

Hadshi Mumbai diaries - Part 4 - A shrine is born

For all readers:

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Broaden your vision because beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder - a student's experience with Sri Sathya Sai

Nature beckons

The rains had arrived in great bounty over the parched and summer-scorched landscapes around Puttaparthi. A lush-green, velvety carpet seemed to spread over the hard, dry earth. Standing by the window at home, I looked at the looming hill, nicknamed Shiva, standing majestically beside a slightly smaller hill, Parvati. This Indian habit of naming anything beautiful and majestic after different gods and goddesses had got into my colleagues at the Prasanthi Digital Studio too. Thus, the otherwise ordinary hills near the neighboring village of Karnatenagepalli had got these divine names.

The sight of the lush green hills was too much for me to contain. My heart erupted in joy and I felt a strong desire to wander into the green and peaceful embrace of these hills. As the sun mellowed down from a harsh afternoon into a pleasant evening, I mounted my bicycle and was on my way towards the hills. Nature, in all its majesty, is such a powerful intoxicant and attractant for me. It just pulls me with such spontaneity and urgency that I drop whatever I am doing and get drawn to it.

The inspiration was great but the cycling was not that easy. 3-4 kilometers of country road which went up and down soon had beads of perspiration dripping from my forehead. I reached the edge of the grounds beyond which there was no navigable road. From here on, the journey had to be made on foot. I dismounted, parked the cycle and started off.

The path here was quite bad. Strewn with thousands of rocks and pebbles, it presented quite a danger of a slip and a fall. Adding to this was the fact that my feet were in ‘slip’pers instead of in shoes. Naturally, I began to place each foot after testing the ground. My progress was slow and laboured and my mental focus was at its peak. The perspiration continued and I realized that it was one thing to gaze at nature from the comforts of home but a totally different thing to be a part of it and explore it.

In fact, I now began to ponder over the spontaneity and impulsiveness of my decision. Wasn’t it a mistake to have walked this path? Nature looked quite good from home and so, where was the need to have ventured out? My mind was soon a muddle of such thoughts as my body battled the harsh terrain in its bid to maintain balance and control.

Drama of Life

It would be a good idea to leave my huffing and grunting on the hill slopes for a while and enjoy an interesting episode which concerns my master and best friend, Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba. That would definitely be more ‘dramatic’ than my plight on the path. The episode dates back to the November of 1998 when Swami (as He is reverentially and endearingly called) was in the Poornachandra auditorium with a group of students preparing for that year’s Convocation drama.

For those that have come in new, the Convocation Drama is an annual cultural event enacted mostly by the senior-most students of the Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Learning on the 22nd of November. The drama has an audience running in tens of thousands and Swami has always given its theme, dialogues and actors the greatest importance. As a matter of fact, Swami would often attend the rehearsals of every scene in the drama several times. He would select the costumes, check the script, compose songs and even make subtle changes in the plot to make the drama a wholesome and entertaining spiritual food for the audience. So much was His involvement in the drama that it was indeed a marvel at how He could sit and watch the same drama, completely engrossed, on the 22nd of November every year.

Deepak Anand in his costume
as Ramakrishna Paramahamsa.

Ah! Now coming to the main story. In the year 1998, the drama had a scene from the life of Swami Vivekananda and Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa. Deepak Anand, currently a doctorate in the School of Business Management at the Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Learning, then a student of the same Business School, was chosen by Swami to act the role of Ramakrishna Paramahamsa. As expected, a major part of the role included the devotion of the saint towards his ‘Maa’, his mother, the Goddess Kali.

Ramakrishna and his Krishna

The rehearsals began and soon, Swami was involved completely in the planning and practice of the drama. When the scene involving Ramakrishna came, Swami looked at the altar and asked,

“Why is there no idol in the shrine?”

Getting a statue of Goddess Kali is not easy in this part of the country. That was the reason why no idol adorned the altar. Swami went and fetched a statue of Lord Krishna. Giving it to the teacher-in-charge, he said,

“Here is the Krishna which Ramakrishna will worship. Place it in the altar.”

The teacher-in-charge did as he was told but he realized that Swami was making a rare ‘mistake here - Ramakrishna was a devotee of Mother Kali and not of Lord Krishna. Maybe Swami had got ‘confused’ because of the ‘Krishna’ in the saint’s name!

The next day, an idol of Goddess Kali was brought. Swami glanced at the idol. Mother Kali, baring her blood-red tongue stood over the carcass of the demon she had slaughtered. A garland of human skulls adorned her neck and a huge sword shone in her hand.

“No! Place the Krishna statue in the altar and continue the practice.”

An artist's impression of Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa and Mother Kali. The fearsome
form of the Goddess can be seen clearly. 

Now the teacher was in a fix. If Swami were to insist on keeping the Krishna statue in Ramakrishna’s altar, it would be historically inaccurate. He tried to point out the error but Swami would listen to none of it. The teacher even tried replacing the Krishna idol with a smaller one so that the ‘error’ would not be noticed by a large section of the audience that were far from the stage. Swami did not agree to that too. He wanted that same Krishna idol to be in Ramakrishna’s altar. On his part, Deepak Anand, continued to improve on his acting with each passing session. He seemed to keep himself totally out of the Kali-Krishna controversy. Swami showered special attention and grace on him, telling him in detail about Ramakrishna Paramahamsa’s love for Mother Kali. Though He had bestowed a mantra for this boy to chant as his personal sadhana, Swami changed it into one on the Mother. He told him to chant the mantra on the Mother for the next few days. The boy was in bliss and felt his love for the Mother grow by leaps and bounds every passing day. In spite of all this, Swami stood firm on His decision on Krishna.

The unexpected turn

A couple of days before the actual drama, when everyone had resigned to having the idol of Krishna in the altar, Swami came up with a surprise packet. He asked for the Krishna idol to be replaced with the idol of Goddess Kali! He said that Ramakrishna Paramahamsa was a devotee of the Mother and it didn’t make sense to have the idol of Krishna in his altar.

Everyone was relieved. Finally, Swami seemed to have realized His error. Before He could change His mind again, the idols were quickly exchanged and everyone smiled at each other. It was only after Swami left that every person of the drama troupe came to know the secret behind Swami’s error. The secret came as a revelation from an overwhelmed Deepak Anand.

“When I saw the idol of Mother Kali, my feelings were of fear and even a little disgust. I wondered as to how I would be able to inculcate feelings of devotion and yearning towards such a fearsome and fiery form. Even as I was thinking thus, Swami brought in the beautiful idol of Krishna, my family deity. The connection and bonding was instantaneous for me. In the meanwhile, Swami Himself worked on my love and devotion towards the Mother. Incessant and intense chanting of the Mother’s mantra and hearing about Her from Swami stroked a deep and intense love in my heart. Today, I could see the change. When the idol of Mother Kali was brought to the altar, I did not see an idol, but my Mother, the object of my deep devotion and love.”

Swami with the students after the finale of the 1998 Convocation Drama. Deepak Anand can be seen clutching on to
Swami's right elbow, straining to remain in the frame. 

Everyone was stunned by this revelation! They could not imagine in their wildest thoughts the wisdom behind Swami’s apparent mistake. What a Masterstroke Swami had played! Now, everyone was lost in admiration for His subtle and beautiful ways. Being very ‘focused’ often makes one narrow in one’s vision. Broadening of one’s vision enables one to see the beauty that otherwise is missed.

Trekker’s Delight

The memory of Deepak Anand’s inspirational experience brought a little smile on my sweaty face. I decided to take a little break from my trekking and catch my breath. As I stood still, my eyes raised from the path they had been so diligently focusing on all this while. And then, what I saw took my breath away.

The hills and the dales that spanned before me were beautiful beyond description. The lush green carpets with bushes dancing in the wind, the fluttering butterflies and chirping birds, the soothing blue sky with its fluffy clouds - everything seemed so ethereal and other-worldly. The scene was as beautiful as it was when I had seen it from the window at home. How on earth had I missed all this?

I understood that being narrow-minded and too focused on just my perspective often blinds me to the beauty and glory that the Lord embodies. No wonder that it is said, "Beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder." If one's vision is broad, one is able to appreciate beauty. If one's vision is narrow, one is just not able to understand and realize the beauty! The members of the 1998 drama troupe realized it through Deepak Anand’s experience and I realized it through my little trek!

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