God's delays are not denials but gateways to greater joy

“God’s delays are not His denials...”

This is a quote that I have heard a million times. Well, maybe not a million times, but it surely feels like that! It is possibly one of my all-time favorite phrases to be used while consoling someone who is in despair.

“Hey! Don’t worry. Things will sort out. God is there to help. Remember... His delays are not His denials.”

But my attitude towards the quote depends on how life is panning out for me. When things are sunny and fine, I completely trust the quote. When things go bad however, I seem to desperately grab on to the quote with the secret hope in my heart that this is only a delay and not a denial from God. The truth is whether I ‘believe’ in it or not, God definitely has the perfect timing and His delays are only to bring added joy! I know this to be true based on multiple experiences with my Swami, Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba. One singular experience however, stands out because it reinforces this quote with two simultaneous experiences of delays not being denials.

The Master walks into our life at the perfect time - ALWAYS!

Just like a single story of the charming Lord Krishna gets linked to so many other stories which reveal His divine facets, this incident too shall have its sub-stories. In fact, ‘deviating’ from the main story into sub stories has been termed as ‘Hari-Katha’ in India, a composite form of storytelling with poetry, music, drama, dance, and philosophy, which often runs for hours! The sub-stories add flavour and spice to the main story. So, here is one such Sai-Katha.

A class teacher’s classy talk

It was the March of the year 2000. I was in XII grade and was preparing furiously for the countrywide Board Examinations. In India, 12th standard is a transition from high school to University and the examinations conducted by the CBSE (Central Board for Secondary Examination) are given paramount importance. For a student in Swami’s school, it was a time of another probable, terrible transition. Since Swami had not started any medical or engineering colleges and courses for chartered accountancy, those wishing to pursue these lucrative and attractive careers had to leave Swami’s physical proximity. Further studies available in the University involved only the pursuit of a Bachelor's degree in pure sciences, commerce or the arts which is considered ‘mediocre’ by many. (This is fast changing in part due to the impressive record of the Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Learning).

In that scenario, an informal talk delivered to us by our ‘class’ teacher, Dr.Sailesh Srivastava was vital in the enlightenment it provided. The talk lasted two hours and was delivered late in the evening in the galleries of the Sri Sathya Sai Hill-View stadium. The next day, we were to travel to Brindavan (Whitefield in Bangalore), as the school’s outgoing batch and seek His blessings.This was the practice - the outgoing students from Puttaparthi, Brindavan and Anantapur would travel to wherever Swami was and hope to elicit an interview or at least padanamaskar. The talk that Sailesh sir gave us was inspirational and full of the divine stories of Swami. He made one particular point that struck us and seemed to get enshrined in every listening heart.

He said, “Whether we stay with Swami or not, is not in our hands. If we are supposed to be away from Swami, even if we perform somersaults to stay on here, it will not be possible. If we are supposed to be here, however hard we try to get away from this place, it will not be possible. So, that is out of our hands. That is destiny. But we can decide what we feel and desire. We can have the intense longing to be with Swami always, irrespective of where life takes us. We can choose to give Swami first priority always. That is self effort. Take care of your feelings and desires which are in your control, life will take care of itself. “

At the end of that talk, everyone was wanting to be with Swami, irrespective of what they had originally desired or what their parents had planned. If fate/destiny would take them away, so be it but they would certainly not want to be away from Swami at any cost.

The rewards of the inspirational talk

Thus it was, that a bunch of highly motivated and charged up students made their way to Brindavan. In the morning, as we all sat for darshan, Swami came and made enquiries into how many of us had come and for what reason we had come. The darshan got over during which we had managed to hand over the bundle of letters that we had all written to Swami. Within a few minutes, we received word that Swami had called us all into Trayee Brindavan, His residence at Whitefield.  With great joy, anticipation and excitement we wended our way into the Trayee compound and entered the hallowed precincts of the building. The Jhoola or swing welcomed us and we sat around it. In a few moments, Swami arrived. As soon as He came into the room, He asked,

“How many doctors here?” 

Nobody raised their hands. Sailesh sir’s speech on the previous evening was obviously showing its effects. Everyone in their hearts was saying,

“Swami, we want to be with you.”

An addiction called God - experiences of Navaneeth Kumar_Part 1

"Of all the insanities that harass man, God-madness is the least harmful, the most beneficial.  The world has suffered untold damage due to its "mad" rulers and "mad" guides; however, nothing but harmony, peace, brotherliness and love have come out of the 'God-madness' of man!”

- Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba, Prasanthi Nilayam, MahaSivarathri 1955

The earliest memory Navaneeth Kumar has of Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba is as a 4-year old child in 1990. His mother had brought him along with her for darshan at Prasanthi Nilayam. He had been patiently sitting by her side waiting for ‘Swami’ to come. His mother was gently whispering things in his ears,

“He is God... Pray to Him... When he comes close, take this letter, go to Him and offer it... Life will be set after that... Sit silent till then... “

Soon, the orange-robed form of Baba was in the darshan hall. As He came close, Navaneeth’s mother gave him the letter and a pat on the back. Like an adrenaline-loaded Olympic runner who receives a baton in a relay race, Navaneeth clutched the letter in his hand and rushed towards Swami. It appeared as if Swami was gently gliding towards Navaneeth who was running madly towards Him. His mother had told him to be careful of volunteers who would enforce discipline and pull him back to his seat. As he reached his goal and came face to face with Swami, the little boy was struck dumb. He was overwhelmed at the huge halo of black hair and the majestic presence of the ‘person’ in front of him. He stood transfixed for a while and Swami gently passed by him. Navaneeth then returned to his mother, the letter still clutched in his hand.

That was it for the next 15 years or so. As Navaneeth got into school and pursued academics (which he was the least fond of), Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba became his God no doubt, but He was not more than a venerated photograph at home. Though a born Hindu, Navaneeth was more keen about another religion that is opium to the teenaged masses in India - cricket! He loved the game ever since he was a 5-year old and he developed into an all-rounder, bowling and batting well against seniors double or triple his age. Cricket is what Navaneeth remembers most about his childhood and teenage years.

God does not call the qualified; God qualifies the called - Part 2

The story so far...

Nitin Kanade has had a wonderful transformation journey; from being dead-against being a student at the Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Learning, he now pines to be a part of that hallowed community. But, the universe seemed to have conspired against him and played a cruel joke because of which he is forced to leave the college.

Dear reader, I would request you to come to this part after having traveled the journey with our protagonist in the first part.

God does not call the qualified; God qualifies the called - Part 1

Part 2 continues from now on...

Not a man who expressed his anger, the warden told him with restraint,

“Swami has come here for the practice session of the music programme. Only music boys are allowed into the prayer hall. I cannot tell you to go to college for you are no longer a student there. But I cannot allow you into the prayer hall. So, if you want to have darshan, stand here itself and maybe you will be able to see Baba from the window.”

Nitin understood clearly the meaning of the saying, “When God closes a door, He opens a window.” That little window in the prayer-cum-dining hall of the hostel would be his only window of opportunity to continue as a student. The senior-boys hostel in Puttaparthi has a large quadrangle with lawns at its centre. On the west side of the quadrangle is the prayer hall. Nitin stood on the east side of the lawns, quite a distance away from his Swami. He positioned himself strategically so that he could see Swami through the window. His eyes focused on that little orange-robed figure and his heart broadcast prayers.

If you look to me, I look to you

Nitin seemed to be on a ‘learning’ spree, getting greater clarity on the workings of the Lord. Within a short while, he realized the meaning of yet another of Baba’s statements,

“If you look to me, I look to you.”

Even as he watched Swami from the window, he saw that Swami was looking directly at him. His heart rejoiced and basked under that loving glance. He felt very special - Swami had come for the music practice but was looking at him! That gave him courage to slowly inch his way towards the prayer hall. Within a few minutes, he was inside and sitting along with the sick students who had rushed from their dorm beds to the prayer hall. When the Lord arrives, illnesses are all forgotten! In such times, those very illnesses seem to become blessings for they literally take you closer to God!

Swami sat through the entire practice session, making corrections and changes in the songs. At the end of the practice, as He got up to leave, He began to speak to some of the boys. Out of the blue, He asked Nitin,

“Boy, why are you here?”

The question was asked suddenly and so the answer was spontaneous and factual.

“Swami, I have been asked to leave the college. Since I cannot attend classes, I came to the hostel.”

Swami’s reply was emphatic.

“How can that be? I have called you and given you admission.” Patting him on his shoulder, Swami continued, “Go to college and attend classes.”

And He walked out of the prayer hall.

With thankfulness, Nitin remembered the words of his teacher, Sai Giridhar. Things had indeed changed in an instant. But it was not going to be ‘happily ever after’ so fast for Nitin.

Twists of fate arrive only to amplify God’s love for us

Ten days elapsed and Nitin continued attending classes in the college. Just when he was thinking that the matter had been settled, the vice-chancellor, Sampath sir, arrived to his classroom and summoned him. Walking with him in the corridor, he told him that there was no way he could be permitted to continue studying a course which included Chemistry when he had failed in that very subject.

“But Swami told me to attend classes in college...” whimpered Nitin.

“He told you to attend classes. Did He tell you to attend BSc classes?”, asked Sampath sir.

Nitin’s reply was a blank stare as the vice-chancellor continued,

“Go to the BCom classes. Consider yourself as a student of the commerce stream from now on.”

And so, Nitin shifted classes and streams to become a student of the BCom course of the Institute. But he was still far away from peace of mind as the registrar called him to his office and gave him a piece of his mind!

“What audacity do you have to sit in classes like this when you have flunked your high-schooling? University is only for those who have cleared high-school. These are rules which we cannot flout. I promise you it will not be a pleasant sight for anyone if I see you in class tomorrow. Now you may leave.”

“But Swami...”

“No ifs and buts here. You may leave.”

Nitin had to simply leave the office room and head to the hostel. He was in a deep dilemma. Whom should he obey? Swami or the university authorities? He knew that the registrar was absolutely right in what he was doing - his duty. But Nitin could not imagine a life without Swami. That evening, during darshan something unexpected happened.

Swami commands Nitin to become a
participating Marathi poet in the Kavi Sammelan
during Guru Poornima.

Swami walked up to him and told him,

“There is going to be a kavi sammelan (poets’ meet) for Guru Poornima. I want you to be one of the poets. Compose a poem in Marathi.”

Being ‘raw’ and ‘unseasoned’ in responding to Swami, Nitin shot back,

“Impossible Swami! I don’t know Marathi well and I cannot compose poetry in any language. This is something I cannot do.”

“This is something you have to do and you will do”, said Swami with such a stern look that Nitin cowered. He felt that it would not be wise to get into the bad books of Swami when he was already in the bad books of all the college authorities.

“Yes.... Swami....”, he replied and received a lovely smile from his Lord.

All the student-poets participating in the kavi sammelan were exempted from classes to allow for composition and practice. Nitin knew that he did not qualify in any way to be a poet, that too a Marathi one. But Swami had called him and chosen him. It was yet another reinforcement that Swami’s call in itself is a qualification. Needless to say, within a few days, Nitin was ready with his poem and began to practice for its punchy delivery. The punch came with its best impact on the D-Day, Gurupoornima Day 1989, when Nitin recited his Marathi poem to the audience in Swami’s divine presence. It was an unforgettable experience for him.

Pleasure, an interval between two pains

With the conclusion of the Guru Poornima festivities, the focus shifted back to Nitin’s problem of attending classes. On the very first day itself, he was forewarned by the registrar against trying to attend classes. The explanation that Swami had asked him to did not work and it was obvious that Swami had not spoken anything about Nitin to any of the authorities. Swami had not done anything ‘out of the legal framework’ to support Nitin and yet, He had always told him to attend classes. Between the authorities and Swami, Nitin felt like the blade of grass amidst two fighting elephants! What was he to do?

He was summoned to the principal’s office, two days after Guru Poornima.

“Boy, you have to leave. There is no choice”, said Mahajan sir.

A crestfallen Nitin walked out of the office and into the hostel. He began to pack his bags because the orders had now been issued to evict him from the hostel too. With no other choice when he walked out, he was accosted by Mr. Sanjay Sahni, one of his teachers in commerce. Sahni sir told him,

“Nitin, Swami has told you many times that you should attend class and be in college. Whatever may happen, do not leave Puttaparthi without telling Swami first.”

Nitin agreed to this piece of wisdom. But that also was not going to be easy.

With his seat in college gone, he had also lost his opportunity to sit with the students in the mandir for darshan sessions. He moved over to the area allocated for the alumni or ex-students as they are called. During these days when he literally had no succour other than Swami, his Lord chose to ignore him completely. Now, he was completely at his wits’ end. He seemed stuck between the devil and a really deep sea. Weeks rolled by and the last ounce of hope in Nitin seemed to dry up. The mid-semester examinations of the Institute were conducted and Nitin was not allowed to sit for them. Since these carry 40% weight of the total marks, there was no way Nitin could complete his course by missing them. He began to bid goodbye to one year of studies at least. That was when, again the unexpected happened. (Where God is concerned, the unexpected always seems to happen. Isn't that why He asks us to love His uncertainty?)

One fine day (the day has become ‘fine’ in retrospect for NItin!) in August 1989, Swami walked up to Nitin and beckoned to him. Startled, Nitin rushed to Swami and knelt before him.

“When is the supplementary examination?” Swami asked.

The Supplementary Board Exam in India gives a second chance to students who have failed to clear certain subjects in the first go. The supplementary exam for Chemistry was due in 3 days and Nitin ‘informed’ Swami about it.

“Can you reach in time for the exam?”

“Swami, they will be held in Delhi and I will be able to make it if I can catch today evening’s train from Dharmavaram.”

“Go immediately then. Take padanamaskar. You have my blessings”, Swami said, giving him a sweet smile.

Nitin could not believe it. Even if he cleared the Chemistry paper via the supplementary exam, what could he do about the missed mid-semester exams of the University? He did not have much time to think and so he rushed to get a bus which would take him to Dharmavaram. There, he jumped into the ‘unreserved’ general compartment and readied himself for the arduous 2.5 day journey.

Managing some sitting space, he opened his Chemistry textbook to study and prepare for the impending examination when the train experienced a sudden jerk. Moments later, he was flying through the compartment as his train bogie ran off the tracks. What a time to get into an accident! Chemistry somehow seemed to be a specialist in derailing Nitin always!

By God’s grace, Nitin escaped without a scratch on his body but his mind was in a state of shock. Though delayed by 8 hours, he managed to get on to another train and reach Delhi just hours before the examination! He has no idea of how he wrote the exam during the afternoon. Having done that, he took the same night’s train back to Dharmavaram and hoped for Swami to work a miracle for him.

He returned and immediately Swami told him to attend classes again. The smile on his face did not last long as the registrar personally walked into his class and kicked him out! This divine ‘football’ went on and Nitin, in a span of a week, was in and out of classes 4 times! Now the case against him was stronger - he had not cleared the mid-semester exams. Nitin felt that the inevitable had been delayed enough by Swami. There was no more hope now.

Receiving a certificate from Swami after the Summer Course in Indian Culture
and Spirituality.

The called gets qualified

When the Lord decides to get a work done, He does so in matter of moments. As Nitin, the football, was being kicked from pillar to post, Swami decided that it was time for him to rush into his goal! That happened during another darshan session, in the course of another unexpected twist.

Swami called the registrar, K.Chakravarthi, and began asking him about certain University rules. In the course of the discussion, He asked,

“Tell me, is there a provision for a supplementary mid-semester examination?”

“Yes Swami, there is?”

“Who is eligible to write that?”

“Swami, those who have not been able to clear the actual mid-semester examination.”

“What if someone was absent for the exam?”

“Swami, if the absence is justified, then the candidate could sit for the supplementary exam.”

“What about this boy then”, said Swami and pointed straight to Nitin who was sitting with the students.

Nitin had missed the mid-semester because he had been preparing for the supplementary exam in Chemistry without which he was ineligible for University examination. He had cleared the Chemistry ‘acid-test’ and now had a justified reason for writing the mid-semester exams which he had previously missed.

“He is eligible for the supplementary exam Swami”, said Chakravarthi sir.

“Then, let him write it and if found eligible, let him be taken into the college.”

Nitin completed BCom with honours from the Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Learning and later went on to get his MCom degree as well. During those student days, he got hundreds of opportunities with his Lord and Master, his Swami. He learnt lessons for life and won the friendship of the ONLY friend in the Universe - God. He went on to serve in the Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Medical Sciences till 2005 after which Swami guided him to his current job. His two little girls embody every bit of his love and devotion to Swami as they listen with rapt attention to all the stories their father has to tell. In fact, they have no taste for videogames, movies or the television. They do not own a television at home too. All that time, they spend playing with their parents and listening to stories and experiences with Swami.

Qualification does not matter when it comes to God. Qualifications are results achieved and conferred by mortals. God does not seek results. He only seeks efforts - efforts to be near Him, and dear to Him. And if only one makes those efforts, God will crown those very efforts with His love and blessings - the greatest qualifications that one can ever seek.

Coming back to the quote - God does not call the qualified; He qualifies the called -  what more can one say. Isn’t Nitin’s story evidence enough?

It was 'happily ever after' in the real sense for Nitin now...

If you enjoyed reading this, you will definitely enjoy the following:

1. Sometimes things have to go horribly wrong before going right.

2. How I got my job and career at Radiosai.

3. Faith and self-confidence - Story of the little bird

4. Misfortune becomes a blessing in disguise when God is your good luck talisman

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".

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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.

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