One cannot merge in the ocean of Brahman until ignoranceand desires are left behind
From the book Prema Sai Avatar Part III - Sai Digest
White Sari Right Sari!
The 27th
May is the anniversary of our marriage. It was on this day in 2001 that Swami
blessed the red stone Mangalya with His physical touch in Brindavan,
Whitefield. It was Swami Himself who told me make it and bring it to Whitefield
for His blessing. Every year Swami blesses a new sacred thread, sari and toe
rings.
Kodaikanal
We
asked permission to bring a sari into darshan for Swami to bless. It was a
mango colour sari, new yellow thread and toe rings. SV sat in the second row,
but Swami did not bless the items.
Vasantha: Swami, why didn’t You bless my sari?
Swami: You change the sari. Bring the white
sari. I will bless it.
Vasantha: Swami, that sari is for the
inauguration of the Stupi. The mango colour sari is for 27th May.
Swami: No, this sari is for May 27th.
All will be good this time. Nothing will happen to either of us. We will
celebrate our marriage day in bliss. We will be happy.
Vasantha: Really, tell me Swami.
Swami: Really! We will be happy. Special
events will happen on that day, so you change this sari.
Vasantha: Swami, I will do what You say. Please
bless the marriage of Shanthini’s daughter.
Swami: Yes, all will go on well.
End
of Meditation
Shanthini
from London
As
Swami instructed, I put the mango coloured sari away and took out the white
sari Marthe had given me for the Stupi inauguration. As it was Tamil New Year
and the Kerala festival of Vishu, there were heavy crowds for two days; it was
not possible for us to take the sari, mangala sutra and toe rings into darshan.
The next day Swami did not come for darshan. For the next two days I was unwell
and did not go for darshan. I cried a lot. I was feeling very bad that I was
not able to go to darshan.
Today
is the anniversary of the day I merged with Swami in Vashista cave in 2002. When
we were reminiscing about this, I suddenly remembered that at that time SV had
prepared a wedding invitation card, to celebrate Swami’s and my merger in the
Vashista cave. I thought; let us prepare an invitation now. All agreed. I began
to make an invitation immediately. I took Shantini’s daughter marriage
invitation and used it as a model. The ashramites said that we will print it
out on the computer. Shanthini daughter’s marriage day was May 28th 2006 ; Eddy changed
it to May 27.
“Oh! It
is Sunday, we should make it Saturday!” I said, “But marriages are not
performed on Saturday’s! But this is not an ordinary marriage. It is a marriage
of Sathya and Prema for the Sathya Yuga.” Saying this I changed it to Saturday.
I drew Stupi on the front of the card and wrote, ‘Reception 2nd September 2006 ’,
near the drawing of the Stupi – this was the inauguration day of Mukthi Stupi. In
Shanthini’s invitation it was written ‘avoid presents’, at the bottom we
changed it to ‘avoid Siddhis and posts’.
WEDDING INVITATION
|
Mr. &Mrs. V. Raju and
Mr. & Mrs. Madurakavi
request the pleasure of the company of
the 14 worlds
their son their daughter
Sathyam Prema
ON
Between
At
Reception:
Vaikunta House on
Avoids Siddhis and Posts please.
Your presence will grant you Liberation
Right Here Right Now.
|
Picture of the card.
Amar went
to print the card on the computer and then with Dr Varma to darshan. They came
home late in the evening and told that Swami had given a discourse. He talked
about,
‘Mother,
Father, Guru, God’. They also said that while talking about guru Swami talked
about Madurakavi Alwar, (the great Tamil saint who is the father of Andal.
Swami told me that my father is an aspect of him.)
Swami
also told how people consult pundits when they want to find a good day for
marriage. But they are money minded and give dates only according to what is
convenient to them. Swami added, “You can fix a day which you feel correct!”
Swami
also spoke about Abhimanyu and Subhadra. Amar then went to print the invitation
and came late at night. I said, “Swami has talked about Madurakavi Alwar and
aslo answered our doubt about fixing the day of the ‘marriage’ on Saturday.” We
talked happily.
We pasted the marriage invitation
that Amar had printed in the inside of Shantini’s daughter’s marriage card. The
front page had been changed already. Thus a beautiful invitation card was
prepared. All of us were very happy. We kept it on Swami’s padukas and slept.
18.04.2006
Tuesday
Vasantha: Swami, today you should bless the sari
and other things. Please take the invitation card.
Swami: I will bless by touching.
It
had been two days since I had gone to darshan. We left at 7.30a.m.
The darshan area
is very crowded. Swami comes early at 8
o’clock , before tokens are given. All are sent in quickly. We do
not get a place inside. We sit in rows along the path that goes up to the
darshan area. They tell us Swami will come down the driveway and give us
darshan. Ladies sit one side of the driveway and gents on the other. Swami
gives darshan, to all but does not come down the driveway. All wait with great
expectation, but Swami does not come; He goes back to the veranda and sits for
bhajan. We cannot see Him. Swami came in His chair, but we do not see Him. I
burst out crying. What mistake did I do? Why He didn’t come? All Sevadals tell,
‘Swami came down the driveway for the last two days…’ What mistake did I
commit? I cry. A small space is available and I am told to go and sit inside,
but I cannot see Swami.
Finally we stand up and can see Swami.
Swami is sitting on His chair in front of all. I see Him clearly, to my hearts
content. I say, ‘It is enough Swami’. After aarti all leave.
As we
walked out of darshan, Geetha, I and Mrs Varma discussed, “The men’s side was
also crowded, what would they have done? How could Swami bless the items with
such a crowd? What about the wedding invitation, did Swami take it?”
Fred,
Eddy, Amar and Dr Varma were waiting for us. They told, “Swami blessed all
things, touching with His divine hand and took the invitation card!” All were blissfully
happy. Everyone described it in their own way. It was wonderful to listen to.
Fred
told that he got a place in one corner, in the third row and sat near the
security. He took the sari out of the cover, placed the sacred yellow thread,
toe rings and invitation on top. Swami came in His chair, stopped in front of
Fred and called him. Fred knelt down and stretched his hands. Swami blessed all
with His hands, touching Fred’s hand! Swami also took the invitation card. All
is Swami’s master plan. Before Swami came all were inside the darshan area. All
rushed in a hurry to search for a place to sit. Many women were not able to go
inside and had to sit on the driveway by the gate.
Eddy said, “Amma! Today is Tuesday,
mangala day, like Hanuman showing Mother Sita’s Shudamani to Rama in Ashokavana,
Fred showed your sari, mangala sutra and toe rings to Swami. It is on this day that
Hanuman first saw Mother Sita. So this is the right day for Swami to bless your
things.”
We lovingly call Fred, Hanuman. He performs
all actions effortlessly and skilfully. Like him, all are working as messengers
between me and Swami. They wait for Swami’s darshan from early morning till 10.30 a.m. At 12 pm they start queuing for evening darshan. They
deliver all my letters to Swami. They do not eat properly and all make so much
effort to give my letters to Swami. They do not have any personal desires. They
are happy to see me and Swami together. They know my each and every feeling because
they live with me in ashram. They know how I cry and yearn for Swami. They work
so hard only to make me happy. To acknowledge their sacrifice, Swami takes
letters from them and blesses all.
In the morning I took my bath and wore the
white sari with embroidery. Eddy bought the sari for me for Shivarathri in
Puttaparthi. I said to Swami, “I will come for darshan wearing the white sari
bought for me by our younger son, our elder son Fred will bring a white sari
for our marriage day. Please bless!”
I prayed
in this way and told them, “Today Swami will definitely bless with His divine
touch.” All happened exactly as I said!
Swami
was already coming down on the slope when they entered for darshan and looked
at them. They had to run and sit in the last place. Swami saw them there and
came to bless the sari. This is Swami’s master plan.
We go
for darshan in the evening and sit outside in a good place in front of the
first door. Swami comes at 4.45 pm
and gives a discourse.
In
His speech Swami talks about the marriage of Rama and Sita, vividly describing
the wedding scenes, He becomes emotional. He tells how all who witness the
wedding attain liberation. I am very happy as I had written on the card that
Swami had accepted in the morning, ‘All those who attend our wedding on the 27th
of May will be blessed with liberation’. Swami then describes how Mother Sita
sends her ring to Rama through the messenger Hanuman. It is a diamond ring with
fourteen stones, representing the fourteen worlds! I had written in the card,
‘Invitation to the fourteen worlds!’ Later we find out that Swami materialised
the ring for all to see and said that Sita had become very lean and so the ring
no longer fitted her…at this moment Swami placed the ring on His finger and
began to cry…all are transported back to Treta Yuga.
I am
very happy that Swami openly accepted the invitation through the words of His
speech. After His discourse Swami comes outside and blesses all.
We
return home happily discussing Swami’s discourse. All are blissful and thankful
for Swami’s wonderful words that bless May 27th marriage and the
reception on 2nd September, the inauguration day of the Stupi.