83rd Birthday Celebrations of Bhagwan at Shivam

In a year there are 365 days and sometimes they are 366, however there was only one day in this century that was blessed to be god’s birth day, after which every day was just a joys day filled with divine peace in lives of many blessed humans. This blessed occasion was celebrated year after year, reminding the humanity how fortunate we are and how opportune is that day of November 23rd is. This year happens to be the 83rd birthday celebration of that divine master who has cleansed many souls on this earth. Shivam again is all set with jubilance to celebrate the birthday celebration of Bhagwan Sri Sathya Sai Baba. The birth day will flag off with a specialized free medical camp on November 1st and 2nd at Shivam, followed by a weeklong cultural saga, which would start on 17th November and would end on 23rd. The week would have a daily Nagarasankeerthan, Narayana seva schedule and evenings would be decorated with cultural events.

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Free Specialised Medical Camp at Shivam on 1st and 2nd November 2008

“Cure the body and transform the heart” was the motto with which medical camps were started by Bhagwan many years ago. With that motto in heart and strong will to execute divine orders, ready were numerous loving hands on the first day of November 2008. For any system to run efficiently, the most important characteristic is the fundamental process involved. In Bhaghwan’s mission, the core of the process is Prema, the christened love for god. Shivam, the abode of our dear swami in Hyderabad, was transformed into temple of healing on both these days. The medical camp had the most renowned doctors of the city coming from the biggest institutions like Sarojini Devi Eye Hospital, Sadhuram Eye Hospital Sathya Kidney Centre & Sathya Diagnostic Services, Wockhardt Hospitals, Sai Bhavani Hospitals, Gandhi Hospital, Institute of Preventive Medicine, Army Dental College, Dr. Mohan's Diabetes Specialties Centre and SL Diagnostic Services. The facilities provided included Biochemistry lab, ECG, Ultrasound Scanning, CT scan, 2d Echo and Blood Sugar checkup. The cabins were well arranged with state of the art medical technologies. There was a flow of love right from receiving patients till they left the gates receiving medication. It was a flow similar to that of a silent peaceful river which not only gives fresh water, but also inspires to be still and calm. The most important aspect of the camp was the touch of love showed by all the volunteers. Blessed and inspired by Bhagwan, the Sevadal Volunteers took care of every patient, with utmost care and love. They directed them towards the doctors, took them for all the relevant tests and learnt the lessons of humility. More than 4500 patients had been treated on these two days, by swami’s grace.

As a part of doctor’s suggestions, around 40 members were taken to the Diagnostic Centre for several tests. Some people shared their sorrows and were overwhelmed that they were cleaned and swept by the divine. Some of the touching snippets directly from the patients surprised and touched many hearts. A patient named ARUNA, was suffering from severe chest pain for more than 3 months and was unable to consult a doctor due to unaffordable circumstances, and thus she prayed to god for rescue.

As a matter of fact she did not know about swami but whenever there was immense pain she took a glass of water, but that would never subside the pain. One day a neighbor suggested her to take vibhuthi, and being in a condition that disabled her to speak for more than 10 min forced her to take rescue with blind faith on that vibhuthi. Gradually she started to recover from the pain. She has a husband, son, and daughter but unfortunately no one has taken care of her. However, the medical camp had brought her a smile and faith, that swami is the only one who can come to rescue. She was overjoyed that swami was the only one to know her pain. She was brought to the diagnostic centre for an x-ray of chest. Being from a very poor background and she was even worried of Rs. 300 for x-ray, but the volunteer assured her that swami provided the services as her own mother and he would never charge money for it. Her words were “sai ram I don’t have money to have a general check-up, when you held me and took towards the tests, I never even knew that kind of concern would ever come from any stranger, because my own children never treated me the way you treated me”.

For some the camp was a stage to cure their bodies, and for some others it was a stage to clean their egos, restrictive mentalities and apprehensive motives. One of the volunteer was given the responsibility to take over a poor old man towards the lunch counter and feed him. This man was so old and diseased, that the volunteer’s mind was fighting against himself to touch him even. He wanted to push on the responsibility to someone else. But somehow, as it said in telugu “sthaana Balam” …the impact of the place…… he was right in the place where Bhaghwan walked many times in the passed years. Some how there was a tearing scream in his mind, which came right up to him and said “Why”…why are you doing this? .That challenging thought pushed him to hold that diseased with determined love and care and took him towards the lunch counter. As the diseased person sat and took over the plate of meal, he first prostrated to that volunteer with hands held high. This was the icing on the cake, the ego which was subsiding in the mind of the volunteer broke in to pieces and there was peace which flowed down in the form of tears, cleansing his heart and thanking swami for the opportunity.

The medical camp was a lesson to destitute people that there is hope and faith still existing on this earth and on the other hand it was a lesson to many more well off people that there are big egos still to be melted down.

Jai Sai Ram

17th November

It was raining ...raining ......and raining throughout the day on the 16th of November. It all looked like ‘whether or not’ situation. Stage was wet, the arena was wet and whole of shivam premises was wet. But there was never a doubt in the hearts of the Sevadals at shivam. They were performing their duties to the best despite of any obstacle. As the sunlight hit the floor, all was normal and the celebration was on and the nagarsankeerthan went on with devotees spreading the Bhajan joy in the streets. The afternoon session started with Narayana seva at Leprosy colony, Moulali. The seva activity went on in a perfect manner with all the residents getting bhagwan’s prasadam.

The evening session was all set for the Bharatha Naatyam dance programme by Rajeshwari Sainath and disciples. They danced with great agility and dexterity on a fusion based music. They took the disciples through a journey of ‘Gambheerathvam’, performing an act of Shiva, towards a mode of ‘Komalathvam’, performing an act of Krishna and ultimately ending with ‘Mokshathwam’ performing an act on ‘asathoma sadgamaya’. The dance was well received by the devotees and the first day of the one week celebrations of bhaghwan started with all spread joy.

18th November

19th November

20th November

21st November

22nd November

23rd November

There are rivers...there are seas.....there are Oceans......they all survive in their given areas blessed by GODs.......but what if God gave a place to see him once a year in a small 2 acre land piece...... Shivam - the abode of Bhaghwan Sri Sathya Sai Baba at Hyderabad was unbeatably one such place on the 23rd November 2008. The beautiful curious morning was waiting to rise as the Nagarsankartheen began with swami being taken on the beautiful Pallaki seva. There was a wonderful smile on each and every face of the devotees, unknown phenomena of thirst for god’s love, an unfathomable feeling of celebration and an unending saga of god-devotee relationship. The main bhajan hall was decorated and put up with a wonderful theme drawing huge crowds’ whole of the day. The whole temple was decked in such a beautiful manner that few devotees even doubted that swami was somewhere around the corner in Shivam. The flow of devotees was continuous and everybody coming for darshan had their wonderful lunch blessed by bhaghwan. The Narayana Seva went on as though gods were waiting in the long ques to get a taste of god’s blessed food. There was a smile of satisfaction on every face, the moment they got their share of prasadam at the luncheon.

Well ...the Narayan Seva ended but the devotees were never willing to go out of the temple, as the sweet day was too close to their hearts and everybody wanted to have hand in the “jo jo..jo” to swami, meaning “the Jhoola Seva” in the evening. Many of the devotees also participated in the arrangements activities to stick on to the place, after all its God’s day; everybody would like to be a part of it. The stage was decked with a rainbow of balloons, may be around 3000 of them adored like a shelter for the sweet lord’s ‘Jhoola time’. The evening program began with Bhajans and after that the jhoola songs were sung in a beautiful lullaby way. Now comes the best part, the royal pathway towards main temple was the path which would be every god’s dream. Perhaps the erstwhile incarnations of our sweet Sai Rama or Sai Krishna might have had great celebrations, but one thing for sure they never had HUGE CAKES amounting to 2500kilograms in 31 numbers lined up for them. The band of cakes never looked like they were ending somewhere, as was the ocean of devotees so was the amount of cake distributed on the glorious occasion. Many a times we see devotees going empty hands in many temples around the world, but everyone at Shivam on that wonderful glorious occasion of our dear lord’s birthday did not go without cake prasaadam. Sometimes the glory of lord engulfs all the misery, all the suffering, all the human pride in doing god’s work. Sometimes the glory encompasses, sub merges the deep human quest to know god, to feel god and to see god. Sometimes the glory of lord remains to be that which is seen, remembered, thought about and digested upon the spirit. After all God is Glorious and only his Glory will cleanse the human hearts and the 23rd November @ Shivam is one such perfect occasion and perfect place where devotees come to see the Glorious Lord Sathya Sai Baba, and Shivam has been blessed to show the glory for 14th continuous year. Jai Sai Ram.

Narayana Seva