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Folks, I plan on being away for a couple of months in India. I am going back to visit Sai Baba’s Ashram. I need a break and some release from the bitter cold, lack lustre days of winter. Also some time away from a computer and blogging. I hope to return with some new travel stories and, of course, photos. Here is one of my favourite memories from many years ago while on a visit to Whitefield, in Bangalore. I don’t visit Whitefield anymore because the Bangalore traffic is too congested nowadays to make the trip. I miss the enchantment of Whitefield, and of course the darshans in Sai Ramesh Hall. Luckily, people have created beautiful you tubes, like the one above to savor our memories forever.
Sorry for mistakes in this post, I have had quite a few computer glitches this morning.
“Blessed Sweets” – I remember the day well, like yesterday!
It was during one summer in the early 1990’s at Brindavan that I noticed Swami was blessing more than the usual number of silver sweet platters.
One particularly happy afternoon I watched with interest two ladies seated on the aisle holding their bright silver platters high while waiting for his attention. Swami came to darshan walking from side to side in his usual fashion but eventually stopped in front of the ladies then blessed their platters, which contained not only toffees but also photos, vibuthi and lockets. I sat thinking to myself, I wish I too, had a silver platter to hold high for such a blessing.
Before darshan the following morning, I plucked up enough courage to buy a silver platter, a huge bag of sweets (Mango Melodies), and three packets of little golden lockets, each one with a small picture of Swami with his hand held in the ’Abhaya Mudra – ( the ‘WHY FEAR, I AM HERE’ blessing ) and one yellow rose. I wasn’t quite sure how to prepare my platter nor did I know where to place the lockets. After some thought I placed them under the toffees and then placed the rose on top. Ah, it looked pretty, I felt sure that Swami would bless my offering.
But Swami did not bless the dish on my first attempt and by the second day I lost confidence and gave the dish to an Australian colleague to offer but Swami would not bless the sweets. On the third attempt I was happy to be seated on the carpet’s edge of block two where Swami always walked. He stopped, looked, and blessed the sweets forcefully. I’d felt him taking a large swipe of the contents into his hand then he threw them, showering what seemed like a good portion of devotees. I could hear loud whoops of joy as the sweets were thrown. Puzzled, I wondered why.
After Swami had passed by, I glanced at my platter for the 3 packets of lockets but only one remained. Apparently Swami had thrown two packets of lockets with the toffees! No wonder there had been such loud whoops of joy from devotees in block two.
A few days later I learned that the lockets had been thrown without their clear wrappers. In fact they had been dispersed individually with no trace of the wrapper anywhere. One of the lockets had fallen to a lady with cancer and two others had gone to another lady with a serious illness! What I do know is the lockets made a lot of people very happy.
·**•.♥LOVE♥.•**·life·**•.♥LIFE♥.•*
Here’s a link to an interesting talk given in July last year in Puttaparthi Ashram.
http://media.radiosai.org/journals/vol_12/01JUL14/TO-FOLLOW-SWAMIS-WISH-OR-NOT-part-01.htm
Sathya Sai Baba – photo and a few of my favourite quotes.
“Do not be misled by what you see around you, or be influenced by what you see. You live in a world which is a playground of illusion, full of false paths, false values and false ideals. But you are not part of that world.”
~ Sathya Sai Baba
When a person asserts that he is low and mean and that he knows but little, he becomes low and mean and his knowledge shrinks.We become what we believe we are. We are children of Almighty God, endowed with Supreme, Power, Glory and Wisdom.We are children of Immortality.When we dwell in this thought, how can we ever be low and ignorant?
– Sathya Sai Baba
Travel and return safely!
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thanks for the kind words.. i hope to. will leave next week, visa was late in arriving..
Eve ❤
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May your visit be rich and rewarding.
Best wishes
john
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thank you. it will be late. blooming visa should have been here a week ago! Eve
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Aha, after a long gap. Wonderful post. Have a great trip. That was sweet little leela, the packet or wrapping disappearing without a trace.
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thanks. I really don’t have much to write about nowadays. I hope to be able to find some tales while away to bring back. 🙂 Eve
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Sairam. Thank you for all your posts. I follow them regularly. Since you are going to India, do ensure that you are in Puttaparthy on March 5-6, 2015. I am planning a visit on those dates, too, as I am anticipating a surprise. Sairam.
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thanks for comment. i shall be there at that time. what sort of surprise do you think you will get… best eve
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If I state the nature of surprise, then it won’t be a surprise, will it? With our Bhagwan’s Blessings all will be auspiciousness.
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thank you so much. eve
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wonderful story of the sweets and lockets. i’ve always craved for a locket but could never ever manage to buy one (never remembered to do so while in Parthi). what a blessing for those who received those lockets and sweets. and how blessed were you that your courage and persistence were blessed by Sai. you lucky to be going to Puttaparthy. my Mom is down with a back / hip pain or i def woulda been in the ashram during December
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sorry about your mother, 😦 – btw, where do you eat and recommend to eat in PP? – I am out of ideas right now. I am not at all sure about the light body – my post is here with views that I feel are correct. however, I will visit Mudd. myself and try and make up my mind by what i see there. very fair i think. Eve ❤
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thank you for your concern about my mother. will try to find out some new places in PP as i havent been there the whole of last year so maybe things are changed. yes about the light body will read your post
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Oh I do so look forward to reading about your stay. Have a wonderful break, Eve, and of course, a top-up of spiritual enlightenment we so always can do with – never enough 🙂
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very nice comment – thanks you indeed. I turned off my likes btw – well not off but hid them. surprisingly, i lost most of my followers. thanks for sticking around and being a friend. not sure how i will be able to restart my blog on the return. anyway i’ll find a way. thanks again. eve
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I often think of turning off Likes, Eve, but then I change my mind because there are many of us who like to leave a “stamp” of our visit 🙂 Hope to see your blogs roll on 🙂
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thanks – yes, when i return end of March I will turn them back on.. Many people have left blogging this year. At least 5 people who used to follow this blog have. No time, I think for them. Eve
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Blogging is indeed demanding and we need to take regular breaks – which I haven’t learned to do yet 🙂 so no wonder people leave it but still many do return. We can only do what we can do I guess 🙂
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The likes were a mistake. they belong to instant social media like Facebook not blogging. We need a small note box like this one, as a quick comment box, instead of likes. This would allow bloggers more chance to talk to each other. Likes are too robotic and distant. You are right, blogging is hard work, and often without much return. Many people who were blogger last year have given up to go over to face book. It is one face book where i too have many conversations. Rarely here. sadly. thanks Inavukic.. xxxxx
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True, but also I think the like button provides an effect of dynamics on a blog and not everyone who appreciates an article will either Like or comment simply because of time constraints and many would construe blogging as a media outlet designed to inform and in that context neither likes nor comments are a measure of “success” as one never knows who visits or who doesn’t. I find Facebook has its good points but it can also generate “mechanical likes” or no likes or comments so the issue boils down to “is one happy with just writing without necessarily expecting anything in return from reader?” Hm, a tough one 🙂
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yes, i am with you with f.b! A quick comment box, i feel, would be better than a like. How long does it take to write a dozen words, perhaps a minute. Blogging is about writing and yet somehow they have (Word Press,) lost themselves between face book, twitter and themselves. lol Eve xxx p.s. did you read the brilliant post on Word Press failed. It is excellent.. Was up on the reader all last night.. Eve ❤
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No, I missed that post on Word Press. 😦
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http://fishofgold.net/2015/01/23/an-open-letter-to-wordpress/ – here it is “Fish Of Gold! – it is well written. Eve
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oh sorry, we were overhauling my blog yesterday and the “Buddhist Arrow Post,”- always a favourite of mine, which was first posted two years ago, we decided to try and bring it to the front again, and we did.. So I hope another post on the blog, after the farewell message, is not too confusing – (The entire blog needs an overhaul – will do on my return. i leave in two weeks. ) anyway, sorry for the confusion. Eve
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No probs – always good to clear things, Eve. All good now.
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Have a nurturing and peaceful time in India Eve!
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Have a wonderful trip Eve!
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Thank you Eve. ❤ I hope find peace and many blessings in India.
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hope so. would i could stay there. If not for difficult visas i would stay. Eve 🙂 ❤
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Oh for a world without borders, eh? 🙂
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some countries appear not to have borders.. lol 😉
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? On the Internet maybe…
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Yes, Swami was special – in those days His magic seemed to be everywhere. We took each little sign and signal as one of His leelas. What a joy !
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