"Tell the Boys to sing new songs for Christmas..."

December 17, 1999

During the evening Darshan …

Swami        : (To a group of boys) What do you want?

Student       : Swami, Sanskrit elocution.  
(Swami acted as if He did not hear and made the boys repeat it again and again.  Swami blessed the card that they were holding. It was a medium sized heart symbol made out of thermocol. Swami took the card from the boys and used it as a hand fan and fanned Himself. Something was sticking to Swami’s hair.)

Student       : (In Telugu) Swami, something is there on Your hair.

Swami         : Snakes?

Student        :  Swami, something is there on Your hair. 

Swami bent His head a little and two boys removed the particle to the thrill of everyone assembled in the hall. (After interview)

Swami         : (To boys) What are you doing?

Student        :  Swami, practicing carols.

Swami       : Every year, same songs. Sing new songs also.  Anyway, it is not My business. If you sing I will listen. 
(Swami called the Warden) Tell the boys to sing new songs, not the same old songs.  
(After a while, talking about the Go-carts for the Sports Meet;) When are they coming?

Warden        : Don’t know, Swami.

Swami         : You spoke to them yesterday on phone. Is it not?

Warden        : Yes, Swami.

Swami     : Go-carts boys are practicing. They are practicing new turnings. Horse riding has not yet started. They are afraid even to mount the horses. How will they learn?

Teacher        : Swami, helpers will be there.

Swami       : Yes, they will be there. If they are, there what is the use? If the horses run amock, they will start running. They will not return immediately. It will take another week or so. Anantapur (campus) people are very silent. They have not yet indicated what they are going to do. But they will do very well and systematically. They are going to do bike stunts. They will put planks on the bikes and do Yogasanas and stunts. On the 25th, the girls will be enacting a drama. But they all will wear boy's dresses. 
(Swami called the bandleader and spoke to him.) Did you see the photos that I sent?

Student        :  Yes, Swami.

Swami        : Swami does not want. Why do I need your photos? I don't keep albums. 
(To schoolboys) What are you doing?

Students      : Bike stunts, Swami.

Swami         : What? Bike stunts!

Students      : Motorbike stunts, Swami.

Swami         : Do. Put ramps and do. But don't do it on fire. Where is your Warden? (School Warden came. Swami chided him mildly.) 

Sri Sathya Sai interacting with the Wardens, Principal and Faculty Members of Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Learning

Don't do stunts on fire. Anantapur people are also doing bike stunts. They will do them much better. They will have planks on the bikes. On those they will do formations and Yogasanas. They practice very well. Whatever they do, they do with faith and devotion. They do with the feeling that they are doing for Swami. The girls have Atma-Vishvasam (Faith in the Self). Last year, when they were doing jeep stunts, one tyre went off the ramp. But with the faith that Swami was there, the girl drove very fast. Where there is faith, there is love. Where there is love, there is truth. Where there is truth, there is peace. Where there is peace, there is God. Where there is God, there is bliss. 
(Swami again repeated the Vakya (great saying) to a teacher. He spoke to another teacher regarding, teachers participation in sports) 
Old teachers like Radhaswamy (Prof. Radhaswamy, Associate Dean, School of Business Management, Accounting and Finance in Swami's University) may like to take part in rope pulling (Tug of war) But they should not strain. Anantapur people do things very quietly. They have not said anything yet. The Mother Sai people are going to get 3,000 bags of rice and 75,000 saris. They are very systematic. They got the 3,000 bags of rice from a single mill and thus got a single variety.

Teacher         : Very big scale, Swami.

Swami          : Yes, very big scale.  25th evening drama is there.  On 24th, the foreigners will sing.

Warden         : Swami, give some chance to our boys also.

Swami         : What chance? I did not give Anantapur students this chance. They themselves are doing. They told this only yesterday, that is all. For 12 years, Swami has not gone there. But they have great devotion and faith. Their devotion is increasing further. They see Me only when they come here. But our boys get chances and Darshan every day!


Source: Students with Sai: Conversations Part 1(1991 - 2000)