Sathya Sai with Students: "Vajpayee wanted to come..."

March 2, 2002 (Saturday)

Swami came to the Ganesh portico at around 3.10 pm and blessed the birthday boys.

Swami : (To a Teacher) Where are the three?

Teacher : Not yet come, Swami.

Swami : Exams are going on?

Teacher : Swami, exams started on 15th.

Swami : All of you should study well and get good marks. Are PU boys also having exams? (PU is the old terminology for Pre-University College consisting of classes XI and XII.)

Teacher : All are having separately every day. All will finish by 31st March.

Swami : We should close the Institute by April 1st. (After a while) What’s news?

Teacher : Swami, there is chaos going on in Gujarat.

Swami : Not only there, everywhere there is a chaos. (Enquiring about an elderly teacher) Didn’t he come?

Teacher : Swami, he has not yet come.

Swami : Paapam, he will come. (To students) What is it? (Students showed the card) Manchidi, Manchidi (Good). (Swami went in to the interview room and came again after 10 minutes. To Prof. Anil Kumar about a teacher) He came half a minute early. What’s the matter?

Prof. A. K. : Swami, I was a minute late, and by that time You came.

Swami : Whoever it is, every minute is important. Why were you late?

Prof. A. K. : Swami, relatives came from Guntur.

Swami : Why did they come?

Prof. A. K. : To get checked up in our hospital.

Swami : What’s news?

Prof. A. K. : Swami, the country is ablaze.

Swami : You saw the newspaper, didn’t you?

Prof. A. K. : Swami, it is unavoidable.

Swami : Newspaper people unnecessarily exaggerate all such things. People committing such deeds are not humans. Only animals like such environment.

Prof. A. K. : Which environment, Swami ?

Swami : Religious riots. Who started all this?

Prof. A. K. : Swami, the Ram Mandir issue in Uttar Pradesh is responsible for all this. The happenings are discouraging. Swami, when I was a minute late, I heard Swami told something that Vajpayee (Prime Minister) sent a letter.

Swami : Why all that? Actually he himself wanted to come, but due to circumstances he couldn’t come. So he has sent a sealed letter with one of his ministers.

Prof. A. K. : Yes Swami. Even during the Indo-Pak war, Ramabrahmam (caretaker of the Brindavan Ashram) came for Swami’s blessings. Even now it is the same. (Prior to the commencement of the 1971 Indo-Pak war, Sri B. D. Jatti, then Lieutenant Governor of Pondicherry, had come to Swami with a prayer on behalf of the Prime Minister of India. Swami was in Brindavan that time and had retired for the day. So the letter was handed over to Sri Ramabrahmam, who in turn handed it over to Swami. Later, Swami gave Sri Jatti a personal audience and blessings.)

Swami : (To a student) Did you shave?

Student : Yes, Swami.

Swami : You think Swami doesn’t know anything? Time is like that.

Warden : Swami, tomorrow is a Sunday, please come to Hostel.

Students : Please Swami!

Swami : One Muslim was suffering from heart attack; all his family members were very sad. Then, his neighbours told them about Swami and gave him the Prasadam. Only if Swami’s will is there anyone can come here. Many rich people also didn’t support him. Then he got treated in our hospital. From then onwards he comes regularly and does Swami’s service.

Prof. A. K. : God is the only refuge for those who do not have anyone else.

Swami : He comes every month and does service, and I give him Vibhuti and send him. To do good to people, the government and its ministers must undergo difficulties. In present day, no one has such capacities.

Prof. A. K. : In everything people are asking questions in detail.

Swami : (Mentioning few names) They went to meet Chandrababu Naidu (Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh) in order to discuss the Water Project. Naidu said that he would provide all support that is required from the Government. (To Dr. A. Ramakrishna (Dr. A. R.), Deputy Managing Director, Larsen & Toubro Construction) You got some awards?

Dr. A. R. : Swami, we got award for our constructions of Chaitanya Jyoti and Sri Sathya Sai Super Speciality Hospital. We even applied for the Bangalore Super Hospital.

Swami : Prasanthi Nilayam Hospital got award, isn’t it?

Dr. A. R. : Swami, we are releasing a calendar for Ugadi (Telugu New Year Day), we are going to put all this.

Prof. A. K. : Music college entrance is very nice, keep that also.

Dr. A. R. : Last time we put the Prasanthi Nilayam hospital in the centre page.

Uma Bharati

Swami : Uma Bharati (Union Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports) came just now. She talks boldly and is not afraid of anything. She must be tired after the journey. She will take some snacks, rest and come.

Prof. A. K. : Afternoon it is always tiring.

Swami : (Swami took card from some student) Why are you looking that side?

Prof. A. K. : To see if the minister is coming.

Swami : (To a teacher) Do you say Mantrini or Mantri?

Prof. A. K. : Swami, Mantrini (female minister).

Swami : Maybe in your Guntur side they say so? (To Dr. Ramakrishna) Did she come to your office anytime?

Dr. A. R. : Swami, sometime she came for a function.

Swami : I think she is Sport’s Minister. Isn’t she?

Prof. A. K. : Yes Swami.

Swami : She has one more portfolio also.

Prof. A. K. : Swami, Youth Affairs. She is very bold in her decision making.

Swami : What happened?

Prof. A. K. : Swami, the cricket board said that cricket has no relation with politics; but still she didn’t allow them to play with Pakistan.

Swami : She is a good speaker in Hindi. (To Dr. Ramakrishna) When will you go?

Dr. A. R. : Tomorrow morning, Swami.

Swami : Then I will talk to you tomorrow morning. Did your son come?

Dr. A. R. : He is sitting there Swami.

Swami : He is a Lecturer in I.I.T., Madras. I only got him married, named his son Achintya, meaning one who doesn’t have worries and desires. Even Shatrughna’s son’s name is that only. (To Prof. Anil Kumar and smiling) Not cinema actor Shatrughna. Ramakrishna’s son came from Mumbai and said that wherever Swami gets him married, he will get it done there only, even in a forest. Finally, his marriage was performed in Brindavan. He married a Miss India.

Dr. A. R. : Swami, everybody knows about Rama, Lakshmana and Bharata but not Shatrughna.

Swami : Shatrughna is one who has no fear of Shatru (enemies). Bharata always kept him by his side. Lakshmana is intelligent. They both have Sumati (good mind). Tyagaraja sang a poem on them (‘Lakshmi Devi Valachuna…’). When Rama sent the (Ashwa Medha Yaga) horse to Kashmir, Shatrughna warned him saying that there would be danger there. When asked what sort of danger, he did not reply. Finally, Lakshmana was arrested by Lava and Kusa, and Shatrughna rescued him. Because the children had love and devotion towards their mother, they could arrest him. Before leaving every arrow, they prayed that if their mother (Sita) was chaste (Saadhvi)…