Letters from India

4. Convocation & Birthday 1984

Out of Poornachandra by lunch, then back at 4 PM for bhajans at 5:30 PM. Got in 20th row, pretty good! (16th or 17th would-be excellent – remember, bhajans singers and VIPs are in the first 15-20 rows, depending on the crowd).

Sai entered and walked around the hall, giving Darshan. I had your letters with me, Sis and Mom. Was 4th person away from His walking path, about the farthest away you can get away with handing a letter to Him. I was thinking, only if He looked my way or made the first move, would I offer the letters.

He slowly came nearer…I got the letters ready. He looked my way. I gave Him a questioning stare, “Will you take these letters?” He glanced at me as soon as I thought that thought; then again; then again! (Like He had just seen this person looking at Him oddly!) Then He looked again at me, staring this time, giving an expression that clearly said, “What is it you want?? You have such a questioning look!” It was so funny! I almost broke out laughing at this Play. But guess what?? He walked right on past without reaching for the letters! Soooo-rry peoples, no banana! But it was a beautiful piece of Grace anyway!

In that moment, and this morning with the white robe incident, Sai was the Friend and Comrade, personal and chummy. So many faces does God have!!! You truly experience many of them, here in Sai Baba land…

Bhajans started (Sai left then came back as the 2nd bhajan started). Sai came out during the song “Guru Nanaka Ji Ki Jai Jai Kar,” it’s sung here with such intensity, the atmosphere is almost unreal. Everyone was singing so loudly and the place was soo completely charged that Sai appeared right in the middle of it and stayed for the rest of the bhajans.

Afterwards, there was a cultural program. Afterwards, He joined them on stage for pictures. After pictures everyone just fell at His feet, like bees to a hive. Indian tradition! On these festival times Sai sure has a lot of people falling at His feet! On stage, He tried in vain to say, “No, no!” and get them up; He tried to move away and everything, but wherever He went, there the bees dived!

Another full, beautiful Sai day; a fitting end. Now excitement rises as the hour of the Birthday approaches…

The Birthday! Moan, got up late. See, on normal days you go to the Mandir, or temple, at 4:30 AM. This is Sai’s living quarters (one room on the top floor that is). The bottom floor has a small interview room on one side and the rest is a large room (the bhajan hall), that seats around 400. The routine is, each morning you circle the entire Mandir, saying prayers. It’s like a meditation, here you are circling where the Lord lives. Then, you line up to get into the Mandir to sit for Omkar (chanting OM 21 times). Only the first 7 or 8 lines will fit in.

So, here it is the Birthday and I arrive at around 4 AM. Forget it, the place already had around 50-60 long, long lines. Solid people going around the Mandir, they weren’t letting anyone else go in! Bummer, can’t even circle Sai’s House on His Birthday.

Well, no problem. Sai never appears in the morning anyway. So, after Omkar, at 5 AM Nagarsankirtin beings. That’s when we sing in lines, all around the ashram grounds. I'm talking mass people. By a twist of fate, I was happily recruited as a volunteer to control the crowds. (I had been wanting to do this kind of seva, but it’s pretty well known that here only Indians can do it. But Sai let me do it on His Birthday!)

Us volunteers held hands and formed a gate, so no one could cut in the middle of the sankirtin. The lines were already at least half a city block (eight people across), and during the singing huge crowds followed us, until it seemed like our “gates” (one on each side) were in the middle of the mass of people. But it was fun!

After Nagarsankirtin, I dashed to the Poornachandra and got about in the 3rd line from the door – a great place! It was about 5:30 AM and the program was to start at 9:30 AM. So we just waited until 9 AM, when the entire area was solid people, just totally packed around our area. I'm talking at least 40,000 all around one door. And me in front – luckily!