Hari Vijay Ram
On the auspicious occasion of the 95th Birthday celebrations of our most beloved Bhagawan, I would like to recollect a few cherished memories I have had with our Lord along with the invaluable lessons I learnt for my life.
It was winter holidays in the year 2003. I had decided to stay back instead of going home during the holidays, as I would get that extra time to spend in Swami’s presence. One day, the warden told us that of the students who had stayed back, a lucky few had been selected to be part of that year’s Convocation Drama, on the eve of Swami’s 78th Birthday at Prasanthi Nilayam. To my surprise, I was one of them. I felt so blessed and privileged that Swami had showered His Grace by selecting even a small instrument like me to play a role in His Birthday celebrations.
Swami would frequently visit the drama rehearsals done in the Poornachandra and the Institute Auditoriums. He would get deeply absorbed in the drama often expressing His emotions as it unfolded. He would lovingly enquire as to what we were doing, pat us on the back or fondly chide us, correct the dialogues, select the songs and meticulously supervise the costumes. It was a lucky opportunity to see and learn various facets of Swami from close quarters as a guide, friend, mother, and all-knowing, yet innocent, Lord – all rolled into one. Swami chose the name for the drama – ‘Tera Tujhko Arpan’. It was based on the theme that the gifts that God has given us, like the talents or skills we possess, must be offered back to the Lord by using them in His service. They must not be frittered away in the pursuit of wealth.
This message was a constant reminder to me to only do acts that would please Swami and to be content in life. After all, this ‘Gift of Life’ is given by Swami and so it naturally follows that it must be offered back to Him. The entire creation is His and whatever we offer to Him is merely akin to taking water from the river to worship the river itself. The positions or the roles each one plays in this Drama of Life may vary, but the Pure God-centric emotion with which we carry on is what would sanctify our lives.
At the end of the drama, Swami personally gave watches to all the actors – yet another silent message to always watch our Words, Actions, Thoughts, Character and Heart.
In the corporate world, I had the opportunity to work for a company which had imbibed SAI values in the running of its business. From among Swami’s teachings in Business, one book that stood out was ‘Man Management’ (a series of discourses given by Swami to His MBA students, on various topics in Management and Business Administration). I gained a lot of ‘InSaights’ from this book. Swami beautifully explains that of all the five 5Ms of management viz., Men, Materials, Machines, Methods and Markets, Men are the most important factor as they are the ones who determine the effective use of the remaining 4Ms.
Being in a senior position at work, I could easily relate to these lessons in my business environment while functioning with the heads of various departments, such as production, finance, marketing, and with stakeholders namely – employees, suppliers, customers, etc. When we genuinely empathised with the other person and dealt with everyone in a transparent manner, they too reciprocated positively. This avoided a lot of conflict in business dealings. It promoted a healthy relationship within and outside the company, which extended to the society as one large family, while simultaneously managing the business successfully.
After completing my studies, I would often come for Prasanthi Seva as a Sevadal of the Sri Sathya Sai Seva Organisation, Tamil Nadu. I also got the coveted opportunity to serve at Swami’s Residence at Yajur Mandiram. The few of us who were at His residence were doubly blessed to have Swami’s Darshan as we engaged in Seva. We were fortunate to get the Prasadam partaken by Swami and other sweet tokens of Love from Swami during the period of our Seva. I also learnt many valuable lessons interacting with people of various ranks among the devotees and VIPs who used to come to see Swami. I learnt lessons in humility and politeness when handling delicate situations.
During the Summer Course of 2002, I got the precious chance to offer Aarthi to Swami in Brindavan. Swami Himself lit the lamp, symbolically indicating that He is the one who lights the Lamp of Divine Love and Wisdom in our hearts. On several other occasions during my student days, I got the opportunity to play the Mridangam before Swami for music programmes. I was a member of the Panchavadyam group (the traditional orchestra of Kerala) which played during festivals and part of the Bhajan group as well. Bhagawan would keenly observe even the minutest of details during all these events and correct us individually and mentor us as a group whether it was in the hostel, Institute or Mandir. This also signifies our bond with ‘HIM’ (Hostel, Institute, Mandir). It is also a proof for us that God is the in-dweller and our Guru who observes everything. I am ever grateful to our Lord who always lives through His Beautiful Form in our hearts, transcending time and space. I pray to Him to accept our loving salutations through these small, humble offerings from His beloved student-children on His Glorious 95th Birthday.
May Swami continue to bless all of us in our inner journey towards His Divine Lotus Feet. Samastha Lokah Sukhino Bhavantu.
Hari Vijayram B.Com (Hons.) in Brindavan, M.B.A in Prasanthi Nilayam, 2001 – 2006. Currently a Project/Financial consultant based in Chennai. He is a good Tennis player as well as an accomplished Mridangist having given many performances accompanying leading artists in various Sabhas.
