Darshan: Meaning and Significance

Darshan is the moment when our eyes get the blessed opportunity to see the Lord. Somebody said, “Man walking on the moon is not so important when God walks on earth.” God, whom the saints and seers described as beyond the perception of the mind and whose glory the Vedas (Hindu scriptures) declare as beyond the description of words, walks amidst us. Those few minutes when winds waft the melodious music and eager expectant eyes try to catch a glimpse of the glorious form, the Lord walks amidst us. With measured steps and majestic gait, He gives darshan. The Lord goes with equally eager eyes to give darshanto those blessed ones who are waiting for Him.

People who are sitting there waiting for Him are of different kinds: some are waiting under the agony of incurable disease; some are immersed in round-the-clock business matters and earning millions but finding a vacuum that squeezes their heart; some who have come just for Him, just to see Him, drink the beauty with their eyes.

For Him, it is the same routine. It has been years since He started giving darshan, taking letters, wiping tears, allaying fears, curing the diseased, despondent, and desperate. The law of diminishing marginal utility doesn’t exist with respect to Him. He gives every darshan with the same love, the same interest, the same concern, and the same compassion as He did years ago.

He walks slowly, majestically, as if floating in the air, His feet hardly touching the ground. He walks between the rows of ladies and gents one after the other. He starts taking their letters, which represent their fears, cares, worries, and problems, He being the universal recipient of problems and the universal donor of solutions. There sits a man dying due to cancer. The onslaught of the disease has reduced him to a bag of bones. He has lost all hope and is like a raft without a rudder on a stormy sea. The Lord goes near him, gives a smile of assurance and materializes vibhuti (holy ash) that will do what advanced radiotherapy cannot. The Lord moves on. There sits a young man, a victim of the ills of the society, which has made him doubt the very existence of God. The Lord goes near him with a smile and pats him on his head. The man, for the first time in his life, feels what love is. Tears trickle down his cheeks and with his hands held in prayer he lays down his heart at the lotus feet of the Lord. The Lord moves on. There sits another man with a sarcastic smile across his face and a defying look. The Lord goes near him, gives the same smile and moves on. After all He is the consummate actor who plays the role of the Lord and the role of His own creation who doubts Him. With a gesture of His hand, He invites a few for private interview. Their faces express delight at the rare opportunity.

Then He turns toward the students. The way He walks, the way He talks, everything changes. An air of informality, familiarity, and belongingness prevails. With a quip here, a pun there, the Lord moves on. He sees a boy sitting with a bandaged hand. The mother in Him, overflowing with love, asks “What happened?” The boy starts, “Swami, during games…” Now the stern father takes over, “Careless! careless! Always in a hurry.” To another boy He gives an understanding smile that says, “I am always with you.” To yet another boy He gives a penetrating look that reaches the core of his heart, churns it, and conveys, “I know what you did. I know, I know.” Somewhere He looks at the dream world that He wants to establish — the world full of love and fraternity, without discord and hatred. He has a vision, and He being the Supreme One takes the world there. He looks at His students, to whom He wants to give a significant part in [the play of] His grand mission. He looks at them as future torchbearers, who, wherever they are, will be shining ideals and will follow His commands and principles. With that vision, He moves on.

Every darshan is a revolution–a silent revolution. With every darshan, the Lord takes the world one step toward Himself. He transforms many hearts, cures many diseases, gives hope to the forlorn and the forsaken. These five minutes that look so simple are crowded with events–significant events that have a bearing on so many lives. But for us students every darshan is an opportunity to transform our lives under the watchful eyes of Sai, who is our mother, father, teacher, friend, and the Supreme Lord of our hearts. We can only pray to Him: “Beloved Lord, give us a clear and unclouded mind so that we may discern Your majesty. When You try to mold us into ideal ones, make us respond to Your will. When You shower Your Love on us, give us the proper frame of mind to receive it.”

~Ashok Sundareshan,
Source: Sanathana Sarathi, September 1998

Always find a quiet corner after my darshan, where you may enter the stillness and receive the completion of My blessings. My energy goes out from Me as I pass by you. If you proceed to talk with others immediately, this precious energy is dissipated and returned to Me, unused by you. Rest assured that whatever My eyes sees becomes vitalized and transmuted. You are changed day by day.

~Sathya Sai Baba