Likhitha Naama Yagna
Sathyam Sivam Sundaram Vol. 7 p107-111
_______________________________________________________________
Having tasted the nectarine sweetness of devotion to the lotus feet of Bhagawan Baba, and being
benefitted immensely both materially and spiritually by constantly chanting His name and adoring His
form, Subramaniam fervently wished that the whole of mankind should enjoy the bliss and benefits of
devotion to the Avatar of the Age. He had frequently heard Bhagawan’s declaration that the easiest and
most effective way for reaching the divine goal in Kali Yuga was ‘Namasmarana’ or chanting the divine
name. He felt that Namasmarana would become more effective if one wrote the name along with
chanting it and practised it himself sincerely. This Sadhana came to his rescue in 1983 when a tragic
event occurred in his family. His nephew Alagiri Babu, a lovable and friendly person expired suddenly.
His death caused intense grief in the entire family. Subramaniam got over the sorrow of separation by
regular practice of writing the divine name- ‘Sai Rama’ and he encouraged all his family members to
follow his example. Gradually, the practice of this Sadhana became a daily routine in his family and in a
short span of time it yielded amazing results in terms of material success and spiritual happiness.
Inspired by his experience, Subramaniam developed a missionary zeal to propagate the efficacy of this
simple Sadhana among thousands of people in the region. With the divine blessing of Bhagawan Baba,
he formed a committee- ‘Sri Sai Rama Koti Naama Likhitha Yagna Committee’ to facilitate the process of
writing of the divine name among a vast number of devotees who had taken up this practice. The
committee distributed ruled notebooks free of cost, in which every page was divided into 4 columns and
45 rows (180 cells) with optimal space to write ‘Om Sairam’ in each cell. The committee also encouraged
people by giving small gifts to those who completed writing a certain number of names. This movement
of Sri Sai Rama Koti Naama Likhitha Naama Yagna became popular among the devotees and there was
great demand for the notebooks from far and wide including many foreign countries! A ledger was
opened for each individual, so that a correct account of the number of names submitted to the
committee could be maintained. The sacred notebooks that carried the divine names were collected and
packed in neat bundles tied in a yellow cloth, and were kept in a hall in Subramaniam’s home. He
offered Pooja (worship) to them everyday and on the 23rd of every month (the date of birth of the
Avathar) ‘Sai Sahasranama Archana’ (worship with thousand names of the Lord) was performed and
many poor people were fed sumptuously.
Likhitha Naama Yagna
Sathyam Sivam Sundaram Vol. 7 p107-111
_______________________________________________________________
Bhagawan Baba graciously accepted the prayers of the committee to offer at His lotus feet the
notebooks with the divine name periodically. The first ceremony of offering the ‘Naamas’ at the feet of
the ‘Naamee’ (the deity with that name), Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba, took place in 1983 when nine
crores (ninety million) were submitted. Swami very lovingly blessed all the devotees who had
participated in the Naama Likhitha Yagna and instructed them to continue with the sacred effort for the
benefit of the entire world. This encouragement gave a new fillip to the movement and in 1986, sixty
crores of divine names were offered to Bhagawan.
Sri Sai Rama Naama Likhitha Yagna Committee then resolved to offer a total of 108 crores of Sai
Naamas at the feet of Swami and intensified their activities with vigour and enthusiasm throughout the
world. When the target was achieved in 1995, members of the committee approached Baba for
permission to organise a befitting ceremony at the divine abode for offering them. Apart from granting
them permission, Swami instructed them to organise a marble statue of Hanuman, the great devotee of
Sri Rama and gave them minute details about the size and posture of the statue. On the next day, Swami
revealed to the teachers of His university and the higher secondary school, His intention of constructing
an underground vault in front of the Sai Kulwanth Hall to house the treasure of 108 crores of the divine
names and installing the statue of Hanuman on the top of the vault. He also fixed 31st August 1995 as
the date for the ceremony and had the underground vault built paying meticulous attention to every
detail of its construction.
On the appointed day, Bhagawan Baba Himself placed the first bundle of the sacred Naamas in the
vault. Then the devotees followed suit. After all the 108 crores of the divine names filled the chamber,
its door was permanently closed. Swami installed the marble idol of Sri Hanuman on top of the vault
with His divine hands amidst performance of relevant Vedic rituals. The posture of Hanuman lost in the
bliss of contemplation of the Lord with his eyes half-closed, indicated that he was enjoying the divine
vibrations emanating from the 108 crores of ‘Sai Rama Naamas’ in the vault, for which he had become
the custodian. Bhagawan Baba later declared that only Hanuman was able to withstand the powerful
vibrations emanating from the chamber and none else could.
Four years later, Bhagawan installed the complete ‘Sri Rama Parivar’ (idols of Sri Rama, Sita, Lakshmana
and Hanuman) on top of the underground vault.