From: "Ramchand Chugani" <rgcjp@...>

Interview with Narasimha Murthy warden his very touching Story

Here is the story of one such wave, which in its ignorance, was
looking for the ocean! It is the story of foolishness of man and
oceanic compassion of the Avatar. The story also thrpws light on the
baffling mystery of the Avatar and the "yogamaya" that surrounds Him.

As willed by Bhagavan Baba, I was on the threshold of a new chapter
in my life on 7th August 1983. I had moved from Sathya Sai Grama,
Muddenahali to Prashanthi Nilayam to serve as warden of the Boys
Hostel, where the students of Sri Sathya Said institute of Higher
learniing and Sri Sathya Said Higher Secondary School resided.

That evening around nine o'clock, I was drawn to the mandir premises
in Prashanthi Nilayam. Silence and serenity reigned supreme. I went
and sat near the left pillar of the "Dasvavatram" gate facing the
mandir. Suddebly I remembered that I had sat in the same place at
almost the same time eighten years before as a college student and my
memory rolled back to unfold a significant event which had happened
that evening.

I was around twenty years at that time. I sat there praying to the
Lord for succor and shelter at His feet with tears gushing down my
eyes. After few minutes an old man in dhoti and Kurta with a white
towel tied around his silvery hair on the head approached me and
stood by my side.

I quickly wiped my tears and looked at him. I could not discern his
features well in the dim light. He said in a very tender voice in
colloquial Telugu. "Nayana! You are very lucky to have come to Baba
at such young age. But many people come and go, the one who can hold
onto the Lord with faith and determination and establish a close
relation with Him, can easily cross over the ocean of Samsara! Don't
give up, hold on!"

And then he moved away. At that time, I never even thought as to who
that person could be! As I remembered that incident sitting in the
same place after eighten years, I was overwhelemed with gratitude.
The gift of living and serving in Divya sannidhi was the hightest
blessings bestowed on me. I considered it as the very goal of my
life. Naturally it was my heart's most intense aspiration to retain
it the the very end; that became my constant prayer.

Next morning after darshan, an elderly devotee congratuleted me on my
good fortune and said, "Swami is like fire. You have come very close
to Him. Many have come close to Him have fizzled out because of lack
of purity. May Swami help you to sustain yourself to enjoy His
proximity forever.

I thanked him for his good wishes. I had heard him to speak even in
the public talks in the divin presence, "Swami is fire. If you go
close to Him, you get burnt; if you are far away, you may not get the
warmth." He used to also speak of the "Yogamaya" that surrounds
the `Avatar' that baffles all men, especially those who live and work
in His proximity.

His words of concern, though prompted by good intention, triggered a
chain of thoughts that resulted in cercern and difference in me. Of
course my prayer to Swami continued. I remembered Lord Krishn's words
in the Bhagaved Geeta.

"I am not revealed to all since I am surrounded by yogamaya. The
deluded world does not know Me as the Deathless and Birthless of all
existence!

When I take recourse to the human form, deluded men do not understand
the supreme truth that I am the Lord of all beings!"

Once while speaking about Himself, Bhagavan Baba has declared, "Since
I move about with you, eat like you and talk like you, you are
deluded into the belief that this is but an instance of humanity. Be
warned against this mistake. I am also deluding you by my singing
with you and playing with you and engaging Myself in activities with
you. But at any moment, My divinity may be revealed to you, so you
have to be ready, prepared for that moment. Since Divinity is
enveloped by humanness you must endeavor to overcome the Maya That
hides it from you.

"The Avatar's moments and activities might appear ordinary and common
place, in the life of "Avatar's". The formless being comes in the
form of human being so that He maymingle with mankind" and set
examples and ideals for human beings and convey to them all aspects
that they should learn. The Avatar behaves in a human way so that
mankind feel kinship, but rises to superhuman heights so that mankind
can aspire to reach those heights.

This is the 1st part of speach of from Sathyam Sivam Sundaram-5

With Sai Love Ram.Chugani