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Hinduism has thousands od ways to answer the Muslim's question but most of the time they would always ask question thinkin we do not have the answer so, before I answer let him answer the questions given.

If your friend wants to question our faith than he too must be prepared to answer our question about Islam. 1. How sure is he that the Koran is word of God? What makes him believe so? 2. Koran testifies Tora[OT] but the Jews do not accept the Koran why is that so? 3. Why does a crescent moon plays a significant part in Islam? 4. Who wittnessed the Angel Gabriel speaking to Mohammed? 5. Why is Islam not open to debate to proof its claims whereas other religions are free to be discussed and debated. 6. Which is more important the Koran or the Hadith? Why are Mulsims more inclined to the Hadith than the Koran? 7. Why must the Koran and Mohammed be the final book and prophet, does he not believe that God would make changes according to evolution and need to send messangers from time to time so that man's faith in God would not decline in the nuclear age? 8. Why are there so many interpretation of Islam and different sects with different ideologies? Explain the difference between these divisions: a. Sunni Muslims b. Shi'ite Muslims c. Sufi Muslims d. Wahabi. 9. Is God of Islam merciful or revengeful? I the the above question are only part of many other questions but I think for the moment this will sufice.

What straight answer? All words are typed straight and I don't see any curved or winding sentenses. Please be specific and tell me which guest you are, A, B, C, D or E.

From the look of things you seem to have many problems. One, you have difficulty in accepting truth. As death has many faces so do truth coz TRUTH comes in many forms and if you find it confusing than you are in trouble. As far as I am concern I am at peace and enjoying every minute of my life. Sorry, you cannot say so about yourself.

My reply to your doubts: Yes, it would be bad and Srila Prabhupada is fond of saying that. Define Blind Faith? Is belief in the Gita blind faith? Is Sai's messages from the Gita blind faith? Is asking man to love each other blind faith? Is giving strength to the yearning heart by Sai blind faith? Please find the answers for he above in your heart. A feeble mind would not understand what is God and it's quality not would you understand what the Gita says; The Blessed Lord said, “I am the Self, O Gudakesa, seated in the hearts of all beings; I am the beginning, the middle, and also the end of all beings (20). Among the twelve Adityas, I am Vishnu; among luminous objects, the radiant Sun; I am Marichi among the forty-nine Maruts; among the stars the Moon am I (21). Among the Vedas I am the Sama Veda; I am Vasava (Indra) among the gods; among the senses I am the mind; and I am the intelligence among living beings (22). And among the Rudras, I am Sankara; among the Yakshas and Rakshasas, the Lord of wealth (Kubera); among the Vasus I am Pavaka (Agni); and among the (seven) mountains I am the Meru (23). Among the household priests (of kings) O Partha, know Me to be the chief, Brihaspati; among generals I am Skanda; among lakes, I am the ocean (24). Among the great Rishis I am Bhrigu; among words I am the one syllable OM; among sacrifices I am the sacrifice of silent repetition (Japa Yajna); among immovable things, the Himalayas (25). Among the trees I am the Asvattha; among divine Rishis Narada; among Gandharvas Chitraratha; among the perfected ones the Muni Kapila (26). I do not insult but make my point when you said I'm stupid and ignorant. What makes you think that you are right? I post what I think may help those who wish to learn more about Sai and his mission in life and if that irks you all you need to do is ignore. Why do you want to degrade when you know nothing about Sai Baba? If all his followers are fools what does it matter to you? They are having a blissful life singing bajans and kirtans while you are burning here with gall. To speak word of truth is not advertising. Something you ought to know the difference. May be I need to learn to speak in your mother tounge to make you understand. Here again you seem to speak in giberish. But, I feel there is no need for you to get confused. Whatever you faith is have a better understand of it and gain the wisdom of it. Are you selling God. Hello! God has not set value for him that you need to pay high price to gain him. If you believe in his power than you should know he can and will manifest as and when he wants and you cannot question him. Learn that before you set a value for him.

My purpose is simple. I research, study and make an assertion. I do not go about saying Hindus are stupid and only my way is right. Comprehendo? I do not have any doubts about Krishna. But do you? May be your Guru's explanation was not clear to you. Krishna did not mention when and where he will appear when dharma declines, so we have to use our own insinct to search and not just listen to a Guru who thinks that Krishna would only appear at the end of Kali Yug and not now. Do not be a doubtful Thomas. My service to Sai Baba is nothing but merely studing him and getting to know him better. His preaching inspires me and they are meaningful. Morever he does not call the Hindus rascals and fools. You yourself do not know what is fake and what is genuine and yet trying to teach me. Please open your mind and heart only than you will see the truth. Sai Baba is a divine person and I need not demonostrate coz he is not a material for sale. Only those who are gifted get to know his true nature. May be you are an unlucky soul and need to take a million birth again to understand Brahman.

I do not divert but merely pointing out how stupid some can be. First and formost learn what Sai Baba teaches than you would know if my comments are against Vaishnavism. No one can decide who is save and who is not coz only the Supreme Power knows best. Messages can be interpreted in may ways and it is better to understand what is the core of the message. Nothing to demonstrate. He is not selling soap or tooth paste to demonstrate. You need to understand his message that's all. What is there to defend? This is not a matter to argue who is right and who is wrong. It is a matter of understanding the message of the divine and if you cannot swallow just puke it out.

What is the significance behind chanting of Veda mantras and the mantras connected with the havan ceremony? Man`s body is filled with innate intelligence. Through speaking words of confidence and power over and over, man gains conscious attention of the intelligence within the organs of the body.. as he continues speaking words of power, that innate intelligence is tapped and it releases increased life and substance into the mind, body and affairs of man. James Newton Powell, a graduate in religious studies, University of California, Santa Barbara, USA, is the author of the book `Mandalas, the Dynamics of Vedic Symbolism'. The following extracts are taken from his book: Modern metaphysicians are rediscovering the fantastic powers released through spoken words. By certain arrangements of words, such as in Veda mantras, a tremendous vibratory force could be set upon in the invisible which profoundly affects physical and metaphysical substance in the body of man. Four Levels of Languages According to the rishis (seers) the mantras are the living body of the luminous inner truth of which they sing, a truth which does not reveal itself to the busy conceptual mind as readily as to the more receptive inner audience of unbounded awareness unfolded through meditation.There are four different levels of languages describing four domains of Vedic experience. Language of communication or everyday speech. The gross physical level of articulate speech (Vaikhari). Language of ritual, the rhythmic sacrificial language of chant.Language as `thought', which is not yet spoken (Madhyama). Language of illumination, of vision. The level of luminous, `flashlike' intuitive' `seeing' speech (Pasyanti) Language of eternity, of imperishable silence. The silent, unbounded, absolute level of speech (Para). Speech reveals herself only to the seer, the one she loves. Speech is born of tapas (austerity) and throughout the Vedic literature is related to Agni (fire). Mystics of all ages have discovered the relationship between the repetition of sound and an inner fire, and these take the mind to profound depths and eventually spiritual illumination. The rhythmically formulated word, with its tendency towards rhyme, its alliteration, assonance and other types of repetition make it an instrument of power. The sound of such words is often of greater importance than their meaning, which has often been lost. Intoned speech becomes experienced as inner light. The Veda is eternal and of non-human origin. The transcendance of the seer might give birth to an entirely new utterance, a new mantra, finite and localised when heard by the mundane sense of hearing, but with its origins in the infinite, and capable of again revealing the Infinite to the seer. The function of the Vedic mantras is to reveal their own inner being. The entire body of Vedic knowledge is Vac-(goddess of speech, Sarasvati)- with combinations and permutations of sound- in all its various degrees of manifestation. The meaning of the mantra is known not by attending to the semantic meaning, but by attending to the tendencies- the dynamics of sound. One of the Vedic or Yogic method of gaining knowledge is organised on the level of sound. Within the tendencies of the sounds of the mantras lie the method of gaining knowledge of the 'object' the mantra describes. The Vedic mantras possess the impulses or tendencies which constitute the knowledge of these 'objects'. Thus there is a close relationship between sound and form. This knowledge is on the level of pulsating consciousness. The Veda is a supreme example of a type of poetry in which the life of the symbol corresponds so intimately with the truth it clothes that it is indeed the living form of that truth. There are, residing within the language of the Veda, a hierarchy of potencies, indwelling powers of speech which inspire by means of sound and a transcendental logic. Image, sound and sense were indissolubly united to forge luminous language- symbols capable of conveying the most orient hues of the imperishable. The mantras are secret words, seer wisdoms, which utter their indwelling meaning to the seer prepared by tapas. The uncanny longevity of these hhymns (mantras) can be attributed to the fact that they are in such intimate contact with the eternal. The mantras are self- revealing, preserved by the imperishable for those who would seek their indwelling dimensions. The mantras exist in a supreme, imperishable location, in which all the gods are seated. By the friction between the worshipper and the mantra (mind instrument), Om, the inner fire is the kindled and the highest Truth is seen.

The concept of Brahman, the Ultimate Conscious Reality, manifesting itself as the Universe, and Its being the material and the efficient cause for creation, represents the pinnacle of philosophical quest. Yet, the cognition of the truth of the Immanence of Brahman is difficult to achieve, for it is impossible for man to rend the veil of Avidya or Maya. Such understanding of Brahman comes best to man when the Lord vouchsafes 'Viswavirataswaroopa Darsana' to the ardent seeker - not by jaded disquisition of self-designated philosophers." Sri Sathya Sai Baba Sathya Sai Vahini Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba Eternal Truths The Veda is the Mother of all the Sastras. The Veda emanated from God Himself as inhalation and exhalation. The great sages, who were the embodiments of the treasure gained by long ascetic practices, received Veda as a series of sounds and spread it over the world by word of mouth from preceptor to pupil. Since it was 'heard' and preserved by generations, the Veda is known as Sruthi, 'that which was heard or listened to.' The Veda is endless. Who composed the Vedas? Until today, it has not been possible to unveil their names. Those who recited it had perhaps no desire to earn renown, for the names are nowhere seen mentioned in the Veda. May be they had attached no importance to their names, or clans or sects, or it is likely they had no kith or kin or clan. Whoever he or they may be, the sages were sure they were masters of all knowledge, for the sense of equality and equanimity found in the Veda is the innate quality of only such wise persons. So it is very appropriate to infer that the Veda was given to the world only by persons endowed with all powers. The word 'Veda' originated from the root 'Vid', meaning 'to know', "Vidana thu anena ithi Vedah", "That which reveals and makes clear all knowledge is Veda". The Veda can be mastered neither by limited intellect nor by limited experience. The sacred Veda instructs all that one requires for his spiritual advancement. It instructs one the means and methods to overcome all sorrows and grief. It instructs one in all the spiritual disciplines which can give unshaken peace. No one has understood correctly the beginning of the Veda or its end. So, it is hailed as Anaadi (Beginningless) and Sanathana (Eternal). Since the first and the last of the Veda are not known, it is Nitya, Everlasting. The intelligence of humans is tainted but since the Veda has no trace of taint, it is concluded that it cannot be a human product. So the Veda is also characterised as A-pourusheya (Non-personal). The Veda is its own authority. Each Vedic sound is sacred because it is part of the Veda. Those who have faith in the Veda and its authority can personally experience this. The great sages were enriched by such experiences and they have extolled it as the source of wisdom. These experiences are not bound by time or space. Their validity and value can be recognised not only in India but by people of all lands. They lay down basic truths, it can be asserted. The Vedic religion originated, we do not know when; others came later. This is the difference. So, if the Absolute has to be known, it is not possible to succeed with the help of the skill and strength that man has. Human intelligence can operate only within certain limits. Buddhigrahyam atheendriyam. But the Veda is beyond the reach of intelligence. Intelligence is restricted. It can deal only with facts discoverable by the senses and experiences related to these. It can act only in the area of the visible, the viable. Mother Veda has been kind to her children - the human race. To sanctify its cravings and to uplift the race, she has posited the concept of Time - and its components, the years, months, days, hours, minutes and seconds. Even gods were declared to be bound by Time. The individual or Jiva is caught in the wheel of Time and Space and rotates with it, unaware of any means of escape. But, really he is beyond the reach of Time and Space. The Veda is bent upon the task of making him know this Truth, and liberating him from this narrowness. Mother Veda is compassionate; she longs to liberate her children from doubt and discontent. She has no desire to inflame or confuse; wise men know this well. Gravitation has existed on earth since we do not know when. It had its origin along with the Creation of the Earth. The Earth and the Force of Gravitation are both inseparable, indistinguishable. Just because it is not recognised by a few or because it is not visible as such, it will be foolish to deny its existence in the Earth. But the fact is, no one knew the existence of this universal force, though it was there along with the Earth! The force was operating even when man was unaware of it. At last, after analysing various principles and observing various experiments, the Western physicist Newton announced that the Earth had the force of gravitation. The world accepted his statement and placed faith in its truth. But, the force was operating all the time, even before the announcement by Newton. It did not start operating all of a sudden, when the experiments demonstrated it. The Vedas are Eternal Truths; they existed even before the people of this land discovered, practised and experienced them. Just as Western physicists announced the existence of gravitation after their experiments, the ancients of this land demonstrated the innate authenticity of the Vedas through their own experience. Here too, the Veda existed long before it was discovered and put into practice. Newton's Laws of Gravitation benefited the whole world; they express universal truths applicable to all places and times. They are not confined to Western countries only. So too, the Veda is Truth, not merely for Bharath but for all people on earth. It is not correct to claim that Bharath or India is the birthplace of the Vedas. The utmost that can be said is that they were discovered by the people of Bharath. To ask why a happening in one place did not take place in another place also is the sign of a confused mind. The Divine Author decides what should happen when and where. As He decides, so it takes place. The atmosphere in India was congenial for the revelation and the growth of the Vedas. The Vedas were drawn towards the hearts of the sages of this land, this Karma-bhoomi, this Yoga-bhoomi and this Tyaga-bhoomi. Other lands pursued Bhoga and so their atmosphere was overcharged with worldly aspirations and achievements. The Vedic message could not therefore be easily understood there. Since in India, the spiritual quest was sincerely pursued, along with material objectives, people here had the good fortune of the Veda Matha, Mother Veda, incarnating. Of course, this does not mean that the Veda Matha has not blessed other lands or is absent therein. It is like the force of gravitation present everywhere. The Veda is omnipresent. The heroic sages of Bharath were able to receive the Vedic Message as a result of their Sadhana of denial and detachment as well as their capacity to concentrate, and to experience the Bliss resulting from practising it. They were so selfless and full of compassion and love that they shared with those who approached them what they had heard and enjoyed. They are therefore called "Manthra Drshta". Through the long line of their disciples, the message has come down the ages and spread all over the land. Like a continuing flood, the mysterious Veda was 'visualised' by the Sages as Drshtas. The Bharathiyas, people of this country, are well aware of this debt. The scriptural texts of India - the Vedas, Vedangas, Upanishads, Smrthis, Puranas and Ithihasas - are repositories of profound wisdom. Each of them is an ocean of sweet sustaining milk. Each is sacred and sanctifying. The waters of the Ocean can never be diminished in volume however many pumps you ply to drain them. Enormous quantities of water are turned into steam by the hot rays of the sun, bundled into clouds, and returned to the earth as rain. This helps the harvesting of grain and renders the land green with vegetation. The wonder is that in spite of this tremendous uptake and downpour, the level of the ocean does not go down even by an inch. Furthermore, even though thousands of live rivers pour their waters into the seas; the level is not seen to increase. Similarly, the persons who have supplemented their knowledge of the scriptural texts with the awareness of their validity acquired by practising the lessons contained in them, are not affected by praise or blame, whatever the source and quantity. Their hearts will stay pure, unaffected and calm. The holy scriptures of India are strongholds of such sustaining lessons. However, one can imbibe those lessons only to the extent of one's patience and intelligent skill. After mastering the texts and gaining experience in putting the lessons into actual practice, one can share the light and the joy with others. The texts of India insist on the value of actual practice and the need to confirm the truths by experiencing their impact. If a person desires to understand clearly the sacred books and scriptural texts of India, to imbibe their message, he must learn the Sanskrit language; he cannot avoid that responsibility and that duty. The very mention of Sanskrit immediately arouses in many among us a prejudicial attitude. "It is the dead language of a dying culture; it is boosted by the fanatic attachment of antiquated conservatives", contemporary moderns declaim. They condemn the language as surviving only in meaningless formulae, in fast vanishing rituals and ceremonies, in wedding rites and other futile exercises. It is a very difficult language to learn, it is said. Such beliefs have dug themselves deep into the minds of moderns. These banal opinions and false attitudes have to be exorcised from the minds of men. Sanskrit is an immortal language; its voice is eternal; its call is through the centuries. It has imbedded in it the basic sustenance from all the languages of the world. Revere Sanskrit as the Mother of languages. Do not ignore its greatness or talk disparagingly about it. When you yearn to slake the thirst for nectar offered by the Vedas, you have to learn Sanskrit. In order to interpret the Vedas and elaborate their inner meanings and mysteries, the sages have left behind text books of complementary sciences like grammar, poetics, philosophy and astrology. Their researches and books range over several fields of knowledge like astronomy, geography, jurisprudence, ethics, epistemology, music, psychology and rhetoric. Western scientists are struck with admiration at the wonders of astronomy they have unveiled and the truths they have unravelled in other sciences; they have benefited by the clues provided by these sages and they are engaged in further research encouraged by the discoveries of these ancient seers. They have acknowledged that these rshis had advanced far more than the Greeks in their astronomical knowledge. In the Vedas and the supplementary literature they produced, we can find already revealed many secrets of nature, hailed as revolutionary discoveries by modern science, like the existence and explosive possibilities of the atom. Many sections of the Atharvana Veda are found to be mines of such important information when examined by westerners. The Germans established special institutes and universities in order to conduct research on the contents of the tons of palm-leaf manuscripts of the Naadi texts and horoscopes, and on astronomy, medicine, chemistry, toxicology, mathematics, etc. They are learning Sanskrit so that this work may proceed successfully. In America, Russia and even in Afghanistan, the Universities are not only themselves eager to introduce Sanskrit as a subject of study but they are being pressed by scholars to do so! Foreigners are revering these texts from India as gems of lucky discovery. The science of Yoga was assigned great prominence in the past by Indians. Even now, in many countries of the world this science is being studied and practised. Institutions where yogasanas are taught exist in great numbers throughout America and Russia. In India, however, when the practice of Yoga or Meditation is mentioned, people respond with the feeling that it is a spiritual path related to the Vedantic school of thought. As soon as Yoga is referred to many who hear the word get pictures before their minds of lone hermits in the depths of thick forests, wearing the ochre robe of monks and living on fruits, tubers and roots. Their opinion is that Yoga-sadhana is the ancient discipline practised by such homeless ascetics. This is an ignorant guess; it is not true at all. The Yoga science is today being probed by physicists and others in Western countries. In this era of technology, it is becoming increasingly difficult to lead peaceful lives. Men are becoming the targets of various types of mental ailments. In countries on the frontline of civilisation like America and England, people have lost the delight of natural sleep at night. They experience only artificial sleep induced by the tablets they swallow. As a consequence of these and many other drugs taken to ward off other ills, they suffer more and more from diseases of the heart and blood pressure. In the end, they render themselves unhealthy wrecks. Such lives are highly artificial. People are sunk in fear and anxiety; mentally on one side and physically on the other, they have no rest. Drugs, tablets, capsules and pills are produced in millions but the general health has not improved. Besides, new varieties of illness have emerged and are developing fast. A few intelligent westerners have realised that their only refuge is Yoga; they have confirmed their conclusion by means of experiments; they have taken to Yoga with increasing faith. The Vedas are the oldest literary creations of man. Now the word 'literature' is used to connote writings scribbled while eager to find something to spend the time hanging on hand. They have no inner worth or significance; they destroy the traits of good character in the reader and implant bad attitudes and habits; they do not adhere to the path of Truth. But, Literature is a term that cannot be applied to writings or poems that reel off tales that are false. It should not emerge from the egotistic fancies of the individual. The Vedas are the soul that sustains the spiritual life of Bharath; they are the breath that keeps the people alive. They possess a divine power, amazing in its effects. They are charged with the vibrations of mantras, which can be experienced by those who go through the process scientifically. They can impart also the strength derivable through symbols and formulae of Tantric nature. 'Tantra' means 'the means and methods of utilising the mantras for one's own good'. Man has physical and material power only. His Karma becomes holy and sacred when the mechanics (yantra) of life are ruled by Mantra and Tantra. The technique of this Sadhana is in the Karma Kanda of the Vedas. The ancient sages became aware of this and have preserved it for mankind in the Four Vedas. Unable to grasp these truths, those who pride themselves as 'moderns' proclaim that the Vedas contain only verses and mantras which are learnt by rote and repeated by aged cronies. Not only 'moderns' but even those who earned distinction as "the foremost Pundits", those who expound to the people gathering fame, use the Vedas for promoting their material well-being and not for helping them on the spiritual path. They are unable to discover the sacred task for which the Vedas exist. Whenever the chance arises, they benefit by the scholarship, but they are not eager or able to use the Vedas to purify their daily lives. As a result, 'moderns' find it impossible to develop faith in the Vedas. When the Pundits do not seek to practise the Vedas they have learned and parade their lack of faith by not instructing their own children on the glory of the Vedas, they naturally cause lack of faith in the entire society. Many others, in spite of their ignorance of the meaning of the Vedic hymns, walk through busy places reciting the sacred texts in mechanical orthodoxy. Foreigners, - especially German scholars - though they have not learnt the Vedas by rote, have realised that the mantras possess and transmit profound power. They have during the centuries carried to their own country, portions of the Vedas and conducted patient and painstaking research on them. Consequently, they have unravelled strange mysteries. They found that the Vedas contain the secrets of all the arts which confer progress on man. As adjuncts to the Vedas, many scriptural texts emerged. The Veda (knowledge) of Archery, the Veda of Ayu or Maintenance, Prolongation and Preservation of Life (medicine), the Veda of Planets and Stars (Jyotir Veda) - many such texts were composed and promulgated. Sage Viswamitra discovered the mantra named Gayathri, which is addressed to the energy of the Sun, Surya. This mantra has infinite potentiality. It is a vibrant formula. It has immense powers, powers that are truly amazing. For, the Sun is its presiding deity. Students of the Ramayana know hat the same sage, Viswamitra, initiated Rama into the mysteries of Sun-worship, through the mantra Aditya Hrdayam. The Gayathri enabled Viswamitra to use rare weapons which bowed to his will when the mantra was repeated with faith. Through the powers he attained in this way, Viswamitra was able to become a great scientist and create a counterpart of this cosmos. A person who is able to increase the capabilities of his hands and his senses is now considered a 'scientist', but, the term (Vijnani) was correctly applied in the past only to those who developed spiritual power and discovered the formulae for delving into the Divine within, those imbued with faith and devotion who could spontaneously demonstrate that power in actual day to day living. On the other hand, the 'scientists' of today know only a bit here and a bit there; they exaggerate and boast of what they have managed to learn. They are fond of pomp and proud display. They rise skyhigh on the fumes of praise. Such absurdities are quite contrary to the true behaviour of a scientist. For he is humble and meek. He is aware that, however much he knows, there is a far vaster field which he has yet to know. He is conscious that Divine Grace is responsible for what little he knows. Viswamitra was a scientist who had recognised this truth. So, there is no scientist yet greater than he was. But, though a sage of such immense eminence and with so expansive a heart lived in India, he is not remembered by the people of this land. They honour foreigners who have glimpsed his greatness; they have placed their faith in those researchers who have elicited valuable lessons from the Vedas. The Veda is the Mother of Bharat. But the children do not revere the mother any more. They revere the stepmother and believe in her! This is the result of anglicised educational system. Probing further and further into the scientific attainments of the sages of ancient India, the construction of Vimanas, vehicles capable of flying in space, is described by Sage Bharadwaja. Mental Science had advanced so much that they could reproduce what had happened or predict what would happen. The Science of Medicine was highly developed in India. It was Sage Bharadwaja who taught this science for the benefit of mankind. Sage Atreya took up the task of propagating this science and technique of healing. Saint Charaka compiled all the discoveries into a Samhitha or 'Collection', named after him. It deals elaborately with the diagnosis of diseases, methods of healing and cure, foetal development and other essential but not easily discoverable facts of medical science. The doctors proficient in that science could, in those ancient years, surgically remove or correct various diseased parts of body when the illness could not be cured by drugs. Saint Susruta has written in his compendium on many surgical processes. This text has been discovered and is available for study. Dhanvanthari, Nagarjuna and other sages have brought to light many other medical discoveries of Ancient India, made by adherents of the Vedic tradition of scientific reasearch. There are also many valuable texts on ethics, jurisprudence and other social sciences which are invaluable treasures for all time, like the Dharma Sastra of Manu and the Nyaya Sastra of Gautama. Vedanta is the legitimate property of every section, every caste, every community, and every race, of the followers of any faith and persons of both sexes. Vedanta means Wisdom or Jnana. 'Wisdom' relating to which field of knowledge? It is wisdom based on the knowledge of the Atma. This wisdom is the supremest gain that can be earned in life. What greater gain can there be for man than becoming aware of his Self, himself knowing himself. Faith in the possibility of knowing oneself is necessary for every student of Sruthi (the Vedas) and Smrthi (the Moral Codes). The object seen is clearly separate from the subject who sees. This is a universally accepted Truth. Who is this I that sees? All things that have Form are recognised and seen by the sense organ, the eye. The eye sees the physical body, other individuals, even insects, worms and things. It sees everything that is within its range. The body too is a thing that the eye sees, along with the rest. So, how can we conclude that the body is the I? Then, who really is this I? Fire burns and also brightens. It burns things by heat and brightens them by the light it sheds. Fire is different from the things it acts upon. Now, who is it that knows this truth - the truth that 'fire' and the 'things that it burns' are different? It is the Atma. When a log burns, the fire is present and active in all of it. Similarly, the Atma pervades the entire body, and enables it to perform deeds and to move itself and its limbs. The light shed by the lamp is the instrument that informs us at night: "This is the cup", "This is the plate". The eye is similar instrument which informs us "This is a house", "This is a thorn", "This is a stone". The eye is not the Atma. In the absence of the lamp, the eye, or, in the absence of the eye, the lamp cannot cognise the house, the thorn, the stone, the cup or the plate. Both the lamp and the eye are media or instruments of 'illumination'. The instrument, eye, sees the body, where it is situated. The body that is seen cannot therefore be other than a similar instrument. The senses are the experiencers of hearing, tasting, seeing, touching and smelling. When the eye is known as an instrument, the other four senses too have to be recognised as tools. All these senses are under the control of the mind which is their master. Even this mind is being controlled and conditioned by some other master. The mind cannot be the core of man. The intellect or buddhi examines the information materials offered by the mind. It is the instrument that judges and decides. For example, imagine a sharp knife. However sharp, it cannot cut a fruit on its own initiative. Nor can it cut the thinnest thread by itself. It can do so only when it is held by the hand of some one. The intellect is similar to the knife. It is helpless without the 'I', the Atma which has to wield it. Then, we have to consider another equipment of man - the Prana or the vital air. Let us consider whether we can nominate it as the 'I'? During deep sleep, man is not conscious that he is breathing and that the 'vital airs' are alert! Of the three states - the waking (Jagrat), the dreaming (Swapna) and the sleeping (Sushupti), though the Prana is existent in all, the man is not aware of the experiences of the waking state while dreaming, nor of the experiences of the dreaming state while in the wakeful state. During sleep, the Pranas do not activate the intellect or the memory. They appear to be quiescent. When the boss is active, the dependents cannot keep quiet. Since thy are not uniformly active always, Pranas or the Prana principle cannot be considered as the 'I' or Atma. Now about the Ego. There are two fields in which it operates and so, it has two meanings: Self-love, Ahamkara, the 'Dehatma', Body-consciousness, the Exterior I and the Inner 'I', the Pratyag-Atma. Persons who do not know this distinction confuse themselves and assert that 'I' is applicable to the Dehatma. But, this is wrong. The body as we have seen is a tool, it is an object; it is the seen and not the see-er. How can the Ego, identified with it, be the Atma? This Ego also is of the 'seen' category. It is absent in sleep and plays false in dreams. Truth has to persist unaffected, in the past, present and future. That which is absent in two states, how can it be true? As a result of this inquiry, it has become plain that the senses, the mind, the intellect, the vital airs - not one of these can be accepted as Atma and accorded that validity. Therefore, the question arises: What else, who else, is Atma? It has no entry or exit, no hands and feet, no organs and limbs, no blot or blemish. It is the minutest among the minute, the hugest among the huge. Like space, it is everywhere. It is all and so it is free from 'I' and 'mine'. It is consciousness, as fire is heat, and the sun is light - it has no affinity with distress or delusion; it is supreme everlasting ecstasy, Param-ananda. It is the core, the heart of all beings; it is the awareness in all. It is the see-er of everything 'seen'; it sees all objects seen. Everyone, whatever his nature or stature, who declares, after being served by the senses, "I see", "I hear", "I taste" etc., is really only talking of lamps, of tools and not of the Atma. The Atma is not a part-see-er, a series-see-er, a non-see-er or a pseudo-see-er. The Buddhi, like the moon, has no light in itself. Like the moon it reflects light from another source adjacent to it, namely the Atma. Buddhi can operate only by reflecting the Cosmos Intelligence, represented by the Atma. The Sun is designated the Cosmic Eye, Jagat Chakshu, a name based on the Sun's involvement with and proximity to other objects. The Sun has no ego-sense or a sense of possession and property, and no will or want or wish. By His very presence darkness disappears and light envelopes the world. So, He is called the Enlightener. But He is not consciously doing so, as if in duty bound. The Atma too has neither obligation nor application. If asked how the Atma becomes a 'doer', the reply is - is the magnet a 'doer', simply because the needle which is in its neighbourhood moves? The basic question may now be raised. Does the Atma exist? If it does, how and with what proof can it be established? There is no need to prove that the Atma exists, for, if the Atma is capable of being proved by certain arguments and lines of reasoning, the existence of a person, who uses those arguments and follows those lines of reasoning, has to be posited. That person will again be the Atma! Of course, some men may reply that the Vedas are the authority for the existence of the Atma and that the Atma can be experienced and validated through the Vedas. The Vedas do prohibit certain activities as Un-atmic or opposed to the norms expected from a believer in the Atma; they do recommend certain other activities like charity, moral behaviour, as Atmic. But, the Atma is its own proof, its own witness. Its existence cannot be established by other facts, or things. The Sastras, which are texts supplementary to the Vedas, declare that God resides wherever six excellences are evident: Enthusiasm (utsaha), determination (sahasam), courage (dhairya), good-sense (sad-buddhi), strength (sakti) and adventure (parakrama). The inaugural prayer of man has to be directed to God (Ganapathi) to gain these six gifts which can purify consciousness and reveal the Atma. One has to undertake the discovery of one's Atmic core, with bravery in the heart; this is no exercise for cowards. Wicked persons, waverers in faith, doubting hearts, woeful countenances, are destined to go through life as rogis (sick persons) and not yogis (dwellers in Atma). This is the distinguishing mark that separates the 'wise' (jnani) from the 'unwise' (ajnani). Krishna spoke, laughing with an outburst of joy; Arjuna listened while over-powered by sorrow. The jnani is always full of joy; he laughs. The ajnani is afflicted with sorrow; he weeps. In order to achieve victory while inquiring into the nature of the Atma, one has to pass through the Asramas - the Four Stages of Life recognised and recommended by the scriptural texts of Sanathana Dharma. Each one while passing through each stage, aware of the duties and responsibilities prescribed in the texts, learns for himself a quantum of the knowledge that leads to Atmic awareness. It is only after the childhood years that the Asram routine will have an impact on man. Until then, he cannot gather any special knowledge about his duties and responsibilities. Man has boyhood, adolescence, youth, middle age and senescence, as stages of growth; there are also corresponding stages in the growth of wisdom in him. In the first stage of boyhood, he is led from ignorance and 'innocence' into the world of knowledge, when he is accepted as a pupil by a Guru (Preceptor). After that, he has to serve the Guru and obey him, without feeling burdened and bound. In the second stage of youth, he has to share with society the means and measures for its progress and security; he has to start earning for his livelihood and spending his income with intelligent care; he has also the duty of providing examples to those younger than himself and guide them into socially useful paths. At the same time, he must follow the footsteps of elders and learn from them lessons for his own advancement. In the third stage of adult-hood, intelligent attention has to be paid not only to one's own advancement and the advancement of the family and society but also to the advancement of the people generally. That too is the responsibility of the grown-ups and they must acquire the skills necessary. They must have wider visions of the peace and prosperity of all mankind, and try to contribute to both, within the limits of their capacity and resources. Old age is the fourth stage. By the time one reaches this stage of his journey, he must have discovered that the joys available in this world are trivial and fleeting. He must be equipped with the higher knowledge of spiritual joy, available through delving into the inner spring of Bliss. Through his experiences, his heart must have softened and be filled with compassion. He has to be engrossed in promoting the progress of all beings without distinction. And he must be eager to share with others the knowledge he has accumulated and the benefit of his experiences. Thus, occupations and resultant attitudes have been assigned to the various stages of human life. Practice is as important for confirming one in wisdom as reading is important for confirming one in knowledge. Alongside of knowledge, youth has to cultivate the good qualities of humility, reverence, devotion to God and steadfast faith. He has to engage himself in good works and enjoy them for the sheer elation they confer. During adult-hood, along with the earning of wealth and involvement in the improvement of Society, attention must be paid to the promotion and preservation of virtues and to the observance of moral codes. Steps should be taken for improving one's righteous behaviour and spiritual Sadhana. All levels of consciousness have to be purified and then directed to holy tasks. During middle age, besides fostering the family and society, man has to live an exemplary life to inspire his children and hold forth before society, elevating ideals worth practising. No attempt should be made to belittle Society and benefit only the family, for, it is bound to fail. The Brahmam principle can be realised only by purifying one's activity and utilising that activity to serve oneself in all. It can never be realised so long as one relies on the caste into which he is born, or the intellectual equipment he has added unto himself or the mastery of the Vedas. He who is born cannot escape death, some time, somewhere. Every moment, many are born and many die. But man has to discover how to 'avoid' death. Now, the Atma which is the core of man, is not born; since it does not take birth, it does not meet death. Death happens to the body with which it is associated, with which it mixes. The delusion that the body is the core, that the body is real, that verily is the death. Affliction by that falsehood is the act of dying. To be free from that delusion is to attain Immortality. The body it is that disintegrates, not the Atma, the Soul, the Self. The body is undergoing change every moment and the final change is death, when the Self, changeless, remains. When one believes that the changing body is oneself and starts referring to it as 'I', that 'I' dies, but the real 'I' is deathless. As intense elevating activity and fearless inquiry into one's Truth are practised more and more, the consciousness that the 'body is oneself' can be overcome and negated. Consider the fruit of the tamarind tree. When unripe, it is not easy to separate the rind, the pulp and the seed. So too, those who have stuck to sensual desires and to fondling and feeding the body, cannot earn the awareness of the Atma. When the tamarind fruit becomes ripe, the rind can be broken off, the pulp gets detached from the seed and the seed can be isolated without effort. Inquiry and unselfish activity ripen the consciousness and the Atma can be isolated from the body, clear and pure. The body has five encasements which hide the Atma. There are grouped under three categories - the gross, the subtle and the causal. The physical case (flesh, blood, bone etc) and the vital case (breath) form the gross body. When these two sheaths, the sthoola body (the gross body) fall or disintegrate, the body too falls and cannot rise. The word 'sukshma' which is generally translated as 'subtle' means in Sanskrit 'small'; it has another meaning too, "that which expands." Air expands more than water; space is more expansive than air. Compared with the expanse of the liberated soul, even space has to be considered 'gross'! Steam is more expansive (subtle) than water. Though a block of ice or a lump of camphor appear 'gross' they become subtle when heated or lit. The rule of the world is that the seen causes the unseen, the manifested explains the unmanifested. But, the rule in the realm of the Spirit is different. The latent Atma causes the patent world. Being is behind Becoming, and finally, Becoming merges in Being; the patent is absorbed into the latent. As milk from the cow, from the Supreme Person flows the Power of Maya or Relativity as the Five-element constituted Cosmos (Prakrithi), the patent manifestation. The Cosmos is cognised as a composite, just as milk is a composite of cream, curd, and butter, which can be got out of it by the action of heat and cold, and the addition of sour drops, and the process of churning thereafter. The churning separates the butter from the milk. In the same manner, through cosmic processes and upheavals of heat and cold, the Five Fundamental Elements (earth, water, fire, air, and space) were separated and Earth, this Ball of Butter, emerged as the product of the churning. If any person or thing has one of the three character-traits (balanced, passionate, dull) predominant in the makeup, we denote him as having that trait. So also the Element, which is predominant in any created entity, gives its name to it. This is the reason why the world on which we live is called Bhoomi, the Earth. The realms in space where the element of water predominates are known as Bhuvarloka and Suvarloka. The materials therein flow in currents and streams. In short, what appears as the Five Element-Constituted Cosmos is only the superimposition on God, of the non-real Individual Self and the Five Elements. God seen in and through the non-real appears as Nature. This is but a distorted picture of Reality, this everchanging multiplicity. The fault is in the mirror that reflects, the mind that perceives, the brain that infers. What the mirror presents as true has no authenticity. The mirror is coated with dust and its face is not plain at all. God has no maya; He has no intention or need to delude, nor does He will that it should happen. But man in his ignorance sees things which do not exist and believes that they do exist just as he sees them. This weakness of his is named Adhyasa. When God is reflected as Nature, the reflection becomes Maya. As milk curdles into yoghurt, God becomes Jagath or the World of incessant transformation, or Maya or the Image of the Unchanging Divine. His Will causes this unreal multiplicity on the One that He is; He can by His will end it. He is the Master of Maya. God is omnipresent, omnipotent. Of the three entities, the Overself, the Self and Nature, Nature has, as its purpose, the fulfilment of the wants of man. God has no wants or wishes. He is the fullest and highest Attainment. The Ananda of every Being and for every Being flows spontaneously from God; His words to Arjuna in the Geetha are, "I have no duty to discharge, O Partha, in the three worlds." He has created duties only to foster the consciousness of all living beings. He has no activity and no obligation. He brings about the result for every activity. Without Him, no activity can yield result! He decides which result should accrue from which act.

In the words of Vivekananda, Higher and higher than all ordinary ones are another set of teachers, the Avatars of Ishwar, They are Teachers of all teachers the highest manifestations of God. The concept of Incarnation is integral with Hindu religious thought and with Mahayan Buddhism. Even in Christianity, Jesus of Nazareth is believed to be the one and only manifestation of divine power, the Son of God, the Holy Ghost who trod the dust of Palestine and subsequently emerged as the supreme principle of divinity. One has only to study the Holy Bible to garner information about the power, splendour and glory of Jesus Christ. His teachings, based on love, faith, hope and charity and his commandments, specially the ones delivered to his disciples in his Sermon on the Mount speak volumes about his wisdom. The chief and unique power of an Avatar consists in his power to change the very spirit of the age and to bring about a wholesale transformation of the minds and hearts of men. All the Avatars have displayed this power in abundance. Since the light has come from above, it is just in its nature to illuminate the dark corners of the world as well as the dark recesses of the human heart. Talking about the Avatars Annie Besant, the great theosophist thinker, has stated that the treasure trove of perennial philosophy and wisdom of sanatan dharma is buried in India; but in the modern age of science and easy communication, the entire wisdom has been properly disseminated and has even become the spiritual heritage of all mankind, irrespective of caste, creed, religion or nationality. No wonder that the Vedas, Upanishads, the shastras, purans and Bhagwad Gita, not to speak of the vast Sai literature are works within the reach of the entire humanity which aspires to explore the realm of spirit. The very fact that Bhagwan Sri Sathya Sai is now not only a familiar name in the West and all over the continents of Australia, Europe. America, Africa, but millions worship him as their personal God. It may be noted that never before in the long history of Avatars, such a phenomenon had been witnessed. When Rama and Krishna started their great avataric mission, very few people realized the import of their work or cared to follow their teachings. It was only in the case of Lord Buddha that a substantial part of the world accepted him as a great teacher. But at the present moment of mass communication, global travel in the jet age and international channels of printing, time and space have ceased to matter and a large number of seekers pay their obeisance at the lotus feet of Sai Baba and experience his divinity at first hand and without any shadow of doubt. It is in this sense that I have given the caption 'The Light that never was on land and sea' to this chapter. Many devotees living thousands of miles away from Baba have direct experience of miracles, visions, directions in dreams, accumulation of vibhuti on pictures in their worship room, and they are drawn to the Avatar as files of iron are drawn towards a very powerful magnet. Containing the translucent beams of light, Baba manifests that light wherever he pleases and the result is universal adoration of his power and mystery as omnipresent, omniscient and omnipotent God. Indeed, he truly represents that light which never was on land and sea. In the age of Romantic revival, the poets longed to see this light, but the waves of industrialism and scientific materialism obscured their vision, and they thought if there was no God they would invent one and found in Nature a substitute for divinity, a light that never was on land or sea. The primacy of spirit over matter and the transcendence of consciousness over reality permeates the thought of the nineteenth century German philosophers and of the British poet and thinker, Samuel Taylor Coleridge. One notices a close proximity between these thoughts and the ancient perennial wisdom of the Indian scriptures. When the Ray Supreme chooses to penetrate the universe, there is illumination and only illumination. It is not that a cosmic firework is witnessed. All that happens is that no area of human consciousness is left in the dark to languish in sempiternal gloom. A new and altogether welcome synthesis between subject and object is established and the distinction between being and becoming is obliterated. The light that engulfs the universe may either appear as both personal and impersonal. It may either take the form of a Krishna or Sai Baba. In its impersonal aspect, the light may be universal light, the naked majesty of the sun and the stars. In the eleventh chapter of Srimad Bhagwat Gita the vision of the divine in its total beauty, splendour and terror was bestowed to Arjuna. We are aware of the glimpse of the eternal and ultimate reality vouchsafed by the avatar to the intimate and fortunate ones who were held near and dear to the avatar. The child Krishna opened his mouth in order to show Yashoda, his foster mother that he had not eaten the mud. And Yashoda, on her part, saw both creation and dissolution going on in that flash of vision, universes rolling within the narrow confines of the avatar's mouth. Lord Krishna also showed his cosmic form at the time he admonished Prince Arjuna to cure him of his feeling of wavering and disaffection and his recoil from action in the battle­field. When we glance through the biography of Sai Baba of Shirdi we find that as a child, while playing with marble with a neighbour lad he won all the marble counters. The neighbour boy brought the lingam from the shrine of his mother and played with it and lost it to Babu, as Shirdi Babu was called. When the mother of the neighbour boy came to know of it, she rushed to the spot where the boys were playing and entreated Babu to return the marble lingam. Babu denied having taken the lingam. On being asked to open his mouth, he did so. The pious lady saw universes rolling in the mouth of Babu and lay prostrate at his feet. She had the advantage of the divine vision. In the biography of Sri Sathya Sai Baba, entitled Sathyam, Sivam, Sundaram we read that Baba showed the images of all the avatars to his mother Ishwaramma and some close devotees. It is reported that the images were produced in reflections on water, and many of the onlookers could not withstand the impact of that sight and even fainted. It only proves the point that humankind cannot bear very much reality. You will appreciate the truth of the statement that the only difference between a full Avatar and the omnipresent, omniscient, omnipotent God without form is that the Avatar has a name and a form. These, while making him more readily available to mankind, do not limit the amplitude of his divinity. Seeing him in the form of a man, the human mind is inclined to question these three fundamental facets of Almighty God. I have often heard him say that there is only one God and He is omnipresent. Can this small man in red be omnipresent? Can he be everywhere at once? The mind questions. Yes, he is everywhere in spirit, the Holy Spirit. Many of his close devotees perceive him around them all the time, often as Light. But, then, when he deems it necessary, that Light will suddenly take subtle form of Sai Baba. This I know personally from experience. Furthermore, Howard Murphet affirms the supreme continence of his affirmation visthe divine principle manifested in Sai Baba as Light. He records : Now, after many wonderful years of benign influence of my shining star Sai Baba, I have no doubt whatever about his omnipresence, his omniscience and its relation to his omnipotence ... I have no doubt that he will call to himself, at the right time all those who are ready to take a step forward into the Divine Light and become his helpers. Thus, in ways that we cannot yet foresee, he will carry out his divine mission for the enlightenment of the whole world, creating a new epoch for mankind. Yet, after the partial insights into the mission of the Avatar I find that God remains a great mystery. Answering to a question by John Hislop about pointed concentration on the form of God, Sri Sathya Sai Baba says: The best sadhana is that every act through the day be done as worship of God. God is like the electric power. Heart is the light bulb. The wiring is the discipline. The switch is the intelligence. Just turn the switch and there is light. John Hislop describes how Sri Sathya Sai Baba answers to his question in respect of the divinity and universal omnipresence of Swami. H. Swami, here just now we actually witnessed a part of this amazing story. How can this all be? Swami holds the entire universe in His Hand. He bears the responsibility for the inconceivably immense entire universe. And how can he at the same time give this detailed attention to the lives of individual devotees? Sai : It is as you say. Swami holds the universe in His hand. But devotees learn of the glory and majesty through Swami's attention to each one, personally. That Swami holds the universe, yet at the same time fully cares for the lives of his devotees even to the smallest detail is the measure of His glory that the devotee can understand. That Bhagwan Sri Sathya Sai is the translucent, all-pervasive Light that never was on land or sea in recent times after the dawn of kaliytiga nearly five thousand centuries ago cannot be called in question. We have not only the concrete and irrefutable evidence of astrology, Sai Baba's birth chart at the time of his nativity, the opinion of experts in reading the aura surrounding the faces of eminent human personalities, but also the personal testament of devotees. Most of these evidences have been discussed at some length in the author's earlier volume, Sai Baba: The Rose-Fire of Heaven. However, a brief resume may be given here for the sake of coherence and continuity. The first evidence is that of the ancient Jyotish Shastra enumerating the principles of astrology. The position of the ascendant in the lagna, the nakshatras and other major planets or constellations at the nativity time of the subject is supposed to be very crucial and significant in determining the life and character of the subject. The study of the birth chart of Sri Sathya Sai Baba reveals the nature and quality of his divine descent. Born in Akshaya Kartik when as many as four powerful planets were staying in conjunction in the ascendant. The combination of Sun, Saturn, Venus and Mercury indicated beyond any shadow of doubt the advent of a Maha Purush, a great being or an avatar was born as the very quintessence of Light and Love in order to herald a golden era for humanity. The advent of the Sai Avatar had been prophesied thousands of years ago in the Upanishads as also in Bhrigu Samhita, Nadi documents scribbled on palm leaves by ancient sages and seers and in Satcharitragrantham, the repository of ancient wisdom. These priceless records describe the divine attributes of Sai Baba whose principal task is dharma paripalan, paropkar and bhakta samrakshan. He has laghima, anima and mahimas, the power to shower grace and splendour. He is omnipresent, omniscient and omnipotent. It is also predicted that his powers would increase tenfold at the time of pralaya, calamity and dissolution. He will show himself at many places as column of light and perform many divine manifestations like keeping an airplane airborne without petrol. Finally, it is mentioned that he will unfurl a dharma dhwaza after the completion of his avataric mission at Whitefield, Bangalore. It is difficult for us to disbelieve all these predictions. From the recorded evidence of so many miraculous manifestations of the omnipresence and omniscience of Baba and his Christ-like power of resurrecting the dead, multiplying the quantity of food etc., one is inclined to believe in the divine advent of Sai Baba. However, the greatest achievement of Sai Baba is to turn people Godward and plant in the human hearts the seed of faith and impregnate those hearts with the elixir of pure, selfless love and thus bring about the transformation of hearts. Another strong evidence of Baba's divinity comes from an entirely different source, Frank Varoneshky, a professor at the University of Arizona, U.S.A., who has earned the distinction of being an undisputed expert in the study of the halo or aura that surrounds the faces of individuals. He has the privilege of studying the aura on the faces of eminent individuals in all walks of life. According to him, the attendant aura speaks volumes about the character and personality of the subject. Whereas the aura round the faces of ordinary mortals is, more or less, non­descript, null and void, the aura encircling the face of a superhuman person or an avatar is expansive and its lustre extends up to the sky which is limitless. Professor Varoneshky was bewildered and enthralled to see the aura round the face of Sai Baba. According to him, it was a white and pink aura of the colour of love. This aura became golden like sun and turned into blue colour, which is the colour of love when the Majans were being sung. Professor Varoneshky suggests that this aura signified the boundless energy of love and he has no hesitation in saying that aura wise Bhagwan Sri Sathya Sai was God, the diamond like brilliance of his eyes expressing the unfathomable depth of his love. The personal experiences of many a devotee richly substantiate this aspect of Sai Baba, the dramatic operative principle of his divinity manifested as a Ray from the Supreme. The present author himself experienced the surge of waves and waves of unearthly light emanating from the eyes of Sri Sathya Sai Baba on that fateful day of summer, 1973 as he stood face to face with Baba in an attic room by the side of the interview room. It was not only ecstasy, but also sublimity that filled the vessel of his being. The author still recapitulates that moment of epiphany, akin to the intersection time when one is very near illumination and experiences the process of being burnt out. An American devotee Jack Scher records his intimate experience of his first encounter with Sai Baba in images of poetry. He says: One personal leela was my discovery that during bhajans I could close my eyes and suddenly the whole scene I had been watching turned into beautiful shades of intense rose, pink, mauve and orange. At first I thought it was an after image but the scene kept changing. The audience would fade and I'd see huge palaces with gigantic walls and turrets. When Baba came outside, I could close my eyes and the whole scene would turn into a soft and yet vivid pink. He lit the sky with his presence. We are aware that in some of the materializations, specially photographs and cards, there is the imprint of three words : T.P.S. -Howard Murphet records in one of his books, Sai Baba: Avatara. Baba answered his query and explained the fact that T.P.S. was his trade mark. It meant Tara Parthi Sai. We can conjecture that it also might mean Tara Patri Sai and Tara Prema Sai. The direct apocalyptic experience of Pauline Kirby is strange and unique as she visualizes the descent of a star on the Good Friday day of 1977 that transformed her life and left an indelible imprint on her mind. That is how she describes the descending of the Holy Spirit from the Sky as Sri Sathya Sai Baba: After spending a very lovely evening in attunement ... with God and Nature, I retired to my room. It just so happened that this particular room had a skylight so I could look up and gaze at the star-lit sky ... I looked up at the skylight; and suddenly a star started coming down from the heavens. It streaked across the sky getting brighter and brighter and continued right on through the window, entering directly into my room. It was awesome. I was utterly stunned and amazed ... Almost instantaneously my room shone with a very strong light. Everything seemed so clear and beautiful. It was totally overpowering. I was in a complete state of awe and wonderment. I remember saying, 'Is this happening to me? Is this a dream? Am I asleep but I was totally awake and my mind was perfectly clear. Yes, it was really happening ... The star then began to flash various streams of light, and all these flashed before my eyes, I heard a very loving voice giving me clear directions about my life. The messages were very simple, and there was no doubt in my mind that this was guidance from above ... The voice also told me to become a vegetarian, become celibate, and begin to worship God. Later when I came to Sai Baba, I realized that these were his exact teachings ... The star stayed with me for quite some time. The flashes of light and the voice all happened in a very synchronized pattern, like an orchestra playing a symphony around the cosmic dance of life ... yes, I realized there is really a God, and he is directing every move of my life ... Sometime during the star's presence, I remember feeling very afraid, and immediately the image of climbing up and downstairs came into my mind. To me, go down meant to descend into darkness and the unknown, while to go up meant to follow the light and to know what the real Truth is. I now realize how similar this insight was to Asatoma prayer of Sai devotees: Lead me from the unreal to the real; lead me from darkness to light; lead me from death to immortality. Even then, Baba was imparting one of his essential teachings. Soon I started reading about Sathya Sai Baba and the very first book, Vision of the Divine, disclosed Swami's trademark, T.P.S. It means Tara (Star), Puttaparthi in the form of Sathya. Then I realized it was he who had come as that wonderful star; it was he who had descended into my world on Good Friday night; it was he who hadcompletely changed my life. Thus, it is clear from the vivid and authentic experience of Pauline Kirby that she, like William Wordsworth, had the intimations of immortality on the night of Good Friday, which transformed her life and brought her into the orbit of Sri Sathya Sai Baba and nearly made her an apostle of Christ. She may not be Paul, but her name has the implicit suggestion of its derivation from the name of the great apostle. The star symbol is extremely relevant in this context. It encloses within it the power, majesty and brilliance of that perpetual star which God is. It may also be noted that the account of Pauline Kirby, describing the descent of the Holy Spirit, is essentially poetic. Verily it is through poetic perception and imagination that such a tenuous experience as the vision of the divine can be grasped and communicated. In this connection, one is tempted to quote the poem of Professor V.K. Gokak a noted Karmad and Indian English poet in which he envisions Sai Baba as 'a lawn of blue light'. Baba is a lawn of blue light With a May flower on top of his hair And a golden lily on his cranium. He is the healer of a world in pain, The blue-throated God That drinks the poison of its suffering To make it happy and whole. This blue-throated God is also the Sun-crystal as described in V.K. Gokak's another beautiful poem: He sits in the sun in the meridian hour of exceeding glory. And the sun is mellow to his eyes and limbs, The scion of the sun becomes a sun crystal. He receives the quintessential ray and concentrates it on the world that it may be purged of its dross. And in the moment of Apocalypse, that sun-crystal Melts into the sun. One can say, in conclusion, that Sri Sathya Sai Baba is the perpetual star that becomes multifoliate rose so as to make humanity aware of his divine reality. He appears as light or the single flame that burns continually to take the entire humanity, upward to the path of illumination making us aware of the God who resides within us. Baba's divine power is the power of spirit ,and his light is the sempiternal light that shines everywhere. In the words of Professor Gokak, Baba's power is something that descends from the thousand petalled lotus, the elemental exercise of a will that is omniscient and omnipresent. It is the will that sees and acts simultaneously. What it wills fills and fulfils itself in space and time. But it bides its time, unwarped by slushy sentiments, unbiased by impatient hurry. And when it strikes, it is for all to see, like a column of light that unites the earth and sky. Professor Gokak describes some of the external, breath-taking and almost unbelievable phenomena that go by the name of miracles, signs and wonders: It is the cascade of vibuthi or holy ash, endless, exhaustless. It is the crystallization of lingam after lingam, spheroids of alabaster or jade from the silk soft leaves in the abdomen. It is the ceaseless oozing of honey from the heart of granite itself. It is the descent of a succession of golden images of gods and goddesses‑from nowhere. it is the transformation of stray particles of sand on a sea shore into the divine image of Sri Krishna, the reconstitution of water into petrol. It is the profuse in pouring of vibuthi and the massing in of kumkum behind the glass framed on the photograph, the foot­prints in holy ashes leading to the worship room in a house or out of it. It is flower moving marvelously from the top of a photograph to its base, or whole garlands aflutter ... It is the rain that suddenly stops raining or the electric bulb that blazes with light when the whole area is plunged in darkness. It is the shaft of light that hits you in the eye from a photograph. That Sri Sathya Sai Baba is divinity incarnate, the logos, the word or the supreme Brahman is no longer debated or doubted. As time passes, the absolute certainty and authenticity of his incarnation or avatarhood is becoming as clear as daylight. Even those who consider Sri Sathya Sai Baba merely as a holy man and saint par excellence are veering round to the view that he may be representing the absolute and ultimate reality, the still centre which is the source and spring of all light and knowledge. Howard Murphet in his book, Where the Road Ends, makes a mention of the prophecy of Sri Aurobindo about the victory day: The noble work of Sri Aurobindo did, however, have its Victory day. This day still celebrated in his ashram was on the 24th November, 1926. His followers believed that Sri Aurobindo had been working for years to bring about what he called Krishna consciousness on earth. On that day he announced that his goal had been achieved. Krishna consciousness had come on earth and so this was his Victory day. On the day before this announcement, that is, on the 23rd November, 1926, Avatar Sai Baba was born. A large number of his followers including myself see him as Avatar Krishna born again. Dr. Samuel Sandweiss, a renowned American psychiatrist, was drawn towards Sri Sathya Sai Baba and delved deep into the reality of the avatar and he was able to apprehend the ultimate reality of Baba. He records : Good news about the presence of Sai Baba among us will spread quickly throughout the world, I am sure even though as he says, it will take a while for us to comprehend his full significance or the meaning of his message. It has been my good fortune to draw close to him at a time when it is still possible to become friendly with him on a personal level and see the clear signs of his greatness in a close and intimate way. Yet I feel that soon Baba will become but an orange speck on the horizon, surrounded by millions of eager faces. And like the people in his village who were once blessed to know the sweetness of his being from daily personal contact with him, I too will one day be saddened by having to view him only from a distance. But it is enough to know that Sai Baba exists at all. I feel deeply fortunate to be able to play a part, in some small measure, through this book in an evolutionary phenomenon moving inexorably towards realization: world consciousness awakening to its own glorious potential, and to the presence of a being who may indeed be ushering in a golden age. The experience of Swami Abhedananda, a close devotee of Sri Raman Mharshi, who achieved a high level of spiritual development through sadhana and longed to see the divine in human form, is very revealing. One morning at 4 A.M. he had a vision of both. Raman Mharshi and Sai Baba. The figure of Sai Baba underwent a metamorphosis and it seemed to Swami Abbedananda that Sri Krishna was standing before him in his tangible concrete presence. Even John Hislop in his wonderful book, My Baba and I, has related his experience of a drive with Baba on his car ... when he was amazed and wonder struck to see the attractive shades of deep blue on the face of Baba. He could not help asking Baba: 'what did that colour actually meant Baba was quick to respond: 'It was the colour and complexion of Krishna.' It may be interesting to sort out the revealing experiences of devotees, specially their initial and final perceptions of and insights into the nature of the Avatar. The most common thing is that the hearts and souls of persons ready to receive spiritual initiation are instantly lit up by the light of Baba's divine presence. Sri Sathya Sai Baba is a cosmic visitor; an avatar of Light and Love and his glory and splendour cannot be diminished by censure or criticism by cynics, ignorant and hollow men without faith. Baba simply brushes aside or ignores such criticism by saying that he feels sorry for those persons who hardly know either him or themselves. In his famous interview granted to Mr. R.K. Karanjia of Blitz Magazine he has answered all his queries and convinced Mr. Karanjia of his divinity. Mr, R.K. Karanjia, a progressive thinker and committed Marxist, has beautifully summed up his overall impression of Sri Sathya Sai Baba and his misson. He has pit it record and has become an ardent devotee of Baba: What finally is the sum of Sathya Sai Baba's mission? God realization through self-realization, he answered. In his series of interviews Baba has shown the Godward path to the realization of sat‑chit‑ananda, that is, experience, knowledge and bliss absolute. According to Baba, this highest state of consciousness or enlightenment is possible for every man and woman to achieve once he or she is liberated from the ego­bondage of body and mind to realize the true self that is jivatma. Jivatma is the abode of the indwelling God in man. It is the embodied essence of parmatma, the Cosmic Spirit. The Avatar's mission, according to Baba, is to help mankind dissolve the barrier of the ego and the mind with it so that the embodied jivatma can merge and fuse with the universal Parmatma, the mighty ocean of nectar divine as he describes it, to raise mankind to a race of good men and good women. Baba seeks to resolve the universal problem of man's alienation from man, God and nature with the Sai philosophy of pure spiritual love. Sathya Sai Baba provides the desired formula for escape from the terror of existence. Only evolution to a higher plane of consciousness can save man from this terror, this darkness and cold, this frozen spiritual misery. Mr. Janardan Thakur, another important journalist and feature writer of Sunday, has also published his interview with Baba. He had gone there in a critical and sceptical frame of mind, harbouring doubts about not only Baba's power but also his gown, his hair. Baba was generous and compassionate enough to allow him to examine the gown and the hair and he reports that there could not be a wig; it was a head full of hairs. Similarly, when reputed para psychologists and a bunch of psychiatrists visited Prashanthi Nilayam Baba accepted them with grace and removed all their doubts. This author also remembers the time when Baba passed along the line of the teaching staff and mumbled sadly, 'You all are doubting Thomases.' Baba has said on many occasions, 'If you say yes, I also say yes, yes, yes. If you say 'no', I also say no, no, no.' what is of crucial importance is the attitude of total affirmation, faith and unswerving belief in the existence of God. Since the individual atma is basically an ansha or part of the paramatma according to Vedanta, the eternal Absolute having created the universe at its own pleasure, the One having become many, there is hardly any separation. 'Thou art that' is the basic and central truth. That is what Sri Sathya Sai Baba means when he says that God realization is self-realization. Verily, Sri Sathya Sai Baba is the unique and incomparable source of Light, a regal and imperial Lighthouse, the blazing fire in the midst of a black pall to point the way to the pilgrims assailed by fancy lights and enchantments. To change the metaphor, he may also be described as that sempiternal erosionless rock in the bosom of the sea, the ocean of sansar. In the dark and stormy weather it is merely a sea-mark, helping the mariner to cruise safely on to his destination; but in calm and tranquil weather, it is what it always was, the symbol of permanence. Waves wash over it, the sunlight caresses it and the sea wind blows over it, but it is always firm and erosion less. In this world of constant flux Sai Baba is the only unchanging Absolute who sheds his light on each and every fragment of the phenomenal world, the Light that never was on land or sea. He is at the spring and the source, the root and the foliage of every sentient thing, especially mankind, for it is man who has the privilege of evolving to higher and still higher states of consciousness. Howard Murphet in the last chapter of his book, Where the Road Ends, speaks of life's journey as a pilgrimage and a search and goes on to highlight the nature of the quest. Finding the right kind of analogy of the medieval quest romances, he believes that the final destination of the questing hero is the place of everlasting happiness and eternal, absolute bliss. As T.S. Eliot says in the last movement of Little Gidding, We shall never cease from exploration And the end of our exploring Will be to arrive where we started And know the place for the first time. Howard Murphet quotes from The Secret of the Golden Flower: Wandering in Heaven one eats the spirit of energy of the Receptive and the still deeper secret within the secret the land that is nowhere that is the true home. The place is none other than the Grail castle, the destination of Sir Percival, Sir Galhad and other valiant knights. When the seeker comes finally to the chapel perilous, he has to encounter the grail girl who asks him questions. It is only when he has the gift of grace that he is able to give the right answers and has glimpses of the Holy Grail. The Grail king is none other than God himself who lives in the inner chambers of the heart of the questor, the inner spirit, and the true self. Mr. Murphet significantly says: 'My own Grail castle was my star in the East, Sai Baba.' Similar has been the experience of many close devotees of Sri Sathya Sai Baba who have bathed in the white radiance of the divine Light and have had glimpses of the Grail, the innermost meaning and purpose of life. When Sai Baba unequivocally declares. .. the fact that the worship of the Lord in any form, in any name is the worship of Sai or that it is he who grants the boons irrespective of the God to whom you make your prayer, supplication. What is meant is that the power that operates in and through Sai form is identical to the power to which you pray. This is clearly an unmistakable and authentic manifestation of Satchidananda who has a human form, feet and hands and is engaged in purposeful activity of listening to the prayers of the world in pain and misery and is entirely capable of liberating all souls in the universe. That is why God is described as uttam Purush, the source of Light, Love and Bliss. It is the universal omniscience, omnipresence, power, glory and splendour of the highest magnitude that give credence to the belief that Sri Sathya Sai Baba is the manifestation of the divine principle and is the crowned knot of fire and the beacon light by which we know of the glory of God Almighty. As Mr. S.P. Ruhela says : Sai Baba has served, inspired and instructed unnumbered thousands of devotees, sceptics, critics and curiosity seekers through the years with profound spiritual powers. One of these is his widely reported capacity to heal the diseases and infirmities of people by blessing them ... Another important area of his power is the ability to respond immediately to prayers or cries for help from devotees often hundreds or thousands of miles away by appearing at the site and taking action by materializing gifts of vibhuti or other things in their houses by causing message to appear for them, and so on. This divine television and teleprinter has surprised and baffled physical scientists in India and abroad who have seen their laws of Physics fall before Baba's miracles. And furthermore, he describes the universal charisma of the Avatar by testifying to his acceptance as a symbol of divinity by the world at large. He says: Devoted Christians have testified that they find in Sai Baba glimpses of their Christ. The Hindus find in him the living images of Shiva, Shakti, Krishna, Rama, or their family deities. The Muslims call him Allah and people of other religions find in him their own conception of God. He is secular, casteless, classless, country less, religion less, fearless and full of the love of a thousand mothers. Sri Sathya Sai Baba has declared : My power is immeasurable. My truth is inexplicable. I am announcing this about me as the need has arisen ... Let me tell you that emphatic declarations of the truth of avatars were made so clearly and so unmistakably only by Krishna. Finally, to write about the principle of divinity emergent in a full Avatar like Sai Baba, is a difficult and precarious business because one cannot enclose the sun in a little room and say with certainty he is this and that. So it would be fair to close this chapter by quoting the words of Howard Murphet : If we were asked to list the attributes in our concept of God, the spiritual parent, most of us would name these: compassionate concern for our welfare, the knowledge of what that welfare truly is, the stern strength to make us take the nasty medicine when necessary, the power to help and guide us along the narrow way to our spiritual home, the forgiveness and mercy of the father who welcomes with joy the prodigal, the power to bring essential innovations to the human drama which he himself has created, and a love that is equal towards all his human children. These are the salient qualities in man's mental image of God. And these qualities­ all of them those who have eyes to see have seen in Sai Baba.

"The human body is the most wondrous machine in the world. it has a bewildering multiplicity of limbs, organs, veins, nerves and cells which co-operate to maintain it under varied conditions. If any one of these rebels or refuses to rescue another, the body is bound to suffer. So too, a society community or nation can be safe, secure, and happy only when the individuals comprising it are mutually helpful and bound together in skillful and sincere service. Every generation has to receive education and training in such intelligent co-operation and service, or else, the world has to face confusion and chaos." Sathya Sai Baba

Your reply: there's no possibility to realize to be the light, if one is the light, he's the light eternally.. no need of realization. The light never gets obscured by maya __________ You do not realize the light in you and that is what makes you think otherewise. Realize the light and all will become clear. When your inner self is clouded, you would not be able to see the light. First clear the haze than only the light is visible. __________ Your comment: developing love is opposite of realizing that "i am the light". If everyone IS the light, there's no different individuals to build a loving relationship. So if everyone is "the light", love is not possible __________ What is your logic? It is because there is no realization of light in you and that is why you do have love for anyone. Look at the Muslim fanatics, do they have the light? No, and that is why they can behead another human being in the name of their religion. If everyone discovers the light only love will prevail and there would be no enemies among the human race. Use your good brain to good use. Discover yourself first before making fool of yourself.

You cpmment: You cannot get anymore stupid when you say , can you bring those who witnessed krisha's miracles. _________ Is that all you can say? A logical duestion gets a stupid comment. I have not seen Krishna or Vyasa who wrote the mahabaratha but we as HIndus believe it solomnly. But if I am in the shoes of an atheist tis would be the question I would ask and what would be your logical reply? When you can believe what was written a few thousand years ago why cant's you accept what you see with your own eyes. A living person ceting a sensation and subscribing to the scriptures and yet you call him a fraud and cheat. I wonder how stupid can you be?

Your reply: Barney, did Hinduism teach you to call people who have a different opinion to you ignorant fools? I have no reason to be jealous of baba, I think he is just a fake. And as a Hindu I have every right to say so as Vivekananda had warned us to beware of false godmen. __________ I would rather refer you to ISKCON founder the late Srila Prabhupda who call the Hindus rascals and fools. So, calling someone who is blinded by romours as ignorant fool would be ok I guess. Anyway if it hurts you too much than I would apologise for my remarks. __________ Your reply: I know he teaches peace and hormony of all religions and he's hear to fool gullible people like yourself to think he is an incarnation of God who came previously to this earth as Krishna, Rama, Buddha and Jesus...as a matter of fact the founder of all the major world religions! __________ Weather he s an incarnation or not is beside the point here. Why do you want to think so? I do not think of him as an incarnation but someone with special gift to gather people of all faith to one single congregation to unite them inot loving each other as brothers and sisters. Tell of any such in this world if you can name a few. Are heads of states and dignataries gullible? Have you wittnessed such gatherings in person? To call him a fraud do you have any concrete proof of the allegations? Did you personally go to Puttaparthi to investigate his materialization in person? On what grounds you are saying he is a fraud and a cult? If he is a cult than what about ISKCON? Read the profile of ISKCON by American investigators and read what they wrote about ISKCON and calling Srila Parabhupada as a cult leader. Do you believe them? __________ You reply: Thank you, I don't believe in Sai Baba and never will. He may teach some good things which I agree with, but I don't believe he is an incarnation of God. Also if you've actually seen the footage that PROOVES that Sai Baba's miracles are nothing but hoaxes! They have been exposed many times, so there's no doubt that he's a hoax-monger. It's not good that so many people of India are fooled by his magic tricks...if he wanted to do something better he should've taught his followers to be rational and to develop themselves. __________ Did I ask or beg you to believe in him? All I am saying is do not condemn him without personally investigating him. If you do not want to do so than you do not have the right to condemn him. Is he saying that you must only pray and believe in him or does he say all other Gods are demigods while he is the real incarnation of God. Read what Sb says about Shiva, Brahma and Sakthi. Than you will know what I am talking about. __________ Your reply: You said that BBC is Christian based is out to discredit him. Well I must say that I was suspicious of the sexual abuse claims made by the Americans and how come not one person featured was Indian? It could be that the American youth (Ahlaya Ram) who said Baba wanted oral sex with him has a family who are really working for a right-wing Cristian organisation (or American gov) who realise that to convert India, they need to break-down people like Sai Baba, then once this is done, turn their attention to other sects/organisations. The thing is...how did they manage to get the BBC on their side? However I do know that the BBC certainly does have an anti-hindu bias especially in the UK. __________ It is the comon pratice of westerners to discredit authentic spiritual icons of India for fear that more westerners would switch over from their Christian faith. Morever they are very good at claiming millions of dollars as settlement for such allegation but as you can see Sai Organisation have never give in to such demands as they have nothing to fear. Anyway, al I can see is allegations but no official police reports because they thought that by making such allegations Sai Baba would negotiate payments like what Micheal Jackson did when he was firts accused os such act. We have the brains to think and investigate, don't just listen to rumours and folow the bandwagon. __________ Your comment: wouldn't put anything past the American govenment and the church in the US as they are quite capable to do almost anything to destroy another faith or country! But if you think they have, you need to build up as strong case and then present it to the world. Just saying "Leave baba alone, we don't believe it", isn't going to do much. The fact that the Satya Sai organisation has not yet released a statement answering back the allegations is not doing good for it's already negative image and may even make people think that Satya Sai Baba is really guilty! Remember that it's not just that he is a hoax, and sexual abuse, but there was the MURDER allegation too! __________ Did you know there was a suicide case of a member from Syberia at ISKCON in US? How would you surmise that report? Would you blame the ISKCON for the death of it's member? Use logic when you think. __________ Your comment: I do believe that the Satya Sai org is a cult and some of it's members are brainwashed as they asked the owner of Hard Rock cafe - Isaac Tigrett (who is a Sai devotee) if he thinks Satya Sai is guilty to which he replied "Absolutely, I think there is truth to the rumours!" He stated that even if Sai Baba murdered people, it's not gonna change him being a Sai devotee. Now wouldn't you say there's something wrong here? __________ Who is this owner of Hard Rock Cafe? What are his credentials and how does he fare in society? Any of his personal matters know to any of the accusers? Oh! Sure I too can make such statments but who am I and what is my backgorund and motive. All this has to be known before jumping the gun. As for calling Sai Baba as a cult leader would not be proper coz SB too can be branded as a cult leader. A cult leader is one who promotes the belief of one single leader and in this case SP is promoting only Krisha and now ISKON is branded as a cult organisation in US. All his 75 years as a preacher and motivator why would he want to kill someone to tarnish his good name? There is no logic to such allegations.

Develop faith in God. All names are His--Rama, Krishna, Christ or any other name. Every man is the embodiment of the Divine. True human relations can grow only when this truth is recognised. The first stage is where you recognise "I am in the Light." Next when you realise, "The Light is in me," and finally you realise, "I am the Light.I" represents love and light represents Jnana (Supreme Wisdom). When love and light become one, there is Realisation. The Bhakti Marga (path of devotion) is easier than Jnana Marga (the path of knowledge). The Gita has extolled the Bhakti Marga. Love should come from within, not enforced from outside. You should develop disinterested and spontaneous love. The attitude of petitioning to God for favours should be given up. Love of God should not be based on quid pro quo, seeking favours in exchange for prayers and offerings to God. The object of celebrating holy festivals is to devote the day to meditation on God. From today give up swaartha (selfishness), turn your mind towards the Parartha (Supreme), lead a life of Yadaartha (Truth) and sanctify your lives. Place your faith in God and do your duty to the best of your ability. Saturate yourself with love and share it with all. If you earn the love of God even to the slightest extent, you will experience infinite joy. – Sri Sathya Sai Baba Sri Sathya Sai Baba's Divine Discourse on 15.9.1988 Sathya Sai Speaks, Volume XXI, Chapter 26: Devotion Is The Panacea, Section: Truth is beyond Time and Space Online: http://sathyasai.org/search/volume21/sss21-26.pdf

Embodiments of love! There is only one thing you have to offer to Me today. Pray that people in all countries, may the entire humanity, should be happy and at peace. "Lokaas samasthaassukhino bhavanthu" (Let all the worlds be happy). Then alone there will be real unity. Do not wish merely for the peace and prosperity of India alone. Pray for the welfare of all countries. All are our brothers, whether they are in Pakistan or America or elsewhere. Whether you believe it or not, realise that I am able to attract people from so many countries because of my all-embracing love. If every person observes three things, he will be one with Svaami. You will experience the Divine in you. As the following three are in Me, I can declare firmly about them. They are three P's: Purity, Patience and Perseverance. These three are in Me and around Me. Anyone with these three qualities will be unafraid wherever he may be. The most important quality is purity. Today everything is polluted. Water, air and all the five elements are polluted. As a result the mind of man is also polluted. How is purity to be achieved? Fill your minds with thoughts of God, dedicate all your actions to God and consider God as the inner motivator. Contemplation of God is not a matter for derision. You need have no fear on that account. You must have full faith in God, who is the universal sustainer. He is the protector, but not the punisher. The punishment you get is the consequence of your own actions. Therefore, chanting the name of God, doing bhajans and performing good deeds, engage yourselves in service of your fellow-beings. Nourish love in your hearts. Love will drive away all bad-thoughts. It will promote the spirit of forgiveness. – Sri Sathya Sai Baba

Yajnas and yagas, acts of charity and virtue, penances and ceremonial rituals are all designed to promote purity of heart. Purity of mind promotes purity of heart. Purity of mind is achieved by association with noble personages and studying the writings of saintly persons. "Chittasya suddhaye karmah"--the purpose of doing karmas (the duly ordained duties) is to purify the consciousness. Purity of consciousness leads to realisation of the Self. Atma Jnana can be got only by faith. Develop faith in yourself and faith in God. This is the secret of greatness. Self-confidence today is manifest only in matters relating to worldly achievements and selfcentered pursuits. Faith and confidence are not in evidence in the spiritual field. Without unwavering faith, the Divine cannot be experienced. Because of the absence of firm faith, the formal observance of spiritual practices yields no results. The primary requisite is unqualified and unshakable faith in God. One-pointed devotion promotes spiritual Sraddha (earnestness). The earnest seeker gets knowledge of the Self. The earnest devotee needs no other qualification except deep faith. He needs no other knowledge, no title to lineage or wealth. He may belong to any caste or community. He may be a child or even an animal like Gajendra (the Lord of the elephants). Valimiki, Nanda, Kuchela, Dhruva, Gajendra, Sabari, Vidura and Hanuman are examples of devotees who got God's grace through their deep devotion, without any other special qualification. To realise God it is not necessary to have wealth, gold or other emblems of affluence. Nor is great scholarship necessary. All that is needed is pure, selfless devotion. Today men with selfish and impure minds attempt to worship God. Without purity of thought, speech and action, it is impossible to experience the Divine. God cannot be realised through ostentation and self-conceit. The basic- requisite is the shedding of selfishness and possessiveness so that one can engage oneself in actions in a disinterested spirit. Any person is entitled to embark on this quest without regard to sex, age, caste or community. – Sri Sathya Sai Baba

Above all, whatever anyone may say or do, you should not give up your devotion to God. Without the love of God, this cosmos is an empty void. Love is God, God is Love. Develop this Divine Love. Cherish it in your hearts at all times and in all situations. Do not give it up, whatever troubles or difficulties you may be faced with. That Love will be with you, in you and beside you and protect you. Don't blame God if difficulties confront you. Regard even those difficulties as gifts from God intended for your good. Life is a succession of good and bad. If you take in your stride these ups and downs of life with firm faith in God, the Divine will take good care of you. Always remember the Lord's name. – Sri Sathya Sai Baba

PROPHECIES REGARDING SAI BABA by TWolke In a previous post or two, I mentioned what the Avatar Sathya Sai Baba has to say about the future. I thought I would also relate some prophecies that pertain to Sai Baba from various ancient sources. I should stress that I have not personally verified any of these, but I offer them here just for the record. The first is from the "Bihar Al Anwar" or "Ocean of Light," a compilation of discourses by the Prophet Mohammed and some of the Shia Islam Imam's. It was compiled in the 17th century by Mohammed Baqir Majlisi, a famous early Shia scholar. One of the many volumes is concerned with sayings concerning the coming "Hazrat Mahdi," which is the Muslim messiah. One of these was from the Prophet, and it had the following information: Mohammed refers to him as "Master of the World,Master of Time,God's President," and "God speaking and advising." He says that he can be recognized by these signs: "His hair will be profuse. His forehead will be large and concave. His nose will be small, with a slight bump at the bridge. His front teeth will be spaced apart. He will have a mole on his cheek. He will not have a beard but will be clean shaven. His clothing will be like a flame. He will wear two robes, one an under robe. The color of his face will be sometimes yellow like gold, sometimes very dark and sometimes shining like the moon. His body will be small. His legs will be like those of a young girl. All the teachings of all the religions of the world will be in his heart from birth. All the science and knowledge of the world from the beginning of time will be in his heart. All things which you ask from God, the Master of the World will give you. All the treasures are under his feet. He will give gifts that are light in weight. He will go around among his devotees and touch their heads with his hand. Every eye that sees him will be happy, not only humans but disembodied spirits. He will live 95 years. In the last 20 years of his life, he will be the King of the Whole World, but at that time only two-thirds of the people of the world will believe in him. Muslims will recognize him only nine years before his passing from the world. He will make the world light and full of peace. So as not to be deceived, you should know that the Master of the World will bring things out of his body through his mouth." The above physical description is highly accurate. Sai Baba used to produce lingams (elliptoidal objects symbolizing creation) in his body and bring them out of his mouth during the Mahashivaratri festival. He has said he will live to be 95 years of age (the year 2020). In Sri Aurobindo's book, "Sri Aurobindo on Himself and the Mother," he writes, "24th November, 1926, was the descent of Krishna into the physical. A power infallible shall lead the thought. In earthly hearts kindle the Immortal's Fire, even the multitude shall hear the voice." 23 November, 1926, was Sai Baba's birthday. Aurobindo was in a meditative trance on the 24th and came out of it to tell his devotees the news. Nostradamus gave two interesting quatrain's: "The triplicity of waters will give birth to a man who will choose Thursday as his holy day. His voice, reign, and power will rise across land and sea, amid storms in the East." "The earth and air will freeze so much water, when all will come to worship on Thursdays. What will be was never so beautiful before. From all parts of the world they will come to honor him." When Sai Baba was a child he told his father to worship him. When his father asked, "When?" Sai Baba said, "Every Thursday." That is now his holy day. And his ashram is filled with people from all over the world come to honor him. More to come.... India has ancient palm leaf writings (Naadi's) from rishis (sages), some date from thousands of years ago. Some of these refer to Sai Baba. The Bhrigu Samhita is a palm leaf manuscipt that is famous because it predicts everyone who will consult it. I have read about and talked to many people who have gone to consult the Bhrigu and found their name contained in it, along with the names of their parents, their life's history and something about their destiny. Several people have been told that they would visit Sai Baba, even though they didn't know who he was at the time. One was told that he would be "seeing the avatar of God in human form at Prasanti Nilayam (Sai Baba's ashram)." Another was told that he would see a "direct vision of God on the 4th of November 1967." That was the day Sai Baba came to his house. The Brahma Naadi says that "The avatar creating an illusion as though he is a human being, a denizen of Parti, Sathya Sai Narayana (Sai Baba's original name), the incarnation of Shakti-Shiva, the incarnation of Shirdi Baba (his previous incarnation), peace in person in the peaceful precincts of Parti on the banks of the River Chitravati. Reincarnation of Sri Krishna, Sri Linga, Sri Rudra Kali, Sri Shakti, Sri Vishnu. An embodiment of truth in the garb of a human, living as avatar in Maharashtra at Shirdi as Shirdi Baba, wearing tattered clothes, with the look of poverty and a life of simplicity, taking yet another avatar as Sathyanarayana with a serpent couch. Like Dattatreya, an avatar conjoining the trinity (Brahma, Vishnu, Shiva) together. The Supreme preceptor come as a form of Shakti. Sathya Sai taking another avatar as Prema Sai (his next incarnation). Thursday sanctified by the boy Sathya Sai." The Agastya Naadi says "He is the divine embodiment of grace" and "the father of the world." It further states, "The Avatar Sathya Sai will be medical master of lightening efficiency. He will found many educational institutions, produce literature on righteous conduct, preach throughout his life on spirituality. He will leave home at a young age and launch upon the establishment of dharma (righteousness) as his life's mission. In the previous life, he was Sai Baba of Shirdi." The Shuka Naadi says that "He was previously resident at Shridi. He is a great master of the will and one of great powers, but without any attraction to worldly wealth or glory. He will have the power to die at will and is one in the Nirvikalpa Samadhi state, living only for nurturing righteousness and preaching righteousness. The place where he will live will be a holy land. He will be able to assume different forms and will be seen in several places simultaneously and to remove difficulties and obstacles and to avert danger. He will establish an ashram near a place where there are vehicles with many wheels. (One of his ashrams is near a train station.) He will establish educational institutions of spiritual strength. He will be celibate and will show equality towards men and women. When all the world is in unrighteousness, his full powers will come into play and be known in the world. At the end of one cycle of the world, he will show that he alone can control the fury of nature. He will plant a tree in Brindavan (his ashram near Bangalore) and that place will become a field of energy and the tree a wish fullfilling tree. Good will come to anyone who sees Sai Baba. He will be known in all the world. He will have healing powers and the power to cure himself by sprinkling of water. He will use his healing powers not only for the people of this world but also for beings of the other worlds and on higher planes of existence. At times he will take on the illnesses of others and lenghen lives. When the Kali Yuga (age of unrighteousness) grows more intense, people will see his true might and will acknowledge that he is the supreme power. MORE ON SAI BABA... He will be revered as a mahapurusha in the world. Not all will be able to get his grace because of their past sins. The Shuka Naadi is much more detailed and lengthy. It does seem to indicate that we are presently seeing only a fraction of his power, and that his power will grow as the world worsens. The Shuka Naadi mentions that he will perform great miracles, and Sai Baba has stated that soon he will be doing extraordinary things that will make himself known worldwide. So that's all I have. In 1985, Sai Baba said he would enter the head of the Russian president and end communism. I know that Raisa Gorbachev has been to see Sai Baba twice, and said that her husband, who was then still President of the Soviet Union, was reading a book about Sai Baba. I believe Hillary and Chelsea Clinton went to see him last Friday, the 31st, although I haven't confirmed it yet. Assorted other world leaders have been to see him as well. So his influence is spreading. Source: http://www.soulwise.net/grey21.htm

TRUTH WILL ALWAYS TRIUMPH Radio Sai Listener's Journal, Volume II, Issue 5 March 1st, 2004 http://www.radiosai.org/Journals/Vol_02/05March01/03_Spiritual_Blossoms/02_Reflection/reflection.htm From time to time, many listeners and readers write to us and say: "There is so much negative propaganda about Swami. Why don't you use the Radio, H2H etc., to rebut this nonsense?" The latest occasion for such remarks happens to be a TV program that has apparently been aired in Australia, which, not unexpectedly, made many devotees there extremely agitated, to say the least. I would now like to break our silence and comment on why we refuse to waste our time on pointless rebuttals. Perhaps you would understand our attitude better if I were to start by telling you that our attitude to such matters is always conditioned by what Swami has said and continues to say. To give you a better idea of what I mean, let me take you way back to the year 1947. I wonder how many of the present devotees were born then. In that year, Swami wrote a letter, to be precise on 25th May. That letter is a landmark and we reproduce it below, but before presenting the letter, I must give you some background. You will recall that it was in 1940 that Swami truly revealed Himself. Till then, He was just Sathya Narayana Raju, son of Pedda Venkama Raju and Easwaramma and the grandson of Kondama Raju. But on 20th October, 1940, the world realised that Raju was none other than the reincarnation of Shirdi Baba, and thereafter, He came to be known as Sri Sathya Sai Baba. As many would know, this happened in the small town of Uravakonda. Shortly after that Swami returned to Puttaparthi to make it His permanent home. In those days, He stayed in a tin shed, now known as Paatha Mandiram. The Mandiram still exists, though in a different form. You may be surprised and even shocked to know that in those days, there was no direct road to Puttaparthi, as there is now. One had to first come to Bukkapatnam, and from there travel by bullock cart to Karnataka Nagepalli, a small village on the eastern side of Chitravathi. Thereafter, one had to cross the river on foot before reaching Puttaparthi. Altogether, it was an arduous trip but believe it or not, many came in spite of the hassle involved. How come? Well, that is what Divine Magnetism is all about! By the way, though a road of sorts came into existence a few years later, as late as 1968, Puttaparthi continued to remain quite backward. In fact Hollywood Director Schulman who came to Puttaparthi in 1968 wrote: "Puttaparthi is 160 km from Bangalore and ten minutes past the Stone Age!" Be that as it may, people began to come to Baba in increasing numbers, and that included many Princes and their families. For example, the Maharani of Mysore used to come to have Baba's Darshan. She was a Maharani but she too had to get down from her car in Karnataka Nagepalli and walk the rest of the distance. But such was the hunger of devotees that they started coming, first from nearby places and soon from much greater distance. That is what Spiritual hunger does to the true seeker, making him or her forget all the problems. Now in those far-off days, not many accepted Swami as an incarnation and understandably, there was a lot of bad-mouthing as they say. This happened in Bukkapatnam, and indeed even in Puttaparthi itself, as some of you would recall from one of my Musings Talk, in which I described an extra-ordinary incident once reported by the Rajah of Venkatagiri. But I shall not go into all that here. What I want to say is that the Press too started to make unfavourable noises, and that really hurt the elder brother of Swami's body, namely, Seshama Raju. At that time, Seshama was not yet quite able to appreciate Swami's true Avataric nature, and in a purely brotherly fashion, wrote a letter of advice, warning "young" Sai Baba of the cunning ways of the world on the one hand, and his various deep concerns on the other. In brief, Seshsma was worried about the impact of the attention that his younger brother was receiving. Would this adoration go to the head of young Sathya? Would He fall a victim to various temptations? Such were the thoughts expressed by Seshama Raju. On 25th May, 1947, Baba wrote a reply. Though Baba's letter was intended for Seshama Raju, it was in fact addressed to `all who are devoted to Me'. That letter is a powerful declaration of the purpose of the Sai Avatar. In that letter, Baba wrote: My dear One! I received all the communication that you sent. I found in it the surging floods of your devotion and affection, with the undercurrents of doubts and anxiety. Let Me tell you that it is impossible to plumb the hearts and discover the nature of Jnanis [Wise men], Yogis, ascetics, saints, sages, and the like. People are endowed with a variety of characteristics and mental attitudes; so, each one judges according to his own angle, talks and argues in the light of his own nature. But we have to stick to our own path, our own wisdom, and our own resolution, without getting affected by popular appraisal. As the proverb says, it is only the fruit-laden tree that receives the shower of stone from the passers by. The good always provoke the bad into calumny; the bad always provoke the good into doing more good; this is the nature of the world. One must be surprised if such things do not happen. People too have to be pitied rather than condemned. They do not know. They have no patience to judge right. They are too full of lust, anger, and conceit to see clearly and know fully. So, they write all sorts of things. If only they know, they would refrain from writing or talking like that. We should not attach any value to such comments and take them to heart, as you seem to do. Truth will certainly triumph some day. Untruth can never win. Untruth might appear to over-power Truth, but its victory would fade away and Truth would establish itself. It is not the way of the great to swell when people offer worship and shrink when people cool off. As a matter of fact, no sacred text lays down rules to regulate the lives of the great, prescribing habits and attitudes they must adopt. They themselves know the path they must take. Their wisdom regulates and makes their acts holy. Self-reliance and beneficial activity – these two are their special marks. They may also be engaged in the promotion of the welfare of devotees and in giving them the fruits of their actions. Why should you be affected by doubt and worry, so long as I am adhering to these two? After all, praise and blame do not touch the Atma; they can touch only the outer frame. I have a Task: To foster all mankind, and ensure for all people lives full of Ananda (Bliss). I have a Vow: To lead all who stray away from the straight path, again into goodness and save them. I am attached to a `Work' that I love: To remove the suffering of the poor and grant them what they lack. I have a `reason to be proud': for, I rescue all who worship and adore Me. I have a definition of `devotion': I expect that those devoted to Me treat joy and grief, gain and loss, with equal fortitude. I will never give up those who attach themselves to Me. When I am thus engaged in My beneficial task, how can My Name be ever tarnished, as you apprehend? I would advise you not to heed to such absurd talk. Mahatmas do not acquire greatness through someone calling them so; they do not become small just because some calls them small. Only those low ones who revel in opium but claim to be unexcelled Yogis, only those who quote scriptural texts to justify their gourmandary and pride, only those who are dry-as-dust scholars exulting in their argumentative skill, are moved by praise and blame. You must have read the life-stories of Saints and Divine personages. In those books, you must have read also of horrible falsehood and heinous imputations cast against them. This is the lot of Mahatmas, everywhere, and at all times. Why then do you take these things so much to heart? Have you not heard of dogs that howl at the stars? How long can they go on? Authenticity will soon win. I will not give up My Mission nor My determination. I SHALL carry them out. I treat with equanimity, the honour or dishonour that may result. Internally, I am totally unconcerned. I act, but solely in the outer world. If I talk and move about, it is entirely for the sake of the outer world, and for making the people realise the advent of Divinity. Other than this, I have no concern with anything. I do not belong to any place. I am not attached to any name. I have no `Mine' or `Thine'. I respond to whatever name you might use. I go wherever I am needed or called. For Me, the world is something afar and apart. I act and move only for the sake of Mankind. No one can comprehend My Glory, whosoever it may be, whatever be the method of enquiry, and no matter how long the attempt. You will yourself see the full Glory unfolding in the coming years. Devotees must have patience and forbearance. I am not concerned, nor am I anxious that these facts should be made known. I have no need to write these words. I wrote them because I felt that you would be pained if I do not reply. Thus, yours, Baba. Please read the above letter carefully. Note two things: The good will carry on with their work regardless of obstacles, and AUTHENTICITY WILL WIN. Swami gives the analogy of the tree and in fact, He has expanded on this many a time in His Divine Discourses. He says, man throws stones at a tree but comes to the same tree for shelter when the Sun is scorching at mid day. Not only that; in the end, the tree gives its entire self up as wood, to be used by man. Well, if that be Swami's Kshama [forbearance], then how can we use the facilities He has given us for spreading His Message, for taking on all and sundry who have no better work than to raise muck? By the way, I was told that in the TV program shown in Australia recently, many of the people who made allegations about Swami had their backs turned to the camera! Imagine that!! These people want to throw mud but do not have the guts to show their face! Do we dignify such people by condescending to "reply" to them? Perhaps I should also mention this. Once a devotee complained: "Swami, how can we really keep quiet when so much abuse is being hurled at You? Why don't You understand the pain we feel?" You know what Bhagavan replied? He said: "Bangaru, the man who is flinging abuse is in the gutter. If you want to fight him, you too have to get into the gutter? Do you think Your Mother would like to see Her dear child get into the gutter?" It is these facts that made us to withhold from impulsive and intemperate responses to irresponsible utterances by foolish people. At the same time, when there is misstatement in high quarters, we do make a quiet effort to set the record straight. Let me give two examples. A couple of years ago, the London Times wrote something nasty about Swami. Now the Times is not only the leading newspaper in Britain but one of the leading newspapers of the world, that is held in high esteem everywhere. Clearly if it writes or publishes something incorrect and inappropriate, we have a duty to place the correct facts before it so that its readers do not get wrong ideas. In fact, this is the right of reply that the Press is supposed to offer. So many of us wrote letters to the Times but believe it or not, the Times simply refused to publish any one of our letters. In fact, Air Chief Marshall [Retd.] Nirmal Suri, an ardent devotee, was in London at that time and he personally went to the office of the Times and tried to talk to them; but they did not even bother to meet him. So much for a decent and free press! Another event and that really is what I wanted to write about – all the above is just a long preamble so that you would get the background. Some years ago there was a big conference in Prashanti Nilayam on Educare. It was an international meet with delegates from many countries and started off as a joint venture with UNESCO [united Nations Scientific, Educational and Cultural Organisation]. I remember the event very well. And do you know what happened on the morning of that conference? The newspapers reported that the UNESCO Office in Delhi had issued a statement withdrawing from the conference because of allegations about the Sai Organisation! The muck-rakers had managed to poison the mind of the powers that be in the UNESCO, and the Head Office in Paris immediately sent a message to its Delhi branch to withdraw and issue a press release. We were all shocked. How could a responsible body like the UNESCO pull out just like that and that too without bothering to verify? If they wanted they could have pulled out in a polite fashion but the statement issued was far from polite. And that too from Delhi! In the years that followed, I tried in vain to tell the brass that came regularly from Delhi for Swami's Darshan, "Listen! You all know how much Swami has done and is continuing to do for the people of India in a thousand different ways. You also know how false and malicious the content of this statement is. Is not Swami respected all over the country? Is not an insult to Swami a slap on the face of the country? India is a member of the UNESCO. Why don't you officially write and take objection? You have every right to and also the authority to. Can you keep quiet when a UN body is casting aspersions on one of the most respected citizens of the country, one who has and is doing so much for the people?" My passionate appeal did not work. I was totally disappointed but then God works in His own silent way and according to His own timetable. Recently, an Official of UN Habitat was here for Darshan and he complained how his initiative on Human Values in Water Education programme based on Swami's Principles, was being thwarted by trouble makers, who were trying to influence the UN Secretary General, quoting the UNESCO Press Release, which was still on the UNESCO website. By the way, the programme that UN Habitat was working on is a sequel to Kanu's successful project on Human Values in Water education in Africa, based of course on Swami's teachings. I had a long talk with this Official of UN Habitat, and he subsequently went to Delhi where he managed to meet the Foreign Minister directly. By the way, the Foreign Minister is a devotee and has come here many times. In addition to this, I personally had a long meeting with a top diplomat, another devotee of thirty years or so. This other person had earlier been the Ambassador for India in Paris and also India's representative in the UNESCO. Both the Foreign Minister and this diplomat were terribly upset that nothing had been done this far, and now, all of a sudden the wheel began to crank. First, the Indian Rep to the UNESCO wrote [in part]: The media Advisory dated September 15th 2000 and viewable at the address: www.unesco.org/education/highlights/media_advisory is posted to explain UNESCO's inability to participate in a Conference organised by the Institute of Sathya Sai Education [Thailand]. In doing so, it attempts to gravely tarnish the reputation Sathya Sai movement by casting aspersion on the personal integrity and character of its leader, based on hearsay, and unconfirmed press reports. Shri Sathya Sai Baba is a highly respected spiritual leader and publics figure in India and abroad. It is well known that the life and message of Shri Sathya Sai Baba has been devoted to promoting peace, non-violence social harmony and is a moving force behind numerous philanthropic social projects. In this context, it is pertinent to mention that the UN Human Settlements Project [uN- HABITAT] launched a major education initiative three years ago, using human values approach propounded by Shri Sathya Sai Baba, to introduce a value-based water education programme through the national curriculum in Africa.. The initiative has been widely accepted at high political levels and among educationists in Africa and is now being replicated by the UN-HABITAT and the Asian Development Bank in Asia and the Pacific. You will agree that issuance of a casual and negligent press release by UNESCO cannot but do disservice to such valuable projects. Government of India considers Shri Sathya Sai Baba and his movement a national asset and takes strong exception to UNESCO press release, which spreads wholly unfounded and unsubstantiated allegation against Shri Sathya Sai Baba. I would therefore request you to take immediate steps to remove the objectionable press advisory from the UNESCO website. I would also appreciate an expression of regret for the damage caused to one of India's revered public figures, without first verifying the facts and any consultation with Indian authorities. Well, that is the letter from India's permanent representative to the UNESCO. Strong letter, is it not? Naturally, the UNESCO hurried to give a reply. Here it is, in part. The letter is from Assistant General of UNESCO. I do appreciate this concern and wish to inform you that following your personal intervention, the media advisory in question was immediately withdrawn from the archives of the UNESCO's web site for education. I should also like to take this opportunity to say how much the Organisation regrets this unfortunate incident and to reiterate to you, on behalf of the Director General, that the Organisation attaches the greatest importance to the varied forms of fruitful collaboration that we have enjoyed with your country for many years. I hope this letter will set your mind at rest and dispel any misunderstanding. So, there it is. As Swami said long ago, authenticity will always win. I do hope you will share this expression of regret by an important UN body with others whom you know and that slowly the word would spread so that negative propaganda would be laid to rest once and for all, as it indeed must be. The moral of it all is that we must be patient, without giving up our efforts to overwhelm negativity with positivity. That really is the important point. We can never win by fighting slander with counter slander. It is only the misguided who place their faith in the "eye for an eye" philosophy. As a wise man once remarked, if we followed that philosophy, then pretty soon the world would have only blind people! What do you think? Let us know, and all you have to do is to write to: h2h@radiosai.org All the best. Jai Sai Ram. G.VENKATARAMAN posted by ian at 4:04 PM

You must Live the Teachings A great sage, while on a pilgrimage, reached a village in the south of India. In the temple of this village a number of people had assembled. A learned teacher was expounding the teachings of the Gita. The teacher was reading the text, the disciples would repeat the verses and then the teacher would give the appropriate commentaries. One particular disciple was found sitting in a corner profusely shedding tears. All the other people were holding the Gita and were repeating the lines, listening to the teacher's words very attentively. Their facial expressions would constantly change as the text was being expounded. Sometimes they would be joyful, sometimes serious. But the disciple sitting in the corner was not having any experience like that. His facial expression did not change at all. He was only shedding tears. The sage observed all this. He addressed the man and asked him, "Why are you crying? When the Gita is being expounded in such a joyous way, what is the reason for your sadness?" The man replied, "Master, I do not know who you are. I do not know Sanskrit. I cannot pronounce the verses. Since I do not know Sanskrit I do not want to repeat these verses in the wrong way because I may be committing a sin that way. Therefore, I was just picturing in my own heart Krishna giving this Gita to Arjuna there on the battlefield. Krishna was seated in the driver's seat, Arjuna was sitting behind him in the chariot. I was crying because I was imagining Krishna having to turn his head back for such a long time, trying to convince Arjuna of these great truths. Keeping his head turned like that must have given him a great deal of pain. If only Arjuna had been sitting in front and Krishna in the back, then it would not have caused so much trouble to the Lord. Thinking of that hurts me very much." The sage recognized that here was a true devotee. The man was experiencing so much love for Krishna and had immersed himself so deeply in identifying with the Lord giving the Gita teachings to Arjuna, that he had become a part of Krishna, himself. The sage concluded that experiencing such feelings was far greater than merely listening to and repeating the Gita verses. Even now, while the Gita is being expounded, some of you are writing everything down reverently in your notebooks while some of you are holding the Gita in your hands and following the verses, trying to learn them. But these are all just outer activities which will not evoke very deep feelings of devotion. If you want your heart to become completely saturated with the essence of the teachings, you must seek the inner experience. Do this by putting the verses into practice in your daily life. Even if you practice only one of them it will be more than enough. What is the use of taking down a hundred of them? If you fill your head with all the contents of the book, your head will be just another book. What counts is what you get imprinted on the book of your heart. Even if only one of these teachings is imprinted in your heart that will be all that is needed. Let your heart become saturated with love. That is enough. Instead of filling your head with scholarship and book knowledge it is far better to fill your heart with love. - Sri Sathya Sai Baba Sai Baba Gita

Never mind about the justice system, but did you investigate such allegation personally or you too just listening or reading allegations form the net and accusing Sai Baba. Do you know how Jesus was crusified and by whom and why? Yes, wild allegations by those who do not like him for what he is. May be you would like to crusify Sai Baba too. Judas was there to help the High Priest and so we have here Saketram, Guest without a name and who else wants to collect 30 silver coins? May be than you would be satisfied of doing justice. But, did you think for a moment if what these morons say could be cooked up stories? Frustrated people could make up stories and it has happened to even ordinary people. Stories made to look like real and why, surely there is a ligical explanation such as blackmail for money, did not get what was expected and many other moytives for such allegations. So, think carefully before you make an allegation against anyone for that matter until and unless you have the proof to back up and not just some stroies from exdevotees coz such allegation are also alleged against ISKCON and other organisation.

What blaspheme are you talking about? I don't find this word in the Vedas. Are you aping the Christians, Jews and Muslims? I wonder where you learned the word BLASPHEME?

Did he do it to your your children? Any official report to police and cases pending in court? You are either ignorant or just a windtalker. Did I say that? Excuse me, you seem to forget that accusations are a norm for ISKCON members and I have read all their postings in their WS. So, do not teach grandmother to suck eggs.

Please know the difference.