Sai Pearls of Wisdom - Part 25

[Guest guest]

February 13th, 2004 OM… OM… OM…

Sai RamWith Pranams at the Lotus Feet of Bhagavan, Dear Brothers and Sisters,

VICE-CHANCELLORS IN SWAMI’S PRESENCE I want to share with you what happened on

the 29th of October, 2003. All the Vice-chancellors attended a meeting held to

evaluate and assess the standards of Sathya Sai University. They wanted to

share their experiences with everybody in the open auditorium in the presence

of Bhagavan. It was in the evening, at about 4 o’clock. Three to four of the

Vice-chancellors were selected to express their views, which were recorded.

Bhagavan asked some of the students to also share their experiences, because

the Vice-chancellors were there and could listen to them speak. This is just a

follow-up, so that I can tell you what the students said about Sathya Sai

University.STUDENTS HAVE TO BE READY -- EVER READY Well, I’ll draw your

attention to how Swami will pick boys. He doesn’t give them any time to do a

lot of preparation, or sufficient homework. They have to be ready -- ever

ready! He may pick anybody, at any time, as He did on the 29th of October 2003.

A few students were picked to share their views with the audience. Each one

spoke in a different Indian language, with the result that we had speeches in

English, Sanskrit, Hindi and Telugu. But I will give you the summary of their

talks in English, so that you can understand and appreciate them.The first

speaker’s name was Sri Sasank Shah. He is a second year MBA student who spoke

in English. The second speaker was Y. Ranganadha Raju. He is a MA second year

student who spoke in Telugu. The third speaker was V.Jagannadhan, a student of

M.Tech Computer Science, and he spoke in Sanskrit. The fourth speaker was

Jagadish Chandra, a M.Sc. student, who spoke in Hindi. Everybody appreciated

their talks. Swami patted them on their backs, and generously showered His

blessings on all four, which they deserved. So, I will try to give you the

substance of the talks, one student after the other.SWAMI NEVER FAILS HIS WORDS

The first speaker: Sri Sasank Shah, a second year MBA, who spoke in English. He

shared his views with the people as follows.“Bhagavan Baba declared in 1951, a

long time ago, that Sri Sathya Sai University would be in Puttaparthi. This

happened when Bhagavan visited a school in Bukkapatnam where He used to study.

It is in a village just three miles away. Bhagavan was invited to go there for

the school anniversary, being an old student of the school.The headmaster said

in his speech of welcome, “Bhagavan, we would like a junior college in this

place. Please allow us to have intermediate levels in the high school, so that

it can be upgraded into a junior college.”Then Swami, surprising everybody,

declared, “Why a junior college? There will be a University here in

Puttaparthi.”He said this in December, 1951, in His discourse. It materialised

30 years later when Sathya Sai University was founded, on November 22nd

1981.SATHYA SAI EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS ARE UNIQUE Then Sasank said that the

Sri Sathya Sai University was founded to inculcate human values in students,

apart from their academic courses. “There are a number of universities already

all over the country. Sri Sathya Sai University is not merely an extra addition

to those in existence. This university is different. It is a difference in

background, and has a purpose, which is the dissemination of human values to

mould ideal citizens of this country.” Sasank also mentioned that the medium of

instruction in Sri Sathya Sai University is Discipline. The first, second and

third languages studied are Love, Service, and Sadhana, or spiritual practice.

Sasank also wanted us to think back to at least 50 years ago, in the early

50’s, when Puttaparthi had no transport facilities or proper roads. “Today it

has bus facilities, an airport and also a connecting railway line. What a

tremendous change! Sathya Sai University is a connecting link, proving to the

whole

world the strong bond of Love existing between students and Bhagavan Sri Sathya

Sai Baba. “Sathya Sai University is an expression of Bhagavan’s feeling of

giving and forgiving. He has repeatedly mentioned that students are His

property. Bhagavan’s Love for students is beyond all our imagination. No

definition can clearly give us the depth of His Love for students. His Love is

beyond all known measures of human comprehension. BABA RESPONDS TO PRAYERS

“This incident happened in 1970. The college, and also the hostel attached to

it, was in Bangalore (Whitefield). As the hostel was too small, Swami was

thinking of building a bigger hostel to accommodate more and more students in

the coming years. So the plans were all made ready to lay the foundation stone

for the construction of a new hostel in Bangalore. The plans were ready, all

the orders were placed, and the date also was fixed to lay the foundation

stone.However, the boys were not happy because the proposed new hostel would be

a long way away from Swami. The boys would be distant from Him. Psychologically,

they were not prepared for this physical distance. At that moment, a very young

boy gave a letter to Swami, who was deeply touched and literally moved by

reading that little letter. You know, Bhagavan responds to our prayers. Prayer

makes anything on earth possible, though it may seem impossible to all of us

poor mortals. There is

nothing that cannot be done by prayer. Because of this simple, genuine, humble

prayer of this young boy, Swami decided to respond positively. You know what

the letter said?“Swami, are You justified in taking us away from You? Do you

think that we can bear this separation? If You have decided to construct a new

hostel specially for us, I pray Bhagavan for You now to have a residence built

for Yourself too, at the side of our new hostel.”So he wanted Swami to have a

new building constructed for Him also. The young boy didn’t want to be at a

physical distance from Bhagavan, which would be the result of living in the new

hostel. So he wrote, “Swami, You too have a new house built by the side of our

proposed new hostel.” That really touched Swami. He called the chief engineer

in charge of the construction of the hostel building and said, “Change the

plans. Shift the plot from there to this place, so that the boys can stay very

close to Me. They don’t want to be

away from Me; they are crying.”That’s what Baba said. And today the hostel

building that you see in Whitefield, Bangalore, is a replica of the monument of

Love of Swami for students. SWAMI IS LOVING AND FORGIVING He has the Himalayan

quality of forgiveness. He gives and forgives. Sasank mentioned another

incident to substantiate his statement that Baba forgives. It also tells of His

Love for students.“One day, a boy got into Bhagavan’s white Impala car. He did

not notice that the car was in gear. The moment he sat down, the car started up

and hit the wall, very close to the garage. The boy was frightened. He was

literally shaking and ran away. He didn’t come to darshan for two days and the

college warden enquired about his whereabouts. After an absence of two days,

the boy came shaking to darshan. Swami saw him and said, “Boy, do you think I

am angry with you? No! No! I am not angry with you. You are more important than

my car. Hitting the wall might damage the car. I am not worried about that. I am

glad that nothing has happened to you, because you are more important than my

car.”“That is what Bhagavan said. Then the boy fell at the Lotus

Feet and washed both of His Feet with tears of regret and repentance. Swami’s

Love is much more than a thousand mothers’ Love.” That’s what Sasank told the

audience. The university boys learn these human values with Bhagavan Himself as

a role model. Bhagavan teaches and practices.“LOVE CAN TRANSFORM ANYTHING” Then

Sasank mentioned another incident, which happened in 1972. “At that time, we

used to have summer classes in Indian culture and spirituality, open to

students from all over the country. Every state and district could

participate.” Around a thousand students from all over the country used to

attend the seminars in those days. One morning, the topic dealt with by a

professor happened to be on non-violence, ahimsa. The talk being over, the boys

entered the dining hall. There was a boy playing on the lawn, tearing up the

grass, just playing around. A boy said to him, talking very closely, “Why do

you do that? Why do you hurt those innocent blades of grass? Didn’t you hear

the talk on non-violence, just given by the professor? Why do you do that now?

Why are you being violent to the grass?”And the other boy said, “After all,

it’s just grass. Why are you so agitated? Why are you so disturbed? There is

nothing wrong with tearing it

up.”Later, the next morning, Swami called one of the boys, “Look here, boy, what

were you saying yesterday? “Before the boy could answer, Swami gave all the

details to him. Swami said, “You said, ‘After all it’s just grass; nothing

wrong with tearing it up.’ You are wrong. Know that grass also has life in it.

When you tear it, it feels hurt at being damaged. You are hurting it. It also

feels pain.”Then with a happy smile, Bhagavan touched a rose bud. When Swami

touched it, that bud started blossoming and opening. “See. That is the power of

Love. The power of Love made this bud open up and blossom. See and notice it.”

And furthermore, Swami wanted this boy to touch another flower bud nearby. When

this boy touched another bud, that bud started opening up. Then Swami said,

“That is the effect of Love. Love can transform anything. It will make the

flower blossom. Anything will respond, provided you have Love.” That is what

Swami said. He gave the

definition of the word ‘non-violence’ in a single sentence. “Not hurting anybody

by thought, word or deed is non-violence.” That is what Swami said.EDUCATION IN

SRI SATHYA SAI UNIVERSITY IS FOR LIVING, NOT FOR LIFE Continuing his talk,

Sasank said that the University offers training in the usual secular knowledge.

But apart from that, they are also taught the principles of different religions

so that they will know that all religions are one, and God is One. So, the

synthesis of religions is also taught to students in this university. He said

that this University offers education not merely in a classroom. The students

learn in three places: first, in the hostel; second, in the college campus;

third, in the mandir (temple) premises. In all these three places, they learn

human values. This university has the highest standards in this country, as

judged by the University Grants Commission. Yes!Then the boy said that the real

property is spirituality, not worldly knowledge or secular information. “But at

the same time, we should learn how to bring a balance between worldly knowledge

and spiritual knowledge. Doubtless, they are separate; but at the same

time, we should be able to strike a balance between the two, and lead a

comfortable life.” As Bhagavan said, there are two important things: rights and

duties. Rights and duties are comparable to the two wings of a bird. The

education offered here in Sri Sathya Sai University is for living, and not for

life. It passes on all the important values relating to righteous conduct,

ethics, morality, the physical, the mundane, the universal and the spiritual,

so that the students are able to respond properly when necessary. This is

termed ‘integrated education.’ When students are taught how to behave with

other friends, how to be respectful to elders, well, that forms a totally

integrated personality. Education should not make anybody broken, fractured or

amputated. Education should bring about a totally integrated personality in

everybody. And really this university is lucky enough to have Bhagavan Sri

Sathya Sai Baba as the Chancellor! It is a blessing, a fortune, that

this university is in the safe Hands of the Creator Himself.And what is it that

we can give Him in return? “How can we express our gratitude to Bhagavan for

all that He does?” Sasank concluded his talk by just saying; “It is enough if

we prove to be worthy instruments in the Hands of Bhagavan, to fulfil His

Divine mission all over the world. So our prayer should be to be fit

instruments.” With these words, he brought his talk to a close.SWAMI’S LOVE IS

BEYOND CLASS, CADRE, SEX Now I pass on to the summary of the next speaker, Y.

Ranganadha Raju, MA class, a post-graduate student, who spoke in Telugu. He

made the following statements: “There is only one religion and that is the

religion of Love. There is only one caste, the caste of humanity. Prashanti

Nilayam, particularly the hostel, gives testimony of what Swami says. People

may be from Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Andhra, Orrisa, Gujrat, Punjab, or Kashmir.

They may be anybody; but once they come here, they behave as sisters and

brothers, which is an extraordinary thing.”“Outside we find policies and

administrations run by the laws of the land. But here there is no law at all.

It is Bhagavan who is guiding the entire university. That makes everybody think

that it is paradise. Is there any place called paradise? It cannot be any place

other than that of Prashanti Nilayam.” Raju said, “Swami’s Love is beyond

class, caste, or sex, because Swami’s Love has no

conditions. People from all over the world, speaking different languages, are

drawn here. So here there is no bias or anything. He belongs to

everybody…everybody. There is nothing like a class structure. A boy may be the

son of a millionaire; another may be the son of a pauper. The millionaire and

pauper are the one and the same in front of Swami.” SWAMI’S ACTIONS CANNOT BE

BROUGHT DOWN TO THE LEVEL OF THE HUMAN MIND

“A simple example. I think most of you look at the crossword puzzle in the

newspapers, don’t you? So, there was a boy who was very interested in doing the

crossword puzzles. One day he was short of four words, and they wouldn’t come to

mind. Of course, there were clues given. One was: ‘Represents a country, the

name of which ends with the letter ‘Q’.’ Still the boy could not say what it

was, despite scratching his head many times.” “Swami, looking at the devotees

said, ‘They are from Iraq. Q… the last letter. It is an oil country, as you all

know.’ So, with this ‘I-r-a-q’, the whole puzzle was solved for that boy.

Swami’s answers are mysterious. Swami’s way of handling people is unique. How

He touches every person is really worth observing. It is a sight for the gods.

So, the small puzzle was done. Sometimes Swami’s actions also seem to be very

peculiar. He cannot be brought down to the level of the human mind.” A SILENT

TRANSFORMATION

UNKNOWINGLY TAKES PLACE Raju gave another example: “A silent transformation

unknowingly takes place in every student after coming here. His whole

personality will be totally different from that of the past.”The speaker

mentions another instance. This is also a revelation to the audience. The boy

related this incident, which demonstrates the psychology of these students.

“The boys were getting ready for the Sports and Cultural Meeting. As all of you

know, the winners at the Sports Meet have the privilege of receiving gold medals

from the Divine Hands of Bhagavan, in front of fifty thousand devotees. This is

not something ordinary. So there is very keen competition among the boys for

the opportunity to receive the cup directly from Bhagavan! There were two boys

competing in the foot race. It was the final round. Many had participated,

coming second, third and so on. Finally there were two left. One has to be the

winner, naturally. They were running, while

all the people were watching. One boy fell down. Of course, the other boy was

declared the winner and he would receive the cup from Bhagavan. At the end of

the race, the other boys came and consoled the boy who fell down. “Don’t worry.

Don’t worry. After all, sometimes in life these things happen.” Then one boy

asked him, “How is it that you fell down all of a sudden? You are a very fast

runner. You have been first for years. Why?”Do you know what that boy said?

“The boy who won promised his father that he would be the college champion this

year. He told his father that he would win and certainly receive the cup from

Bhagavan. So I didn’t want him to be disappointed. I wanted him to win the

race. So I fell on purpose.”Would this happen anywhere else in the world? No!

We can see that this is the spirit of sacrifice, which is something

exceptional. It is not mere competition. It is not mere winning or losing, it

is something much more. It is the values of

life.The speaker, Raju, said this: “I come from an area full of terrorists, an

area of violence where people kill each other. But seeing me, nobody would

believe that I come from such a place where rowdies kill each other. Today I am

in front of you like this because Bhagavan made me a cultured, decent man of

human values.” And furthermore he said, “Can you deny this? I openly declare

this is the effect of Bhagavan’s Love on my life.” SWAMI IS OMNISCIENT One

student narrated this incident. It seems a student had the practice of cutting

his nails every Thursday. It had become almost a habit. One Thursday, it so

happened that he had to rush off to the college. He couldn’t cut his nails. On

the same day, Baba chanced to visit the Institute. He called this boy and said,

“How are you?” With a wave of His hand, He materialised a nail cutter.

(Laughter) “Come on! You can cut your nails with this.” A PRAYER TO SWAMI

Bhagavan’s leelas or miracles cannot be estimated, cannot be judged, and cannot

be explained. So saying this, the boy quoted a beautiful poem composed by

Bhagavan Himself, a poem composed by the Divine Master, Baba.I will give you an

apology of this translation, that’s all. I don’t think that I could do full

justice to the original composition. But I will just give the meaning of it

here: Whatever I may have, plenty, prosperity or poverty,I am not bothered.If

You are pleased with me, That is enough, Bhagavan.Whatever I may lose, whatever

I may gain, If You are favourable to me,That is enough Bhagavan.I may have a

number of desires, fulfilled or unfulfilled,But if Thy Grace is on me,That is

enough, Swami.I may be in a high position or out of position,Whatever it may

be, if You love me,That is enough, Swami.I have so many things that You have

given me,And things that I am likely to

receive in future,But Lord, I want one promise from You.I only desire one

thing;That I should lead that kind of life,As to make You say that I am your

devotee; that You are pleased with me.That is enough for this life.When he

recited this poem, there was thunderous applause in the whole of the

auditorium. Then he quoted another poem, composed by Bhagavan Himself. (I just

want to tell you, my friends. You may have heard me quoting Bhagavan’s poems in

the course of my talks. Whenever I am given the chance to speak in the Divine

presence, I translate Swami freely. This is not because I want to advertise my

scholarship. No! The poems are in Telugu and that is my mother tongue, so they

are easy to pick up. I can quote from the original, and those people who know

Telugu would appreciate that very much. But I don’t want to disappoint the

others. So I do the translation in English then and there, immediately, knowing

full well that full justice

can’t be done to Baba’s words. I know that, yet I must do my job.) This is the

substance of the second poem quoted by the boy, written by Bhagavan Himself

fifty years ago. O God, Thou art the tree and I am a creeper around You.O Lord,

You are the flower while I am the honeybee, buzzing around You.O Bhagavan, You

are the vast sky while I am the small star, shining and glittering along the

way.Bhagavan, You are the ocean and I am only a river trying to merge in You.O

Swami, You are the mountain and I am the waterfall.This is the substance of the

poem, which everyone loudly cheered. Swami wanted him to repeat this poem once

again. God takes delight in His own composition!OFFERING GOD HIS OWN GIFTS The

next speaker was V. Jagannadhan, M. Tech. class, a student of Computer Science.

He spoke in Sanskrit. This boy quoted a verse from Adi Shankara. You must have

heard of Adi Shankara, the greatest intellectual the world has produced. People

say he is the very incarnation of Shankara, Lord Shiva Himself.Really, I feel

like talking about Ramana Maharshi and Shankara to a small group someday. These

two topics are not for everybody. Unless one has depth, unless one has 100

percent concentration, unless one has a sufficient background in spirituality,

Shankara and Ramana Maharshi cannot be understood. I only pray that someday I

shall have the opportunity to speak on the compositions and the lives of these

two great people. This boy, Jagannathan, quoted from Adi Shankara’s

composition, called Soundarya Lahiri, meaning, “Beauty Flows.” “The Incessant

Flow of Beauty” is the literal translation, if I can give it that way. This

composition is in

praise of the Goddess, the Divine Mother. “What do we do as we have our daily

bath? If people go to the river to have their bath, they collect water from the

river, and offer it to God. The water, which is the creation of God, is not

yours; it is just there. And you offer the same water back to God. Am I clear?

‘O God! What else can I give You other than Your own Creation, because

everything belongs to You. I have nothing. I can only offer Your own gifts back

to You, Swami. I don’t have any.’ With this idea, they collect water and offer

it to God.” “Similarly, Swami, all we have learnt from You will be offered back

to You out of our devotion. We don’t have anything else to give You, God. We

know that nothing can happen in this world unless You will it. Unless you

determine it, nothing can happen in this world, O God!”GOD NEVER LETS HIS

DEVOTEES DOWN The boy mentioned one episode from Mahabharatha, a great Indian

epic. “In the epic, there is a character by the name of Arjuna. He is a great

warrior, of enormous strength and an expert in archery. Arjuna went on

pilgrimage. He visited several places, and at one place he saw Hanuman, who was

a monkey character from Ramayana (another famous Indian epic, taking place in

the previous yuga). He had no knowledge of Hanuman’s powers because Hanuman

belonged to the Treta Yuga, an earlier period, which was Rama’s time. Rama was

the seventh Incarnation of Vishnu, whereas Arjuna belonged to Krishna’s time,

Krishna being the eighth Incarnation of Vishnu. So Arjuna had no way of knowing

Hanuman at all.Well, Arjuna assumed that he was an ordinary monkey. Then Hanuman

demonstrated who he was in a very extraordinary way. Arjuna looked at the bridge

at Rameshwaram, near the tip of South India, and said to Hanuman, “Look! Your

Sri Rama built that bridge

with the help of monkeys? Had I been there, I would have done it by shooting

arrows. I would have constructed the bridge with arrows, single-handedly,

without the help of monkeys. Rama did it with the help of monkeys. What’s so

great about Rama then?” Hanuman was deeply hurt. “Oh, I see. Are you as great

as that?” And He said, “Come on, do that now.” Arjuna shot the arrows. The

bridge was ready. Hanuman said, “Let me test it for strength.” He started

walking on the bridge. The bridge started shaking like the modern bridges,

which are made more out of sand with less cement. It was ready to collapse any

moment, and Arjuna started trembling. He prayed to Krishna silently, and then

immediately said, “Oh Hanuman, walk again now.” When Hanuman walked again, the

bridge was strong. Later, Krishna appeared in front of Arjuna, saying, “Arjuna,

know this. When Hanuman was walking on the bridge, it was about to collapse.

When you prayed to Me, I supported the bridge with

My back, so that it did not fall. It did not collapse because I gave My back to

keep it up. Now you can see stripes of blood on My back.”This is the episode

narrated by that boy, as stated by Bhagavan to them. The boy said, “Arjuna’s

prestige and dignity was maintained by God. Those of us who believe in God can

live in respect and in grace. We don’t have to bend our heads in shame before

anybody because God is there for us, as the prestige of the devotee is the

prestige of the Lord. He will never allow anybody to fail.” That is what that

boy said. “ANY PATH THAT YOU MAY FOLLOW, I AM THERE TO BLESS YOU”

And the boy related another statement by Bhagavan to the boys, which would be of

interest to all of us: “Boys, you may go anywhere. You may do any spiritual

practice. But remember that whatever the place, any spiritual practice will be

beneficial, fulfilling, and earn you Grace only because of Me. Understand that

any path you may follow, I am there to bless you. You may go anywhere; I am

there to bless you. Understand this. Sathya Sai Baba is the Ultimate Reality.

He continues to shower His blessings on everybody, everywhere, whichever path

you may follow.” This was said by Bhagavan. Everybody, all present there, were

extremely happy on hearing this statement made by the boy. And the boy said,

“Swami wants us to cultivate a few important steps in our lives. We have to

begin with self-confidence. Out of this confidence, we will have

self-satisfaction. This self-satisfaction will make us ready for

self-sacrifice, which will end in

Self-realization. These steps are absolutely necessary. Service is the best

spiritual path in life.” With this sentence he concluded his talk.THE TUG OF

WAR BETWEEN GOOD AND EVIL Then we had the last speaker, Jagadish Chandra,

M.Sc., first year Physics, who spoke in Hindi. You may be wondering, ‘Anil

Kumar, do you know all these languages? Hindi, Sanskrit and all that?’ I do not

know. I requested them to give me the English version of their talk. They gave

it to me and I made a note of the talks. I make no false claims of knowledge of

all languages. No! It is enough if I am conversant with the two languages I

know. My mother tongue is Telugu; I learned English as it was the medium of

instruction. Now, Jagadeesh Chandra, what did he say in Hindi? He narrated an

episode from our epics where the demons and angels participate in a tug of war.

“They started churning the ocean of milk. Angels were on one side; demons on the

other side. The ocean of milk was churned by these two rival groups. The

churning produced Divine Nectar.” “Today there is a tug of war between the good

and evil forces in the ocean of life. Out of

this has emanated the nectarine, beautiful, majestic form of our Avatar,

Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba. He has taken life, He has taken birth, from this

churning process between evil and good.” That is what he said. PEOPLE DO NOT

HAVE KNOWLEDGE OF THE SELF Then he started mentioning a few important points:

“Today we find people concentrating more on money. Everyone thinks of money.

Money makes many things, but not everything. It is unfortunate that money has

taken priority in the life of the individual today. In these modern times,

people do not have the knowledge of the Self, as mentioned by Adi Shankara or

Ramana Maharshi. They have knowledge of nature, but they do not have knowledge

of their true nature. They have knowledge of the outer world, but they have no

knowledge of the inner Self. That is what is happening.” Bhagavan has said,

“This knowledge is the Self, which is so close to you, so near to you.”“We

don’t see the light. We grope in the darkness. We are drowned in the darkness

of illusion. We don’t watch the light within us, the light of the Self.” “I

TEACH YOU IN A LANGUAGE THAT IS FOR ME AND YOU”

Then this boy said, “Sathya Sai University is the dream of the student

community, realised in reality. We have students from all over the country,

from all states, representing different cultures of this land, and different

languages of this land. Education is totally free, right from kindergarten to

the level of the Doctorate degree. Totally free!” Baba told the students one

point which rings in their ears, day and night. What did He tell them? “Boys,

always be sure that I am always with you, in you and around you.” That gives

them enough enthusiasm, courage and dynamism for life. That is what Baba

said.The boy said, quoting Swami: “Believe that I am always around you to

motivate and inspire you, to awaken the Me within you. When I see you

responding, the knowledge of the world is put in front of you, and I, Myself,

teach you in a language that is for Me and you. There is a separate language

between you and Swami that is totally personal.

I, Myself, will teach you what I really want to teach you in the language known

to Me and you. I shall also see that you learn all things of this world easily

without any difficulty.” FAITH IS INSTILLED IN OUR HEARTS BY PERSONAL

EXPERIENCE The boy told of an incident: “It seems that one student from the

higher secondary school unfortunately lost his eyesight in an accident. It was

most unfortunate. The days were going by, and the examinations were fast

approaching. How could this boy sit for the examination? How would he fare? It

was not easy. He could not read and prepare. But he had firm faith that Swami

would come to his rescue and save him. He had that feeling in him, and what

happened? God never fails. One day, Swami came slowly and gently towards him,

waved His Hand and created vibhuthi, smearing his eyes with it. Immediately the

boy’s vision became normal. He could see everything! He could read and prepare.

That is how faith is instilled in our hearts -- not by reading, not by

listening, but by our own personal experience.” That is what that boy

said.GOD’S LOVE FOR HIS CHILDREN Thousands and thousands of people are treated

in the Super Speciality Hospital. Millions of people have their thirst quenched

by Swami’s drinking water supply. These projects speak of God’s Love for His

children. This boy in his talk mentioned another incident. “It seems a student

was admitted to the hostel for the first time. He was a young boy and he was

very homesick. He started crying. He kept Swami’s picture very close to him on

his chest, wept and wept, and finally slept.” In his sleep, Bhagavan appeared

in a dream, and catching hold of his hand, took this boy around the hostel. He

showed him every room. He showed him the kitchen, and every place. He showed

him the water taps, the dining hall, the kitchen, and everything. He also sat

him in the car and the boy went travelling with Him. All this happened in a

dream. Swami asked him in the dream, “Is my car good? Is it beautiful? It is a

new car. How do you like it?” Naturally,

dreams do not last long. The dream vanished. The next morning the boy got up. He

saw other students running towards the road. He asked them, “Where are you

going? Why are you running?”They said, “Swami is likely to come this way. So we

are going to see Him.”So, he too ran and stood with them. He had the good

fortune to get close to the window side of the car. He saw it was the same car

as in the dream, and the same smile of Baba as he had seen Him in the dream.

Now Bhagavan also put the same question: “Boy, do you like My car? How do you

like this car?”And the boy giving the talk said, “This is an open question to

all of you. Do you come across God, any other God who will just melt, by just

one tear?” By just one tear, He melts and He responds. Do you find any God of

this type?” Now, the boy is well-read, so I understand. He quoted from a good

book on Krishna, Sri Krishna Leelamritham. It is a very good book. He quoted a

verse which

aptly fits the context: That God worshipped by all angels,That God adored by all

sages and saints,That God who attracted all cowherd boys and cowherd girls of

Brindavan,That God is in our midst, in the form of Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai

Baba.Where is paradise? Where is heaven?It is here now!With these sentences, he

concluded his talk. Thank you very much. (Applause)OM OM OMAsato Maa Sad

GamayaTamaso Maa Jyotir GamayaMrtyormaa Amrtam GamayaOm Loka Samastha Sukhino

BhavantuLoka Samastha Sukhino BhavantuLoka Samastha Sukhino BhavantuOm Shanti

Shanti Shanti

Source: http://www.internety.com/saipearls/13.02.04(E)central.htm© Anil Kumar

Kamaraju 2004Do You

?