Swami's Interview Session with Jews

[Guest guest]

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

SaiRam. Today I would like to share with you the

following excerpt from the book 'My Baba and I'.

December 1, 1980

An Interview at Prasanthi Nilayam

with Jewish devotees

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A request was made to Baba that he deliver a discourse directly to the Jewish

people; a unique, ancient and powerful minority in the society of the world.

The occasion for a major discourse was not at hand, but Baba graciously called

all the Jewish devotees presently in the ashram for an interview, and included

a few additional persons, of whom I was one, fortunately indeed for me.

Unhappily, I was unable to keep up with the rapid exchange of questions and

answers and could not remember afterwards, largely, I think, because of my

unfamiliarity with the subject matter. I did manage to take a few notes and

believe it worthwhile to make them a part of the book.

Prior to the questions and answers, Baba made a few comments:

"The great scriptures of mankind came into being through sound, the word of God.

This is fully true of the ancient Jewish religion. It was the word of God. Over

the centuries, however, man has made changes in the Bible, and present

misunderstandings are due to these man-made changes. In the early days there

were differences between Jews and the Christians, but they are not appropriate

today. Today the standard should be the brotherhood of man, based on the divine

love of God for all mankind. Each religion should follow that which is its own

and not follow a path which belongs to others, but which is not its own. Follow

your own tradition, but do not hate others. Be broad-minded, as are the

followers of Sai.

"The Bible, the Koran, the Vedas, the Granth - all represent the same creation.

All were following the voice of God. All arose from the whisper of God which,

in the pure minds of the hearers, flowered into eight sounds, eight letters,

and from this, all words evolved. The eight sounds were the vowels and

consonants of language. The foundation of the Jewish religion is precisely the

same as that of the Vedas. The breath of God, cognized by the pure attention of

the ancient seers, was heard as eight sounds, and these sounds have been given

names. (Baba here pronounced each of these eight primeval sounds, but I could

not catch them with my pencil.)

"The Sai symbol of five religions represents the five major religions found in

India. For the West, the Jewish Star may be added as a sixth representation on

the Sai symbol."

Q: Was Jesus the Messaih of the Jews?

SAI: No. He did not represent the ancient Jewish tradition. He represented the factor of change.

Q: In the Bible it says that the Jews are God's chosen people.

SAI: All people were created by God. Thus all are His chosen people.

Q: What is the significance of Hitler?

SAI: Hitler's actions were activated by ego and power.

Q: For what reason have the Jews been persecuted?

SAI: For every event there is a cause. There is no reason. Sai acts only for

love, for the benefit of others. He has no desires. He has no selfish interest.

Q: God appeared to the Jews as a burning bush.

SAI: God appears in any form. It is according to His wish, not because of any

necessity or limitation. It is His choice. God is formless. He is sound. He can

take any form according to His wish.

Q: Is Sai the Messiah of the Jews?

SAI: That is not for Sai to say. That must be determined by you. The real

Messiah is the totality of good. Sai is not any particular thing. He is

everything.

SaiRam

Raghu.