Sai Baba the Master by E.Bharadwaja

[Guest guest]

The response was prompt and striking, as has always been characteristic

of

him. During the years that followed, I could come into close contact

with

numerous saints and bask in their blessings: Mother Anasuyadevi of

Jillellamudi, Sri Ranganna Babu (a great Ramabhaktha of Guntur), the

late

Avadhuta Swami of Chirala, the guru of the Chinthapalli forests of

Sileru

area, Sri Swami Purnananda of Srisailam, his guru Sri Rakhadi Baba who

stayed at Ganeshpuri, Sri Satya Sai Baba, the two Balayogis of

Mummidivaram, the Senior Sankaracharyaji of Kanchi, Sri Ma Anandamayi,

Sri

Akhandananda Saraswati of Muthra, the recluse saints of Kalahasthi and

Cuddapah, the recluse woman saint of Chivatam, Sri Samartha Narayana

Maharaj of Harihar, and the Saint of Poondi. Besides, I had darshan of

some famous devotees of Sri Sai Baba. I saw others like Mother Revati

Amma

of Madras, and Sri Gulab Maharaj of Nagpur. It is not possible to

detail

here my experiences with these saints, but one significant feature in

all

these was I could win their gracious attention only after specifically

praying to Sri Baba for the same. Baba was thus once more proving

three

things simultaneously; he is still alive in spirit and would gladly

bless

us with the best at our hearty praying; that he is still one with the

being of the saints of today even as he was when he lived in flesh and

blood; that he can be a competent guru or Master (Samarth Sadguru) to

his

ardent devotee even today. For a time, a few friends told me that I

was on

a “saint-gathering” spree and not stabilized on any one. I was not

effected by this criticism. Now in retrospect, I am happy to find

that,

fortunately, my faith in Baba, if anything, grew deeper and has been

constant all through. Baba’s invisible hand was leading me to act

according to the scriptural injunction;

 

"Just as the bee which is fond of honey moves from flower to

flower,

the disciple who is fond of wisdom goes from Master (Guru) to

Master".

- Sree Gurugita.

 

 

 

I shall mention a few instances of Baba’s grace during these years.

 

In 1968 I resigned my job and lived at the ashram of a mother for an

year.

After that, on a specific indication from Baba I left the ashram and

settled in my present job here, at Vidyanagar. At first I was very

much

disappointed with the life here which had stifled my spiritual

longings.

There was none who shared my aspirations, none to join me in satsang.

Life

looked dreary and barren even like the rocky soil here. I yearningly

prayed to Baba either to take me to a place where I could have satsang

or

to secure it here for me. Within a few months there was Baba’s

response in

the most seemingly casual manner. A Christian boy, a student, started

criticizing me for adoring a human being like Sai Baba. A discussion

ensued which went on for days and drew large numbers of students to

participate in it. Out of these a small group took shape and decided

to

have weekly satsang (devotional or spiritual gathering) on Thursdays

for

bhajan. The bhajan, by the grace of Baba, has been going on for the

last

nine years without interruption even for one week. The situation was

so

moulded that I happened to rent the house myself, Baba’s grace has

been

manifesting in the most miraculous ways to the participants in the

bhajan.

 

One Thursday, after bhajan, Baba inspired me to declare to the

participants: “if all of us pray with all our hearts, great saints

would

come here and bless us instead of our going to them. We are sure to

come

into contact with great saints.”

 

 

(To be contd....)

 

Source http://www.saibharadwaja.org)