SRI SAI SATCHARITA and SATHYAM SIVAM SUNDARAM [9]

[Guest guest]

Om Sri Sai Ram

SRI SAI SATCHARITA and SATHYAM SIVAM SUNDARAM

The Life Stories of the Two Avatars of the Age – [9]

SHRI SAI SATCHARITA

The Life of the Divine Avatar Sai Baba of Shirdi

By Hemadpant

CHAPTER IX

Effect of compliance and Non-compliance with Baba's Orders at the Time of Taking

Leave – A few Instances - Mendicancy and Its Necessity – Devotees’ (Tarkhad

family's) Experiences - Baba fed sumptuously - How?

At the end of the last chapter, it was barely stated that the Bhaktas, who

obeyed Baba's orders at the time of taking leave, fared well and those, who

disobeyed them, suffered many a mishap. This statement will be amplified and

illustrated, with a few striking instances and by other matters dealt with in

this Chapter.

CHARACTERISTIC OF SHIRDI - PILGRIMAGE

One special peculiarity of Shirdi-pilgrimage was this that none could leave

Shirdi, without Baba's permission; and if he did, he invited untold sufferings,

but if any one was asked to quit Shirdi, he could stay there no longer. Baba

gave certain suggestions or hints, when Bhaktas went to bid good-bye and take

leave. These suggestions had to be followed. If they were not followed or were

departed from, accidents were sure to befall them, who acted contrary to Baba's

directions. We give below a few instances.

TATYA KOTE PATIL

Tatya Kote was once going in a tanga to Kopargaon bazaar. He came in haste to

the Masjid, saluted Baba, and said that he would go to Kopergaon bazaar. Baba

said, "Don't make haste, stop a little, let go the bazaar, don't go out of the

village". On seeing has anxiety to go, Baba asked him to take Shama (Madhavarao

Deshpande) at least with him. Not minding this direction, Tatya Kote immediately

drove his tanga. Of the two horses one, which cost Rs.300/- was very active and

restless. After passing Sawul well, it began to run rashly, got a sprain in its

waist and fell down. Tatya was not much hurt, but was reminded of Mother Sai's

direction. On another occasion while proceeding to Kolhar village, he

disregarded Baba's direction, and drove in a tanga, which met with a similar

accident.

EUROPEAN GENTLEMAN

One European gentleman of Bombay once came to Shirdi, with an introductory note

from Nanasaheb Chandorkar and with some object in view. He was comfortably

accommodated in a tent. He wanted to kneel before Baba and kiss His hand.

Therefore, he tried thrice to step into the Masjid, but Baba prevented him from

doing so. He was asked to sit in the open courtyard below and take Baba's

Darshan from there. Not pleased with this reception he got; he wanted to leave

Shirdi at once and came to bid good-bye. Baba asked him to go the next day and

not to hurry. People also

requested him to abide by Baba's direction. Not listening to all this, he left

Shirdi in a tanga. The horses ran at first all right, but when Sawul well was

passed, a bicycle came in front, seeing which the horses were frightened and

ran fast. The tanga was turned topsy-turvy and the gentleman fell down and was

dragged some distance. He was immediately released; but had to go and lie in

Kopargaon hospital for the treatment of the injuries. Because of such

experiences all people learnt the lesson that those who disobeyed Baba’s

instruction met with accidents in one way or the other and those who obeyed

them were safe and happy.

THE NECESSITY OF MENDICANCY

Now to return to the question of mendicancy. A question may arise in the minds

of some that if Baba was such a great personage - God in fact, why should He

have recourse to the begging bowl, all His lifetime? This question may be

considered and replied from two standpoints. (1) Who are the fit persons, who

have a right to live by the begging-bowl? Our Sasthras say that those persons,

who, getting rid of, or becoming free from the three main Desires, viz. (1) for

progeny, (2) for wealth, (3) for fame, accept Sanyas, are the fit persons to

live by begging alms. They cannot make cooking arrangements and dine at home.

The duty of feeding them rests on the shoulders of householders. Sai Baba was

neither a householder nor Vanaprastha. He was a celibate sanyasi, i.e., Sanyasi

from boyhood. His

firm conviction was that the universe was His home; He was the Lord Vasudeo -

the Supporter of the universe and the Imperishable Brahman. So He had the full

right to have recourse to the begging-bowl. (2) Now from the standpoint of (1)

Pancha-soon - five sins and their atonement. We all know that in order to

prepare food-stuffs and meals, the householders have to go through five actions

or processes, viz. (1) Kandani-Pounding, (2) Peshani-Grinding, (3) Udakumbhi -

Washing pots, (4) Marjani - Sweeping and cleaning, (5) Chulli-Lighting hearths.

These processes involve destruction of a lot of small insects and creatures, and

thus the householders incur a lot of sin. In order to atone for this sin, our

Sasthras prescribe five kinds of sacrifices, viz. (1) Brahma-Yajna, (2)

Vedadhyayan - offerings to Brahman or the study of the Vedas. (3)

Pitru-Yajna-offerings to the ancestors, 4) Deva-Yagna - offerings to the Gods,

(5) Bhoota-Yajna-offerings to the beings, (6)

Manushya-Atithi-Yajna-offerings to men or uninvited guests. If these sacrifices,

enjoined by the Sasthras are duly performed, the purification of their minds is

effected and this helps them to get knowledge and self-realization. Baba, in

going from house to house, reminded the inmates of their sacred duty, and

fortunate were the people, who got the lesson at their homes from Baba.

DEVOTEE'S EXPERIENCES

Now to return to the other more interesting subject. Lord Krishna has said in

the Bhagavad Gita (9-26) "Whosoever devoutly offers to me a leaf, a flower, or

a fruit or water, of that pure-hearted man, I accept that pious offering." In

the case of Sai Baba, if a devotee really longed to offer anything to Sai Baba,

and if he afterwards forgot to offer the same, Baba reminded him, or his friend

about the offering, and made him present it to Him, and then accepted it and

blessed the devotee. A few instances are given below.

TARKHAD FAMILY (FATHER AND SON)

Mr. Ramachandra Atmaran alias Babasaheb Tarkhad, formerly a Prarthana-Samajist,

was a staunch devotee of Sai Baba. His wife and son loved Baba equally or

perhaps more. It was once proposed that Master Tarkhad should go with his

mother to Shirdi and spend his May vacation there, but the son was unwilling to

go, as he thought that in case he left his home at Bandra, the worship of Sai

Baba in the house would not be properly attended to, as his father being a

Prarthana Samajist, would not care to worship Sai Baba's enlarged portrait.

However, on his father's giving an assurance of oath, that he would perform the

worship exactly as the son was doing, the mother and the son left for Shirdi on

one Friday night.

Next day (Saturday) Mr. Tarkhad got up early, took his bath and before

proceeding with the Pooja, prostrated himself before the Shrine and said -

"Baba, I am going to perform the Pooja exactly as my son has been doing, but

please let it not be a formal drill." After he performed the Pooja, he offered

a few pieces of lump-sugar as naiveidya (offering), which were distributed at

the time of the lunch. That evening and on Sunday, everything went on well. The

following Monday was a working day and it also passed well. Mr. Tarkhad, who had

never performed Pooja like this in all his life, felt great confidence within

himself that every thing was passing on quite satisfactorily according to the

promise given to his son. On Tuesday, he performed the morning Pooja as usual

and left for his work.

Coming home at noon, he found that there was no Prasadam (sugar) to partake of,

when the meal was served. He asked the servant - cook, who told him that there

was no offering made that morning, and that he had completely forgotten then to

perform that part of the Pooja (offering naiveidya). After hearing that he left

his seat and prostrated himself before the Shrine, expressed his regret, at the

same time chiding Baba for the want of guidance in making the whole affair a

matter of mere drill. Then he wrote a letter to his son stating the facts and

requested him to lay it before Baba's feet and ask His pardon for his neglect.

This happened in Bandra at Tuesday noon. At about the same time, when the noon

Arti was just about to commence in Shirdi, Baba said to Mrs. Tarkhad, "Mother, I

had been to your house in Bandra, with a view to having something to eat. I

found the door locked. I somehow got an entrance inside and found to My regret,

that Bhau (Mr. Tarkhad) had left nothing for Me to eat. So I have returned from

there without eating anything." The lady could not understand anything; but the

son, who was close by, understood that there was something wrong with the Pooja

in Bandra and he, therefore, requested Baba to permit him

to go home. Baba refused the permission, but allowed him to perform Pooja there.

Then, the son wrote a letter to his father, stating all that took place at

Shirdi and implored his father not to neglect the Pooja at home.

Both these letters crossed each other and were delivered to the respective

parties the next day. Is this not astonishing?

MRS. TARKHAD

Let us now take up the case of Mrs. Tarkhad herself. She offered three things,

viz. (1) Bharit (roasted brinjal egg plant mixed curds and spice). (2) Kacharya

(circular pieces of brinjal fried in ghee), (3) Peda (sweetmeat ball). Let us

see how Baba accepted them.

Once Mr. Raghuvir Bhaskar Purandare of Bandra, a great devotee of Baba started

for Shirdi with his family. Mrs. Tarkhad went to Mrs. Purandare, and gave her

two brinjal and requested her to prepare Bharit of one brinjal and Kacharya of

the other, when she went to Shirdi and serve Baba with them. After reaching

Shirdi, Mrs. Purandare went with her dish of Bharit to the Masjid when Baba was

just about to start his meals. Baba found the Bharit very tasty. So He

distributed it to all and said that He wanted Kacharyas now. A word was sent to

Radha Krishna-Mai, that Baba wanted Kacharyas. She was in a fix, as that was no

season of brinjal. How to get brinjal was the question? When an enquiry was

made as to who brought the Bharit, it was found that Mrs. Purandare was also

entrusted with the duty

of serving Kacharyas. Everybody then came to know the significance of Baba's

enquiry regarding Kacharyas, and was wonderstruck at Baba's all-pervasive

knowledge.

In December 1915 AD, one Govind Balaram Mankar wanted to go to Shirdi to perform

the obsequies of his father. Before he left, he came to see Mr. Tarkhad. Then

Mrs. Tarkhad wanted to send something with him to Baba. She searched the whole

house but found nothing, except a Peda, which had already been offered as

naiveidya. Mr. Mankar was in mourning. Still out of great devotion to Baba, she

sent the Peda with him, hoping that Baba would accept and eat it. Govind went to

Shirdi and saw Baba, but forgot to take the Peda with him. Baba simply waited.

When again he went to Baba in the afternoon, he went empty-handed without the

Peda. Baba could wait no longer and, therefore, asked him straight, "What did

you bring for me?Nothing" was the reply. Baba asked him again. The same

reply came forth

again. Then Baba asked him the leading question, "Did not the mother (Mrs.

Tarkhad) give some sweetmeat to you for Me at the time of your starting?" The

boy then remembered the whole thing. He felt abashed, asked Baba's pardon, ran

to his lodging, brought the Peda and gave it to Baba. As soon as Baba got it in

His hand. He put it into His mouth and gulped it down. Thus the devotion of Mrs.

Tarkhad was recognized and accepted. "As men believe in Me, so do I accept them"

(Gita, 4-11) was proved in this case.

BABA FED SUMPTUOUSLY, -- HOW?

Once, Mrs. Tarkhad was staying in a certain house in Shirdi. At noon, meals were

ready and dishes were being served, when a hungry dog turned up there and began

to cry, Mrs. Tarkhad got up at once and threw a piece of bread, which the dog

gulped with great relish. In the afternoon, when she went to the Masjid and sat

at some distance, Sai Baba said to her, "Mother, you have fed Me sumptuously up

to my throat, My afflicted pranas (life-forces) have been satisfied. Always act

like this, and this will stand you in good stead. Sitting in this Masjid I shall

never, never speak untruth. Take pity on Me like this. First give bread to the

hungry, and then eat yourself. Note this well." She could not at first

understand the meaning of what Baba said. So she replied -- "Baba, how could I

feed You?

I am myself dependent on others and take my food from them on payment." Then

Baba replied -- "Eating that lovely bread I am heartily contended and I am

still belching. The dog, which you saw before meals and to which you gave the

piece of bread, is, one with Me, so also other creatures (cats, pigs, flies,

cows etc.) are one with Me. I am roaming in their forms. He, who sees Me in all

these creatures, is My beloved. So abandon the sense of duality and distinction,

and serve Me, as you did today." Drinking these nectar-like words, she was moved

her eyes were filled with tears, her throat was choked and her joy knew no

bounds.

MORAL

"See God in all beings" is the moral of this chapter. The Upanishads, the Gita

and the Baghawat, all exhort us to perceive God or Divinity in all the

creatures. By the instance given at the end of this Chapter and others too

numerous to mention. Sai Baba has practically demonstrated to us how to put the

Upanishad teachings into practice. In this way Sai Baba stands as the best

Exponent or Teacher of the Upanishad doctrines.

BOW TO SHRI SAI - PEACE BE TO ALL

*****

SATHYAM SIVAM SUNDARAM - Part I

The Life of the Divine Avatar Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba

By N. Kasturi, M.A., B.L.

THE SAME BABA

It is significant that Sathya Sai Baba was giving clues about His kinship, nay,

identity, with the Saint of Shirdi, even from His childhood. When He taught His

companions songs about "a Baba," a Saint about whom no one had seen of heard,

and about a place of pilgrimage to which no one who heard the songs had been,

people wondered! "Where is this Shirdi," they asked each other. "Who was this

Muslim Saint?" Little did they realize that the child in their midst, singing

and dancing so captivatingly, was, in a few years, to make their village

another Shirdi to which hundreds and even thousands seeking the same Baba would

be coming!

As recorded, when Sathya Sai Baba made the formal Announcement that He was the

famed Sai Baba of the town of Shirdi, He was asked, "If you are Sai Baba, show

us a miracle now!" He said, "Bring me some jasmine flowers." When they were

placed in His Hands, He threw the flowers on the ground. They fell in the form

of the Telugu letters, "Sai Baba," flower behind flower, as if arranged with

meticulous skill with all the curves and convolutions of the Telugu letters

perfectly reproduced! Even Seshama Raju, who had learned by long experience to

live with the miracles of his

brother, was surprised at the emphasis of the revelation. "Of course, I gave

them the name of the incarnation that had just preceded mine," said Baba when

questioned about these incidents. "It only meant that He who came as Sai Baba

has now come again as Sathya Sai Baba! Moreover, the Sais come in a series.

After this there will be another, Prema Sai, who will take birth in the Mysore

region," He added.

About this time two teachers who had Sathya as their student at Bukkapatnam

visited Puttaparthy. Fortunately, they have recorded what happened. One of

them, Sri B. Subbannachar, says, "My first impression about him was that he was

a great devotee, like Prahlada of the sacred books. I saw Him doing miraculous

deeds. I was convinced that He was not an ordinary human being, but a boy

endowed with supernatural powers. Quite to our wonderment, this 'Mad Boy' of

Puttaparthy revealed to us that He was none other than Sai Baba of Shirdi! He

invited us once to stay for the night when He would narrate His past. We wanted

to hear about His life, as the available books on Sai Baba of Shirdi do not give

any information about His infancy and boyhood up to sixteen years. He granted us

this boon even without our

asking! Our joy knew no bounds. Night came. We heard the life story. We saw Sai

Himself in human form!"

Sathya Sai Baba invariably refers to "My previous body' when He speaks about Sai

Baba of Shirdi, and often describes how He, in His "previous body," dealt with

people and situations, what illustrations He gave to amplify certain points,

and what questions were asked. He may remark, "The same doubt was raised by a

man who had come to Shirdi," and then He will continue with the reply He gave

that other man long ago at Shirdi! He recognizes all devotees of Sai Baba of

Shirdi as His own. He tells them, "I have known you for ten years," or "Though

this is the first time you see this body, I saw you twenty years ago when you

came to Shirdi." The person will find that either he has been

worshipping Sai Baba for ten years or that he had actually been to Shirdi

exactly twenty years before! Baba has encouraged many to go to Shirdi, giving

detailed descriptions of the route and even of the pictures at the shrine! It

would appear to a listener that He has long been a resident of Shirdi.

Once when several devotees went to Shirdi, Sathya Sai Baba told them, "Go and

sleep in Dwarkamai where I shall come in your dream." He fulfilled this

promise. Many devotees who visit Shirdi hear later of an incarnation of Sai

Baba at Puttaparthy; so they proceed there immediately. As soon as He sees such

devotees, Baba asks them about their pilgrimage to Shirdi. During the interview

He answers questions, which have been unanswered on their visit to Shirdi! This

has been the experience of many.

The Raja of Chincholi was an ardent devotee of Sai Baba of Shirdi. This king

used to spend a few months each year at Shirdi, Akalkot, and other holy places

in the company of spiritual sages and seekers. After the Raja passed away, the

Rani, his queen, was pleasantly surprised to hear of the incarnation of the

Lord as Sri Sathya Sai Baba and she visited Puttaparthy. She also persuaded

Baba, who was then just fifteen years of age, to accompany her to Chincholi.

What a surprise it was for her when Baba asked her about a margosa tree, which

had since been uprooted, a well that had been filled up, a line of shops, which

had been newly built! Baba told her that He had seen these places years ago

while in His "previous body!" He asked her about a small stone image which had

been given to the Raja by Sai Baba

of Shirdi. The Rani did not know of its existence. Baba discovered it for her!

He also said that there would be found a picture of Sai Baba of Shirdi given

when in the "previous body." That, too, was later discovered in the house.

Years passed. One day the Rani was rummaging through a huge storeroom at

Chincholi for old brass, bronze, or copper which she could sell to create

space. She came upon an old brass-drinking vessel as used by wandering monks.

The shape was unique and artistic; the water had to be poured in through a slit

in the handle; the spout ended in a cow's head figurine. It was suggested that

it be polished and displayed as a decorative article in the drawing of her

mansion. The mystery deepened the next day when the vessel was found with a

cobra coiled around it! 'Baba alone can solve the secret," she said to herself

while propitiating the cobra with the traditional rites.

She arrived at Puttaparthy on the first day of the Dasara festival, and as soon

as she entered the premises, Baba sent word, asking her to come to Him "with My

drinking vessel!" No sooner, was it in His Hands than He showed to those nearby,

the letters inscribed on the vessel in Sanskrit characters, SAA followed by a

pair of short vertical lines, BAA with the two lines again, SAA indicating Sayi

and BAA for Baba. Baba has said that he will also secure the alms bag of Sai

Baba of Shirdi in a few years from wherever it is.

Many wonder how the Saint of Shirdi, who, according to all accounts, never left

Shirdi for years, could have gone to Chincholi and later Hyderabad and left

this vessel with the Raja! It is the honest belief of the Rani, as well as some

old servants of the place, that Sai Baba of Shirdi stayed a few days every time

He came to Chincholi and that He would ride far out of the town in a bullock

drawn cart, accompanied by the Raja, to have talks. This cart is now at

Puttaparthy. Devotees who have seen and experienced the acts of Sri Sathya Sai

Baba will have no difficulty in understanding this strange story, for they know

Baba can be at Madras and yet take tea with a family at Bangalore as happened

once in a bungalow at the Civil Station! He can converse with a man at Bhopal

or be seen at a stall in an exhibition in Delhi or speak on the phone to Menon

in Madras while simultaneously being at another place.

For instance, at Hospet in 1940, there was a family known well to Baba since His

childhood. The elder sister was a schoolteacher, and her brothers were His

classmates and playmates at Bukkapatnam. They had heard about the manifestation

and had also seen Baba at Puttaparthy. One evening, a year later, a bullock cart

brought Sathya Sai Baba to their door. Their joy knew no bounds! The boys spent

the entire night talking with Baba, one on each side of Him. They laughed,

cheered, and joked. The mother made preparations for Baba's bath the next day

and for a feast. How can her disappointment be described when she discovered in

the morning the empty bed - and Baba gone! On inquiry she found Baba had never

left Puttaparthy, a hundred miles away! Incarnations are not bound as mortals

are by the limitations of

time and space. They are a Law unto themselves!

One year when He addressed a meeting at the All-India Sai Samaj at Mylapore,

Madras, Baba's opening words were, "Though this is the first time this body has

come here, I have always been here in this temple!" This identity and unbroken

continuity are emphasized by Him in a hundred different ways on all occasions.

In Coorg, He recognized on sight an ardent devotee of Sai Baba of Shirdi, and

noted with pleasure that He was a Life Member of the Sai Baba Trust.

Baba has presented to His devotees lockets and pictures of Sai Baba of Shirdi,

or of Sai Baba of Shirdi with His own portrait incorporated, or His picture

with the portrait of Sai Baba of Shirdi in the region of the heart. No

distinction is allowed to be made in worship of Himself and the previous

manifestation. In the Prashanthi Nilayam prayer hall there are two pictures,

which further demonstrate this lineage. The artist captivatingly caught the

charm of the moment when Sai Baba was resuming His Mission. The grandeur and

the historicity of the moment are

immanently portrayed in the pictures.

A silver figure of Sai Baba of Shirdi is the focal point toward which all prayer

at Prashanthi Nilayam is directed. Baba establishes His identity and continuity

by a series of significant acts. For example, the image of Sai Baba of Shirdi

is decorated with flower garlands that have been offered to Baba, and no

difference is ever made between these garlands and fresh ones; both are used

for decorating the image. During the nine days of Navarathri, women at the

Nilayam offer "saffron worship," and all the saffron thus offered is collected

and poured ceremoniously on the silver figure of Sai Baba of Shirdi.

Baba tells many visitors who have questions, "You need not wait until you meet

and ask me; ask the Old Man," meaning Sai Baba of Shirdi. On the raised

platform at the prayer hall, facing the assembled devotees, are two life-size

oil paintings, one of Sai Baba of Shirdi, the other of Sathya Sai Baba. Both

figures are standing and both have one hand crossed over the other, Sai Baba of

Shirdi holding His right hand with His left and Sathya Sai Baba holding His left

hand with His right. The knot of the cloth around Sai Baba of Shirdi's head,

usually tied to the left, is here found on the right of the head. This is

intriguing to some people, for they do not know that when the portrait artist

wanted pictures to copy, Baba waved His Hand - two small pictures were

materialized in His Hand! The picture of Sai

Baba of Shirdi showed the two hands in a new posture and the cloth knot on the

right. So the artist copied that picture, placing the knot on the right.

Song and hymns sung in daily worship to both incarnations are the same. They

refer to the identity and continuity in unmistakable terms. In the list of 108

names with which Sathya Sai Baba is worshiped, either in person or through

picture representation, there are those included which are specifically

attributable to Sai Baba of Shirdi. Sathya Sai Baba is addressed as, "He who

was born in the village of Pathri,He who was living in the village of

Shirdi,He who is the undifferentiated Incarnation of the Power of Sai Baba

of Shirdi,He who is the embodiment of Shirdi Sai," and so on. The silver

image of Sai Baba of Shirdi is there only as the representative of Baba. When

accommodating Baba on the dais, the image is removed to the right or the left

of Baba, placed on the floor, or removed from the hall. Once when Baba felt

there should be a

procession to the village, He said, "The Old Man shall go today," and sent the

image in the decorated palanquin.

When Baba was a young boy, and after His Declaration of this identity, many a

doubter posed the question, "How can we believe that you are He?" One who had

such doubts was given an unusual Vision by the young Baba in 1943. The cynic

was flabbergasted by the proof presented to him. Baba, it seems, stretched out

His Palm, and there appeared a resplendent portrait of Sai Baba of Shirdi. On

the other Palm, an equally effulgent portrait of Sri Sathya Sai Baba.

A devotee named Chidambara Iyer at New Delhi experienced another similar

miracle. It shows that Baba continues to use the same means to convince seekers

that He who had come then as Sai Baba of Shirdi has come now as Sathya Sai Baba.

 

The Delhi devotee writes: "One evening I was bicycling along a deserted road

between Old Delhi and New Delhi

cogitating on my financial worries. I had returned from Puttaparthy some weeks

before, and though I was drawn much to Baba, I had not yet been convinced that

He was also Sai Baba of Shirdi, or a manifestation of God. Years ago I was

advised by someone to worship Sai Baba of Shirdi, and now I had fallen in with

this new Baba at Puttaparthy. I revolved these doubts in my mind and pedalled

along. Suddenly, a hefty old man who was struggling to catch up to me by harder

cycling threw ‘Finished the work of the day’ a question, at me from behind. When

I turned, I saw a fascinating smile lighting a face, looking at me

half-pityingly and half-affectionately.

"I earned my livelihood in Delhi teaching music to children and occasionally

playing the violin at musical concerts. So I thought the old man must have seen

me at a concert or in a student's house, and noticed me pedaling on my cycle

along the roads of Delhi. 'Yes, I am going home now,' I replied in Tamil, my

mother tongue, and the language in

which the stranger had, most unexpectedly, addressed me. 'Then', the old man

pleaded, 'can you come along with me to that old tomb yonder? I will not keep

you long.'

"We rode abreast for about a furlong to the tomb, and leaning our cycles against

the wall, sat in the shadow on the eastern side. He asked me to sit opposite

him, and by clever questioning he drew out my problems, one by one. He said

that the Master I had providentially acquired was the Lord Himself. Then

suddenly arising, he said, 'Why do you doubt it? He is Sai Baba of Shirdi,

see!' He extended his palms toward me, and I clearly saw, as if painted in

life-like color, the portrait of Sai Baba of Shirdi, resplendent on one palm,

and on the other, the shining face of the Puttaparthy Baba. I can never forget

those two faces lighting up the palms of the saintly old man. The episode came

as an answer to all my doubts; it gave an anchor to the drifting soul; it

provided me a new outlook on life. Whenever I

now sit for meditation, that scene of twin splendor comes before my mind's eye

and thrills me with a mysterious joy.

"We rode back to the road together, reaching which, he turned in the direction

from which we had come. This was rather unexpected, for surely he could not

have come so far just to bless me with that Vision. He admonished me again not

to waiver in my allegiance and lose hold over a treasure so easily come by. I

watched him pedal away, admiring his agility and cycling skill. But imagine my

wonder and consternation the next moment, for he suddenly melted into thin

air!"

Thus Baba gave the Delhi devotee positive proof of the identity of the two Babas.

Baba speaks the same words of consolation and courage and uses the same gesture

of "Do not fear," under similar conditions now, as He did when a little boy,

showing doubting mortals that He is born with the divine mission to uplift and

guide. The same Vision is presented to solve the same doubt, whether the

doubter is present physically before Baba, or whether he is far away in Delhi,

cycling on a deserted road! He has given this Vision to many people, wherever

they were, and to fortunate devotees this and other clear indications that He

and Sai Baba of Shirdi are one.

When once a devotee was waiting at the Bangalore City Railway Station for the

train to Mysore, so that she could enter the Mission Hospital for an operation,

Sathya Sai Baba manifested Himself before her as a tall hefty old man wearing a

long kafni, "gown," a cloth wound around his head, and carrying a heavy stick

and a bundle of clothes. Seating himself on the same bench as the one on which

the lady was sitting, he opened the conversation in Telugu and dissuaded her

from having the operation, saying that it was now a fad with doctors to perform

surgery at the slightest provocation! He told her he was just back from Shirdi,

and he gave her date fruits, which he said were the offering from the shrine!

He said that the offered fruits would cure her, and they did! He also informed

her that his

ashram was near Viduraswatam, on the way to Puttaparthy, and that he, would be

ultimately taking all the inmates of his own ashram to Shirdi!

Thus it is seen that Sai Baba of Shirdi is inextricably intertwined in the

experience of devotees with the present manifestation of the same Godhead. When

any devotee of Sai Baba of Shirdi does worship now, Sathya Sai Baba knows about

it.

Once a lady at Madras, desperate because her son was seriously ill, placed him

in front of Sai Baba of Shirdi's portrait. Years later she came to know of

Sathya Sai Baba. She came to Puttaparthy with her son, then a tall muscular

young man. As soon as Baba saw them, He asked the mother "You placed this boy

under my care fifteen years ago, did you not?"

Every year when the anniversary of the passing away of the mortal body of Sai

Baba of Shirdi is celebrated at Shirdi, Baba "transcends" this body, and when

He returns, He usually says, "I have been to Shirdi."

A few years ago while Baba was at Madras, an incident happened which is

inexplicable by any other theory than the one, which proclaims the identity of

the two Babas. Baba casually announced to His devotees that a close attendant

of Sai Baba of Shirdi would pass into eternity on a certain date in the morning

hours and that He would have to go to give him the coveted Vision of Himself at

the last moment of his mortal life. Most of the devotees were apprehensive

about what might happen that day, although some were filled with expectation

and indeed joyous that they would have

an opportunity to see Baba blessing a disciple of His previous manifestation.

For a few days they talked of little else; they watched the calendar and then

the clock for the arrival of the historic moment!

At last the day dawned, and when the hour struck, Baba was, in spite of all the

devotees' precautions, in the bathroom! Seeing that He did not emerge for a

long time, they peeped through the window, and finding Him actually away from

His Body, they broke open the door and began to attend the Body, watching for

signs of movement or activity of heart or pulse. They saw Sacred Ash emanating

in large quantities from His right toe, and they could hear Him speak in

Marathi, quoting stanzas from scriptures. On "coming back" Baba told them the

story of the passing away of the disciple of the "previous body" and how He had

blessed him with a Vision of Sai Baba of Shirdi and given him the Udi which his

Guru always granted him.

Four years ago, when Baba was in Hyderabad, He was invited to Sakori to the

ashram of Godavari Matha, the disciple of Upasini Baba and Sai Baba of Shirdi.

Welcomed by the women disciples with Vedic recitations and the traditional

ceremonies of the Reception of Elders, they offered worship. He must have

blessed them with a glimpse of His Reality and His Identity,

for they expressed a keen desire to come to Prashanthi Nilayam. But Baba said

that He was present at Sakori and that it was best they remain there.

Those who are familiar with the miracles of Sai Baba of Shirdi and also the

miracles of Sri Sathya Sai Baba may note certain differences in style, language

and technique, but as stated by Yogi Suddananda Bharathiar of Madras, who has

seen and been inspired by both Babas, "There is an unmistakable identity of

mission and message." Sathya Sai Baba says that He is not as severe or as stern

with people now about ignorance, negligence, disobedience or superciliousness as

He was in His previous manifestation. He explains this difference by means of a

parable: "The mother is usually stern when the children enter the kitchen and

disturb her while cooking; but while serving the food, she is all joy and

patience. I am now serving you the dishes cooked then; wherever you may be, if

you are hungry, and if you have

a plate, I shall serve you the dishes and feed you to your heart's content!"

People, who have read the description of the elaborate procession to the Chavadi

of Sai Baba of Shirdi once every week, are thrilled at the grandeur of the

affair. With its chariot, caparisoned horse, decorated palanquin and other

paraphernalia, they might remark that Sathya Sai Baba does not permit His

devotees to lavish all that pageantry on Him! Those who have read the

description of the precariously hung plank upon which Sai Baba of Shirdi often

slept, will be glad that Sathya Sai Baba does not adopt that type of austerity.

 

Concerning the difficulties one naturally experiences in believing the identity

of the two Babas, Sathya Sai Baba told a gathering at the All-India Sai Samaj

at Madras in January of 1959, "The careers of Sri Rama and Sri Krishna are

different in the various incidents of their earthly careers; they also

emphasized different aspects of ethical behavior and philosophical belief; they

differed in their methods of teaching and uplifting. It is all a difference in

emphasis rather than in basic things. It is difficult to be convinced that Sri

Rama is Sri Krishna; but few have any doubts on that score. So too, those who

can delve deep into these, My mysteries, can understand that the same Power has

now assumed another human form."

Those who know about Sai Baba of Shirdi's miracles, His omniscience and

omnipresence, His teachings, His universal love, can, by merely spending a few

days in the Holy Presence of Sri Sathya Sai Baba, convince himself of the

identity of the two. There is unmistakable similarity in speech, style,

attitude, outlook, and teachings.

His Holiness Gayathri Swami, a disciple of His Holiness Narasimhabharati Swami,

and a comrade of Swami Amritananda to whom reference has been made in previous

pages, came to Prashanthi Nilayam in 1960. He told of spending the year 1906

with Sai Baba of Shirdi and of seeing Him frequently thereafter. He recalled

incidents similar to the "Don't Shoot" miracle, described in a previous

chapter, and he related many anecdotes of Sai Baba of Shirdi that parallel

those of the present manifestation. Even some of the jokes were the same!

The night before he left Puttaparthy on that visit, it seems he had a Vision of

his Guru, Sai Baba of Shirdi, in which He told him that He had left His tomb

after eight years and had brought away all His "properties" fifteen years

later! The next morning Gayathri Swami was surprised to learn from Nilayam

residents that Sathya Sai Baba was born in 1926, eight years after the passing

away of Sai Baba of Shirdi, and that He had assumed the name "Baba" and

manifested all the powers associated with Sai Baba of Shirdi in His fifteenth

year! The name and the powers, Gayathri indicated, must be the "properties"

referred to by the Guru. Gayathri went away supremely happy that he had had his

"center-view," and was bothered little about not having the interview! A simple

childlike soul, he was,

reminding everyone of Swami Amritananda.

Yogi Suddhananda Bharathi says that when he visited Sai Baba at Shirdi in the

company of the Lokamanya Balagangadhara Tilak and Karandiker, Sai Baba told

them that freedom won by the rifle would be of no avail, for what is won by

force will be lost to force. He advised that independence must be won by and

for spiritual progress. Sathya Sai Baba also places first emphasis on love,

based on sympathy and understanding.

Olaf Stapledon, noted author, writes about Europe and the West: "Already before

the two great wars a materialistic pleasure-loving go-getting socially

irresponsible civilization was becoming a nightmare. Between the two wars the

nightmare deepened. In revulsion from it there was a widespread turning away

from individualism and a yearning for a true community. This produced the

movement for democratic socialism, but also, its perversion, totalitarianism.

Both commercial individualism and the barbaric tribalism that sprang up in

opposition to it were in their different ways object lessons in the

frightfulness of a world disoriented from traditional values!" But the malady

has affected India and other parts of the world too, for the world is fast

becoming one.

There was another reason also for this second advent of Sai Baba of Shirdi.

Stapledon speaks about the need: "Scientific enquiry itself seems to be

producing important evidence that the assumptions on which the modern wisdom

has been based are false! There is strong evidence for telepathy, and also for

pre-cognition and post-cognition. It seems that future events can take effect

on consciousness while they are still future, and in the orthodox view,

non-existent! Similarly, with past events. All this makes nonsense to our

familiar assumptions about time and about mind's temporal limitations. To cope

with pre-cognition and post-cognition and even with simultaneous telepathy,

'the modern wisdom' will have to be transformed."

Sai Baba of Shirdi, and now Sathya Sai Baba, have both been doing just this, to

emphasize traditional values and transforming "modern wisdom" by familiarizing

everyone with the miracles of pre-cognition, simultaneous telepathy,

multilocation, and also many an unnamed one, to the utter confusion of the

pundits of science, thus proving to man that there is a God in him that is

whispering mystery all the time.

The purpose of both the Sais is the same. Only the need to transform the modern

wisdom has now become more imminent. In Sai Baba of Shirdi's time the emphasis

was more on the community; in Sathya Sai Baba's time it is on the individual.

Previously, it was more on activity for the good of all; now it is mostly on

love for all and for one's innermost self; then the message was given to

comparatively few; and now all are welcome to it and it is even taken to the

very doors of the needy.

A person knowledgeable of the life of Sri Sathya Sai Baba, reading, for example,

the Sai Satcharita, written in English by Sri N.V. Gunaji, on the basis of the

Marathi book by Hemadpant, will be reminded on every page of the continuity and

identity of the present manifestation and the last. He will find in the book

echoes of what he has often heard Baba Himself saying.

The book reveals that Sai Baba of Shirdi encouraged and warned devotees with

such admonitions as: "Be wherever you like, do whatever you choose; remember

this well, that all that you do is known to me. I am the ruler of all. I am

seated in your hearts. Though I am here bodily, still I know what you do beyond

the seven seas. Go wherever you will, over the wide world, I am with you." On

innumerable occasions Sathya Sai Baba has said essentially the same thing.

Once when a number of devotees at Prashanthi Nilayam were planning where they

should stay at Courtallam, on the way from Trivandrum to Surandai, Baba said,

"Wait! I shall tell you." The next morning He gave a detailed description of

the Travancore House there, the number of rooms, the kinds of plants in the

garden, the height of the compound wall, the location of the telephone in the

hall, and so forth. A list was made to which He added a few more items

including two bougainvillaea bushes at each end of the porch! He had seen all

this from the Nilayam. When

the group reached the Travancore House, the list was found to be correct to the

minutest detail of a neglected rose tree near the garages!

He has proved to His devotees that He is with them always and that He knows

every little thing they do, think, or speak. A devotee came to Puttaparthy some

years ago and Baba told him that His ears were suffering with pain because of

the singing of songs of God in the devotee's house! This was caused, He said,

by "a neighbor who came and joined in the singing who had a voice which was

quite unmusical; the man did not know how to adjust the tone and tempo of his

voice to that of the others." The reference to the pain was, of course, a jest;

but how could He know of the grating voice unless He had actually heard?

Baba astonishes people by telling them all about their inmost thoughts and their

most private deeds; He "reads them like an open book." An Inspector-General of

Police who was once waiting in line outside Baba's interview room told a friend

with him, a little challengingly, "There is one incident in my life, which, if

He reveals to me, hats off to Him!" The Inspector-General's turn came; the

interview ended; he came out of the room full of joy and satisfaction,

shouting, "He knows everything from A to Z, official and unofficial."

Very often Sathya Sai Baba has told devotees starting a voyage or pilgrimage,

"Purchase three tickets for the four people who travel," meaning that He will

join them as a ticketless passenger!

While His physical Body was at Puttaparthy, He once saved a pilot from suicide

at Kashmir. This was in 1949. Those who actually witnessed the “trance”

verified the facts. Baba was away from His Body for twelve hours. On His

"return" He recounted that He not only dashed the fatal cup from the pilot's

hand but entered the courtroom where the case against the pilot was being

tried. He directed one of the military judges to raise an objection, which

virtually foiled the prosecution and forced the court to pronounce a verdict of

"not guilty!" The pilot, Baba said, was a staunch devotee of Sai Baba

of Shirdi and was being unjustly charged with embezzlement of funds!

A Mr. Gunji writes of Sai Baba of Shirdi: "Shirdi was His center, but His field

of action extended far wider to Bombay and Calcutta, North India

FONT-SIZE: 10pt">, Gujarat, Deccan and South Canara." The same is true of the

Sathya Sai manifestation. Devotees who have gone to far away places including

England, France, Canada, the United States, Japan and Germany, have felt His

protecting Hand. Mr. and Mrs. G.V. Venkatamuni, for example, proceeded to the

Continent and planned from there to attend the

Coronation Ceremonies of Queen Elizabeth II. They were shopping in Paris when

they discovered, to their utter dismay, that the bundle of traveler's Cheques

they had was lost! They could not locate it in spite of their desperate and

thorough search not only in their purse and luggage but even in the most

unlikely places. They were overcome with sorrow when they contemplated their

plight in a strange land. They turned to Baba, as they always did in distress.

Baba heard their pathetic cry - thousands of miles away! The next day, while

looking in the self-same purse for something else, they were amazed and

overjoyed to find the entire bundle of traveler's Cheques intact!

There were two classmates of Baba when He was a little boy at school who joined

the army in later years. An accident occurred, and they were caught in the

flames of a fire that blew up a gasoline tank. Baba said this happened in the

Northeast Frontier. This fact was verified some years later when the boys

returned home after the conclusion of hostilities. Baba at Puttaparthy had

immediately left His Body and proceeded to the scene of the fire. He prevented

the fire from spreading to the tent where the boys were, though the flames

encircled the area.

The Sai Satcharita says, "Goulibhava, aged ninety-five, who made his way to

Pandharpur, saw Sai Baba of Shirdi as God in the form Vittal, and exclaimed,

"This is Vittal incarnate, the merciful Lord of the poor and the helpless."

Last year a family of devotees went to Shirdi and from there attempted to travel

to Pandharpur, but because of heavy rains and floods and the consequent

cancellation of trains, they could not proceed further. They came to

Puttaparthy. As Baba visited with them, He asked the aged father and mother,

"You could not see Vittal, could you? You seem to be very sorry that your

pilgrimage had to be cut halfway. If you want to have a Darshan of Vittal, look

at Me." They looked, then danced with supreme joy, for Baba had become Vittal

for their sake.

Of Sai Baba of Shirdi it is said that He was the form of God as Rama, Krishna,

Siva and Maruti. The Satcharita records an incident of a doctor, who, when he

went to Sai Baba of Shirdi "saw not Baba but his beloved deity, Rama, on the

seat before him." Sathya Sai Baba has, as many devotees have attested, granted

Visions of Himself as Rama, Krishna, and Kamakshi.

The experience of Swami Amritananda at Puttaparthy is a valuable example of this

aspect of the divinity of Baba. As soon as Amritananda reached Prashanthi

Nilayam, Baba accosted him, "Amritam," and Amritananda was genuinely astonished

at the familiarity and even affection with which the call was saturated, and

said, "Only Ramana Maharshi, a saint of South India, with whom I spent

seventeen years, accosted me in that manner. The voice and manner were exactly

the voice and manner of the Maharshi!" Later Baba asked the eighty-five year

old Swami about a Ganapathi Homa, a sacrifice to the elephant-headed God, which

he had performed for forty-one days when he was seven years old! He told the

Swami all the details of that sacrifice, including the long involved mantra,

"words of Power,"

with which the offerings were placed each time in the fire. The mantra, as

disclosed by Baba, begins, "Om Sreem Hreem Kleem Gloum Gam." This is a mantra

of Seed Sounds. Baba told him that he had repeated this mantra a thousand times

a day for forty-one days and made as many coconut offerings in the fire of the

sacred sacrifice. "But what is the reward promised in the Scriptures?" Baba

asked the old ascetic. He answered that if the sacrifice is done with

scrupulous regard for ritual, Lord Ganapathi Himself will appear in "the fiery

enclosure," as the golden-colored effulgent elephant-headed God; that with His

trunk He will receive the final and concluding offerings and will grant

everlasting bliss by means of the Darshan. Baba asked him whether he

had the Vision. Amritananda replied that it was not so easy for a seven year old

boy to get the Vision of the Lord by the mere number and quantity of offerings

and mantras. Baba interrupted him, saying, "No, no. It is due to all that

mantra and all that sacrifice that you have now come to Me. You will today,

after an interval of seventy-eight years, get the reward mentioned in the

Scriptures."

He asked the Swami to look at Him, and when he did, Amritananda saw the

golden-colored elephant, the Ganapathi as described in ancient texts. He was

overwhelmed with joy and bliss for four days following this Darshan, and

forsook food, drink, and sleep.

It is mentioned by Hemadpant that Sai Baba of Shirdi, "the famous doctor of

doctors, cared not for His own interests and always worked for the good and

welfare of others. Himself suffering unbearable and terrible pain many a time

in the process." This is true even in this manifestation of Sai Baba of Shirdi,

for Sathya Sai Baba has taken upon Himself many forms of suffering including

mumps, typhoid and other fevers, childbirth pains, and scalding burns of His

devotees. [Picture: Shirdi Sai in a village]

A doctor who lived near Madurai wrote to Baba: "My ear began to bleed profusely

all of a sudden, and it gave me great pain. I suffered for a day. All at once

the pain and bleeding subsided miraculously." Just as the doctor's letter

reached Puttaparthy, Baba Himself was "free" from a slightly bleeding ear and

earache, which He announced He had "taken over" from a devotee who had been

suffering the agony!

On the twenty-first of June 1959, at Bangalore, Baba's temperature suddenly shot

up to 104.5 degrees F. at about 1:30

FONT-SIZE: 10pt"> in the afternoon. The alarm of the devotees was considerably

reduced when five minutes later, the thermometer registered a fall and

indicated 99 degrees F. No one knew the reason for this sudden rise and the

equally sudden fall until about 9:30 that evening. During dinner, Baba, seated

on the terrace in the moonlight, instructed a young man from Madras, "Tomorrow,

when you go to your mother, tell her that she should be more careful about fire.

Assure her that Baba is always with her and that she will never

come to harm." Baba explained that the sari of the young man's mother had caught

fire from oil lamps while she was praying in her shrine room. The aroused

curiosity of His guests prompted one to place a long distance telephone call to

the mother two hundred and twenty-two miles away in Madras. When Baba spoke to

her, her first query was whether His Hands were burned in the process of

putting out the flames, as she knew of such instances of His mercy. Baba

answered, "Oh, no. I did not burn My Hands. I just had an increase of

temperature for a short while!"

Sai Baba of Shirdi once had his arm scorched while saving a child from fire. The

accident happened many miles away. Sai Baba of Shirdi commented, "The child

slipped into the furnace. I immediately thrust in My Hand and saved the child.

I do not mind My arm being burned. I am glad that the life of the child is

saved." The acts of Grace are the same in both manifestations.

The Satcharita, the remarkable book about Sai Baba of Shirdi which has been

previously mentioned, gives many cases of illness which were cured by Him by a

mere command such as, "You should not purge any more.The vomiting must

stop.Your diarrhea has stopped.Do not climb, O snake poison."

Sathya Sai Baba continues to perform the same miracles, and cures diseases,

however long standing, by His Will only. An old merchant from the town of

Kuppam, thought to be dead, was kept for two days because Baba did not give His

word to proceed with the disposal of the body. On the third day Baba ordered him

to get up, and he obeyed! There was a young man from Salem

green; FONT-SIZE: 10pt"> suffering from acute diarrhea. Baba commanded him "not

to purge any more" - and the purging ceased! Living in Puttaparthy was a young

girl whose eyesight was so poor that, to guide herself about her house, she had

to walk touching the wall with one hand. She could not even bear the sunlight;

it burned her eyes, giving her agonizing headaches. She remained in a darkened

room indoors most of the day. She had consulted all the renowned optometrists

in Mysore, Madras and

Bombay. No cure resulted. She spent her days in prayer and meditation. At last,

one day, after visiting Baba, He said she could go home and that her eyes would

be right. He gave her a bottle of eye-drops, which He materialized by a Wave of

the Hand, and told her "Use this medicine; a few drops will do." She went home

and found her eyes perfect in every way. His command was obeyed!

The Satcharita says of Sai Baba of Shirdi, "He became famous as a Magician.

Without any liquid or medicine being put in the eyes, some blind men got back

their eyesight." This is true, word for word, of Sathya Sai Baba.

The Satcharita also states that Sai Baba of Shirdi used to say, "I am the

Mother, the origin of all beings, the harmony of the three qualities of nature,

the propeller of all scenes, the Creator, the Preserver, and the Destroyer."

Also, "His firm conviction was that He was the Lord Vasudev." Likewise Baba has

announced many times that He has come to save the world and that He is the Lord

Himself. A profoundly true declaration of this was evinced about 1952. Sudden

death had taken away His sister's husband, and the entire family and villagers

were grief stricken. A few hours after the burial Baba was seen seated on the

low porch wall of the family house facing the road that leads to Prashanthi

Nilayam. The bereaved sister was wailing pathetically from inside the house.

Her

little son with his grandmother was in front of Baba and there was a semi-circle

of the father, mother, sister, brothers, and others, all in deep sorrow. Baba

smiled, and chided with a chuckle, "What? If there is no death, and no birth,

how can I spend My time?" Is not Baba the Creator, the Preserver, the

Destroyer, the Lord Himself?

Sai Baba of Shirdi had control over the elements. "Once there was an imminent

fear of a terrible storm; the sky was overcast; the rains fell and the waters

flooded the streets; the panic stricken villagers ran to Baba for help. Baba

told the storm, "Stop your fury and be calm." All became calm at Shirdi. This

account, too, is given in the Satcharita. He also once commanded a fire to

"step down and be calm, and it obeyed instantly."

Many such instances are stored in the memory of the devotees of Sathya Sai Baba

also. For this is but a continuation of the same divine drama. Sri Challa Appa

Rao writes concerning a downpour. "It occurred when Baba was taken in

procession on the night of the Vijayadasami Festival. He sat in a decorated

chariot. When the procession started, the sky was dark and heavy with storm

clouds. There was deafening thunder and flashes of lightning. Truly a grim

spectacle! More than three hours passed before the procession returned to the

temple. Still there was no rain. Who else can it be, if not God Himself who can

hold back the downpour for so long? Baba stepped down from the chariot and went

upstairs at the Nilayam. Everyone else returned to their lodgings. Then came

the

deluge!"

On a cloudy June evening, Baba was addressing an audience in an open-air meeting

at Mercara. A monsoon sky was overcast and gloomy; an ominous sense of

approaching rain was felt. On the distant hills the rain poured. It came nearer

and nearer until it reached Mahadevpet, just half a mile away. Baba discoursed

quietly and calmly, holding the audience spellbound for more than an hour and a

half. At the end He said, "Now you can go home, for in about ten minutes you

will get the rain that would have drenched you by now." The rains came

precisely as announced!

The Chitravathi River at Puttaparthy is subject to sudden floods. It rises in

the Nandi Hills, and heavy rains in that region in Mysore

green; FONT-SIZE: 10pt"> State bring down water many feet deep along the banks

for many miles. The Prashanthi Nilayam was built on an eminence to avoid these

periodic floods which at times invade the old temple and enter the prayer shed,

the kitchens, and all the surrounding area. On many such occasions Baba has

stood on the edge of the water and said, "This is enough, go back." The rising

waters obeyed. Some years ago, during Dasara, when food was being served, it

rained all around the Nilayam, but not a drop fell in the precincts where

people were being fed!

In 1963 Baba was in the East Godavari District. He had crossed over to

Rajahmundry by the very last boat permitted by the police to brace the turbid

torrents of the flooded river. The earth was soaked and slushy everywhere; a

cold wind had swept down a drizzle for almost twenty-four hours. At Mirthipadu,

approximately ten miles from Rajahmundry

10pt">, Baba addressed villagers from an open terrace of a bungalow. One could

see all around the broad sheets of water formed by the swelling Godavari and

the curtain of rain advancing from all directions toward Mirthipadu. But the

rain could not penetrate the area, and the meeting continued far into the

night! Baba had willed that the rain not advance.

Satcharita records that Sai Baba of Shirdi cured Bhimaji Patel by means of two

dreams. "He gave instructions to many persons in dreams. To one addicted to

drink, He appeared to him in a dream; He sat on the man's chest and pressed him

until he promised not to touch liquor again. Baba explained mantras to some

people in their dreams."

The present Sai Baba has "operated" on many suffering patients during their

dreams. Thirumala Rao of Bangalore had such an experience, and when he awoke,

the bed was soaked with blood, and the pain gone. What he dreamed had actually

come to pass. Baba, the Surgeon, had blessed him.

Dreams form a very important means of communication between Baba and His

devotees. Baba warns, teaches, instructs, treats, or "operates," during a dream

of the devotee, which He designs and times. He has initiated a number of

devotees into the first lesson in spiritual discipline. In dreams He has

presented Himself and communicated the sacred formula to the deserving

aspirant. Later when the devotee visits Puttaparthy, He has told him about the

processes and conditions for successful spiritual practice.

Just as Sai Baba of Shirdi sat on the chest of the drunkard and forced him in a

dream experience to promise not to touch liquor again, so Baba, too, has

"beaten" an unruly son-in-law of one of His devotees while he was in a moving

train, alone, in a first class compartment! The man jumped out of the train as

soon as it halted at a wayside station. The crowd that gathered could see the

finger-marks on both his cheeks.

An insane patient at the hospital at Puttaparthy was also "beaten" in absentia

by Baba, and the doctors at his bedside witnessed the fellow yelling at every

blow, shouting that he would behave better, and praying to Baba to stop beating

him, all the while wondering at Baba's mysterious way of curing the patient of

his foul vocabulary. After this treatment and the suffering of actual physical

pain, the fellow gave up his vile speech and chose always to sing devotional

songs!

Satcharita gives the case of a Punjabi boy who saw Sai Baba of Shirdi in a dream

and heard Baba commanding him to come to Shirdi. He did not know who Baba was or

where Shirdi was. Luckily, he came across a picture of Baba in a shop, and after

many adventures, arrived at Shirdi.

Many instances of exactly the same nature have occurred in Sathya Sai Baba's

role. The principal of a college in South India was surprised when his son,

afflicted with dire heart trouble, said one day that he had dreamed of a place

called Puttaparthy where he would be cured! He made inquiries, consulted the

railway time tables of all the Indian zones, got a copy of the Post Officey, and was surprised to find that there was a village called

Puttaparthy. Further inquiries gave him the precious news that Sri Sathya Sai

Baba was there and that He could, by His mere Will, cure all

afflictions!

How Baba called the great devotee of the composer-saint Tyagaraja to Himself is

an interesting story. In 1951 the Raja of Venkatagiri was surprised to receive

a letter from this devotee which read: "Tyagaraja appeared in a dream and

commanded me to go to Venkatagiri in order to be blessed by the Lord who has

come to this earth and who is soon reaching Venkatagiri in His tour. He told me

that God has assumed the name of Sri Sathya Sai. I shall come to Venkatagiri as

soon as I hear from you." It was the festival of the birth of Krishna when she

met Baba at Venkatagiri in answer to this

command. Baba gave her the chance to sing the compositions of Tyagaraja for two

full hours in His Presence. He also blessed her with an image of Sri Rama,

which He materialized for her. After receiving the image, she was in ecstatic

unconsciousness for over twenty-four hours! She was happy that Baba granted her

two boons. She experienced a peaceful end and the remembrance of Ramnam, the

repeating of Rama's Name, to the very last moment of her life!

Hundreds of people come to Puttaparthy drawn by mysterious intimations. For

example there was Sukumara Menon, who was "called" by phone by Baba's voice to

meet Him, a call not noticed anywhere along the line; the phone rang in his

room, although Baba was actually in Bangalore in the midst of devotees at a

housewarming function. Sukumara Menon wrote about the mysterious call and the

conversation he had with Baba. When this was mentioned to Baba He said, "You

know this now, because he wrote about it. But remember, this is only a

millionth part of My activity in showering Grace."

Satcharita also records another facet of Sai Baba of Shirdi's life, which can be

seen as a correct account of what happens today at Puttaparthy. "The devotees

could never approach Him unless He intended to receive them. Nobody could go

there of his own accord; nobody could stay there long if he so wished; he had

to leave the place when allowed to do so by Baba."

Once, when a long line of bullock carts approached Puttaparthy from Bukkapatnam

bringing visitors from various places, Baba sang jubilantly, "It has come! It

has come! Baba's Caravan." The author, standing nearby, remarked, "People who

come to Puttaparthy tell their neighbors, friends and relatives, and so the

number increases. "Baba turned sharply, saying, "No! No one can come to Me

without My calling him, even if a hundred people persuade or drag or push."

Everyone who comes to Puttaparthy leaves saying prayers such as, "Help me to

come again.Kindly get me once again to this place." Devotees know that

without His express wish, no one can fulfill the pilgrimage. When He says,

"Stay," they stay, whether they have "leave from the office" or not. When He

says, "Leave," they leave, however unwillingly,

for when they scrupulously follow Baba's orders in doing so, some urgent work

will be awaiting them when they return home!

Devotees of Sathya Sai Baba have heard Him assure them, "Why fear when I am

here?You look to Me, and I look to you.All your sins are forgiven the

moment you come into My Presence.I shall carry all your burdens.Take,

take as much bliss as you can from Me and leave with me all your sorrows."

Sai Baba of Shirdi gave assurances to many fortunate souls, in identical terms,,

as recorded in the Satcharita:

"I do not need any paraphernalia for worship, either eightfold or sixteen fold.

I rest where there is full devotion."

"My treasury is always full; it is overflowing; I say, take this wealth in

cartloads; this time won't come again."

"Let there be no insistence on establishing one's own view; no attempt to refute other's opinions."

"Nothing will harm him who turns his attention toward Me. Avoid the Company of

atheists, irreligious, and wicked people; be meek and humble toward all. See Me

in all beings."

"All the insects, ants, the visible, movable, and immovable world is My Body and Form."

"My treasury is full and I can give anyone what he wants, but I have to see

whether he is qualified to receive what I give."

"Look at Me wholeheartedly and I in turn will look at you similarly."

"To get realization of Self, meditation is necessary. If you practice it

continuously, the mental waves will be pacified."

"Give water to the thirsty, bread to the hungry, and your veranda to strangers

for sitting and resting. If you are inclined to give, give; if you are not

inclined to give, do not give, but do not bark like a dog."

"I require no door to enter; I always live everywhere."

"God's quest should not be made on an empty stomach."

"Leaving out your pride and egoism, surrender yourself to Me. I am seated in your heart."

The Satcharita says that Sai Baba of Shirdi wanted a devotee to cast aside his

blind belief in horoscopes and predictions of astrologers and palmists, for it

weakens one.

Sathya Sai Baba also has advised similarly. There is the incident of a man from

the old State of Hyderabad who dreamed that Baba asked him to extend his palm.

With a sharp pointed knife, Baba drew a line on his palm, the line of good

luck, as he discovered the next day to his delight and dismay! For One who can

draw a new line on the palm, of what concern is palmistry? For One who can

change the stars, of what value is astrology? Little wonder that these divine

manifestations decry man's faith in these beliefs when he himself is master and

maker of

destiny!

Again, from the Satcharita:

"Baba never liked people to create debts when coming to visit Him, celebrating

holy days or going on pilgrimages."

"Baba anticipated and forestalled the calamities of His devotees and warded them off in time."

"Baba respected the feelings of His devotees and allowed them to worship Him as they liked."

"Baba was extremely forgiving, never irritable, straight, soft, tolerant, and

content beyond comparison."

"Baba read and understood all the thoughts of His devotees."

"He suppressed the evil thoughts and encouraged the good ones."

All these sayings parallel those of Sri Sathya Sai Baba.

Swami Amritananda, companion of Bhagawan Ramana Maharshi, was convinced that Sri

Sathya Sai Baba knew Yogic science better than anyone else in his experience

because Sai Baba elaborated to him on his faulty practice of Yogic exercises

which he had performed years before Sai Baba's "birth." In Satcharita it is

written, "Sai Baba of Shirdi knows well all Yogic practices."

Sathya Sai Baba gave practical lessons in Yoga to a young Frenchman who, like

many other enthusiastic students, had endeavored to practice Yoga through a

study of books. Many cases of misdirected practice of Yoga come to Baba for

treatment and correction.

The following sentence from Satcharita could very well have been written about

the present Sai Baba. "To Him all duties are alike; He knows neither honor nor

dishonor."

Sathya Sai Baba attends the smallest detail of the lowliest task at Prashanthi

Nilayam. He sits on the floor, sleeps on a mat, does not hesitate to walk in

sun or rain, climbs the snow-clad Himalayas barefoot, invites a large crowd to

ride in His car in spite of the crush and length of the journey, goes long

distances without food and drink. He prefers the dishes of the poorest of the

land, because, as He says, "No one should be put to extra expense and trouble

on My account!"

The Satcharita says of the previous Sai Baba:

"Baba could read the hearts of others as though He had received a wireless message."

"Baba converted by His touch raisin seeds into seedless raisins."

"Baba gave instructions to His devotees in both spiritual and temporal matters."

"Baba saw no difference between caste and caste, and even beings and beings."

"Baba always loved those who studied about the Universal and the Absolute, and

He always encouraged them."

"Baba hated scandal mongering and spoke of it as equal to gorging dung."

"Baba insisted that remuneration for labor must be paid promptly and to the

satisfaction of the worker."

Everyone of these sayings appear to those who have met, heard, and followed

Sathya Sai Baba, to be His own statements and as representing His own advice

and attitude.

In 1958, when He was examined on commission by a law court, Baba referred to a

similar incident in His previous "birth" and gave the same replies. When asked

His name, He said, "I answer to any." He said that everything was His, that He

lived everywhere, and by these replies, He made the pundits of law describe Him

as inscrutable, though, for adepts in spiritual science, it was as clear as

crystal that those were the unmistakable utterances of an Incarnation of the

Lord.

It is the same Presence come again! Sathya Sai Baba once said that this body was

born in Parthi; the previous one was born in Pathri. In this "birth" as well as

the previous, there was a Muslim who loved Him and fondled Him as a child. In

this "birth," too, He drew people's attention to Himself when a boy, by

disclosing the whereabouts of a lost horse at the village of Uravakonda.

Everyone will find in the present God manifestation the same motherly

solicitude, simplicity of exposition, profundity of wisdom, universality of

outlook, all-conquering love, and the same omnipresence and omnipotence.

Sathya Sai Baba has often said that He had been to Shirdi when He was in what

may be called a trance. At Puttaparthy on Purnami Festival Day in 1950, Baba

was having lunch with a young man from Madras. The lady serving the dishes did

not know that it was an auspicious day for Sai devotees. Suddenly Baba "went on

a journey," and during this period, He ordered, "Serve him chapattis,"

unleavened bread. "Serve him kheer," sweets, and mentioned strange names of

other sweets and foods. When He "returned," the lady gently chided Him, "If you

ask me to serve

this young man items that I have not prepared, and items I have not even heard

about, what can I do?" Baba sympathized with her plight. He said He had been to

Shirdi and the names He mentioned were Marathi dishes! He then created a

chapatti and slices of Marathi sweets which He gave to the young man.

When He came to Puttaparthy after the Declaration of His identity, a young lad

of fifteen, He showed in His Hand a fruit, which no one there had seen or

tasted before. Pedda Venkapa Raju's sister says that she asked Baba what type

of fruit it was and received the reply that it came from Shirdi. Baba proposed

to cut and distribute pieces in the evening. She pleaded with Baba that each

person be given at least one full fruit so that it may be relished. Baba asked

her to give Him a large basket with a cover. He tapped the basket once and she

was shown a basket full of the fruit! That evening there were a hundred or more

people, and she was again concerned that there would not be a whole fruit for

each. The basket could not hold more than thirty to forty! She told Baba how

nervous she was. Then the

unexpected. From that basket Baba gave a whole fruit to each of the more than

one hundred people after devotional singing! The taste was so strange and so

sweet!

Pedda Venkapa Raju's sister relates another miraculous incident. She was

troubling Baba with a request to grant her some Vision to instill faith in her

heart, for she did not want to dismiss the story of the Sai incarnation as an

invention, an attitude that many in the family found it easy to assume. Baba

liked her because she was a simple soul, steeped in suffering. He told her, "I

shall show you My 'previous body' this evening!" She confessed that she could

not contain her joy and was praying for a shorter afternoon and a quicker

sunset! As soon as dusk fell, Baba led her through many doorways into one of

the innermost rooms of the house. He took away His Palm which had been covering

her eyes and asked her to look at a corner to which He pointed with His Finger.

There sat Sai Baba of Shirdi on the

floor in His characteristic pose, with one leg slightly folded, the other

stretched just a little. The incense sticks before Him were burning and the

smoke rising straight into the air! His body was glowing with strange

effulgence and there was a beautiful fragrance everywhere. After a minute or

two, Baba asked her, "Have you seen?" and when she said, "Oh, how wonderful!"

He placed His Palm once again firmly over her eyes and led her into the outer

room.

Baba has often said that controversy as to whether He is the same Baba is

meaningless and unnecessary, for as He explains, when there are two pieces of

sweet, one square, another circular, one yellow and the other purple, unless

one has eaten and realized the taste of both, one cannot believe that both are

the same. Tasting, experiencing, that is the crucial thing, in order to know

their identity.

CONTINUED…

With Sai love from Sai brother M. Palaniswamy

/

 

New and Improved Mail - Send 10MB messages!