SRI SAI SATCHARITA and SATHYAM SIVAM SUNDARAM [14]

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Om Sri Sai Ram

SRI SAI SATCHARITA and SATHYAM SIVAM SUNDARAM

The Life Stories of the Two Avatars of the Age – [14]

SHRI SAI SATCHARITA

The Life of the Divine Avatar Sai Baba of Shirdi

By Hemadpant

CHAPTER XIV

Ruttonji Wadia of Nanded - Saint Moulisaheb - Dakshina Mimansa

In the last Chapter, we described how Baba's word and grace cured many incurable

diseases. Now, we shall describe, how Baba blessed Mr. Ruttonji Wadia with an

issue.

The life of this Saint is naturally sweet in and out. His various doings,

eating, walking and His natural sayings are also sweet. His life is Bliss

incarnate. Sai gave it out as a means of His devotee's remembrance to Him. He

gave them various stories of duty and action, which ultimately led them to true

religion. His object may be that people should live happily in this world, but

they should be ever cautious and gain the object of their life, viz.

self-realization. We get human body as a result of merits in past births and it

is worthwhile that with its aid, we should attain devotion and liberation in

this life. So we should never be lazy, but always be on the alert to gain our

end and aim of life.

If you daily hear the Leelas (stories) of Sai, you will always see Him. Day and

night you will remember Him in your mind, when you assimilate Sai in this way,

your mind will lose its fickleness and if you go on in this manner, it will

finally be merged in pure Consciousness.

RUTTONJI OF NANDED:

Now let us come to the main story of this Chapter. In Nanded, in the Nizam

State, there lived a Parsi mill-contractor and trader, by name Ruttonji

Shapurji Wadia. He had amassed a large amount of money and had acquired fields

and lands. He had got cattle, horses and conveyances and was very prosperous.

To all outward appearances he

looked very happy and contented, but inwardly, and really he was not so.

Providential dispensation is such, that no one in this world is completely

happy and rich; Ruttonji was no exception to this. He was liberal and

charitable, gave food and clothing to the poor and helped all in various ways.

The people took him to be a good and happy man, but Ruttonji thought himself

miserable, as he had no issue, male or female, for a long time. As Kirtan

(singing glories of the Lord) without love or devotion, music of singing

without rhythmical accompaniments, Brahmin without the sacred thread,

proficiency in all arts without commonsense, pilgrimage without repentance and

ornamentation without a necklace, are ugly and useless, so is the house of a

man or householder without a male issue. Ruttonji always brooded on this matter

and said in his mind, "Would God be ever pleased to grant me a son?" He thus

looked morose, had no relish for his food. Day and night, he was enveloped with

anxiety

whether he would ever be blessed with a son. He had a great regard for Dasganu

Maharaj. He saw him and opened his heart before him. Dasganu advised him to go

to Shirdi, take Baba's Darshan, falls at His Feet and seeks His blessing and

prays for issue. Ruttonji liked the idea, and decided to go to Shirdi. After

some days he went to Shirdi, took Baba's Darshan and fell at His Feet. Then

opening a basket, he took out a beautiful garland of flowers and placed it

around Baba's neck and offered Him a basket of fruits. With great respect he

then sat near Baba, and prayed to Him saying- "Many persons who find themselves

in difficult situations come to You, and You relieve them immediately. Hearing

this, I have sought anxiously Your Feet; please, therefore, do not disappoint

me." Sai Baba then asked him for Dakshina of Rs. five, which Ruttonji intended

to give, but added, that He has already received Rs. 3-14-0 from him, and that

he should pay the balance only. Hearing this, Ruttonji was

rather puzzled. He could not make out what Baba meant. That was the first time,

he thought, that he went to Shirdi and how was it that Baba said that He had

formerly got Rs. 3-14-0 from him? He cold not solve the riddle. But he sat at

Baba's Feet and gave the balance of the Dakshina asked for, explained to Baba

fully, as to why he came and sought His help, and prayed that Baba should bless

him with a son. Baba was moved and told him not to be worried, and that that

times his bad days had ended. He then gave him Udi, placed His hand on his head

and blessed him saying that Allah (God) would satisfy his heart's desire.

Then after taking Baba's leave, Ruttonji returned to Nanded and told Dasganu

everything that took place at Shirdi, He said that everything went on well

there, that he got Baba's Darshan and blessing with Prasad, but there was one

thing which he could not understand. Baba said to him that he had got Rs.3-14-0

before. Please explain as to what Baba meant by this remark. He said to Dasganu,

"I never went to Shirdi before, and how cold I give Him the sum to which Baba

referred?" To Dasganu also, it was a puzzle, and he pondered much over it for a

long time. Some time afterwards it struck him that Ruttonji had received some

days ago a Mohammedan Saint, by name Moulisaheb, in his house and had spent

some money for his reception. This Moulisaheb was coolie-saint well known to

the people of

Nanded. When Ruttonji decided to go the Shirdi, this Molisaheb accidentally came

to Ruttonji's house. Ruttonji knew him and loved him. So he gave a small party

in his honour. Dasganu got from Ruttonji the yadi or memo of expenses of this

reception, and everybody was wonderstruck to see, that the expenses amounted to

exactly Rs.3-14-0, nothing more, nothing less. They all came to know that Baba

was omniscient that thought He lived in Shirdi; He knew what happened outside

far away from Shirdi. In fact He knew the past, present and future, and could

identify Himself heart and soul with anybody. In this particular instance how

could He know the reception given to Moulisaheb, and the amount spent

therefore, unless He could identify Himself with him, and be One with him?

Ruttonji was satisfied with this explanation and his faith in Baba was confirmed

and increased. In due time afterwards, he was blessed with a son and his joy

knew no bounds. It is said that he had in all a dozen (12) issues out of which

only four survived.

In a footnote towards the end of this Chapter, it is stated that Baba told Rao

Bahadur Hari Vinayak Sathe, after the death of his first wife, to remarry and

that he would get a son. R.B. Sathe married second time. The first two issues

by this wife were daughters and he, therefore, felt very despondent. But the

third issue was a son. Baba's word did turn out true and he was satisfied.

DAKSHINA - MIMANSA

Now we shall close this Chapter with a few remarks about Dakshina. It is a

well-known fact that Baba always asked for Dakshina from people who went to see

Him. Somebody may ask a question, "If Baba was a Fakir and perfectly

non-attached, why should he ask for Dakshina and care for money?" We shall

consider this question broadly now.

First for a long time, Baba did not accept anything. He stored burnt matches and

filled His pocket with them. He never asked anything from anybody--whether he be

a devotee or otherwise. If anybody placed before Him a pice or two, He purchased

oil or tobacco. He was fond of tobacco, for He always smoked a bidi or Chilim

(an earthen pipe). Then some persons thought that they could not see the Saints

empty-handed, and they, therefore, placed some copper coins before Baba. If a

pice was placed before Him. He used to pocket it; if it was a two pice coin, it

was returned immediately. Then after Baba's fame had spread far and wide, people

began to flock in numbers; and Baba began to ask Dakshina from them. It is said

in the Shruti (Veda) that Pooja of the Gods is not complete, unless a golden

coin was offered. If a coin was necessary in the Pooja of the Gods, why should

it be not so in the Pooja of the Saints also? Ultimately, the Sasthras laid it

down that, when one goes to see God, King, Saint or Guru, he should not go

empty-handed. He should offer something, preferably coin or money. In this

connection we may notice the precepts recommended by the Upanishads. The

Brihadaranyak Upanishad says that the Lord Prajapati advised the Gods, men and

demons by one letter "Da". The Gods understood by this letter that they should

practice (1) "Dama" i.e. self-control; the men thought or understood that they

should practice (2) "Dana" i.e. charity; the demons understood that they should

practice (3) "Daya" i.e. compassion. To men Charity or giving was recommended.

The teacher in the Taitiriya Upanishad exhorts his pupils to practice charity

and other virtues. Regarding charity he says, "Give with faith, give with

magnanimity, i.e. liberally, give with modesty, with awe and with

sympathy. In order to teach the devotees the lesson of charity and to remove

their attachment to money and thus to purify their minds, Baba extracted

Dakshina from them; but there was this peculiarity, as Baba said, that He had

to give back hundred times more of what He received. There are many instances,

in which this has happened. To quote an instance, Mr. Ganpat Rao Bodas, the

famous actor, says in his Marathi autobiography, that on Baba's pressing him

often and often for Dakshina, he emptied his moneybag before Him. The result of

this was, as Mr. Bodas says, that in later life he never lacked money, as it

came to him abundantly.

There were also secondary meanings of Dakshina, in many cases, in which Baba did

not want any pecuniary amount. To quote two instances - (1) Baba asked Rs.15/-

as Dakshina from Pro. G.G. Narke, who replied that he did not have even a pie.

Then Baba said, "I know you have no money; but you are reading Yoga-Vasishta.

Give Me Dakshina from that." Giving Dakshina in this case meant - `Deriving

lessons from the book and lodging them in the heart where Baba resides'. (2) In

the second case Baba asked a certain lady (Mrs. R. A. Tarkhad) to give Rs.6/- as

Dakshina. The lady felt pained, as she had nothing to give. Then her husband

explained to her that Baba wanted six inner enemies (lust, anger, avarice etc.)

to be surrendered to Him. Baba agreed with this explanation.

It is to be noted that though Baba collected a lot of money by Dakshina, He

would distribute the whole amount the same day, and the next morning He would

become a poor Fakir as usual. When Baba took His Maha-Samadhi, after receiving

thousands and thousands of Rupees as Dakshina for about ten years, He had only

a few Rupees in His possession.

In short, Baba's main object in taking Dakshina, from His devotees was to teach

them the lessons of Renunciation and Purification.

POST-SCRIPT

Mr. B. V. Deo of Thana, retired Mamalatdar, and a great devotee of Baba, has

written an article on this subject (Dakshina) in "Shri Sai Leela" magazine,

Vol. VII, P.6-26, in which he says amongst other things, as follows:-

"Baba did not ask Dakshina from all. If some gave Dakshina without being asked,

He sometimes accepted it; and at other times He refused it. He asked it from

certain devotees only. He never demanded it, from those devotees, who thought

in their minds that Baba should ask them for it, and then they should pay it.

If anybody offered it against His wish, He never touched it, and if he kept it

there, He asked him to take it away. He asked for small or big amounts from

devotees, according to their wish, devotion and convenience. He asked it, even

from women and children. He never asked all the rich for it, nor from all the

poor."

"Baba never got angry with those from whom He asked Dakshina, and who did not

give it. If any Dakshina was sent, through some friend, who forgot to hand over

the same to Baba, He reminded him somehow of it and made him pay it. On some

occasions, Baba used to return some sum from the amount tendered as Dakshina,

and ask the donor to guard it or keep it in his shrine for worship. This

procedure benefited the donor or devotee immensely. If anybody offered more

than he originally intended to give, He returned the extra amount. Sometimes,

He asked more Dakshina from some, than what they originally intended to give

and, if they had no money, asked them to get or borrow from others. From some,

He demanded Dakshina three or four times a day."

"Out of the amount collected as Dakshina, Baba spent very little for His own

sake, viz., for buying Chilim (clay pipe) and fuel for His Dhuni (sacred fire),

and all the rest, He distributed as charity in varying proportions to various

persons. All the paraphernalia of the Shirdi Sansthan was brought, by various

rich devotees at the instance and suggestion of Radha-Krishna-Mai. Baba always

used to get wild and scolded those, who brought costly and rich articles. He

said to Mr. Nanasaheb Chandorkar, that all His property consisted of one koupin

(codpiece), one stray piece of cloth, one Kafni and a tumrel (tinpot), and that

all the people troubled Him by bringing all these unnecessary, useless and

costly articles."

Woman and wealth are the two main obstacles in the way of our Pramartha

(spiritual life); and Baba and provided in Shirdi two institutions, viz.,

Dakshina and Radha-Krishna-Mai. Whenever they came to Him, He demanded Dakshina

from them, and asked them to go to the 'SCHOOL' (Radha-Krishna-Mai's house). If

they stood these two tests well, i.e. if they showed that they were free from

attachment for woman and wealth, their progress in spirituality was rapid and

assured by Baba's grace and blessings. Mr. Deo has also quoted passages from

the Gita and Upanishads; and shown that charity given in a holy place and to a

holy personage, conduces to the donors' welfare to a great degree. What is more

holy than Shirdi and its Presiding Deity -- Sai Baba?

BOW TO SHRI SAI - PEACE BE TO ALL

*****

SATHYAM SIVAM SUNDARAM - Part II

The Life of the Divine Avatar Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba

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

THE SUGAR AND THE ANTS

Many a Sadhaks and Seeker has announced the deep desire that he should remain an

ant, tasting the sugar, that is God, grain by grain; he does not like to become

the sugar, which does not know how to taste itself. When someone prayed to Baba

that He reduce the number of days when He is away from the Prashanthi Nilayam on

tour, He replied, "Yes, you think it is more appropriate that the ants come to

the sugar but, consider this; how can the poor, the sick, the aged, the infirm,

for whom I have come, travel to Prashanthi Nilayam? I must go near them and

speak to them, so that they may make their own homes and hearts the Nilayams of

Prashanthi." This then is the reason why Baba moves, wherever Mercy takes Him

and Agony draws Him. As described in the First Volume of this Book, Baba

returned from Badrinath

on the third day of July, 1961. Speaking about the journey to Badrinath to a

gathering at Bukkapatnam near the Nilayam, Baba said, "We saw thousands of old

and decrepit men and women, besides others stronger and younger, braving the

cold and hunger, the storm and rain, the risky landslides on the road, trudging

along regardless of the cost and distance, to get a glimpse of Narayana

installed there. When in Ayodhya, I could see and sense the constant recitation

of Rama-naam by almost all people there. I am often asked where Dharma has taken

refuge in this Iron Age. Well Dharma is still flourishing in the hearts of these

thousands, I reply."

Baba left for Mysore City during the month-end, for the devotees there wanted

Him to be with them for Guru Poornima, the Full Moon dedicated to the worship

of one's spiritual preceptor. That evening, He reminded a gathering of 20.000

that

10pt">Mysore was famous for the fragrance of its sandalwood and the musical

attainment of its people. "But, I want the fragrance of Prema to fill each act

of yours; I want the harmony and melody of music to permeate every sprout of

thought, every tendril of emotion, every bud of speech. The Guru is adored in

India as the physician who corrects vision with the medicated unguent called

Janan; he cures other diseases too, diseases which afflict the mind and warp

the judgment, like the jaundice of malice, the anemia of envy, the fever of

greed and the paralysis of hate. You must seek a Guru who can diagnose

correctly and prescribe both the drug and the regimen; you should submit to

both with care and faith. If a human preceptor is not available, prayer will

induce the Lord within to awaken and guide."

Referring to the panic that was fanned by the astrologers of the East and West

over the 'ominous' conjunction of eight planets between the 2nd and 5th days of

February, 1962, He explained that they would only 'appear' as conjoined along a

line and that there was no reason for fear. "Many are advising you to win the

favour of the Gods so that they may spare you from calamity; many are

collecting funds to perform rites which can ward off the fire and fury which

are predicted. I do not object to prayer, or to the rites, for they are good in

themselves, apart from the planetary phenomenon. But, do not be misled into

inviting terror into your hearts. There will be no convulsion in Nature, no

tornado or torrential flood, no damage to earth or sky! The only calamity that

will take place is the forfeiture of

deposit money by a number of defeated candidates, contesting the General

Elections that month!"

During the fateful week, Baba was a tower of strength for millions in panic. He

allayed the fear aroused by the soothsayers of many lands. Lavagnani, the

Mexican Astrologer, quoted by the Illustrated Weekly of India, wrote, "It may

be particularly unsafe on those first days of February to travel, either by air

or sea, or even in some places, to sleep in a house." An Indian astrologer with

a vast American clientele wrote, "A very severe type of earthquake and severe

cold waves will happen as a result of the February '62 combination." Civil

strife, racial tensions, military crises, political upheavals, famines - these

were predicted by popular prognosticators, both "scientific and unscientific"

in almost all lands. Many people came over to Prashanthi Nilayam, to be in that

Haven of Peace during the

critical week.

Experiencing His Love and Grace that gave courage and strength, many devotees

were tempted to believe another and smaller group of astrologers who drew other

conclusions. Bellairs of Johannesburg said, "The planetary situation may refer

to the coming of the New World Teacher, either His Birth, or His Entry into His

Ministry." There was also the widely publicized

statement of A.N. Chandra: "This unique configuration may even indicate the

Advent of a Great Religious Leader, who will bring solace to the distressed and

harassed people of the modern world." They knew that the New World Teacher had

come and had entered upon His Ministry; they knew that Baba was granting solace

to the distressed and harassed people of the modern world. He was announcing it,

as the task for which He has come!

>From Mysore, Baba went into the Wild Life Sanctuary, called Abhayaranyam, (the

Forest where there is no Fear). Baba loves to meet the denizens of the Forest

10pt"> for they too are His children, creeping, crawling, trailing, walking, and

flying, from birth to birth, towards His Feet. Before a fortnight was over, He

was at Hyderabad for a short visit and from there, He motored 600 long miles to

Udumalpet to bless a Hospital and a College. Returning via Madurai, He reached

Ootacamund, the Crest Jewel of the Nilgiris, Queen of Indian Hill Stations,

where are preserved still, both simplicity and spiritual sanity. They had Baba

with them on the Krishna Janmashtami, the Birthday of Krishna who is adored and

loved in India by every mother and child in the land, by every scholar and

saint, by every philosopher and pundit, by every seeker and saint. Baba told

the gathering that

10pt">Krishna was the very embodiment of Prema, that the word meant "He who

attracts, draws the mind towards Him." He reminded them that whoever adores

Krishna must cultivate this Love. Krishna also means, "to plough, to plant and

grow;" so, every person who reveres Krishna must plough the field of his heart,

remove the weeds of passion, sow the seeds of Love, and foster the plants with

vigilant care, until the blossoms of Seva (Loving Service) yield the fruits of

Ananda.

Dasara, 1961, which came soon after, was memorable for many reasons. On the very

first day, Baba gave a glimpse of His Glory when He announced, "You have read

that the Lord saved Draupadi from humiliation Gajendra from the quagmire,

Arjuna from defeat Dhruva from ignominy Prahlada from annihilation You do not

know of countless other acts of Grace. Similarly, for every act of Grace, which

you know this Form has done, there are thousands you do not know! Rama was the

embodiment of Sathya and Dharma; Krishna, of Shanthi and Prema. Now, when skill

is skipping faster than self-control, when science laughs at Sadhana, when hate

and fear have darkened the heart of man, I have come, embodying all the four. I

have come, equipped with such limitations as will help you to contact Me and

derive benefit from My

coming. I manifest such powers, as will help Me to confer the benefits I have

planned for you and which you deserve. In a short time, within years, the

number of which can be counted on the fingers of one hand, you will see here

the suffering, the aspiring and the inquiring, from every part of this world.

The number will be so large that the sky alone can be the roof that can shelter

them." Another day, 21st October, He announced that the Mission of the Revival

of Dharma for which, He had come has begun. "Until now, it was in the

preparatory stage; from now on, the work will proceed without slackening speed.

It is now for you to share in this campaign for the liberation of man from

ignorance. In no previous era have men got so many and so clear

intimations of the Advent of the Avatar, as now."

On 23rd November 1961, during the Birthday Celebrations, the book, "Sathyam

Sivam Sundaram" written in English, of which this is the second part, I, whom

He graciously chose as the instrument for that task, reverentially placed the

first full-length biography of Baba, at His Feet. Baba said, "You might wonder

why I permitted the publication of a book on My Life.”Ramayathi ithi Rama" (He

who gives joy is Rama). The joy in the devoted heart is the joy that pleases

the Lord. The joy of the Lord is the reward that the devoted heart seeks. I

responded to the prayer of

devotees and allowed him to write it. The title, "Sathyam, Sivam, Sundaram"

speaks of Me, as immanent in every one of you. For, Sathyam is Truth; you

resent any imputation of untruth. The real 'you' is Sathyam. How then will it

accept any other appellation? So too, you are Sivam; joy, happiness,

contentment, and auspiciousness. You are not Savam; dead, miserable, weak; you

are Sivam. Then again, the real 'you' is Sundaram; beauty, harmony, melody,

symmetry. You resent and very naturally, when you are described as 'ugly'. You

are the Atma, which is entangled in the body, a wave of Sathyam Sivam and

Sundaram, playing on the Ocean of Sathyam

Sivam and Sundaram, which is the Lord.Getting to know Me, through this Book,

or, more clearly through the Book of your own experience, is part of the

destiny of mankind today. Each one of you has to be saved, and will be saved. I

shall not give you up, even if you keep afar. I shall not forsake even those who

deny Me, for, I have come for all. Those who stay away and those who stray away

will also be drawn near and saved; do not doubt this. I shall beckon them and

bless them." Do we need any clearer intimation than this, about His Grace and

His

Divinity?

After the Birthday Celebrations, Baba left for the village of Repalle, in Guntur

District, to install a marble idol of His previous Appearance in the temple

there. Baba had installed such idols in a few places previously, at

10pt">Madras and Coimbatore and at the Ayodhya Ashram, near Madanapalle. At

Madras, where he had sanctified the temple at Guindy, in His twenty-second

year, the Bhakta who had built the temple washed and worshipped His Feet and

wanted an impression of the Feet on a piece of silk cloth in sandal paste. Baba

said, "I shall give you the Feet of 'Sai Baba', My previous Body!" and lo, the

Impression that the silk cloth received from those lovely tender Feet of His

was that of a pair of Feet, nearly double the size of Baba's, and definitely

that of a person above sixty years of age! The silk cloth with the sandal paste

impression that He gave

so miraculously to prove that He is "the same Baba come again" is there, inside

the shrine at Guindy, for all to see!

No wonder the people of Repalle were elated when Baba agreed to install Himself

in the temple they built; no wonder too, that hundreds of thousands converged

on that place to get the Darshan of Baba. The idol had to be brought to the

bungalow where He stayed, for, the roads that led to the temple were too

thickly packed. While the initial rites were gone through Baba created a

charming little golden idol of Sai Baba and placed it on the head of the idol.

Late at night, when the roads become negotiable, the idol was taken into the

temple. Baba placed the golden statuette in a cavity on the floor and, over it,

He wanted a marble slab to be drawn. The idol was installed on the slab. Thus,

the mysteriously created golden image became the unseen but potent source of

Grace in that temple, just as the Linga,

which Sankara-charya placed, was the source of the potency of Narayana at

Badrinath! Baba reminded the thousands who had gathered to listen to His Words;

"This idol is only a container; the thing contained is Sai Thathwa, which is the

Divine Essence. Pour that Essence in this container, it is called Sai Baba. Pour

it in another; it is Srinivasa, Siva, Krishna or Rama."

"You should now infuse this marble with your faith and devotion and make it

live; having installed Sai in your village, install Him in your hearts, on the

altar of Prema, for Sai is Prema Swarupa. Sai is not a temple dweller; He

dwells only in hearts." Baba by His Sweetness and universal love entered the

hearts of all the thousands who milled around Him for Darshan. Many who then

touched the hem of His silken gown will remember it for years!

>From Repalle, Baba went to the town of Eluru, where at the Gita Bhavan, He had

to install two life-size marble idols of Radha and Krishna. He was accorded a

Reception, which Baba felt was too extravagant. He chided the organizers,

"Whoever has heard of the master of a household being received into his home by

his children, with fire works and flags, poetry and

pomp?" Baba created for the rite of installation, the nine gems, as well as a

mystic cryptogram on metal, which can ward off evil forces from the eight

directions. He said that Radha and Krishna formed the Prakriti-Purusha Duet,

Creation and the Creator, Patent and Latent. Radha is the adhar (basis) for the

dhara (continuous stream) of aradh (worship). That is to say, Radha is the

created universe, which has to be used by man for discovering the Divinity

immanent in it, the Divinity that is revealed as beauty, truth and goodness, as

Sath Chit and Ananda, as Sathyam Sivam and Sundaram.

Back in Bangalore in December, Baba inaugurated a Society of Sanathana Social

Workers, for as He said, "The word, Sanathana, in the name of your Society has

brought Me here today. You are all Sanathana, eternal, though you believe you

are nuthana, new. In India, the science of recognizing the reality of man, his

glory, his

divinity, has been taught from ancient times. Only those who have learnt this

science deserve to be children of this land; the others, though they are born

here, are essentially aliens."

At Bangalore, as well as later, at the Prashanthi Nilayam, He assured people

that the Ashtagrahakoota, or Conjunction of Eight Planetary Bodies which by its

imminence was darkening weak minds with clouds of fear, boded no ill. He said,

"No additional calamity will come about, consequent on the conjunction; in

fact, the confusion existing now will become a little less! When the Avatar has

come," He asked, "why shiver in dread, at imaginary dangers?Believe Me" He

declared, "nothing will happen; no, there is no danger at all." And, as Baba

willed, nothing happened.

On the holy day of Shivarathri, 1962, which fell on the 4th March, Baba advised

the thousands who had witnessed the emergence of two golden Lingams from Him,

"Why do you discuss and debate among yourselves about My nature, My Mystery, My

miracle, My reality? Fish cannot gauge the sky; the gross can grasp only the

gross. The eye cannot see the ear, though it is so near. When you cannot reach

down to your own reality, why waste time trying to explore the essence of God?

You are like a Telugu audience sitting through a Tamil picture or a Malayali

sitting through a Japanese picture. The nuances, the subtler significances, the

deeper meanings and inter-relationships, the inner patterns of the fabric, are

beyond his understanding. Sit through the entire film; master the language and

the technique; watch

earnestly and vigilantly and try to imbibe the meaning of every gesture and act

and word; then, you may know Me, a little."

Festivals at Prashanthi Nilayam afford the people the chance to hear the

discourses of Pundits learned in the science of spiritual disciplines and of

meeting brothers and sisters who have experienced Baba's might, majesty, or

mystery. They return to their homes, full of the inspiration derived from the

soul-strengthening discourses of Baba, wiser, sadder and often purer in habits

and mental impulses. Many among them stay on for the chance of the precious

interview with Baba. Therefore, Baba is engaged for hours on end, morning, noon

and evening in calling in and conversing

with the thousands who keep on at the Nilayam, until they are thus favoured and

blessed. It is a clear sign of His Grace that He thus keeps Himself busy with

our petty trivialities and pestering desires, though in the discourses He

gives, He is advising man to give up the demeaning attachment to the physical

and the secular. He knows that longer exposure to His Glace and Grace will wean

us away into Sadhana and success.

Baba left for Tirupati, after most of the people praying for interviews had been

satisfied. It was the Thyagaraja Festival that drew Him there. Had not

Tyagaraja, the singer-saint of the 1830's, appeared in a dream and directed Sri

Nagarathnamma, his incomparable disciple, to proceed to Venkatagiri so that he

can have Darshan of "the Lord whom he adored?" Nagarathnamma had gone wondering

who the Lord was; he saw Baba there!

That explains Baba's statement in His Discourse, "I come often to this Festival,

for I feel it is a part of the task for which I have come.Thyagaraja had

given up attachment to sensory pleasure; he had discovered the supreme joy of

inner contemplation; he expressed that joy in moving musical notes, in simple

sincere words, in songs that thrill the heart and illumine the intelligence.

Thyagaraja knew the secret of surrender. Without surrender, man can have no

liberation. Cross out the ‘I’, and you are free. How to kill the ‘I’? Place it

at the Feet of the Lord, saying, 'You' not I; and, you are free from the burden

that is crushing you."

Dasara, 1962! On the 29th September, the First Day of the Ten Days' Festival,

while hoisting the Prashanthi Flag on the Nilayam, Baba declared, "At

Prashanthi Nilayam, every day is a Festival Day: every moment is a holy moment.

As the saying goes, "Nithya Kalyanam. Paccha Thoranam" (Perpetual Festivity,

perpetually Green.) During that Dasara, Baba inaugurated, in clear unmistakable

ways, His task, which He defined as "Vedasamrakshana, Vidwathposhana and

Dharmasthapana." All three are interdependent; the Vedas are the bases of

Dharma; the Vidwans are the instruments; Dharma is the panacea for the illness

of mankind." In the Gita, Lord Krishna has affirmed that He embodies Himself

and incarnates among men in order to fulfill the task of Dharmasthapana. The

assurance then; the fulfillment now! Let us keep

our eyes open and bright, to bear witness to the wonders of the Advent.

CONTINUED…

With Sai love from Sai brother M. Palaniswamy

/