SRI SAI SATCHARITA and SATHYAM SIVAM SUNDARAM

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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 – [15]

SHRI SAI SATCHARITA

The Life of the Divine Avatar Sai Baba of Shirdi

By Hemadpant

*****

CHAPTER XV

Naradiya Kirtan - Paddhati - Mr. Cholkar's Sugarless Tea - Two Lizards

The readers may remember that mention was made in the 6th Chapter regarding the

Rama-Navami Festival in Shirdi; how the festival originated and how in the

early years there was a great difficulty in getting a good Hardidas for

performing Kirtan on that occasion, and how Baba permanently entrusted this

function (Kirtan) to Dasganu permanently. Now in this Chapter we shall describe

the manner in which Dasganu was performing the Kirtan.

NARADIYA KIRTAN-PADDHATI

Generally our Haridasas, while performing the Kirtan, wear a gala and full

dress. They put on a headdress, either a pheta or a turban, a long flowing coat

with a shirt inside, an uparane (short dhotar) on the shoulders and the usual

long dhotar from the waist below. Dressed in this fashion for some Kirtan in

the Shirdi village, Dasganu once went to bow to Baba. Baba asked him - "Well,

bridegroom! where are you going dressed so beautifully like this?" 'For

performing a Kirtan' was the reply. Then Baba said - "Why do you want all this

paraphernalia -coat, uparani and pheta etc, doff all that before Me, why wear

them on the body?" Dasganu immediately took them off and placed them at the

Baba's Feet. From that time Dasganu never wore these things while performing

the Kirtan. He was always

bare from waist upwards; a pair of `chiplis' was in his hand and a garland round

his neck. This is not in consonance with the practice generally followed by all

the Haridasas, but this is the best and the purest method. The sage Narada,

from whom the Kirtan-Paddhati originated, wore nothing on his trunk and head.

He carried a 'Veena' in his hand, and wandered from place to place everywhere

singing the glory of the Lord.

MR. CHOLKAR'S SUGARLESS TEA

Initially, Baba was known in Poona and Ahmednagar Districts, but Nanasaheb

Chandorkar, by his personal talks and by Dasganu, by his splendid Kirtans,

spread the fame of Baba in the Konkan (Bombay Presidency). In fact, it was

Dasganu - May God bless him-who, by his beautiful and inimitable Kirtans, made

Baba available to so many

people there. The audience, who come to hear the Kirtans have different tastes.

Some like the erudition of the Haridas; some his gestures, some his singing,

some his wit and humour, some his preliminary dissertation on Vedanta, and some

others, his main stories and so on; but among them, there are very few, who by

hearing the Kirtan get faith and devotion or love for God or saints. The effect

of hearing Dasganu's Kirtan on the minds of audience was however electric, as it

was. We give an instance here:

Dasganu was once performing his Kirtan and singing the glory of Sai Baba, in the

Koupineshwar temple in Thana. One Mr. Cholkar, a poor man serving as a candidate

in the Civil Courts in Thana, was amongst the audience. He heard Dasganu's

Kirtan most attentively and was much moved. He there and then mentally bowed

and vowed to Baba

saying - "Baba, I am a poor man, unable to support my family. If by your grace,

I pass the departmental examination, and get a permanent post, I shall go to

Shirdi, fall at Your Feet and distribute sugar-candy in Your name." As good

luck would have it, Mr. Cholkar did pass the examination and did get the

permanent post and now it remained for him to fulfill his vow, the sooner the

better. Mr. Cholkar was a poor man with a large family to support; and he could

not afford to pay for the expenses of a Shirdi trip. As is well said, one can

easily cross over Nahne ghat in Thana District or even the Sahyadri Range; but

it is very difficult for a poor man to cross Umbareghat, i.e., the threshold of

his house. As Mr. Cholkar was anxious to fulfill his vow as early as possible,

he resolved to economize, cut down his expenses, and save money. He determined

not to use sugar in his diet; and began to take his tea without it. After he

was able to save some money in this way, he came to Shirdi, took Baba's

Darshan, fell at His Feet, offered a coconut, distributed it with a clean

conscience along with sugar-candy as per his vow and said to Baba that he was

much pleased with His Darshan and that his desires were fulfilled that day. Mr.

Cholkar was in the Masjid with his host Bapusaheb Jog. When the host and the

guest both got up and were about to leave the Masjid, Baba spoke to Jog as

follows:- "Give him (your guest) cups of tea, fully saturated with Sugar."

Hearing these significant words, Mr. Cholkar was much moved, he

was wonderstruck, his eyes were bedewed with tears, and he fell at Baba's Feet

again. Mr. Jog was also curious about this direction, regarding the teacups to

be given to his guest. Baba wanted by His words to create faith and devotion in

Cholkar's mind. He hinted as it were, that He got the sugar-candy as per his vow

and that He knew full well his secret determination not to use sugar in his

diet. Baba meant to say, "If you spread your palms with devotion before Me, I

am immediately with you, day and night. 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. My abode is in your heart and I am within you. Always worship

Me, Who is seated in your heart, as well as, in the hearts of all beings,

blessed and fortunate, indeed, is he who knows Me thus." What a beautiful and

important lesson was thus imparted by Baba to Mr. Chokar!

TWO LIZARDS

Now we close this Chapter, with a story of two little lizards. Once Baba was

sitting in the Masjid. A devotee sat in front of Him, when a lizard

tick-ticked. Out of curiosity, the devotee asked Baba whether this tick ticking

of the lizard signified anything; was it a good sign or a bad omen? Baba said

that the lizard was overjoyed as her sister from Aurangabad was coming to see

her. The devotee sat silent, not making out the meaning of Baba's words.

Immediately, a gentleman from Aurangabad came on horseback to see Baba. He

wanted to proceed further, but his horse would not go, as it was hungry and

wanted grams. He took out a bag from his shoulders to bring grams and dashed it

on the ground to remove dirt. A lizard came out therefrom and in the presence of

all, climbed up the wall. Baba asked the questioner devotee to mark her well.

She at once went strutting to her sister. Both sisters met each other after a

long time, kissed and embraced each other, whirled round and danced with love!

Where is Shirdi and where is Aurangabad? How should the man on horseback come

there from

Aurangabad with the lizard? And how should Baba make the prophecy of the meeting

of the two sisters? All this is really very wonderful and proves the omniscience

-- the all-knowing nature of Baba.

POST SCRIPT

He who respectfully reads this Chapter or studies it daily, will get all his

miseries removed by the grace of the Sadguru Sai Baba, Hence:

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 TASK

Baba visited the foremost Saivite shrine of India, Varanasi and the foremost

Vaishnava shrine, Badrinath in 1961 in order to infuse spiritual power in those

dynamos of Grace. At

10pt">Varanasi, He created a unique jewel to be placed on the idol of Visweswara

declaring that it has the mystic might to charge that symbol of the Lord with

Divine potency. At Badrinath, He drew from under the present Narayana image, a

Nethra-linga which according to Him was brought from Mount Kailash (!) and

ceremonially installed there, by no less a person than Sankaracharya about

twelve hundred years ago! This Nethralinga when it emerged at the call of Baba,

created a chapter in history; a Linga as the basis of the celebrated Vaishnava

shrine was a welcome reminder of the basic harmony of Saivites and

Vaishnavites.

Tradition has it that the present Narayana idol at Badrinath was thrown by alien

hands into the Alakananda River and that after long and strenuous asceticism,

Shankaracharya was rewarded with the revelation that it was sunk in the Narada

Kunda of that river. Shankaracharya recovered it and installed it at its

present

site.

Therefore, when Baba announced that the Nethralinga was the original nucleus

which had to be "energized" by Him (with suitable rites and ceremonial

ablutions with the sacred waters of the Gangotri, the golden Bilva leaves and

the actual Thumme flowers which He miraculously procured on the spot) even the

Trustees of the Badrinath temple were pleasantly surprised!

Baba spoke of the Linga as being one of the Five Lingas, which Sankaracharya

brought from Kailash and installed in India, and so, the wonder grew;

earnestness to know more of this divine mission of Shankara was aroused in

many. Those who knew Him accepted the accuracy of this exalted origin of the

Linga, which they were privileged to see for some precious minutes on that

never-to-be forgotten day. Saligrama Srikantha Shastri was one of those who

were afflicted by this earnestness to discover the authenticity. He had studied

the Shankara-Vijaya, the

classical biography of Sankaracharya; he sought to know the origins of the

Lingas that had been installed by Sankaracharya in the monasteries he had

founded. In the reply he received from the Sringeri Math, the monastery

established by Sankaracharya amidst the mountains of western Mysore, he was

told that mention was made of these Lingas in the Sivarahasya Mahethihasa, a

book which he was able to get after elaborate search from the library of a

Vedic College at Varanasi. In the XVI chapter of the IX Section of this book,

it is said that Lord Siva welcomed Shankara at Kailash and blessed him with the

words, "You are marked out for the establishment in the world of the true

teaching of the Vedas, viz., Adwaita. Spend 32 years of your earthly existence

spreading this faith and overwhelming those who decry or deny it. Accept these

five Lingas that I am giving you now. Worship them with the Panchakshari and

with Satharudrabhisheka. Offer the sacred Bilva leaf and Ash and recite the

holy

Pranava. Complete your three Tours of Victory dispelling the darkness of Dwaita

and then, install these Lingas from this thrice-holy Kailasa, marked by the

effulgence of the Crescent, named Yoga Bhoga Vara Mukti and Moksha, in sacred

sites chosen by you, before you shed this mortal frame at Kanchipuram." So, the

story of the Linga at Badrinath was authentic!

The Sankara-Vijaya of Anandagiri mentions that one of the Lingas was installed

at Nilakantha-kshetra, which reminds us of the snow-clad Nilakanthaparvatha,

the Queen of the Himalayas, behind Badrinath, resplendent in its brilliant

purity.

There is a temple at Badrinath, called "The Original Kedareswara." The legend

says that Vishnu discovered that Badri was a fine place for Tapas, but finding

that it was already under occupation by Siva, He resorted to a stratagem to

take possession of it. He assumed the form of a child and started wailing

aloud. So, Parvathi took up the forsaken baby and fostered it, in spite of the

remonstrances of Siva. Some days later, when Siva and Parvathi had gone to the

river, the child assumed its real form. Vishnu insisted on staying at the

place, so that the Divine pair had to seek a place many miles off for their

residence, viz., modern Kedarnath!

This legend indicates that the Badri shrine was originally Saivite and later

became Vaishnavite. The Kailasa Linga must have been there from the very

beginning, even when the Narayana image was installed on the holy spot. These

surmises arise in our minds when we delve into the history of the Linga, which

Baba revealed as having been the initial "spiritual nucleus" of Badri. Whether

as Nilakantha-kshetra or as Shankaracharya blessed Kedaram, the site where the

Narayana temple exists now, with a Linga,, this is certain. We can only offer

our homage of reverential awe to the unpredictable depth of Baba's divine

Awareness, when we recapitulate the story of the Badrinath Linga.

In pursuance of the same mission of heightening the spiritual potency of the

great shrines of India, Baba visited the Kasi and Badri of Peninsular India

too, to wit, Srisailam and Pandharpur. At Srisailam, which He visited on the

5th of January 1963, He said. "This shrine has consoled and comforted thousands

and thousands of pious persons year after year, for centuries. Shankaracharya

was here and he sang of the holiness of this place and the calm he enjoyed

here. He has installed a Chakra here, which I may tell you, is in a small cave

by the side of Pathala Ganga". He added, "The atmosphere of Holy Places should

improve. The nature of the monks who are the custodians of these places

requires drastic correction. This will be done by Me, as part of

Dharmasthapana, the task which I have come to fulfill".

Srisailam is a shrine saturated over the centuries with the deep devotion of

mystics like Akka-mahadevi and nation-builders like Sivaji. Baba revealed the

inner significance of the Names, by which the Lord and His Consort are

worshipped at Srisailam: Mallikarjuna and Bhramaramba. This too was something

new, a gift from Baba to generations of votaries. Arjuna means white, pure,

without blemish; mallika means the spotlessly white jasmine flower. So,

Mallikarjuna is Siva of the snowy peak Kailasa; pure, cool, resplendent with

the sacred ash spread all over. He is the fragrant flower that draws the Amba

or Consort, the Shakti aspect, called Bhramara (the Bee which is attracted

spontaneously by the Honey of Grace). She is the true representative of the

tarden devotee and Mallikarjuna is the purest

conception of the Grace-showering God, who yields to sincere entreaty.

While inside the innermost shrine, Baba showered on the Mallikarjuna, golden

thumme (Leucas Linifolia) flowers, which He created on the spot by a wave of

His Hand. That was the ceremonial rite of multiplying the potency and improving

the sanctity of the focus of worship.

Pandharpur and the shrines of Panduranga and Rakhumai have woven themselves into

the history of the Marathas and Kannadigas and, of millions of others by the

inspiration they imparted for centuries to a long line of saints, mystics and

poets, famous for the songs that emerged from their ecstatic experience.

Purandaradas, the great itinerant singer of Panduranga's Glory was a Kannada

Saint; Tukaram and a host of other stalwart servants of God were from the

Maharashtra country. Even while a boy, Baba had gathered a band of comrades at

Puttaparthy village, who danced and sang of the joy derived

from a pilgrimage to Pandharpur to witness the shrine of Panduranga Vittal. He

had composed many captivating Telugu songs for His comrades to sing; some of

them glorified the Lord who blessed devotees at Pandharpur; some detailed the

route to be followed; some described the travails of the long journey; some

expressed the thrill of the exhausted pilgrims when they had the first glimpse

of the temple from afar. A Divine Destiny, an indescribable kinship, was

drawing Baba towards Pandharpur since His childhood.

At last, Baba visited the shrine with a number of devotees from Maharashtra on

13th June, 1965. He stood silent for a few minutes before Panduranga, the

Vittal whose Vision - He Himself had often vouchsafed to those who yearned to

see that Form in Him; then, He moved on to the shrine of the consort, Rukumayi,

Rukmini, the Shakti of the Lord and, urged by a

quick irrepressible memory, He created a Mangalsutra and placed it round the

neck of the Goddess. A page from the Bhagavatham came alive during that moment.

Besides these temples, Baba has visited and intensified the sanctity of the

temple of Giridhari at Brindavan and of Ramachandra at Ayodhya in Uttar Pradesh

and Bhadrachalam and Mahanandi in Andhra Pradesh.

"My task comprises Dharmasthapana, Vidwath Poshana and Vedasamrakshana. All

three are interdependent," declared Baba once at Prashanthi Nilayam. The

resuscitation of the holy places where millions gather to draw solace and peace

is only one of the many means of Dharmasthapana. The repositories of that

Dharma, the interpreters of that Dharma had to be inspired to a greater

awareness of their responsibility. The twin objects of Vidwathposhana

(Fostering of Scholarship) and Vedasamrakshana (Preservation of the Vedas) can

be gained only by drawing the Pundits of the Land into the circle of His Grace.

Like all acts of Baba, this shower of Grace came about in a quiet spontaneous

manner, no one noticing the 'grand design' or the harvest of precious grain.

The deltaic region of the Godavari Basin is even now the home of classical

learning in Andhra Pradesh, though the scholars who are struggling to keep the

flag of Vedic learning flying are finding it hard to brave the buffetings of

economic distress and social neglect.

When the devotees of Baba suggested that a Yaga be included as one of the

functions He might attend when He visited the East Godavari District, Baba

replied that they could as well celebrate the Yaga at Prashanthi Nilayam itself

during Dasara, when thousands from all over India could have the thrill of

witnessing it! Lists of qualified ritualists and reciters, Pundits and Sastris

were sent to Him, but when Baba saw that they were all selected from the

Kona-sima (delta area) only, He set them aside with the remark that His Sima

(area) is not Kona-Sima only; it was Veda-sima (all areas where the Vedas are

revered). So the lists were revised and Vedic scholars and Pundits were invited

from

10pt">Benares, Bangalore and Hyderabad, besides the contingent from the Godavari

10pt">Basin.

When they started from their villages, these savants did not know how

epoch-making the journey was, both for their own lives and for the life of the

country and its culture, for, each one returned home vastly richer in faith,

more firmly established in courage, more steadfast in loyalty to the Vedas

which were the source of sustenance for himself as well as for the people.

The Yaga was called Vedapurusha Saptaha Jnana Yagna and it consisted of two

sections, the morning sessions for seven days of Athi-rudrahoma with all its

complementary rites, and the evening sessions of a Jnanayajna, where

distinguished exponents of the Vedas explained to the vast gathering, the

meaning and significance of the scriptural rites. Since the Festival had to

highlight the efficacy of Vedic injunctions, Baba said that scrupulous care

should be taken to observe them all, down to the minutest detail. Therefore,

the number, size and situation of the pillars of the Yaga-mantap, the number

and shapes of the sacrificial pits, the location of the shrines of subsidiary

deities like the Yoginis, the Vasthupurusha, the Kshetrapalas like Abhayamkara,

and the Navagrahas, were all correctly fixed. The

kusa grass seats for the participants were prepared in accordance with the do's

and don’ts that the Sasthras prescribe. The materials for the sacrifice, like

ghee prepared from cow's milk, earth from anthills and royal equestrian stables

and royal elephant stables and royal palace enclosures, the banyan tree twigs,

the spoons made of special wood, were all collected under His personal

supervision. Altogether 2,26,270 spoonfuls of ghee were offered during the

seven mornings into the sacrificial fire, with the concurrent invocation of the

appropriate Name of the Lord, describing one among His manifold characteristics!

The Yaga was certain to promote, according to the Vedas, the welfare and peace

of the world. "Santhi kaamasthuhomayeth"; those who desire the establishment of

peace have to do this sacrifice", say the Vedas. Baba, in one of His Discourses

during the week, referred to the derision with which even many Hindus react,

when they see so much ghee being poured in the Fire. He

spoke of such critics as dwellers in the realm of cashbooks, persons who clamor

for jars of ghee and bundles of fuel, rather than the more precious and the

more lasting joy of having invoked and pleased the Gods. The very performance

of an ancient honoured rite gives a satisfaction that cannot be expressed in

cash. "These questioners have consumed hundreds of bags of rice since birth and

they have drunk pots of ghee so far. Let me ask them, whether they have had a

single day of happiness themselves or whether they have been able to give a

single day of joy to their kith and kin. But, this Yaga gives great joy to

many; it gives peace and joy to the world. I and My people are delighted; that

is enough compensation. When ghee is poured into the Fire, those who do not

know or believe in the Vedas say it is a waste. Those who do not know

agriculture may cry that casting seeds in the furrow is a colossal waste; they

do not know that the tiller will get the grain back, a hundred fold. This

is also like that. Letters reach the addressee only when they are duly stamped

with mantras and dropped into sacrificial Fire. This is a science as much as

any other."

The foremost reciter of the Vedas in Andhra Pradesh, a person honoured by his

colleagues as Veda-samraat (Undisputed Master of the Vedas) Brahmasri

Cherkumalli Kamesvara Ghanapati was invested with the office of Sarvaadhyaksha

(Overall Supervisor) of the Yaga and a Pundit in the Nyaya Vedanta and

Jyothisha schools of thought was installed as the Officiator. Sri Uppaluri

Ganapathi Shastri, a septuagenarian scholar, one of the very few in India today

who can expound every syllable of the Vedas in conformity with authentic

commentaries, on whom learned Societies have showered titles like

Aamnaayarthavachaspathi, Vedabhashyavisarada and Vedabhaashyaalankaara, was

chosen as the President of the Jnana Yajna section of the Yaga.

Sri Ganapathi Sastri has stated that in his fifty years of experience of Vedic

Yagas and Yajnas, he has not had the privilege of witnessing such a

scrupulously correct Yaga, which could pass the most rigorous tests of

orthodoxy. As a matter of fact, the discourses he gave every evening on the

significance of the rites were punctuated with sincere gratitude to Baba for

His upholding the Vedic Injunctions. He quoted Vedic mantras in support of what

looked like 'casual acts' of Baba: His reference to the rithwiks as 'gods', His

distribution of white silk clothes to the reciters of the Vedas and red silk

clothes to those engaged in other rites and even the order in which He

presented awards to the participants at the end of the Yaga! Baba was the

Vedapurusha, he acknowledged. Baba Himself declared: "Do not

be misled; I am not the person performing this sacrifice. I am the Person

receiving these sacrificial offerings and awarding the rewards". And He gave

proof too. On the Penultimate day of the Yajna, He announced "Tomorrow, when

the Valedictory Offering is poured into this sacrificial Fire I want each one

of you to resolve with your will that you are pouring into the flames all the

evil in you, all the egoism and degrading attachment, all the habits that drag

you down". Many who had equipped themselves with gold and gems, silk and

sandalwood (!) in order to be ready to put those precious things into the Fire

(as is the wont in all Yajnas) were awakened by this call, into the knowledge

of the significance of the Yagna. Baba made also another announcement;

"Tomorrow at the moment of Valedictory Offering, you will be given the Darshan

of the Yajna Purusha, the Person who accepts the Yagna".

True to the Promise, Baba ascended the Yagna Vedi at that very Moment; He

granted Darshan to the tens of thousands, who ecstatically acclaimed Him as the

Person who accepts the Yagna.

It must be mentioned that the Kamandalu or Water vessel of Shirdi Sai Baba which

has miraculously found its way into Prashanthi Nilayam was placed on the

Yagamantapa to hold the ceremonial water used for most of the mystic rites; the

continuity of the two Sais was thus symbolized. When the Officiator required

images of the Navagrahas for installation, Baba created them by a wave of His

Hand; when he held out His hand for a plate of gold to be deposited with the

relevant mantras in the water-vessel, Baba made it on the spot and gave it to

him; so too, when the time for the Valedictory Offering approached, He created

the Nine Gems and placed them in the plate held out before him. The pundits as

well as the thousands who attended the Yaga had also another glimpse into His

Divinity, when Baba one evening,

down from His seat and moving out of the roofed area, looked up at the growling

sky which was bent on a heavy downpour of rain; as at Shirdi, Baba must have

rebuked the skies and said "Stop your fury and be calm", for the sky was

stunned into sudden calm and clarity.

The Yaga achieved many results, chief among them being the transformation it

brought about in the outlook of the Pundits of the land. Many of them came

infected with the prejudice that Baba was only an adept in magic, a hardy

prejudice that had unfortunately kept Sisupala, Duryodhana and millions of

others away from Grace in previous eras. Ganapathi Shastri confesses that he

too was thus affected, but, "as a result of the constant association with Him

for many days during this Jnanayajna, and observation of the ever fresh and

unique examples of His Glory, I realized that I was incapable of gauging His

reality, for He was undoubtedly the incarnation of God". Darsanabhushana

Chathusthanthri Kolluri Somasekhara Sastri, who had a similar experience, began

addressing Him soon as Bhagavalleelaavaathaara,

Leelaa-maanusha-vigraha, meaning that He was indisputably Divine. Vidwathkavi

Vemparala Suryanarayana Sastri revealed before a large gathering of devotees,

that he had refused to place faith in the theory that Baba was an incarnation

of the Lord; he was not convinced when many people told him that their lives

were saved by the Vibuthi that Baba had materialized and blessed them with;

even when his friend, Sri Kamavadhani had shown him the gifts that Baba had

created and given him at Rajahmundry, he had turned a blind eye. But, before

the Yajna concluded he confessed "the conviction that Baba was Krishna, come

again, was rooted deep in me". Adwaithavedantha Siromani, Meemaamsavisarada

Mallavajhala Venkatasubba Sastri of Warangal, who was also a doubter, turned

into an ardent

advocate of the Avatharhood of Baba.

He said that even the Viswarupa-darsanam vouchsafed by Krishna to Arjuna could

be dismissed by cynics as a major magic performance; if the Lord presented

Himself before them, they would attribute it to an optical defect or describe

it as an apparition pictured by feverish imagination. He applied the various

tests prescribed by the Sastras and concluded that Baba is

Bhagavadavarthaara-murthi and so, he exhorted all to worship Him with steady

devotion and sincere Love, to select Him as their Teacher and Guide and by

these means to save themselves.

This revolution in the reactions of the Pundits was in conformity with the

declaration by Baba Himself; for, He has said often that only those conversant

with the Vedas and Sasthras can delve into His Reality, to any appreciable

extent. No wonder therefore that the hundred and odd scholars of the scriptures

that basked for seven days in the sun of His Grace decided without any

extraneous prompting to arrange a unique function on the Tenth Day which they

named "Thribhuvana Vijayam" Triumph over the Three Worlds!" When asked whose

triumph they were arranging to celebrate the answer was, Baba's! The Vedas and

other scriptures, along with the ancient sciences and disciplines by which they

could be understood and practiced (like Grammar, the Six systems of Philosophy,

Philology, Phonetics, Theology) were to

approach God on His Throne and beseech Him to glance at them lovingly so that

they may grow strong again and afford shelter to mankind. They pleaded that

Baba must be on the Throne and proposed that they would approach Him with pleas

on behalf of the sciences of the Spirit. And, Baba agreed. When some objected,

"Baba! They are asking you to act a role! They can be the roles but you are

God". Baba intercepted: "But I am acting a role now in this human form. The

Function-less and the Role-less has come, taking on a Function and assuming a

Role".

A strange thing had happened, unawares, in preparation for the "Thribhuvana

Vijayam"! A devotee had a dream in Bombay a few weeks previous; She saw Baba as

Narayana on the Primeval Serpent (Sesha) Couch. So, she got ready a magnificent

Serpent Couch in wood, complete with coils and hood and her kinsmen brought it

to Prashanthi Nilayam, in a motor vehicle specially reshaped for the purpose.

The Pundits were happy that the very thing they needed to make their function

realistic, the throne, had come, through the will of Baba.

Let Ganapathi Sastri himself describe the scene; "When Baba reclined on that

Seshathalpa, with the Yagamantapa as the background, each Pundit and Shastri

who was a master of one chosen branch of a scriptural lore stood before Him and

represented as previously arranged, the importance of his field of knowledge and

the urgent need to foster it, everyone saw Mahavishnu in Vaikunda reclining on

the Sesha Serpent and of Brihaspati and all the gods and sages displaying their

scholarship and attainments for His Glorification and praying to Him to save the

Sasthras from decline. It was indeed the Deva Sabha the Divine Durbar and we

forgot all about ourselves in the supreme joy in which we were submerged. It

was an occasion to be personally gone through and experienced; the joy we felt

cannot be communicated to

others by even Brihaspati, the all-knowing preceptor of the Gods, or by the

Four-faced Brahma or the Six-faced Kumaraswamy or the Thousand-tongued

Adi-Sesha". To the Sarvadhyaksha of the Yaga, Sri Kameshwara Ganapati, it was a

fruitful revelation. He came, he saw and he was conquered. He left his native

home in the far-off Godavari Delta, he turned his face away from his village

home set in the midst of the coconut gardens he cherished, and stayed on at the

Prashanthi Nilayam, where he found the Vedapurusha whom he had been extolling

with mantras for sixty years!

The Jnanayajna or Evening Discourses provided an opportunity for the Vedic

scholars to fathom the extraordinary scholarship of Baba. Ganapathi Shastri

expresses the sense of admiration of the learned Pundits thus: "Apart from the

thrill that the listeners derived from the discourses of Baba, the reputed

masters of the ancient disciplines who had gathered renown by lecturing to many

vast gatherings throughout the land were themselves struck with wonder at the

depth and width of His knowledge". Mallavajhala Venkatasubbarama Shastri

analyzed the reactions of his colleagues thus: "In all His speeches there was

not the slightest deviation from the Sastras nor the faintest whisper contrary

to the trend of their teachings. And, the subjects He handled! They were indeed

the most profound! The methodology of

exposition was in strict conformity with the canons laid down in the scriptures.

There was no repetition of argument, no irrelevant digression, no jeering

criticism, no jarring adulation, no over-emphasis". Kalluri Venkatasubramanya

Dikshith reacted similarly. "The nectar of His Love filled every word of His

parables and explanations. It was overpowering Grace that made Him pity the

poor understanding of the listeners and search for tiny tasty stories that

could clarify the profundities He was unraveling, the Goals He desired to

picture". In short, the scholars found in Baba the Master-Mind that was guiding

and shaping their own.

But, it was not all wonder and admiration! The Pundits were made aware of the

worth of the treasure that they were preserving; they were told the reason for

their poverty and for the neglect, which is their need, lies in themselves!

They were induced to examine their own lives and beliefs, their own attitudes

and prejudices, their own preferences and foibles. "You may ask why Pundits and

Vedic Scholars are passing through such hard times. They are mostly hungry,

ill-clad and homeless. No one comes forward to join Vedic schools. I shall tell

you why they have come to this pass. They have themselves lost faith in the

Vedas. Let them be fixed in that faith - then, the Veda will make them happy.

If the Veda cannot make a man happy, what else can?" asked Baba. He filled the

Brahmins with faith in what they

carried in their heads. He also condemned the ignorant sneer which brands the

Vedas as clever stratagems by which the Brahmin priests ensure their position

as intermediaries between man and God and win superiority in the social

hierarchy. "Look at the regimen of restrictions and regulations, the hundreds

of do's and don’ts limiting freedom of life and limb which these Brahmins have

imposed on themselves in order to promote the good of society and of the world

and for their own spiritual uplift. Do not dismiss them as superstitions; no

one will bind themselves from dawn to dusk and dusk to dawn with such drastic

rules and limits for mere fun. They are hard limitations on daily conduct,

social contacts and economic effort. It requires great courage, hardihood and

faith to hold these rules as vital and put them into practice. Honour those

that have faith in that ideal. Their adherence to those ideals has been of

tremendous value to India and the world, for it has preserved the only culture

that can save mankind. I know the sincerity with which they have been leading

the hard life, for, I have been with every one of them, in their rites and

rituals since years", Baba said; this transformed the hostile attitude of many

towards the Brahmin community, an attitude fostered by pseudo-political fears

and prejudices caused by the ignorance of the sacrifice the community had been

practicing for centuries.

This was no ordinary Yagna that Baba presided over; it was a revival; it was a

revelation; it was a revolution, resurgence. It was a symbol of cultural

renascence, for Baba, explained that the Vedas are essentially for all time and

all mankind, that Sacrifice or Yagna is the sign and secret of all life. He

advised the participants to recapture the ancient ascetic simplicity; He

explained that in the mantras, the Glory and Majesty of the One God is

visualized in various contexts; He elaborated on the symbolism of the Sun and

the Moon as guiding the inner and outer vision of man. He spoke of the tonic

effect of the very sound of the Vedic mantras; they charm away the evil in man.

"I want to prove to you and to those others that a Yagna, celebrated according

to Vedic Formulae will certainly grant the

fruits promised by the Vedas", He said. "The Vedas belong to those who value

them, who are moved by thirst for spiritual uplift, who desire to practice them

and who have faith that they will benefit by that practice. No one else has the

right to talk patronizingly of the Vedas or disparage them. For, all such talk

will be hollow and insincere", He warned.

Forty five days later, on the auspicious occasion of His Birthday when thousands

had gathered to celebrate it in His Presence Baba invited the incomparable

Aamnaayaarthavaachaspathi Uppaluri Ganapathi Sastri to inaugurate the Sathya

Sai Veda-Sastra Patasala, the Academy for Vedic and Sanskrit Study, at the

Nilayam. He said, "The Vedas are in need of revival. We have to prevent the

goats from nibbling at the sprouts. I have come for the sake of this

Dharmasthapana". "Vedokhilo dharma mulam", "The Vedas are the root of Dharma".

Vedic scholars have to grow in numbers for the sake of the promotion of Dharma.

So long as Vedic Scholars are produced and honoured, so long the Vedas will

remain green in the hearts of man. This is the real Dharmasthapana.My Task

is to open your eyes to the glory of the Vedas

and to convince you that Vedic injunctions, when put into practice will yield

the promised results.My Prema towards the Vedas is matched only by My Prema

towards Humanity.My Mission is just four: Vedaposhana, Vidwath-poshana,

Bhaktharakshana and Dharmarakshana".

"These boys" He said pointing to the first batch of boys that was enrolled,

"These boys will grow into strong stalwart pillars of Sanathana Dharma; they

will be the guides and leaders of this land in the days to come, to save it

from vain follies and wild passions. You may say they are only twenty in number

now; but, when a vast country is administered by a Cabinet of twenty Ministers,

this band of students will be ample, for the work I have in view". "Parents who

have sent them to this Patasala have reason to be happy, for these boys will

become lucent gems, spreading Vedic splendor and Sastric light. I shall take

care of them, more lovingly than any mother".

Then, the distinguished Vedic scholar taught the boys the correct pronunciation

of the Inaugural rik, from the Yajur Veda, "Ishethwa" and wished the Patasala

all success. Baba takes great delight in moving among the little boys, and

watching their progress. He instills hope and courage into them. He pays

special attention to health, discipline and character. He insists on outer and

inner cleanliness. Baba encourages them to seek the meaning and purpose of the

riks they recite, for, as He has often remarked, they should not get

transformed into mere tape-records of the Vedas; they must charge themselves

with the devotion, the rectitude, the detachment and the sense of kinship with

Truth, which the Vedas teach.

He insists also on an all-round progress of the boys, so that they may grow into

helpmates of the downhearted and the distressed. In recent years, He has Himself

written musical plays brimful of the noblest scriptural teachings on

"Markandeya", "Sakkubai", and "Radha-Bhakthi"; the first depicts in easy sweet

Telugu the story of Markandeya, who defied death and won Immortality as a Star

in space. The second deals with the simple saint Sakku, whose devotion to

Panduranga was so intense that the Lord Himself took her form and served her

husband and mother-in-law in order to release her from her home, for the

pilgrimage to the Panduranga Temple.

The third reveals the deep significance of the spiritual yearning, which filled

the entire being of Radha, for Krishna. Baba Himself selected the boys for the

cast, assigned the parts, supervised the rehearsals, decided the stage,

fittings and curtains and trained them to sing the many songs He composed and

designed the costumes for every role in every scene, and on the days when the

plays were presented, Baba spent hours in the green room directing the make-up

and encouraging each little boy by a soft pat with His loving palm when they

moved out towards the floodlit stage, where tens of

thousands greeted them with loud applause. For about a month, the boys had the

unique good fortune of being inspired by His vigilant Prema, during rehearsals.

Since every participant imbibed the entire text, whatever be his individual

role, all the words from Baba's Divine Pen have sunk into the hearts of all the

boys. Baba is thus transmitting them into proper instruments for the fulfillment

of the task for which He has come. The Patasala is bound to grow into a great

Banyan tope, affording shade and shelter to countless peoples caught in the

desert sands of greed, hate and despair.

Baba saw that the rampant decline in private and public morals is due to the

neglect of the discipline prescribed in the Vedas. The Brahmin, Kshatriya and

Vaisya Varns are burdened with greater obligations than the rest of the

community because they are initiated into spiritual life, too. This rite of

initiation is called Upanayana, 'leading near', that is to say, taking the boy

near the Guru or spiritual preceptor for Brahmopadesam (guidance to Brahmam).

This has to be done according to the Sasthras by the teaching of the Gayathri

mantra before the boy evinces longings for sensory-pleasures and thereby gets

lost in the wilderness of transitory adventures. The Brahmin boy has to be

initiated into that sacred mantra before he is eight years old, the Kshatriya

has to be initiated before he is eleven and

the Vaisya, before he is twelve. Mantra is ("thrayathe" through Manana) that

which saves through constant reflection on the meaning. But, though these caste

structures still persist in varying degrees of strength throughout India, this

great rite has suffered drastic decline. In many regions and families, it is

postponed until as late as the marriage rite, or completely overlooked. When

thus the very spring of spiritual discipline is allowed to go dry, how can the

call of the ancient ideals raise any response in the heart? Man should not be

allowed to remain a beast, caring only for feeding and breeding.

Therefore, as a great step forward in the revival of Dharma, Baba announced that

He will be granting members of the three varnas - dedicated to a second birth -

the great chance of being initiated into the spiritual life, by Himself at

Prashanthi Nilayam. The devotees of Baba were thus aroused into recognition of

their primary duty to their children; they hastened to benefit from the offer.

On February 3, 1963, when 35 boys were "led near Him" and became Brahma-charis

(pilgrims on the path of Brahma-realisation) through the sastraic process of

receiving the sacred

Gayathri mantra, Baba declared addressing the group, "You have come in this

body, this receptacle, in order to realize the Glory that you really are. This

body is the cocoon that you have spun round yourselves with the thread of your

impulses and desires. Use it to grow wings so that you can escape from it. The

Gayathri mantra is a prayer to the Universal Intelligence to awaken the

Dhee-sakthi in you, your faculty of discrimination, of analysis and synthesis,

so that you may realize who you are and why". Turning to the parents, He said

"This is an important day in the history of Sanathana Dharma, for it is a great

step in the restoration of Varanashrama Dharma. The study of the Vedas is the

highest learning, for, it leads to the conquest of Death itself. Today, these,

your children, are set on the road to explore their Inner Realm and Innermost

Reality".

In 1964 when the Upanayanam rite was again arranged 300 boys were so blessed; in

1965, the number increased to 450. The festival is made unforgettable for

participants as well as spectators by the shower of love with which Baba greets

not only the boys who are initiated but even their parents and kinsmen. He makes

up for all the ritual lapses of the parents, like disregard of the 'naming

rites' or 'ear-boring rite', or 'tonsure rite'; He overwhelms the parents and

gifts. He does not allow any display of wealth by the richer parents; least the

poorer are cast into gloom during the auspicious occasion. To have the rite

performed in the Divine Presence is itself a unique gift and many a devotee has

felt sad that he aged too fast. Many are depressed that their children have

undergone the rite already and

have therefore rendered themselves ineligible for the great chance.

Baba's Grace flows spontaneously towards the assemblage of Brahma-charis. He

gives each of them ceremonial clothes, ritual vessels, momentos and books,

besides what is treasured as most auspicious, the inaugural Bhiksha (alms) when

each boy starts the "mendicant" career that day, as prescribed in the Sastras

for every seeker during the years of Vedic study. The boys walk up in a long

line to Baba's Presence and after introducing themselves in traditional style;

mentioning their Gothra, Suthra and patron Rishi, pray "Bhavathi, Bhikshaam

dehi", "Ma, give me alms" and Baba as Vedamatha and Annapurna

10pt">, fills their plates with grains of rice. Baba insists that the newly

initiated prostrate themselves before their parents; He explains to each boy,

at that particular moment, the Vedic commands "Mathru Devo Bhava" and "Pithru

Devo Bhava" meaning "May your mother be your God", "May your father be your

God". The boys as well as the parents are, visibly moved by this act, which

Baba considers, as important as any other item in the ceremonial. Then He

places in the hands of the boys, gifts, which they pass on reverentially to

their parents.

More memorable than all these, especially to the Brahma-charis, is another

spontaneous gift of Baba, a Blessing that He alone can grant. Baba calls each

boy to Himself, even when the number is 450, and, in the sublime silence, He

whispers into the ear of the child, fresh from his first lesson in Vedic

recitation, a sacred mantra which He instructs him to keep strictly to himself.

He has to repeat it with Shraddha and Bhakti, every day of his life. Many an

ardent seeker has striven long to get Manthropadesa from this Avatar of the

Lord, but they still await the gift, while these chosen boys, on the threshold

of the kingdom of God within them, acquire the key which will help them to

enter it, through the spontaneous Grace of Baba.

The Upanayana Festival is also marked by the discourses by eminent pundits on

the Gayathri, as well as on the need to regulate and restrict the wild senses

by the discipline prescribed in Dharmasastras for the twice born and others.

Baba too discourses on these and kindred topics; His advice is directed towards

the elders who, by their neglect of this rite have brought about downfall of the

magnificent edifice of Sanathana Dharma. A gentleman from Mysore had not

initiated his seven sons into the Gayathri; without any resentment, Baba

invited him to bring all of them to Him, for as He said, it is never too late

to start on the Godward journey; his sons, ranging in age from 28 to 8 were all

led into the sacred path. He wanted that parents too must perform the Sandhya

rite and repeat the Gayathri for

their own good; the boy should not be made to feel that this was a chore

invented for tormenting him. "Do it cheerfully, with evident relish. Learn the

procedure from these boys, from your children and grandchildren. For your own

sake and for the sake of the human community, start Sandhya today with Gayathri

Japa and continue it, with increasing fervor.I know how systematic you are in

eating and drinking. You take pretty good care of the body. I do not condemn it;

I only want that you should take equally good care of the needs of the spirit".

The Gayathri is a Vedic Prayer that has been addressed to the effulgence that is

immanent in the Universe by millions during millennia throughout the length and

breadth of this land. It prays, not for the health or wealth, happiness or

victory but it prays for "awakening of intelligence". It is a prayer, which all

men in all lands can well adopt. Mr. J.B.S. Haldane has written that the

Gayathri can be carved on the doors of every laboratory of the World. "May

intelligence grow, prevail and ripen into wisdom", and save mankind from

perdition!

Baba does not hide His displeasure when he finds that a Brahmin, Kshatriya or

Vaisya is not performing the Sandhya rite, and repeating the Gayathri during

the rite. Fear of that displeasure has persuaded many who come to Baba to

resume the Sandhya, brushing their memory in haste from books or from their own

children. When Baba surprises people with the question, "Are you doing Sandhya?"

many have to accept the lapse, and correct themselves.

God is said to love the returned prodigal; Baba encourages by special marks of

Grace, those who come back into the Sandhya discipline. For example, a person

from Shimoga Town came to Him to get His Blessings, for a venture that he had

set his mind upon. Baba surprised him with the question, "Are you doing

Sandhya?" and he too hung his head. "No,

Baba, though I have been enjoined to do it, years ago on the Upanayanam Day" he

said. "Well, it is not too late; start as soon as you reach home" Baba ordered.

The rite took about 20 minutes and had to be done three times a day; at dawn,

when the sun was at the zenith, and at dusk. Rao kept the promise he had given

Baba; he did the Sandhya, with growing devotion and pleasure. After some time,

he felt that a Linga, which his grandfather and father were worshipping

ritually every day for many years, should be retrieved from the limbo to which

he had consigned it. He recovered it; he filled it with his devotion; he

offered flowers and fruits and poured sanctified water on it, with the

appropriate mantras! Baba 'willed' to grant him tangible proof of his

appreciation of this laudable advance; the colour of the Linga changed from

opaque dark into golden transparency. And, very soon, inside that round-topped

little cylinder of hard translucence, Baba allowed Himself to be 'entangled'!

For

months now, thousands have seen, inside the Linga, a lovely captivating picture

in brilliant colour of Baba with His sweet smile, in the centre of a halo of

mellow golden light!

Apart from the day fixed by Baba, for the Upanayanam of the boys who are brought

to Prashanthi Nilayam, Baba confers the boon on other days also, if devotees

yearn for it and if He feels the boy deserves it. On Sankarajayanthi Day, the

birthday of the great Shankaracharya who revived Hindu religion and built Hindu

philosophy and culture on the unshakeable foundation of Basic Unity or Adwaita,

He seldom refuses this boon. Baba considers this ceremony of opening the inner

eye of the rising generation to be so important that He even reminds parents of

their obligation to initiate their children and calls upon them to celebrate the

Upanayanam. This, He does both directly and indirectly. Take for example the

telegram received by Sri C. Ramachandran of Kirkee, Poona. "On 26th April,

1965, when I went to my residence at lunch break", writes he, "both my sons

came running forward excitedly and put into my hands a telegram which had been

just received. The telegram ran as follows: "Sri Sathya Sai Baba arriving at

your residence on fifth May to attend Upanayanam of your sons and give them

Brahmopadesam". The words "SathyaUpanayanam" and "Brahmopadesam" are

underlined in the telegram!

"I had never discussed with anybody the question of having the Upanayanam of my

sons performed during the summer, although I had a keen desire to perform it as

early as possible, since this function was already overdue and had been put off,

during the last two to three years. I had not made up my mind, whether to have

it performed at Shirdi or Palani, our family shrine. I was, therefore,

surprised to find that the place and the date had been fixed by the sender of

the telegram. We were overjoyed at the prospect of having Baba with us for the

function"

On enquiry, Sri Ramachandran discovered that the person who was responsible for

sending the telegram from the Central Post Office, Poona, had described himself

as "a person in transit, with no permanent or local address"! And that when the

Postal authorities pressed him to give an address, he had written his name as

Sri Maragathavelu, c/o All India Sai Samaj, Mylapore! Hesitant to neglect so

mysterious a manifestation of Baba's Grace (of which he was well aware through

other more concrete instances, like Vibuthi emanating from the pictures of

Baba, in his shrine-room),

Ramachandran decided to have the Upanayanam of his two sons celebrated on the

5th of May as directed. And Baba gave proof that day He was present! "During

the evening Bhajan, every one in the gathering of nearly a thousand people had

a peculiar feeling that the sofa kept on the platform for Him was not vacant.

When Aarti was over, we found that the new silk seat-spread had been creased in

such a way that we could clearly make out that Baba had been sitting there.

Besides, the ring of jasmine flowers which was placed on the right arm of the

sofa, as is generally done at Prashanthi Nilayam, was crushed just as if His

Hand was resting on it". A sign is enough for those who seek.

Writing about the Dharmasthapana for which Baba has come in human form, we have

to devote special attention to the Academy of Vedic Scholars established under

His Guidance, which is fast spreading its beneficent activity from one State of

India to another, since 1964. It was on the sacred day of Ramnavami, when a

million homes all over the country were celebrating the incarnation of Rama,

described as the embodiment of Dharma, that Baba revealed His intention. He was

that day at Rajahmundry on the Godavari river; at dusk, He entered a motor

launch with a number of learned Pundits and scholars, and we reached a patch of

dry sand, an island bathed in cool moonlight, set in the dark blue background of

the river above the Dhowaliswaram anicut. There, seated in the center of the

circle of adoration, Baba

spoke on the state of the world and of India, which must guide it, with the lamp

of Sanathana Dharma. We must reform the habits of man; re-construct his

character; recondition his ideals and modes of living; help him regain the

spiritual heritage which he is now encouraged to ignore by protagonists of

material prosperity and monetary happiness", said He.

He created from the sand before Him, resplendent idols of Rama, Sita, Lakshmana

and Anjaneya; then, He created a charming idol of Nataraja, the Dancing Siva,

symbolizing the Energized Universe that expands and contracts (or breathes) in

harmony with the Divine Will. Then, in the climax of that Sublime Silence, He

announced that He had decided on the establishment of the Prashanthi

Vidwanmahasabha, an All India Academy of Vedic Scholars who will strive to

awaken humanity to the need to attain the Prashanthi (Inner Harmony and

Equipoise) which has its Nilayam (Above) in the Sanathana Dharma, enshrined in

the ancient scriptures of India. Surely, a great moment in the history of this

Age.

Baba had given indications even in the forties that He will rebuild Vedic Dharma

on a stronger foundation. In 1955, on the first day of October, at 9.30 a.m., as

recorded in my Diary, Swami Amrithananda ran towards me, after an interview with

Baba, gasping with joy. He said, "I had a big sum of money with me which

Bhagawan Ramana Maharshi advised, I should use for Vedic revival. I had

invested it in the Benares Bank and later with some Trusts. I had consulted

Madan Mohan Malaviya, Bhagawan Das, and Bal Gangadhar Tilak about the scheme

but somehow, my plan did not fructify.

Just now, Baba told me, unasked, all about my unfulfilled yearning. He said, "Do

not worry any more; the task of Vedic revival is no longer yours. It is Mine".

The Swami died, peacefully, within two months of this transfer of burden!

In January, 1960, a great Sanskrit scholar from Sorbonne, France, Valestin by name, who was in India

10pt"> to translate the commentaries on the Vedas into French, arrived at

Prashanthi Nilayam. One evening, during an interview with Baba, he suddenly

caught Baba's hands and pleaded "Baba! Vedic scholarship is fast declining in

this Holy Land. You must revive it, you must foster it". I was there, nearby. I

felt that East and West were also there, awaiting with palpitating heart, the

reply that Baba will vouchsafe. For the Vedas are for both East and West, for

all mankind. And Baba did not disappoint mankind. He said, "I have come for

that very purpose, for Vedic revival. It shall be done. I will do it. Wherever

you are, you will know of it. The world will share that joy, that light".

The Sabha was formally inaugurated at the Swadhyaya Sapthaha Yajna during the

Dasara Festival, 1965. About 200 Pundits had assembled at Prashanthi Nilayam

for the Convocation on 20th October. "Bhavani" said Baba, "gave a sword into

the hands of the Emperor Sivaji commissioning him to venture forth and uphold

Hinduism; this "Siva-Shakti" is today giving these Pundits the sword of Courage

and commissioning them to go forth and revive Dharma in the world". "I am sure

this Sabha will move forward from Victory to victory, for it is contributory to

My Work. In all lands, the true sense of values has to be restored and faith in

the Divinity of Mau has to be implanted. This is the work for which I have

come. The world has to be saved from the consequences of limited knowledge and

of the blinding pride that

precedes a fall. The world is a parched desert, calling out for rain. This Sabha

will give each thirsty mouth a cup of solace and strength, from the well of the

Vedas and Sastras". He condemned the criticism of Vedic rites, rituals and

teachings of superstitions. "The Vedas are the root of Dharma. If the roots are

injured, the tree will die". "They gave Ananda and Shanthi that are lasting and

sustaining", He said. "They transmuted all activity into worship of the Supreme

and saved man from unending desire and inexplicable sorrow", He said. "Know

thyself, instead of the sun and moon - that way lies the road to Ananda and

Shanthi".

The purpose of the Akhila Bharatha Prashanthi Vidwanmahasabha was clarified by

Baba during the discourses that He gave on the days following the inauguration,

while presiding over the lectures that the Pundits gave on the subjects

suggested by him from Vedic and Vedanthic texts. The watchword for the Sabha

should be, He said, the prayer that is mentioned in the Vedas as arising

however indistinct, from every human heart, "Thamaso maa Jyothir gamaya ...

>From darkness, lead me unto light". "Eradicate Ajnana, the ignorance of the

Universal that is the basis, the Ocean of which the individual is but a wave;

light the lamp in village after village. Instill faith in man's freedom from

grief and pain, that is to say, instill faith in the Atma and the Atmathatwa;

share your learning and experience, in love and

sympathy, with the people who are hungry to know and be saved; remind them of

their worth and work. You are not to condemn any one's faith or to develop any

new sect; foster the positive attitude in spiritual effort; faith is a precious

plant, a gust of harshness will make il wither. Be kind, be considerate, promote

love, tolerance, service, sacrifice, wherever you find them in the heart of man.

These Pundits have at last attained the fruition of their long study, for, they

have secured this medium, this Sabha, for sharing their joy and their wisdom

with their brothers and sisters. They have been allotted districts and the

Central Committee will be supervising the Programme and progress. They will sow

in all cultivated hearts the seed of the Karmakanda, the Upasanakanda, and the

Jnanakanda of the Vedas, of Dharma as expounded in the Manudharmasastra and

other texts and of the Glory of God and Man as explained in the Bhagavatham,

the Mahabharata and the Ramayana", He

announced.

Turning to the thousands of devotees who had come from all parts of India, Baba

said, "They sow the seeds. But, you have to tend the young crop, feed it with

the manure of Manana, rid it of pests, like greed and pride, harvest the

happiness of Love and establish yourselves in the Prashanthi that the

nourishing grain ensures". Baba recognised that the pundits must grow

experienced in the art of explaining the essentials of the scriptural teachings

to the masses in small easily assimilable doses that are relishing; He warned

that, unless the Pundits took

care to practice what they preached, their discourses would be exercises in

sheer hypocrisy. The people too have to be trained in the art of listening to

short, straight, spiritual discourses which arouse the desire to practice what

is taught. For, as Baba said, the greatest sin is hypocrisy, spiritual

weakness, self-condemnation and cowardice. These can be cured only by the

awareness of one's inherent Divinity, that can never be harmed by such passing

clouds of depression", Baba assured. Baba declared, "This Prashanthi

Vidwanmahasabha is not something new, it is Sanathanam. It is now once again

set up on the age-old Mission. This work of Dharmasthapanam is being done over

and over again. You have now the chance to share in it; So, join this great

task

and make your lives worth while".

That call was irresistible. Towns and villages vied with each other in asking

for the chance to arrange meetings and seminars for the benefit of their

citizens. The members of the Sabha were already famous over the length and

breadth of the land. Dr. B. Ramakrishna Rao, a great scholar in Sanskrit,

Telugu, a celebrated linguist, a great social worker and political leader who

served the people as Chief Minister of Andhra and Governor of Kerala and Uttar

Pradesh, is the President of the Sabha; he has a Central Committee of Pundits

who have earned enduring fame by their scholarship, speeches and writings like

Uppuluri Ganapathi Sastrigal, who is honoured as Amnayarthavachaspathi by his

colleagues; Kolluri Somasekhara Sastry, honoured as a Kulapathi by his

gratified students; Bulusu Appanna Sastry, known

as Darsanalankara, the renowned translator and commentator on Sankara's Githa

Bhashya; Remilla Suryaprakasa Sastry, honoured as Sanga Veda Vidya Bhaskara;

Varanasi Subramanya Sastry, who by his unexcelled scholarship relating to the

works of Vyasa is celebrated as Balavyasa; Ghandikota Subrahmanya Sastry, the

doyen among Dharmasastra scholars and the master of Vedic lore; Pisipati

Krishnamurthi Sastry, a great expert in astrological observations and

calculations according to all the schools of that ancient science, and others.

To bring such a galaxy of Pundits into the same orbit is itself an achievement,

made possible only by the unique attraction which Baba's Divinity exerted on

them all with equal force.

The Inaugural Meeting where the Pundits carried the Message to the people at

large was held in the immediate Presence of Baba Himself at Venkatagiri Town,

in the Palace Quadrangle, under the chairmanship of the Raja Saheb of

Venkatagiri. Baba mentioned that the citizens of

normal">Rajahmundry on the Godavari were hoping that the meeting would be held

in their town, since the Sabha was resolved upon 'on the sands of an island in

the centre of the Godavari on Sri Ramnavami, last year'. But, "like all good

things, this too is won not so much by present effort, but, by merit

accumulated through, years numbering to centuries". Baba said "Venkatagiri has

been for centuries the

seat of a Royal Family dedicated to the support and protection and promotion of

Dharma. Consider how many temples were built or renovated and maintained by its

munificence! Take count of the Pundits it has patronized so far and the number

of religious books its donations have helped to reach the masses. See the

interest the Family takes even now, for the upkeep of temples and mutts

although their State and Status have been overwhelmed by the storms of

political change". No wonder that when the Madras State Prashanthi

Vidwanmahasabha was inaugurated six months later, Baba selected the vast grounds

of the Venkatagiri Palace at Madras City as the venue!

The Mysore State Prashanthi Vidwanmahasabha was inaugurated at Brindavan,

Whitefield near Bangalore on 13th April 1964, under the Chairmanship of Hon'ble

Sri B.D. Jatti, the Finance Minister of Mysore State. Inaugurating the Sabha,

Baba said, "The link between the Pundit and the politician, the religious

leader and the ruler has snapped and each goes his own way, irrespective of

what the other thinks or feels. Long years of foreign rule during which the

Pundits were derided as symbols of an out-dated culture contributed to the

widening of the gap. But, even after that rule ended, nothing has been done to

re-establish the link. Sunk in the search of passing pleasure and cheap

recreation, people have become deaf to the counsels of the past and the call of

the sublime. Unless the people are trained to

direct their newly won opportunities into channels of service and self-control,

there will be large scale moral breakdown, when the Five Year Plans stud the

land with dams, power-stations, furnaces and factories; we must have a Plan, a

well-thought-out Plan, for the moral education and the spiritual uplift of the

nation, in order to avoid disaster".

At the Inauguration of the Mahasabha in Madras State, Baba declared: "Man's

ambition to conquer outer space, even before he has understood fully the nature

of the earthly home he carries about with him and the discipline needed for

harmony therein is leading him into great disaster. No knowledge, however

impressive, which refused to acknowledge,

the existence of God can be safe and sustaining", Baba declared. The Mahasabha

has also been established with His Blessings at Hyderabad, the Capital of

Andhra Pradesh at a Meeting presided over by the Governor, Sri Pattam Thanu

Pillai. The Maharashtra Branch of Vidwanmahasabha was inaugurated by Baba at

the Shanmukhananda Hall, Bombay

green; FONT-SIZE: 10pt">, on 7th June 1965. A Committee under the Chairmanship

of Hon'ble Sri P.K. Savant, Minister of Agriculture, Government of Maharashtra,

has been formed with the Speaker of the Legislative Assembly, the Chairman of

the Legislative Council and others as members.

Sri Savant is an ardent devotee of the shrine at Shirdi, where Baba lived the

Life Divine and taught way to God, as Sai Baba; Sri Savant was a member of the

"Shirdi Samsthan Trust Committee" and for some time he was its Chairman. The

Trust manages the affairs of the unique shrine that has grown around the 'Tomb'

or Samadhi of the Sai Avatar. When, therefore, Savant heard that the Master had

taken human form again, he was naturally cautious about the claim. His

curiosity however took him to the bungalow of a devotee with whom Baba had

stayed for three days in May, 1960. There Savant joined in the Bhajan; he went

through the Album of Photographs depicting Baba's activities; he saw a few

hundred feet of film recording Baba's visit to Badrinath and the Yajna which

was celebrated at Prashanthi Nilayam;

then, he was taken into the very room where Baba had stayed during those three

days. It is kept as if He has not left the place, in perfect readiness to

receive Him, any moment. While in the room, Savant was offered the Vibhuthi

brought from Prashanthi Nilayam, kept in a small receptacle there.

Naturally, he opened his mouth to receive it, but, his breast was suddenly

afflicted with an understandable pang of doubt, whether as a staunch devotee of

the Sai Baba of Shirdi, he could now take in the Udi consecrated by a stranger

who claims to be the "same Baba" come again. There are Babas and Babas, he

felt, spurious, pseudoauthentic, and dubious, pitching their claims to

reverence on all manner of unprovable relationships.

We should not be surprised when a devotee with Savant's steady faith in Sai Baba

was harassed by doubt; we must indeed be thankful for his hesitation, for just

at that split second, in order to convince him that the Sathya Sai at

Prashanthi Nilayam is Sathya (Truth), the same as the Sai Baba of Shirdi, a

long bright flash of light emerged from the right palm of Bhagawan Sri Sathya

Sai Baba in the picture hanging on the wall of that room, above the heads of

Dr. D.J. Gadhia, who was offering the Udi and of Sri P.K. Savant who was

outwardly ready, though inwardly undecided, to receive it!

That flash scattered all argument against the identity of the two Babas; it

shattered the dark clouds of doubt and hesitation. Savant received the Udi.

Some months later, at Prashanthi Nilayam, Baba declared, "The depth of the

devotion of Savant to that Body and this Body of the same Sai is known only to

him and Me". Savant attended the inauguration of the Mysore State

green; FONT-SIZE: 10pt"> Branch of the Prashanthi Vidwanmahasabha and so, he was

happy that a branch of the Organisation founded by Baba was soon started in

Maharashtra. He and all who shared the thrill of that day were glad that the

Grace of Baba had descended on Maharashtra again and that a new era had dawned

for the Pundits of that State, who could share in the revival of Dharma under

His auspices.

The Vidwanmahasabha has been actively promoting lectures by Pundits in several

towns and villages. A seminar for about twenty of them was held for a week to

suggest subjects (on which they should speak to the people) selected from the

vast reservoirs of Scholarship that they have each stored in themselves and to

suggest methods of presentation that would receive response from Baba

invariably encouraged the people, the organisers, and the Pundits either by His

physical presence and Discourses or by some 'sign' of His Presence. The District

Committees would arrange the discourses in the headquarter towns of Taluks, for

the devotees in the Taluk headquarters could carry the Message to the villages

around. Thus, the disciplines and ideals of the Upanishads have been planted

among agitated communities in

areca-gardens and coffee plantations, rice fields, factory-chimney and bungalow

in suburbs, University campuses, pensioners' colonies, pilgrim centers and

professional clubs.

Where formerly the audience at the meetings that these Pundits addressed could

be counted on the fingers of one hand, and where in every place the same few

were the only ones attracted, the meetings of the Mahasabha now drew tens of

thousands in towns and all the population in the villages. For, the discourses

are in the language of the people and are simple and useful, directly affecting

the daily life. Baba's Divine Presence gathers hundreds of thousands to His

Discourses, for they are the authentic Upadesh of the Lord.

As Baba declared at Venkatagiri, "The establishment of the Vidwanmahasabha is an

epoch-making event; for it is not less than the Dawn of the Golden Era of the

Liberation of Humanity.

The Liberation of Humanity from the petty role to which man has condemned it,

deciding wrongly that he is the sheath and not the sword, the body and not its

occupant, this is the very purpose of Baba's advent in human form. Baba has

revealed that the repositories of ancient Indian culture are His instruments

for this purpose. During his Tamilnadu Tour, in the village of Surandai, He

encouraged Vedic Pundits to recite Vedic riks in the Ghana mode, and rewarded

them with medallions of gold. Similar medallions were awarded by Him to Pundits

on the conclusion of the recitation of riks, at Akiripalle and at Rajahmundry.

In 1963, at a Vidwathparishath (Assembly of Scholars) held at Rajahmundry, He

gave to each member, robes of honour encouraging them to apply themselves to

the study and exposition of the Vedas and Sastras.

In 1960, He presided over the College Day Celebrations of the Markandeya

Oriental College. While welcoming Him to that

institution, Dr. S. Bhagavantham (whose father was the Founder of the College),

the great Scientist, now Scientific Adviser to the Defence Ministry of the

Government of India, said "Whenever I went to have Baba's Darshan, I was amazed

to find around Him groups of people from all countries and professions, great

and small, rich and poor, sick and healthy, young and aged and Pundits filled

with academic conceit wondering how all their learning is found useless before

the All-knowing one". They wondered and the wonder ripened into devotion.

Baba has blessed by His Presence the Niranjana Bhajan Mandali, at Maddur, the

Sivanamajapasapthaha (week-long Continuous Recitation of the God) at Srisailam

and the Githa Study Circle at Naini Tal and the Hindu Samaj, Rajahmundry. The

Sanathana Bhagavatha Bhaktha Samajam (Association of the Dedicated and Devoted)

of the Krishna-Guntur Districts has been taken by Him under His benign care.

Baba has also graced the Yajna celebrated by devotees at Rajahmundry,

Venkatagiri and Srinivaspur. He visited the Sanskrit Patasala and the Vyasasram

at

Erpedu.

When the Banaras Sanskrit University arranged the Akhila Bharatha Thanthrika

Mahasabha, it sent Swami Dattareyaji to Prashanthi

Nilayam to invite Baba to be present and bless the Sabha. Though Baba has often

declared, "This is the age of Thanthra", He had to send the Swami back

disappointed. The Organisers of the Vishwa (World) Hindu Parishad approached

Baba for joining the group of Swamis who were guiding it. Baba told them that

He had come for the very purpose of reviving the ideals of Hinduism and setting

it on the road of victory; "I am every moment doing the very thing you have now

in view". When the Telugu Vijnana Samithi, Malleswaram honoured some members of

the Central Committee of the Prashanthi Vidwanmahasabha Baba agreed to preside

over the Meeting.

Governor Pattom Thanu Pillai said, while inaugurating its Hyderabad Branch, "I

am glad one of the main objects of the Sabha is the fostering of scholarship by

honouring the Pundits and thereby encouraging the study of the Vedas and

Sastras". Baba presided over a vast gathering of admirers and students when the

Hindu Samaj at Rajahmundry

honoured three old and revered Masters of the Ancient Learning, Bulusu Appanna

Sastry, Varanasi Subrahmanya Sastry and Kolluri Somasekhara Sastry. During the

Dasara Festival, 1965, Baba conferred upon these three and on Vidwan Dupati

Thirumalacharlu of Venkatagiri, the mark of appreciation that Royal patrons

used to confer in past ages, namely, the "Suvarna Kankana" or gemset Golden

Bracelet. Every one who saw the tender love with which He helped the old men to

come on the stage, the pride which He seemed to take in their achievements, and

the solicitude with which He helped the Governor to fit the jewels on the

wrists of the recipients, and cover their shoulders with the gold embroidered

shawls, will cherish the scene as both inspiration and

instruction. Pundits have good reason to welcome the Sathya Sai Era, for He is

their Kalpatharu come on earth. When a Pundit read before Him some poems that

he had composed about Goddess Kamakshi of Kanchipuram, Baba created a golden

image of that Goddess and granted Him that precious gift; when others offered

Him works on Yogavasishta and Githa-bhashya that they have composed Baba's

grace provided them funds to publish them. Baba is Veda-maatha; He cannot

tolerate a Vedic scholar toiling with the sweat of agony on his brow.

Except, of course, when He is set on teaching a lesson! For, He is a hard

taskmaster, intent on maintaining the moral standard of those who claim to be

masters of the ancient scripture. For example, a Pundit from the East Godavari

District was so desperate financially that in his dispair he denied Baba's

Grace! He denied his wife the permission to write to Baba asking for succor.

Two days later, he was amazed to receive a letter from Baba who was at

Prashanthi Nilayam, 800 miles away, in which He severely reprimanded him for

it, "Why did you tell her,’ You have no permission'? Do I not know? Can I know

only, when she writes or any one writes? Do I not know, for example, that you

went to Ramachandrapuram expecting to collect some little money through

discourses on the Gita and that you returned home

having incurred loss? Do I not know that you then started condemning yourself

that all your learning was a waste that all your experience was of no value?

For Me who is providing for all this world, it is no burden to provide for you

and your family. I am placing all these hardships on you only to teach you a

few lessons". The following extract from the letter, which the Pundit placed in

my hands at Amalapuram, indicate the lessons: "When life flows merrily on,

people claim that it is due to their own effort and they forget the Lord. When

failure resists the flow, they start cursing and losing faith. When you grow

desperate, you are insulting the Atmathatwa, the Atma principle which you

really are, that knows no pain or joy. You have become condile in many

subjects, but you do not try to derive the fruits thereof by putting them into

practice. If only you have the faith that nothing can hinder the Atmananda,

which is the live spring in every heart, how happy you can be! Just imagine

how calm and collected you could be then.

In your lectures, you dilate on the Atma and the Ananda derivable by man and

drill deep down into it. It is easy to advise others; when it comes to

practicing what you recommend, you feel it awful bother. Carrying all the

Vedas, Sasthras, Puranas, Ithihasas and Upanishads stuffed in your brain, this

wailing do and this anger not become you. Instead of resorting to the most

effective specific for all anxiety, namely, the Name of the Lord, why do you

waste time recapitulating and lamenting over pain, fear, loss and grief?

Engage yourself in that which is enjoined as your duty, the duty, which your

status demands. Do it courageously and gladly. Strive to gain the four

Purusharthas; then, you can certainly experience the Highest Truth. Practice

and earn the Highest Bliss. Do not decry the rich; no, not the rich only, do

not decry any one, in any manner. For remember, Sai is in every person. So when

you decry another, you are decrying Sai Himself".

After this paternal but firm admonition, Baba closes the letter with the

revealing colophon: "He who resides in your heart, Sai". "Nee Hrudayanivasi,

Sai"! This vigilant supervision of the workings of the Inner Consciousness of

the Pundits who have come within His Orbit is another of the many ways in which

this Vedamatha (Providence which revealed the Vedas) seeks to promote Sanathana

Dharma; for, unless, we have a brave band of Vedic scholars who live the Vedic

life, the world cannot be enthused to honour and accept the Vedic teaching of

Fundamental Oneness.

CONTINUED…

With Sai love from Sai brother M. Palaniswamy

/