SRI SAI SATCHARITA and SATHYAM SIVAM SUNDARAM [16]

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PRAYER

SHREE GANESH VANDANA SHASHI VARNAM CHATURBHUJAM

PRASANNA VADANAM DHYAYETH SARVA VIGHNOPA SHANTAYE

AGAJANANA PADMASANAM GAJANANA MAHIRSHAM

ANEKA DANTAM EKA DANTAM UPASMAYEM BHAKTANAM

Om Sri Sai Ram

SRI SAI SATCHARITA and SATHYAM SIVAM SUNDARAM

The Life Stories of the Two Avatars of the Age – [16]

SHRI SAI SATCHARITA

The Life of the Divine Avatar Sai Baba of Shirdi

By Hemadpant

*****

CHAPTER XVI & XVII

These two Chapters relate the story of a rich gentleman, who wanted

Brahma-Jnana, Quickly from Sai Baba

PRELIMINARY

The last Chapter described how Mr. Cholkar's vow of small offering was completed

and accepted. In that story, Sai Baba showed that He would accept with

appreciation any small thing offered with love and devotion, but if the same

thing were offered with pride and haughtiness, He would reject it. Being

Himself full of Sat-Chit-Anand (Existence, Knowledge and Bliss) He did not care

much for more outward formalities but if an offering was made in meek and humble

spirit, the same was welcome and He accepted it with pleasure and avidity. In

fact there is no person more liberal and benevolent than a Sadguru, like Sai

Baba. He cannot be compared to the Chintamani jewel (the Philosopher's stone

which satisfies desires), the Kalpataru (the Celestial Tree which fulfills our

desires) or the Kamadhenu

(the Celestial Cow which yields what we desire), for they give us only what we

desire; but the Sadguru gives us the most precious thing that is inconceivable

and inscrutable (The reality). Now let us hear how Sai Baba disposed of a rich

man, who came to Him and implored Him to give him Brahma-Jnana.

There was a rich gentleman (unfortunately his name and whereabouts are not

mentioned) who was very prosperous in his life. He had amassed a large quantity

of wealth, houses, field and lands, and had many servants and dependents. When

Baba's fame reached his ears, he said to a friend of his, that he was not in

want of anything, and so he would go to Shirdi and ask Baba to give him

Brahma-Jnana which, if he got, would certainly make him more happy. His friend

dissuaded him, saying, "it is not easy to know Brahman, and especially so for

an avaricious man like you, who is always engrossed in wealth, wife and

children. Who will, in your quest of Brahma-Jnana, satisfy you that won't give

away even a pice in charity?"

Not minding his friend's advice, the fellow engaged a return-journey tanga and

came to Shirdi. He went to the Masjid, saw Sai Baba, fell at His Feet and said,

"Baba, hearing that You show the Brahman to all who come over here without any

delay, I have come here all the way from my distant place. I am much fatigued

by the journey and if I get the Brahman from You, my troubles will be well-paid

and rewarded." Baba then replied, "Oh, My dear friend, do not be anxious, I

shall immediately show you the Brahman; all My dealings are in cash and never

on credit. So many people come to Me, and ask for wealth, health, power,

honour, position, cure of diseases and other temporal matters. Rare is the

person, who comes here to Me and asks for Brahma-Jnana. There is no dearth of

persons asking for

worldly things, but as persons interested in spiritual matters are very rare, I

think it a lucky and auspicious moment, when persons like you come and press Me

for Brahma-Jnana. So I show to you with pleasure, the Brahman with all its

accompaniments and complications."

Saying this, Baba started to show him the Brahman. He made him sit there and

engaged him in some other talk or affair and thus made him forget his question

for the time being. Then He called a boy and told him to go to one Nandu

Marwari, and get from him a hand-loan of Rs. five. The boy left and returned

immediately, saying that Nandu was absent and his house was locked. Then Baba

asked him to go to Bala grocer and get from him, the said loan. This time also,

the boy was unsuccessful. This experiment was repeated again twice or thrice,

with the same result.

Sai Baba was, as we know, the living and moving Brahman Incarnate. Then, some

one may ask - "Why did He want the paltry sum of five rupees, and why did He

try hard to get it on loan? Really He did not want that sum at all. He must

have been fully knowing that Nandu and Bala were absent, and he seems to have

adopted this procedure as a test for the seeker of Brahman. That gentleman had

a roll or bundle of currency notes in his pocket, and if he was really earnest,

he would not have sat quiet and be a mere onlooker, when Baba was frantically

trying to get a paltry sum of Rs. five. He knew that Baba would keep His word

and repay the debt, and that the sum wanted was insignificant. Still he could

not make up his mind and advance the sum. Such a man wanted from Baba the

greatest thing in the

world, viz., the Brahma-Jnana! Any other man, who really loved Baba, would have

at once given Rs. five, instead of being a mere onlooker. It was otherwise with

this man. He advanced no money nor did he sit silent, but began to be impatient,

as he was in a haste to return and implored Baba saying- "Oh Baba, please show

me the Brahman soon." Baba replied - "Oh my dear friend, did you not understand

all the procedure that I went through, sitting in this place, for enabling you

to see the Brahman? It is in short this. For seeing Brahman one has to give

five things, i.e. surrender five things viz. (1) Five Pranas (vital forces),

(2) Five senses (five of action and five of perception), (3) mind, (4)

intellect and (5) ego. This path of Brahma-Jnana of self-realization is 'as

hard as to tread on the edge of a razor'.

Sai Baba then gave rather a long discourse on the subject, the purport of which

is given below Qualifications for Brahma-Jnana or Self-Realization All persons

do not see or realize the Brahman in their lifetime. Certain qualifications are

absolutely necessary. (1) Mumuksha or intense desire to get free. He, who thinks

that he is bound and that he should get free from bondage and works earnestly

and resolutely to that end; and who does not care for any other thinks, is

qualified for the spiritual life. (2) Virakti or a feeling of disgust with the

things of this world and the next. Unless a man feels disgusted with the

things, emoluments and honors, which his action would bring in this world and

the next, he has no right to enter into the spiritual realm. (3) Antarmukhata

(introversion).

Our senses have been created by God with a tendency to move outward and so, man

always looks outside himself and not inside. He who wants self-realization and

immortal life must turn his gaze inwards and look to his inner Self. (4)

Catharsis from (Purging away of) sins. Unless a man has turned away from

wickedness, and stopped from doing wrong, and has entirely composed himself and

unless his mind is at rest, he cannot gain self-realization, even by means of

knowledge. (5) Right Conduct. Unless, a man leads a life of truth, penance and

insight, a life of celibacy, he cannot get God-realization. (6) Preferring

Shreyas, (the Good) to Preyas (the Pleasant). There are two sorts of things

viz., the Good and the Pleasant; the former deals with spiritual affairs, and

the latter with mundane matters. Both these approach man for acceptance. He has

to think and choose one of them. The wise man prefers the Good to the Pleasant;

but the unwise, through greed and attachment, chooses the

Pleasant. (7) Control of the mind and the senses. The body is the chariot and

the Self is its master; intellect is the charioteer and the mind is the reins;

the senses are the horses and sense-objects their paths. He who has no

understanding and whose mind is unrestrained, his senses unmanageable like the

vicious horses of a charioteer, does not reach his destination (get

realization), but goes through the round of births and deaths; but he who has

understanding and whose mind is restrained, his senses being under control,

like the good horse of a charioteer, reaches that place, i.e., the state of

self-realization, when he is not born again. The man, who has understanding as

his charioteer (guide) and is able to rein his mind, reaches the end of the

journey, which is the supreme abode of the all-pervading, Vishnu (lord). (8)

Purification of the mind. Unless a man discharges satisfactorily and

disinterestedly the duties of his station in life, his mind will not be

purified and,

unless his mind is purified, he cannot get self-realization. It is only in the

purified mind that Viveka (discrimination between the Unreal and the Real), and

Vairagya (Non-attachment to the unreal) crop up and lead on the

self-realization. Unless egoism is dropped, avarice got rid of, and the mind

made desireless (pure), self-realization is not possible. The idea that 'I am

the body' is a great delusion, and attachment to this idea is the cause of

bondage. Leave off this idea and attachment therefore, if you want to get to

the Self-realization. (9) The necessity of a Guru. The knowledge of the self is

so subtle and mystic, that no one could, by his own individual effort ever hope

to attain it. So the help of another person-Teacher, who has himself got

self-realization, is absolutely necessary. What others cannot give with great

labour and pains, can be easily gained with the help of such a Teacher; for he

has walked on the path himself and can easily take the disciple, step by step

on the ladder of spiritual progress. (10) And lastly the Lord's Grace is the

most essential thing. When the Lord is pleased with any body, He gives him

Viveka and Vairagya; and takes him safe beyond the ocean of mundane existence;

"The Self cannot be gained by the study of Vedas, nor by intellect, nor by much

learning. He, whom the Self chooses, by him it is gained. To him the Self

reveals Its nature", says the Katha Upanishad.

After the dissertation was over, Baba turned to the gentleman and said - "Well

sir, there is in your pocket the Brahma (or Mammon) in the form of fifty-times

five (Rs.250/-) rupees; please take that out." The gentleman took out from his

pocket the bundle of currency notes, and to his great surprise found, on

counting them, that there were 25 notes of 10 rupees each, seeing this

omniscience of Baba, he was moved and fell at Baba's Feet and craved for His

blessings. Then Baba said to him, "Roll up your bundle of Brahma viz. Currency

notes. Unless you get rid completely of your avarice or greed, your will not

get the real Brahma. How can he, whose mind is engrossed in wealth, progeny and

prosperity, expect to know the Brahma, without removing away his attachment for

the same? The illusion of

attachment or the love for money is a deep eddy (whirlpool) of pain full of

crocodiles in the form of conceit and jealousy. He, who is desireless, can

alone cross this whirlpool. Greed and Brahma are as poles asunder; they are

eternally opposed to each other. Where there is greed, there is no room for

thought or meditation of the Brahma. Then how can a greedy man get dispassion

and salvation? For a greedy man there is no peace, neither contentment, nor

certainty (steadiness). If there be even a little trace of greed in mind, all

the Sadhanas (spiritual endeavors) are of no avail. Even the knowledge of a

well-read man, who is not free from the desire of the fruit or reward of his

actions, and who has got no disgust for the same, is useless and can't help him

in getting self-realization. The teachings of a Guru are of no use to a man; who

is full of egoism, and who always thinks about the sense-objects. Purification

of mind is absolutely necessary; without it, all our spiritual

endeavors are nothing, but useless show and pomp. It is, therefore, better for

one to take only what he can digest and assimilate. My treasury is full, and I

can give anyone, what he wants, but I have to see whether he is qualified to

receive what I give. If you listen to Me carefully, you will be certainly

benefited. Sitting in this Masjid, I never speak any untruth."

When a guest is invited to a house, all the members of the household and other

friends and relations that happen to be present, are entertained, along with

the guest. So all those that were present in the Masjid at this time could

partake of the spiritual feast that was served by Baba for the rich gentleman.

After getting Baba's blessings, one and all, including the gentleman left the

place quite happy and contented.

SPECIAL CHARACTERISTIC OF BABA

There are many Saints, who leaving their houses, stay in forest, caves or

hermitages and remaining in solitude, try to get liberation or salvation for

themselves. They do not care for other people, and are always self-absorbed.

Sai Baba was not of such a type. He had no home, no wife, no progeny, nor any

relations, near or distant. Still, He lived in the world (society). He begged

His bread from four or five houses, always lived at the foot of the (Neem)

tree, carried on worldly dealings, and taught all the people how to act. And

behave in this world. Rare are the Sadhus and Saints who, after attaining

God-vision, strive for the welfare of the people. Sai Baba was the foremost of

these and, therefore, says Hemadpant.

"Blessed is the country, blessed is the family, and blessed are the chaste

parents where this extraordinary, transcendent, precious and pure jewel (Sai

Baba) was born."

BOW TO SHRI SAI - PEACE BE TO ALL

*****

SWAMI TALKS TO YOU (Thursday's Nine Gems)

1. Human life is the noblest, rarest and the only one fit to be lived. It

is the primary duty and responsibility of every man to work for his redemption

and liberation by his daily effort, by working hard and by discharging his

duties.

2. To fill your small belly, you face many problems in life. You acquire

various forms of knowledge from various fields. You are not able to enjoy the

total bliss. Really, You are wasting your human life.

3. You cannot derive happiness out of happiness. Happiness is the

fructification of difficulties. You want all the comforts and happiness, but

this will not give you Peace. If you want to have a taste of happiness and

peace, obstacles are necessary.

4. Tree is the very symbol of sacrifice. For the ideals of sacrifice,

trees are the best exemplars. In this human life, sacrifice is very essential.

Without sacrifice, you cannot enjoy the state of bliss anytime. You should

cultivate the spirit of sacrifice right from now onwards.

5. You may extend hospitality and kindness to a mean-minded person, but he

will certainly harm you due to his very nature. Because of the 'poison' that

gets into one's psychology, human life is ruined.

6. We should uphold the pristine glory and esteem that man is supreme in

the universe. In ancient times, the sages erred occasionally, but repented and

atoned for their sins. They were great personalities. You should follow such

mighty, eminent personalities.

7. Modern man is weak. In modern times, people commit sins, but they

neither realise their mistakes nor do they repent. In those days, the elders

corrected their mistakes and lead a pure life, being very grateful to God.

Repentance is the basis for the glorious life that follows. To recognise this

truth, you worship Lord Vigneshwara.

8. Divinity is not limited to mankind alone. We find divinity present in

birds and beasts too. To demonstrate this latent, immanent divinity, we have

Vinaayaka having an elephant's head, with a mouse as his vehicle.

9. The elephant is highly intelligent, faithful and loyal. It never leaves the

path that it lays all by itself and stands as a symbol for gratitude. Gratitude

is a very sacred quality.

*****

PRAYER

"Mushikavaahana Modaka Hastha, Chaamara Karna Vilambitha Sutra, Vaamana Rupa

Maheshwara Putra, Vighna Vinaayaka Paada Namasthe"

SWAMI TALKS TO US

Prayer is the very breath of religion; for it brings man and God together and,

with every sigh, nearer and nearer. Dhyana is the process of listening to the

Song Celestial, the Flute of Krishna, with the mental ears alert on the melody.

Yoga is the merging of the Mind in the Bliss of self-forgetfulness, when the

music fills the Consciousness.

This is the best time to tell you something about the authenticity of this

Advent. I only wish to communicate the Truth. There are many who cannot bear or

tolerate the splendor that I am manifesting, the Divinity that is expressed in

every act, the wonders and amazing happenings that are the result of Grace;

these people label these as acts of mesmerism or miracles or feats of magic!

They hope to bring these down in the estimation of the people. Let me tell you

this ; mine is no mesmerism or miracle or magic. Mine is genuine DIVINE POWER.

Birds, beasts and trees have not deviated, from their nature; they are still

holding it valid. Man alone has disfigured it, in his crude attempt to improve

upon it. So, the Avatar has to come as Man among men, move as a friend, well

wisher, kinsman, guide, teacher, healer and participant among men. He has come

to restore Dharma and when man follows Dharma, he is pleased and content.

*****

SATHYAM SIVAM SUNDARAM - Part II

The Life of the Divine Avatar Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba

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

THE CALL

While hoisting the Flag of Prashanthi on the Nilayam on the 23rd November 1962,

Baba referred to the Chinese who were pouring across the Himalayan valleys into

the plains and announced, "My Birthday Festival will not be marred by any

dispiriting news; you will get positive cheerful news. Sanathana Dharma will

suffer no harm." And, true to this Declaration, the Chinese who were in the

full flush of advance had started withdrawing, since midnight of the 22nd

beyond the mountain ranges for some as yet undisclosed reasons!

That evening, when the Minister for Planning in the Andhra Government opened a

school donated by Him in the village of Puttaparthy, Baba spoke on the colossal

waste that education involves at present. "Look at the village roads, the

village home, the village children, and tell Me whether 50 or 60 years of

teaching the rules of health and hygiene

has had any effect. If even these lessons affecting health and well-being and

life itself are thus neglected in practice, I need not say that other subjects

laboriously taught in schools produce even less effect." Baba pointed out the

imitative trends, which have cut children off from native currents of culture

and made them rootless and dry. "You teach children nonsense rhymes like "Baa,

Baa, Black Sheep, have you any wool" or "Jack and Jill went up the hill";

sustaining and elevating lines like "Suddha brahma paraath para Ram,

Kaalaathmaka parameswara Ram" (Ram, the pure Essence, the Supreme Beyond Ram,

the Time Principle, the Lord of Lords) have been dismissed as out of date and

burdensome. Of what worth is an India that has

discarded its nature and become a fake Russia or a fake America? Make the

country more really Indian", He advised. "For the illness of greed, hurry,

hatred and conceit that this country, along with the rest of the world is

afflicted with, those who plan the education of the children must get ready to

teach them the first few steps in spiritual Sadhana, silence, repetition of the

Name of the Lord, meditation on the Creator of this wondrous Universe, positive

acts of service to others,

detachment from demeaning habits, etc."

Dr. M. Chenna Reddy, the Minister, referred during his presidential address to

the pilgrimage that he had made to Shirdi a few weeks ago, "I consider my

coming to Puttaparthy so soon after that, as a piece of good fortune, for the

Sai Baba of Shirdi has taken Avathar here as Sathya Sai Baba", he said. Baba

told him as well as the gathering, "I am all Names, not only these two - Sai

Baba and Sathya Sai Baba.

To call that manifestation Sai Baba or this as Sathya Sai Baba is only one of

the many methods of designation. Then as well as now, Sai is all Names and all

Forms." Truly, a glimpse of the Universality of the Divine, Baba invites us to

seize the chance of His Grace and save ourselves with alacrity. "By seizing

this chance, you can elevate yourself step by step, steadily. A stomachache or

a fever, some loss or grief brings you to Prashanthi Nilayam. You start liking

this place and its atmosphere, the Omkara, the Bhajan, the calm quiet that

prevails. You see Me and observe My movements, words and actions; you leave

with hope and courage, confidence and strength, with a Bhajan book and picture,

perhaps before long you forget the ache or fever, for it has either disappeared

or lost its acerbity; you have developed a new ache - for Prashanthi, (Unshaken

Peace) for Darshan Sparshan, Sambashan,

for Japam, Dhyanam, and Sakshathkaram (Realisation). Follow My instructions and

become soldiers in My Army; I shall lead you on to victory." Then he made this

grand declaration, this great Call: "When some one asks you in great

earnestness where the Lord is to be found, do not dodge; give them the answer

that rises on to your tongue from your heart. Direct him to Puttaparthy and

invite him to share your joy."

In December 1962, Baba was in Madras City. He inaugurated the Sathya Sai Nivas,

a Prayer Hall set in the centre of Perambur Suburb, where there is the colossal

industrial complex radiating from the Integral Coach Factory and the Railway

Workshops. Baba said, "This is a Light-house for this region, to save those

endeavoring to cross the

ocean of Samsara; it will point out to them the treacherous rocks of greed and

hate, and signal the storms of wild egoism."

In the very first week of 1963, on the 6th January to be exact, the Vaikunda

Ekadashi had to be celebrated, according to the Calendar. Baba's Calendar marks

out that Day as Amrithodbhavam Day, when Divine Nectar emanates from His Hand.

The Day is observed as the day when the Gates of Heaven are opened for all in

the great Vaishnavite temple Srirangam

10pt">, where the Lord as Ranganatha, the Director of the World-stage, presides

over the Drama of Birth and Death with a few scenes of Living, in between. For

those who are near this Sri Ranganatha in Human Form, the gates of heaven open

when He gives them the Nectar He creates, that day. On 6th January, Baba took

many devotees to Mahabalipuram on the Eastern Sea, a place where the waves

whisper to man the wonderful tales of long ago. It is a place hallowed by

centuries of history. Here, chisels held by left hands inspired by

Karmayoga, directed by eyes sparkling with the light of Bhakthiyoga, trained by

brains illumined by Jnanayoga have shaped rebellious rock into rapture-filled

paths. When the party settled around Baba on the seashore and began singing

Bhajan songs, the waves must have recalled bygone days when the temple deities

of Tamil Nad were installed for worship on the seashore and the shore was

filled, not with picnic-minded crowds, but with masses of devout hearts and

humble seekers of God. They surged, one behind the other, in serried ranks to

catch a glimpse of Baba and to hear the lilt of the song divine. Even the

elephants, deer and monkeys carved in stone strained to escape from the rock

and sit around.

Baba created that evening three charming idols of Vishnu, Narayana and Krishna,

and when the group of devotees around Him were exulting over their luck, the

mute image of Arjuna doing penance must have turned and folded hands in a

sudden inspiration to pay homage. The three idols, Baba explained, symbolized

the Sathwic aspect of God, the aspect that confers Amritha or Immortality to

man. Vaikunda is the place or stage of no 'kuntitha' or dullness or stupidity,

mutilation or misery. On the Ekadashi Day, dedicated to the winning of that

stage, the gates of Vaikunda are open for those who have achieved success in

the struggle for overcoming the handicap of ignorance. "When the mind obeys the

whims of the senses, you get bound; when the mind listens to the warnings of its

master, the Budhi or Reason, you

are saved. So, train the mind to heed the intelligence and not the vagaries of

the senses," Baba advised. After granting the devotees this Bodhamritham, Baba

created the Amritham, which was generated by the Devas and Asuras on that

auspicious Day by churning the Ocean of Milk, (as described in the

Bhagavatham). He gave it to all present, with the warning that the tongue that

has tasted Amritham must not be contaminated by Anrtham (Falsehood) thereafter.

Returning to Prashanthi Nilayam, Baba called upon the devotees who had made it

their home to follow the rigorous discipline that He had prescribed. "This

Avathar has Bhakta-rakshana (the fostering of Bhaktas) as one of its tasks. So,

strive to be Bhaktas. Give me your mind, fully and without reservations; give it

to Me with all its fickleness and waywardness. That is the only thing you need

do. Then, you become Bhaktas; you will be liberated from grief. Not only you,

but, every being in the Universe has to be liberated and will be," Baba said. A

few days later, the Ceremony of Initiation into Brahmacharya of about 30 boys

was celebrated. Finding that 16 of them had not gone through the preliminary

'ear-piercing' rite Baba waved His hand and produced as many ear-ring wires of

gold as were needed; He

Himself pierced the ears of the novitiates. He gave each of them the robes for

the ceremony and the copper vessels they have to use. Brahmin Priests had come

from many towns, accompanying the parents of the boys who were to be initiated.

Baba spoke to them of the accretions that Time has piled on the simple Vedic

rite; He directed them to discard these exhibitionists, the social and the

convivial frills of the Vedic vesture and adhere to the simpler schedule that

He had decided on. They gladly agreed; they were happy that Baba has come to

separate the chaff from the grain. "I shall be their Mother", He said, when the

priests suggested that the mothers must stand behind the boys during the rite.

"Some among the boys have lost their mothers; when they see other boys with

mothers behind them, they will shed tears at their own misfortune; I do not

want any boy to shed tears during the rite when he is being given the

'grief-destroying' Gayathri mantra; so, let us not have mothers behind

the boys." The mother has to pour the first handful of rice when the initiate

starts his student career and says, "Bhavathi, bhikshaam dehi" (Lady, Give me

alms); but, Baba said, "I shall be the Mother. I shall fill their hands with

gifts". What great good fortune, this!

The Shivaratri Festival was celebrated in the wake of the Upanayanams. Two

Lingams - one golden and the other, crystal - emerged from Baba, having formed

themselves in Him, as is the wont since 1940, prior to this Sacred Day every

year. Baba explained that the Linga was a 'mark' or 'symbol' representing the

merging of the Particular in the Universal, the dissolution of the mind (with

its agitations, aspirations and accomplishments that attach and adhere) in the

Atma-awareness. The wise realize that the mind and the vast phantasmagoria that

it weaves are all subsumed in the Linga, in the beginningless endless Ocean of

Existence-Knowledge-Bliss.

After Shivaratri, Baba left for Rajahmundry for presiding over a Three Day

Adhyathmic (Spiritual) Festival of Discourses. Hundreds of villages in the

region around Rajahmundry, the vast fertile Deltaic tract of the

10pt">Godavari River, were looking forward to this visit, which they hoped would

be extended to their area too. But, Baba announced that "visits to other places

have been postponed: all can, however take Darshan at Rajahmundry during the

meetings". Therefore, while Baba was motoring along the Grand Trunk Road on the

East Coast of India towards the Godavari Town, thousands were speeding towards

that place by car and

omnibus, train and boat, on cycles and rickshaws and by bullock carts from far

and near. Trains puffed into the station heavy with human throngs and left it

empty, for, all were anxious to reach and none was prepared to pass beyond or

leave the coveted town. Old men who had seen the mammoth gatherings that the

River Festival of Pushkaram attracts into Rajahmundry swore that the record was

broken into bits. Baba Himself remarked, on the 29th, when He addressed the

gathering, which was packed to bursting point in the largest maiden of the

Town, that it was a reminder of the Viswavirat-swarupa Itself. That is to say,

of the multitudinous manifestation of the Great Unknown. Baba had to change the

venue to the vast open spaces of a suburb, where He could

speak to them from a housetop that commanded the entire area. The fourth day of

Baba's stay at Rajahmundry was Rama Navami, the Birthday of Rama, the Avathar

of God, worshipped as the embodiment of Dharma from Himalayan valleys to

Kanyakumari homes. India was fragrant with incense, tinkling with temple bells,

that night. Baba sat that night on a patch of sand in the center of the broad

river, as Rama must have sat long long ago, while He was on His peregrinations

in the South. It was an epic hour; a turning point in the history of the World.

For, Baba announced in that hour His Plan for the spread and propagation of

Vedic Dharma throughout

FONT-SIZE: 10pt">India and the World.

Baba teaches that Karma has to be suffused with Bhakthi so that Jnana may be

won. He has pointed out that the Vedas have three Kaandas or Sections, the

first one dealing with Karma, which is the most voluminous and the second,

shorter in size, called Upaasana or Worship. The third or the Jnana section is

the Upanishad literature, which is shorter still, the Vedantha or the

Consummation of Vedic discipline. He compares these three to the 'tender

fruit', the 'ripening fruit' and the 'ripe fruit'. The ripening fruit becomes

filled with sweetness, in much shorter time than the tender fruitling takes to

grow into the ripening fruit. The sweetness, for which all this is a

preparation, is Jnana.

Baba agrees with the Vedic dictum that Jnana alone can confer Liberation that

Karma and Bhakthi are preliminary stages that each seeker has to go through.

Jnana alone reveals the essential one-ness of the Universe, the one-ness of

matter and matter, of time and space, of the most distant star with the

smallest speck glittering in the sunlight.

Baba spoke of this One-ness, this non-duality, A-dwaitha on the birthday of

Sankara who was the most vigorous exponent of this Vedanthic truth. "This

interpretation satisfies the most complex demands of the intellect and

reconciles all the discoveries of science. A-dwaitha is the awareness of the

One in full measure, in all things, at all times. When you know that the 'many'

is a figment of your own imagination born out of your incomplete knowledge, you

become sole Master, and all fear vanishes; you are free from the thralldom of

the many-faced Samsara", Baba said.

On the 10th of May, Baba inaugurated the Factory of the Rao Insulating Company

at Whitefield. He addressed the employees and gave them His Blessings and

advice. He told them that each one of them was a link in the chain of

production; sloth, slackness, negligence or inefficiency of a single person

will nullify the skill, vigilance, efficiency and enthusiasm of the rest. Be

tolerant of the other man's point of view, be aware of the other man's

difficulties; respect the other man's needs as much as you respect your own. He

said He knew the British Technicians who were collaborating with them and so He

could congratulate them on securing such earnest and loving friends from

abroad.

Baba lays His finger on the crux of what is often exaggerated as the labour

problem, for, He sees it as a human problem of acquiring peace and joy. At

Srisailam, when He saw the thousands of masons, stone cutters and mechanics

engaged in building a Dam across the Krishna River, He gave them advice, which

leaders and guides of labour can well take to heart. "Do not go about this work

in a haphazard way; this is a sacred task which will provide food and happiness

for crores of men, women and children for centuries. Truly, your lives have

been worthwhile. You, who toil to curb the waywardness of this mighty river,

must toil to curb your own waywardness too. Dam the roaring flood of passion,

which endangers the peace and joy of your own homes. Canalize it into useful

fields. Just as you obey the rules of

health for fear of falling ill, obey the rules of mental control too so that you

may have abundant peace. Spend a few minutes every morning and evening in the

silence of your home before the altar, spend them with God. Practice the

constant presence of God, see Him with you always under all conditions. Rely on

Him; it is His Drama, you are but a role, an actor."

>From Whitefield, Baba went to Mysore City and the Nilgiris and from thence He

proceeded to Tinnevelly, Mukkudal, Maduraj and the Kodaikanal Hills, reaching

Prashanthi Nilayam in time for the Festival of Guru Pournima. The miraculous

events that preceded that Festival and that made it unforgettable deserve a

separate chapter, a chapter, which has

to be inscribed in letters of gold.

CONTINUED…

With Sai love from Sai brother M. Palaniswamy

/