SRI SAI SATCHARITA and SATHYAM SIVAM SUNDARAM [24-25]

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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 – [24-25]

SHRI SAI SATCHARITA

The Life of the Divine Avatar Sai Baba of Shirdi

By Hemadpant

CHAPTER XXIV

Baba's Wit and Humour - Chanak Leela - (1) Hemadpant (2) Sudama (3) Anna Chinchanikar vs. Mavsibai

PRELIMINARY

To say that, we shall state such and such in the next or this Chapter is a sort

of egoism. Unless, we surrender our ego to the feet of our Sad-guru, we will

not succeed in our undertaking. If we become egoless, then our success is

assured.

By worshipping Sai Baba, we attain both the objects, worldly and spiritual, and

are fixed in our true Nature, and get peace and happiness. Therefore, those who

want to gain their welfare should respectfully hear Sai Baba's Leelas or stories

and meditate on them. If they do this, they will easily attain the object of

their life and get Bliss.

Generally, all people like wit and humour, but they do not like that jokes

should be cut at their expense. But Baba's method was peculiar; when it was

accompanied with gestures, it was very interesting and instructive, and the

people, therefore, did not mind, if they were held up to the ridicule.

Hemadpant gives his own instance below.

CHANAK-LEELA

In Shirdi, bazaar was held every Sunday, and people from the neighboring

villages came there, erected booths and stall on the street, and sold their

wares and commodities. Every noon, the Masjid was crowded more or less; but on

Sunday, it was crowded to suffocation. On one such Sunday, Hemadpant sat in

front of Baba, shampooing His Legs and muttering God's name. Shama was on

Baba's left, Vamanrao to His right - Shriman Booty and Kakasaheb Dixit and

others were also present there. Then Shama laughed and said to Annasaheb - "See

that some grains seem to have stuck

to the sleeve of your coat". So saying he touched the sleeve and found that

there were some grains. Hemadpant straightened his left fore-arm to see what

the matter was, when to the surprise of all, some grains of gram come rolling

down and were picked up by the people who were sitting there.

This incident furnished a subject matter for joke. Everybody present began to

wonder and said something or other as to how the grains found their way into

the sleeve of the coat and lodged there so long. Hemadpant also could not guess

how they found an entrance and stayed there. When nobody could give any

satisfactory explanation in this matter, and everybody was wondering about this

mystery, Baba said as follows: -

Baba - "This fellow (Annasaheb) has got the bad habit of eating alone. Today is

a bazaar-day and he was here chewing grams. I know his habit and these grams

are a proof of it. What wonder is there is this matter?"

Hemadpant - "Baba, I never know of eating things alone; then why do you thrust

this bad habit on me? I have never yet seen Shirdi bazaar. I never went to the

bazar today, then how could I buy grams, and how could I eat them if I had not

bought them? I never eat anything unless I share it with others present near

me".

Baba - "It is true that you give to the persons present; but if none be near-by,

what could you or I do but do you remember Me before eating? Am I not always

with you? Then do you offer Me anything before you eat?"

MORAL

Let us mark and note carefully, what Baba has taught us, by this incident. He

has advised us that before the senses, mind and intellect enjoy their objects,

he should first be remembered, and if this be done, it is in a way an offering

to Him. The senses etc. can never remain without their objects, but if those

objects are first offered to the Guru, the attachment for them will naturally

vanish. In this way, all the Vrittis (thoughts) regarding Desire, Anger,

Avarice etc. should first be offered and directed to the Guru and if this

practice be followed, the Lord will help you in eradicating all the Vrittis.

When before enjoyment of the objects, you think that Baba is close by, the

question whether the object is fit to be enjoyed or not will at once arise.

Then the object that is not fit

to be enjoyed will be shunned and in this way our vicious habits or vices will

disappear and our character will improve. Then love for the Guru will grow and

pure knowledge will sprout up. When this knowledge grows, the bondage of body -

consciousness (we are the body) will snap and our intellect will be merged in

spirit-consciousness (we are the spirits). Then we shall get Bliss and

contentment. There is no difference between Guru and God. He, who sees any

difference in them, sees God nowhere. So leaving aside all ideas of difference,

we should regard Guru and God as one, and if we serve our Guru as stated above,

Lord (God) will be certainly pleased and purifying our minds He will give us

self-realisation. To put the matter in a nutshell, we should not enjoy any

object with our senses etc. without first remembering our Guru. When the mind

is trained in this way, we will be always reminded of Baba, and our meditation

on Baba will grow apace. The Saguna Form of Baba will ever be

before our eyes and then devotion, non-attachment and salvation will all be

ours. When Baba's Form is thus fixed before our mental vision, we forget

hunger, thirst, and this Samsara; the consciousness of worldly pleasures will

disappear and our mind shall attain peace and happiness.

SUDAMA'S STORY

When the above story was being narrated, Hemadpant was reminded of similar story

of Sudama, which illustrates the same principle and, therefore, it is given

here.

Shri Krishna and His elder brother, Balarama, were living with a co-student,

named Sudama, in the ashram of their Guru, Sandipani. Once Krishna and Balarama

were sent to the forest for bringing fuel. Then the wife of Sandipani sent also

Sudama for the same purpose with some quantity of grams for the three. When

Krishna met Sudama in the forest, he said to him - "Dada, I want

water as I am thirsty". Sudama replied - "No water should be drunk on an empty

stomach, so it is better to rest a while". He did not say that he had got grams

with him and that He should take some. As Krishna was tired, He lay down for

rest on the lap of Sudama and was snoring. Seeing this, Sudama took out the

grams and began to eat. Then Krishna suddenly asked him - "Dada, what are you

eating, whence is the sound?” He replied - "What is there to eat? I am

shivering with cold and my teeth are chattering. I can't even repeat distinctly

Vishnu Sahasranama". Hearing this,

the Omniscient Krishna said - "I just dreamt a dream, in which I saw a man,

eating things of another, and when asked about this, he said - "What earth

(dust) should he eat?” meaning thereby that he had nothing to eat? The other

man said - "Let it be so". Dada, this is only a dream. I know that you won't

eat anything without Me; under the influence of the dream I asked you what you

were eating?" If Sudama had known a bit of the Omniscient, Shri Krishna and His

Leelas, he would not have acted, as he did. Therefore, he had to suffer for what

he did. Though he was a chum of Shri Krishna he had to pass his later life in

utter poverty. But when he later offered

10pt">Krishna a handful of parched rice, earned by his wife with her own labour,

Krishna was pleased and gave him a golden city to enjoy. This story should be

remembered by those who have the habit of eating things alone without partaking

them with others.

The Shruti also emphasizes this lesson, and asks us to offer things first to God

and then enjoy them after they are renounced by Him. Baba also has taught us the

same lesson in His inimitable and humorous way.

ANNA CHINCHANIKAR VS. MAVSIBAI

Hemadpant now describes another witty incident, in which Baba played a

peacemaker's part. There was one devotee by name Damodar Ghanashyama Babare

alias Anna Chinchanikar. He was simple, rough and straightforward. He cared for

nobody, always spoke plainly and carried all dealings in cash. Though he looked

outwardly harsh and uncompromising, he was good natured and guileless. So Sai

Baba loved him. One day, like others serving Baba in their own way, this Anna

was, one noon standing prone and was shampooing the left arm of Baba, which

rested on the kathada (railing). On the right side, one old widow named Venubai

Koujalgi whom Baba called mother and all others Mavsibai was serving Baba in her

own way. This Mavsibai was an elderly woman of pure heart. She clasped the

fingers of both her

hands round the trunk of Baba and was at this time kneading Baba's abdomen. She

did this so forcibly that Baba's back and abdomen became flat (one) and Baba

moved from side to side. Anna on the other side was steady, but Mavsibai's face

moved up and down with her strokes. Once it so happened that her face came very

close to Anna's. Being of a witty disposition she remarked - "Oh, this Anna is

a lewd (bad) fellow, he wants to kiss me. Even being so old with grey hair he

feels no shame in kissing me." These words enraged Anna and he pulled up his

sleeves and said - "You say that I am an old bad fellow, am I quite a fool? It

is you that have picked up a quarrel and are quarreling with me". All the

persons, present there were enjoying this encounter between them. Baba, Who

loved both of them equally and wanted to pacify them, managed the affair very

skillfully. Lovingly He said - "Oh Anna, why are you unnecessarily raising this

hue and cry? I do not understand what harm or impropriety

is there, when the mother is kissed?" Hearing these words of Baba, both of them

were satisfied and all the persons laughed merrily and enjoyed Baba's wit to

their heart's content.

BABA'S CHARACTERISTICS -- HIS DEPENDENCY ON BHAKTAS

Baba allowed His devotees to serve Him in their own way, and did not like any

other persons interfering in this. To quote an instance, the same Mavsibai was

on another occasion, kneading Baba's abdomen. Seeing the fury and force used by

her, all the other devotees felt nervous and anxious. They said, "Oh mother, be

more considerate and moderate, otherwise you will break Baba's arteries and

nerves". At this Baba got up at once from His seat, dashed His Satka on the

ground. He got enraged and His eyes became red like a live charcoal. None dared

to stand before or face Baba. Then He took hold of one end of the Satka with

both hands and pressed it in the hollow of his abdomen. The other end He fixed

to the post and began to press His abdomen against it. The Satka, which was

about two or three

feet in length seemed all to go into the abdomen and the people, feared that the

abdomen would be ruptured in a short time. The post was fixed and immovable and

Baba began to go closer and closer to it and clasped the post firmly. Every

moment the rupture was expected, and they were all dismayed, did not know what

to do, and stood dumb with wonder and fear. Baba suffered this ordeal for the

sake of His Bhakta. The other devotees wanted only to give a hint to the

Mavsibai to be moderate in her service and not cause any trouble or pain to

Baba. This they did with good intention, but Baba did not brook even this. They

were surprised to see that their well-intentioned effort had resulted in this

catastrophe; and they could do nothing but to wait and see. Fortunately, Baba's

rage soon cooled down. He left the Satka and resumed His seat. From this time

onward, the devotees took the lesson that they should not meddle with anybody

but allow him to serve Baba as the chooses, as He was

capable to gauge the merits and worth of the service rendered unto Him.

BOW TO SHRI SAI - PEACE BE TO ALL

CHAPTER XXV

Damu Anna Kasar of Ahmednagar - (1) Speculations - (2) Amra-Leela

PRELIMINARY

We begin this Chapter with a bow with all our eight limbs to Sai Baba, Who is an

ocean of mercy, the God incarnate, who is Para-Brahman and the great Yogeshwara

(Lord of Yoga). Victory be unto Sai Baba, Who is the crest-jewel of the Saints,

who is the home of all auspicious things, who is our Atmaram (Dear Self), and

who is the able refuge of the devotees. We prostrate ourselves before Him, Who

has attained the aim and end of life.

Sai Baba is always full of mercy. What is wanted on our part is whole-hearted

devotion to Him. When a devotee has got firm faith and devotion, his wishes are

soon fulfilled. When the desire arose in the mind of Hemadpant to write the life

and Leelas of Sai Baba, He immediately got it written by him. When the order 'to

keep the memos' was given, Hemadpant was inspired and his intellect got strength

and boldness to undertake and finish the work. He was not, he say, qualified to

write the work, but the gracious blessings of Baba enabled him to complete the

undertaking; and thus you have this Satcharita which is a Somakant jewel, from

which nectar in the form of Sai Leelas oozes out for the readers to drink to

their hearts' content.

Whenever, a devotee had complete and whole-hearted devotion to Sai Baba, all his

calamities and dangers were warded off and his welfare attended to by Baba. The

story of Damodar Savalaram Resane, Kasar of Ahmednagar (now of Poona) alias

Damu Anna illustrating the above statement, is given below.

DAMU ANNA

The readers are aware that a mention of this gentleman was made in the 6th

Chapter, regarding the celebration of Rama-Navami festival in Shirdi. He went

to Shirdi about the year 1895, when the Rama-Navami Utsava-celebration began

and from that time he has been providing an ornamental flag for that occasion

every year. He also feeds the poor and the fakirs that come there for the

festival.

HIS SPECULATIONS: (1) COTTON

A Bombay friend of Damu Anna wrote to him, that they should do some

cotton-speculation business in partnership, which would bring them about two

lacks of rupees as profit. (Damu Anna says in his statement made about the year

1936 to Mr. B.V. Narasimha Swami that the proposal about speculating at Bombay

in cotton was from a broker who was not to be a partner, and that he (Damu

Anna) was to be the sole adventurer: - vide P.75 of the Devotees' Experiences

Part II). The broker wrote that the business was good and involved no risks and

that the opportunity should

not be lost. Damu Anna was oscillating in his mind. He could not at once

determine to venture in the speculation. He thought about this and as he was a

devotee of Baba, he wrote a detailed letter to Shama giving all the facts and

requested him to consult Baba and take His advice in the matter. Shama got the

letter next day and when he came with it at noon to the Masjid and placed it

before Baba. He asked Shama what the matter was, and what the paper (letter)

was about. He replied that Damu Anna of Nagar wanted to consult Him about

something. Then Baba said - "What does he write, and what does he plan? It

seems that he wants to catch the sky and that he is not content with what God

has given him; read his letter". Shama than said, "The letter contains what

you have just said now. Oh, Deva you sit here calm and composed and agitate the

devotees and when they get restless, you draw them here, some in person and

others through letters. If you know the contents of the latter, why do you then

press me to read it?" Baba said - "Oh Shama, read it please. I speak at random

and who believes Me."

Then Shama read the letter and Baba heard it attentively and said feelingly -

"The Shet (Damu Anna) has gone mad; write to him in reply that nothing is

wanting in his house. Let him be content with the half loaf (bread) he has now

and let him not bother himself about lacks." Shama sent the reply, which Damu

Anna was anxiously waiting for. Reading it, he found that all his hopes and

prospects about lack of rupees as profit were dashed to the ground. He thought

that he had done a mistake in consulting Baba. But as Shama had hinted in the

reply that there was always much difference in seeing and hearing and that,

therefore, he should come to Shirdi personally and see Baba. He thought it

advisable to go to Shirdi and consult Baba personally about the affair. So he

went to Shirdi, saw Baba,

prostrated himself before Him and sat shampooing His legs. He had no courage to

ask Baba openly about the speculation, but he thought in his mind, that it

would be better if some share in the business should be assigned to Baba and

said in his mind, that if Baba were to help him in this transaction, he would

surrender some share of profits to Him. Damu Anna was thus thinking secretly in

his mind, but nothing was veiled from Baba; everything past, present and future

were clear to Him as an Amalaka fruit in hand. A child wants sweets, but its

mother gives bitter pills; the former spoil its health, while the latter

improve it. So the mother looking to the welfare of her infant, coaxes it and

gives it bitter pills. Baba, kind mother as He was, knew the present and future

prospects of His devotees, and therefore reading Damu Anna's mind, He openly

spoke to him - "Bapu, I do not want to be entangled in any such worldly things

(sharing profits)." Seeing Baba's disapproval Damu Anna dropped

the enterprise.

(2) GRAIN-DEALING

Then he thought of trading in grain, rice, wheat and other groceries. Baba read

also this thought and said to him, "You will be buying at five seers and

selling at seven seers a rupee". So this business was also given up. The rice

in the prices of grains was kept up for some time, and Baba's prophecy seemed

to be falsified, but in a month or two there was abundant rain everywhere and

the prices suddenly fell down; and, therefore, those who stored grains suffered

a severe loss. Damu Anna was saved from this fate. Needless to say that the

cotton speculation which was conducted by the broker with the help of another

merchant also collapsed with a severe loss to the adventurers. After seeing

that Baba had saved him from two severe losses in cotton and grain

speculations, Damu Anna's faith in

Baba grew strong and he remained a true devotee of Baba till His passing away and even now.

AMRA-LEELA (MANGO MIRACLE)

Once a parcel of about 300 good mangoes was received at Shirdi. It was sent from

Goa by one Mamalatdar named Rale to Sai Baba in the name of Shama. When it was

opened, all the mangoes were found to be in a good condition. They were given

in Shama's charge and only four were retained and placed in the kolamba (pot)

by Baba. He said that, "These four fruits are for Damu Anna, let them lie

there".

This Damu Anna had three wives. According to his statement mentioned above, he

had not three but two wives only. He had no issue. He consulted many

astrologers and himself studied astrology to some extent and found that as

there was a 'papi' (inauspicious) planet in his horoscope, there was no

prospect of any issue to him in this life. But he had great faith in Baba. When

he went to Shirdi, two hours after the receipt of the mango parcel, for

worshipping Baba, He said, "Though other people are looking for the mangoes,

they are Dammya's. He whose they are, should 'eat and die'." Damu Anna on

hearing these words was first shocked, but on Mahalasapati (a prominent Shirdi

devotee) explaining to him that death meant the death of the little self or

egos, and to have it at Baba's Feet was a

blessing, he said that he would accept the fruits and eat them. But Baba said to

him. "Do not eat yourself, but give them to your junior wife. This Amra-Leela

(mango miracle of 4 mangoes) will give her four sons and four daughters. This

was done and ultimately in due course it was found Baba's words turned out true

and not those of the astrologers.

Baba's speech established its efficacy or greatness while He was living in the

flesh, but wonder of wonders! It did the same even after His passing away. Baba

said - "Believe Me, though I pass away, My bones in My tomb will give you hope

and confidence. Not only Myself but My tomb would be speaking, moving and

communicating with those who would surrender themselves whole-heartedly to Me.

Do not be anxious that I would be absent from you. You will hear My bones

speaking and discussing your welfare. But remember Me always, believe in Me

heart and soul and then you will be most benefited.

PRAYER

Hemadpant closes this Chapter with a prayer. "Oh Sai Sad-guru, the wish

fulfilling tree of the Bhaktas, Let us never forget and lose sight of Your

Feet; we have been troubled with the ins and outs (births and deaths) in this

samsar; now free us from this cycle of births and deaths. Restrain us from the

outgoing of our senses to their objects and introvert us and bring us face to

face with the Atma (Self). As long as this outgoing tendency of the senses and

the mind is not checked, there is no prospect of self-realisation. Neither son,

nor wife nor friend will be of any use in the end. It is only You, Who will give

us salvation and happiness. Destroy completely our tendency for discussions and

other evil matters, let out tongue get a passion for chanting Your name. Drive

out our thoughts,

good or otherwise and make us forget our bodies and houses, and do away with our

egoism. Make us ever remember Your name and forget all other things. Remove the

restlessness of our mind, and make it steady and calm. If you just clasp us,

the darkness of night of our ignorance will vanish and we shall live happily in

Your light. That You made us drink the nectar of Your Leelas and awakened us

from our slumber is due to Your grace and our store of merits in past births".

Note: - In this connection the following extract from Damu Anna's statement

mentioned above, is worth perusal, (Page 76). "Once when I sat at His Feet

along with many others, I had two questions in my mind and He gave answers to

both.

(1) There are so many crowding to Sai Baba. Do they all get benefit from Him?

To this, He replied orally - "Look at the mango tree in blossom. If all the

flowers brought fruit, what a splendid crop it would be. But do they? Most fall

off (either as flowers or as unripe fruits) by wind etc. Very few remain".

(2) The second question was about myself. If Baba were to pass away, how

hopelessly adrift I would be and how am I to fare then? To this Baba answered

that He would be with me when and wherever I thought of Him. That promise He

had kept up before 1918 and has been keeping up after 1918. He is still with

me. He is still guiding me. This was about 1910-11, when brothers separated

from me and my sister died, and there was a theft and police enquiry, all of

which incidents upset me very much.

When my sister died, my mind was much upset. I did not care for life and

enjoyments. When I went to Baba, He pacified me with His Upadesh and made me

eat a feast of Pooran Poli at Appa Kulkarni's house and get pasted with sandal.

 

There was a theft in my house. A thirty years friend of mine stole my wife's

jewel-box, including her auspicious Nathi (nose-ring). I wept before Baba's

photo. The next day, the man returned the jewel-box and prayed for pardon.

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.

HOLY JOY

Any one writing a book about Baba has to be moved by a constant trepidation,

for, Baba says, "I do not need any publicity. What are you daring to publicize?

What do you know about Me, let Me ask you! You speak one thing about Me today,

and another tomorrow! Your faith has not been rendered unshakable. You praise

Me when things go well; you blame Me when things go wrong. You flit from one

refuge to another." Yes, I know precious little about the Mystery that is Baba;

20 years of constant adjacency and association have filled to break the

veil-through which He is comprehended but dimly. Baba says, "Be sincere; talk

only about your genuine experience; do not distort, exaggerate or falsify that

experience." I can only try my best to adhere to this direction that He has

given us. "If you accept Me and say,

Yes, I too respond Yes, Yes, Yes. lf you deny Me and say, No, I echo No. Come,

experience, and have faith; that is the method of utilizing Me". That was the

reason why, though He told Me in 1948 that I should write His biography, He

gave me the green signal only in 1960, when I had "gone, experienced and

developed faith", after my thirty years of carping criticism as a humorist of

the antics of social and religious leaders!

The sneer with which I used to write about such leaders was motivated by my

dislike of 'miracles', due to my contact with the Ramakrishna Mission. But,

Baba says, "Some people remark that Ramakrishna Paramahamsa said that the

Siddhis or powers acquired during spiritual exercise are 'obstructions' in the

path of the Sadhak. Of course, they are. The Siddhis or powers may lead him

astray. He has to keep straight on, without being involved in them. His ego

will bloat if he yields to the temptations that these powers dangle before him.

This is correct advice that every aspirant must heed.

"But, the mistake lies in equating Me with a Sadhak or aspirant, equating the

seeker and the Sought! All that I do is fundamental to the nature of an Avatar.

Cynics carp without knowledge. If you learn the Sasthras, you can see things

more clearly. Or, you should cultivate direct experience". And, clarifying what

He means by an Avatar come to redeem and reveal, He says, "I know the agitations

of your hearts, the aspirations, the waves and whirlpools; but, you do not know

My heart. I react to the pain you undergo, the joy that you feel. For, I am in

every heart. That is the temple where I dwell." However hard the task of

writing about Him, however hesitant the pen, the landmarks have to be marked,

the outlines limned, as clear as He has let me see them.

On the 13th day of December 1964, Baba visited Kalahasthi from Venkatagiri, as

He said when he passed out through the gates of Ramamohanrao at Manjeri,

hundreds of miles away! On the 17th, He visited the Vyasa Ashram at Yerpedu,

near Kalahasthi, from where the late Malayala Swami had done yeoman service in

spreading the Adwaita doctrine and its universal message. Baba said, "The

Malayala Swami made every one who came to him and the thousands whom he met,

understand the grandeur of the Real behind the unreal. He knew it by study and

by Sadhana."

Vimalananda, the monk in charge of his great seat of Sadhana and scholarship was

for many months an inmate of Prashanthi Nilayam, before he left for Benares to

join the University for Higher Studies in Sanskrit. While at Prashanthi

Nilayam, he composed a garland of verses and placed it in the hands of Baba.

When his Guru, the renowned Malayala Swami, revered throughout Andhra Pradesh

and many other neighboring states, passed into immortality, Vimalananda turned

to Baba for guidance; he desired that he should be initiated into monastic life

by His Divine hands. But, Baba did not wean him away from his Guru; he insisted

that he should take on the new status, as indicated by Malayala Swami himself.

The atmosphere of the Ashram, redolent with the glory of Vyasa, reminiscent of

the ordeals and tribulations of the saint was adopted as the preceptor by

Andhra Pradesh, ringing with the recitation of Vedic hymns and fragrant with

ardent discussions on the meaning and purpose of existence must have induced

Baba to reveal some part of His Mission and Message. "My task is not merely to

cure, to console, and to remove the misery and pain of individuals. That is but

incidental. My main task is the re-establishment of Vedanta and the Vedanthic

way of life in India

10pt"> and the world."

To the students of the Sanskrit school, He said, 'Compete with others in the

quickness with which you march, on the pilgrim road to God. Grow up,

self-restrained and disciplined; the country needs such children, not well

read, and ill disciplined citizens who plunge society into disorder."

Baba had a good word of appreciation to say, at Penukonda, where He inaugurated

the School Day Celebrations, in February 1965. The Students all over the

country were drawn into a movement to protest against the linguistic policy of

Government and, on the very day, the School Day was held, the agitation had

reached its acme of irresponsibility, all round the town. But, the students of

Penukonda refused to be involved; they concentrated on the Celebrations and won

Baba's Grace. Baba told them, "The debt of love that you owe to your parents who

are toiling in the fields in sun and rain to keep you here in comfort, has to be

repaid by intense and sincere study. All other debts come only later, even the

debt to the mother-country and the mother-tongue. I find that you are aware of

this, that you are keeping

calm and collected, while all around you, the storm is blowing wild."

February also saw the Upanayanam of about 450 boys at Prashanthi Nilayam. "They

are recruited into My army today," said Baba. The Upanayanam (being led to the

Guru or preceptor for spiritual training) is a great event in the life of

Brahmin, Kshatriya and Vaisya boys. It was a magnificent sight to see so many

bright young lads on the threshold of a new life, "re-born" as it were,

affirming as their ancestors did on the banks of holy rivers, the validity of

Dharma, which sustains the Universe. It was inspiring to see them being

initiated into the most sacred of Vedic mantras, the Gayathri. It is a prayer

addressed to Light, that pervades and whole of creation, dispelling darkness,

ignorance and evil. A sacrament that was fast going out of fashion amidst the

glittering gadgets of 'American and English'

social life has thus been restored by Baba to its pristine place in the training

of every twice-born lad.

Shivarathri came soon after. Baba shines forth as Siva, on that sacred day and

His discourses have a distinct emphasis on Jnana and the need to earn it.

"Jnanam Maheswaraad ichcheth"; desire from Maheshwara, the gift of Jnana," say

the Sasthras. "The Rishis fixed these days in the calendar for dedication and

initiation.

On Shivarathri, the miracle of miracles, the creation of a Linga in His Body and

its emergence, takes place. In 1965, fifteen to eighteen thousand people watched

this unique and solemn process in deep silence and tension; their eyes as

riveted on the spare resplendent figure on the dais. The tension mounted to a

climax, as a shining smooth, transparent Linga, emerged from His Mouth, its

green sheen almost dazzling the eyes - a symbol of Brahmanda, the Universe over

which Siva keeps eternal vigil; it was a symbol of something too infinite, too

stupendous, for our little minds to grasp. Its green glory moved us into tears

of joy and gratitude; it spoke to us of the beauty and light that resides in

every thing and being, in the star-studded sky and the human heart. [see also

SSS - The

Call]

For two weeks after Shivarathri, Baba was busy with the award of Grace to the

sick, the old, and the handicapped who had come, as well as to many whom He

recognized as needing His immediate attention, for physical, mental or

spiritual overhaul. Thereafter, He left for Kakinada, in the Godavari Delta,

where the devotees attached to His previous Body that sanctified

Shirdi, had built a temple, which He was to inaugurate. The gathering at

Kakinada was frightful large; the streets were packed tight and the roofs

spilled over with eager throngs. The organizers were alarmed, since the houses

were not built to carry such heavy burdens on their roofs, but, Baba assured

them that nothing would happen. He just glanced round, saying, "This is enough,

to ensure the safety of every man, woman and child." During His Discourse, Baba

said, "You need not build a temple for every new Name, with which you call upon

God or every new Form which you feel He has assumed. You can call upon Him

anywhere and at all times. The ancient temples have been saturated with the

piety and prayers of generations of genuine Bhaktas; it would be

wrong to deny yourselves the capital that has thus accumulated."

>From Kakinada, Baba drove to a small village named Sampara, about 20 miles away.

Though more than 750 miles from Prashanthi Nilayam, this village was a lovely

garden blooming with devotion for Baba. For a number of years, groups of 50,

70, or even 100 men and women had been coming on pilgrimage to Prashanthi

Nilayam and staying on for weeks to soak themselves in faith and discipline.

Every house in the village, every homestead, was a clean fragrant Prashanthi

Nilayam, with the Pranava recitation, the Bhajan sessions, the Namasmarana as

the 'duties', round which daily life

revolved. No wonder it was flags and festoons all the way. The villagers

arranged for every year the exposition of the Bhagavatham, a course that lasted

for months at a time, and so, they saw, in the Master that was coming to them,

the Lord whose Flute filled the Universe with its sweet melody.

It was an inspiring commentary on the Bhagavatham that we saw as we accompanied

Baba to Sampara. We could see in the faces of the simple rural folk who raced

from furrowed fields across canals and fences, towards the car of Baba, the

ardour that filled the hearts of the cowherds of Brindavan. As we neared the

village, the pages of the Bhagavatham became more legible. Toddlers, boys and

girls, maids and mothers, stalwart youths and tottering age - they beamed in

unspeakable joy. They never imagined that the Lord would so readily respond to

their prayers and actually come along the dusty roads and cow dung smelling

lanes, right up to the village-hall! Baba was all love and grace, to those

sacred souls. When he found some one racing along to catch a glimpse, He asked

that the car be slowed, so that he can

have the coveted Darshan; when the car overtook a group riding to the village on

a bullock-cart, he halted a little, so that the occupants could alight and slake

their thirst. He stopped when He saw ryots, bent with age, trudging along to the

village to fill their eyes with Him, and gave them fruit so that they could

return home without trudging any further. There was an old villager who was

driving a few sheep into Sampara; Baba asked the car to slow down so that he

could have Darshan; He wanted the horn be sounded, so that he could turn

around! But, no. He was deaf to the call of Grace. Baba said, "Poor fellow,

it's his destiny! Next time, next time..." and the car gathered speed.

The village was drunk with holy joy. Baba told the gathering. "You have been

yearning for My coming among you for six long years; therefore, have I come

now, to cool your hearts and give you joy." He warned them against the

temptation of the noise and glare of town and cities. "There, man has become

quarrelsome, greedy and cruel. The towns standardize the speech, the habits and

the attitudes of man, into a vulgar pattern. There man is an animal, which is,

petted and humored, so that it may not turn wild. The Divinity of man is

ignored in the rush and worry, in the struggle for possessions and pomp. Learn

to be content and happy where you are. Do not run towards towns hoping to have

happiness and contentment there. They are inner riches, not outer

acquisitions."

Baba has given this advice to every village He has gone into. At Sathyavada,

which He visited later during this tour, He said, "Humility and reverence are

fast disappearing in the towns; uppishness and irreverence are rampant. The

fear of sin has faded; the city-dweller has no faith left in God or his

brother. But, these virtues - humility, reverence, dread of sin, faith in the

victory of truth and the efficacy of the virtue, in the existence of an

ever-present witness - these are still alive in the villages".

>From Kakinada, Baba proceeded to Pithapuram, where a huge gathering had

collected amidst the ruins of a historic fort. "These bastions and turrets were

once the symbols of power and pride; now they are grim reminders of the

frailness and fickleness of fortune", Baba said. "These pathetic walls teach

you that Time is the greatest conqueror", He told the people. Yelamanchili, a

village on the borders of the Vishakapatnam District was the next place which

received Baba's Grace. Fifty thousand persons had gathered there to see and

listen, and carry home the precious

acquisition. "I do not accept from you flowers that fade, fruit that rots, coins

that have no currency beyond the boundary; give Me the Lotus that blooms in your

Manasa-sarovara, in the pure pellucid waters of your inner consciousness; give

Me the fruit of your holiness and steady discipline", He asked.

Then Baba entered the Delta of the Godavari River, the Kona Sima as it is

called, the region, which Baba says, is, "the home of traditional scholarship

in the Vedas and Sastras, the nursery of learned and versatile Pundits, in all

branches of the ancient learning".

Naturally, His Discourses at Amalapuram, the center of the Deltaic area, were

addressed to the repositories of ancient culture and the guardians of Vedic

learning.

About three hundred thousand people filled the town of Amalapuram, when Baba was

there; by car and boat, by bus and carts, on cycles and on foot, they trekked to

have His Darshan and to listen to message of strength and joy. Baba gave

Darshan, whenever the gathering on the roads before His residence grew too

large; He addressed the gathering for ten to fifteen minutes, every hour or so,

in order to reduce the pressure on the meager resources of the town to cater to

non-residents! In spite of this, evening meetings were huge mammoth affairs.

Baba said, "You have come in

hundreds of thousands from all the villages and towns from miles around,

spending time and money and undergoing great exertion. Take back this lesson

from here, retain at least this much out of the hours of listening that you do:

"Attachment causes grief and detachment gives joy."

He said that the Pundits have the key to open the treasure of detachment.

"Fortunately, there are some Pundits, in this region, who preserve faith in

that key and who are serene in the face of loss or gain, fame or calumny. They

are not news and so, you will find no reference to them in the papers. No one

worries about them; they do not worry anyone. People know more about film stars

now, than about the sages and saints in their midst.

Baba is moved by the Love that streams out towards Him from the lakhs and lakhs

of beaming faces that are filled with indescribable joy when He grants Darshan.

He often says, "I do not like to interrupt this transfer of Ananda, from you to

Me and Me to you, by starting a Discourse. It seems as if this is ample

recompense for all the trouble and yearning." At Amalapuram, He told the

people, "I can understand the depth of your Love; you have denied yourself

food, sleep and rest, struggling for a place to squat, a cup of water to drink,

a patch in the shade. You have moved en masse from your villages, like ants from

anthills, issuing out for sunshine for sugar. You have the hunger for God, the

thirst for spiritual light."

>From Amalapuram, Baba proceeded to Rajahmundry, near where the genius of Sir

Henry Cotton devised an anicut across the Godavari river, to curb the raging

flood and fertilize the vast deltaic region. This was about a century ago; the

inhabitants of the Delta are so grateful to Sir Henry for his engineering skill

and foresight that they revere the anicut site as a

holy place, where a bath in the sacred space is felt as sacrosanct as at a site

sanctified by a Vedic saint! Rajahmundry or Rajamahendravaram, as the natives

know it, is a place full of historic memories, cultural relics, and religious

festivals. Baba reached the town in time for the valedictory offering of a

three-day Yajna performed by devotees in the temple of Visweswara, the Lord of

the Universe. Baba casually moved round the corridors of the temple; He peeped

into the shrine of the Consort, the Shakti, the personified

Grace, Annapoorna, the Granter of Anna or Sustenance to the Universe. He saw the

stone idol and said, "0, She feeds the entire community of living beings, but

she herself is poor, she has no nose-ring!" With these words, He waved His hand

and, lo, a big bright diamond nose-ring had formed itself in that Hand; it was

clipped on the nose!

He gave the performers of the Yagna confidence and courage by showing them those

good deeds, done in a dedicatory spirit always yield fruit. A downpour of

unexpected rain rewarded the final offering of sacred objects in the

sacrificial fire! "The rain that fell this morning and surprised every one did

not surprise Me, for it is the inevitable consequence of the Yaga. It is a

special science, which these Pundits know. You laugh at a sculptor chipping

flakes off a piece of rock! You call it waste of precious stone and precious

time, for, you do not know that when he finishes chipping, a beautiful statue

will emerge. You suffer from short sight and from ignorance."

Baba gives the Amrita He creates to every one present; differences in economic

status disappear before the light of His Grace, scholarly attainments, or caste

affiliations. All are His children. In His discourses, He gives the Amrita of

Upanishadic teachings to all who have ears to listen, in sweet simple storyful

style. "Some of you may ask, why tell such great truths to these vast

gatherings, truths that have to be whispered in the ears of ardent seekers

only? How do you know there are not many such here? I know there are many. They

will treasure the truth, ruminate over it, and use it when the need is acute.

They will then say, 'Ah, Baba told us this at

10pt">Rajahmundry' and derive strength there from. Nothing that is experienced

will go to waste. It will shape the course of events, it will change attitudes

and habits, it will clarify and purify all situations.

There was a father and son, who listened. The son was an ardent seeker; he saw,

he heard; he imbibed. When he returned home, he had no thought other than of

God; He dedicated all his conscious moments to God. The father too was proud of

the son. He was happy that his son had been confirmed in the Godly path. He too

was so firmly established in Sadhana that, when his son died a few months later

in perfect bliss with the name and form of Baba on his tongue and in his eye,

the father wrote to Baba, "My son had a happy end; he had no other aspiration

than to merge in God. I am glad this son of mine had such a life and such a

fine enviable end". The word had clarified and purified two listeners at

10pt">Rajahmundry. Who knows but He, which field is ready for the seed!

Baba told the vast gathering at Rajahmundry that the leaders of the country had

to plan, not only for prosperity, but also for counteracting the calamity of

prosperity. In the West where nations have the highest standard of living and

the means of material comfort are within the reach of all, anxiety and moral

anarchy are affecting the social fabric. The individual is torn by frustration

and fear; insanity and suicide are increasing; flippancy, misdemeanor and

irreverence are rampant. "Man is deluded into believing that he is bent by

blasts of grief and joy. But, he is

immortal by nature; beyond the atmosphere of agony and joy, of the twin pulls of

likes and dislikes."

At the Hindu Samaj, Rajahmundry, Baba presided over a gathering called together

to honour three renowned Pundits, who were the members or the Central Committee

of the Prashanthi Vidwanmahasabha. "Become aware or your illness; then, long for

the cure; seek the physician: take in the medicine; follow the regimen he

prescribes. That is the only way to be healthy again. These Pundits and men

like them have knowledge of the cure that will make you free." He said.

Baba visited Kadali village and Razole in the Delta and then, proceeded to the

little village of Sathyavada, where the yearning of rural hearts drew Him. The

village houses have thick and high mud walls around them and so, Baba could not

grant Darshan to the thousands who filled the narrow serpentine lanes! Sensing

the anguish of the crowds

outside the wall, Baba had a ladder brought, a narrow bamboo contraption with

eight horizontal rods as steps; He climbed it, to reach the precarious foothold

on the crest of the wall. He stood there, silhouetted against the sky, in the

hot sun, to confer the coveted Darshan to the people! I have seen Him ascend

the parapet walls of storied bungalows and the top of His own car, in order to

afford Darshan to the milling crowds and to calm their ardour. In Bombay, He

has walked along the parapet of the Gwalior Palace; in Kamool He has stood on

the narrow slab on top of an arch, in Budili He has stood on a chair placed on

a bullock-cart; in Trivandrum, He stood on the roof of a Fiat car in the hot

sun so that more people may see Him and be satisfied. But, this quick climb

along the bamboo ladder placed against the mud wall, this stately stand on the

narrow wall will shine in my memory as a golden reminder of His Grace!

And the discourse that the sea of faces drew forth from Baba! O, it was stream

of nectar! "You wake with the cock-crow, you sleep when the birds fold their

wings. You toil in the sun, soak in the rain, trudge in the slush, handle dung

and dirt, to provide food and raiment to your kith and kin and even for those

who scorn you and slight you, who profit by your ignorance of the fashions of

the world. But, is this all? Does this complete the whole duty of man? Is this

the aim of all the aeons of struggle that won for you this human frame? Do not

let the fertile field lie fallow, infested with thorns and weeds. Plough the

heart with virtuous deeds, irrigate it with the stream of Prema, sow the seeds

of the Name of the Lord, pull out the weeds of greed, watch the crop grow,

enclose it with the fence of

discipline, and be happy when the flower of Dhyana blooms, and the grain of

Ananda is harvested."

>From Sathyavada, Baba drove to Repalle, where He consecrated at the temple the

marble idol of His Previous Body. His very Darsan calmed the vast masses of

pilgrims in His Presence to perfect silence. It is a phenomenon that has to be

seen to be believed. And, Baba too spoke on "Silence". The crocodile is happy

and unharmed; it is undefeatable, in the depths of the lake or river. Once it

sprawls on land, it becomes the target of death, the plaything of man. The

depths! - they are your refuge, the source of your strength. Do not stray into

the shallows or the sands. In the depths, you have the Silence, where you can

converse with God."

Soon after Baba returned to Prashanthi Nilayam, Baba was at Bombay. It was on

the sixth day of June that He reached that City - His second visit. "O! Really,

He was in Bombay! I have no words to describe the occasion", writes Hon'ble Sri

P.K. Savant, Home Minister to the Government of

normal">Maharashtra and for many years, Chairman, Shirdi Sai Baba Samsthanam. A

magnificently organized meeting was held in the Shanmukhananda Hall in Matunga

the next day. "It was a sight for gods to see", writes Sri Savant. "It was the

proudest day in my life", he says. On the same day, Baba inaugurated the

Maharashtra Branch of the Prashanthi Vidwanmahasabha. Baba said that

propagating the eternal values for which this country has stood for generations

could avert the present crisis in human history. Next day, a meeting of the

Committee of the Mahasabha was held; when one of the members read a poem of

his, named,

Navarathnamala, the Garland of Nine Gems, Baba talked on gems, false and

genuine, and among the gems, on the diamond. He said that when the mind dies

and all agitations are stilled, one becomes a better gem called 'Diemind'! That

evening Baba addressed another mammoth gathering at the Andhra Maha Sabha, where

He laid emphasis on the fundamentals of an integrated life. Baba met the heads

of many religious sects and faiths, and discussed with them ways and means of

deepening the springs of faith.

Baba returned to Bangalore by car, with a few hours halt at Pandharpur, the holy

place consecrated by Panduranga. He Himself had taught his comrades of His

childhood days the Pandhari Bhajan then Bhajan songs on the Panduranga

manifestation of the Lord, on Rukmabai His Consort, on the Chandrabhaga river

that is sanctified by association with the place, on the arduous journey on

foot that the pilgrim has to undergo, on the hunger and thirst which he has to

put up with for four days, at the first one glimpse of the temple steeple, the

thrill one gets when he crosses the

sacred threshold - were written by Him and taught to the children of

Puttaparthi. Many of these He sings even today, when His devotees pray; many

have become regular features in the repertory of Bhajan parties in surrounding

villages. Baba entered the temple and took His devotees around - an act of

Grace that He has done so often in the past, as Panduranga! He placed a wedding

jewel of gold, a Mangalsutra created on the spot in His palm, round the neck of

Rukmabai.

For those who have the unique good fortune of traveling with Baba in His car, it

is sweetness, sweetness, all the way, all the time! They can witness the flow of

Prema in every act and word of His. A cowherd tending cattle on the hills will

be called near and given fruit; a blind beggar will get a fiver with a warning

not to mislay it or mistake it as just paper. A woman on the way to the weekly

market tottering under the weight of the load on her head will get sweets and

money; the blind, the aged, the maimed, the kids, the enceinte mother, the boy

with bravado - all will receive a token of His Grace. Baba is never too busy to

leave the little ones of the earth, unnoticed!

For those in His car, the journey is sweeter still. Baba sings Marathi, Hindi,

Tamil, Telugu and English songs. He prods and teases with questions, in order

to teach and remove lurking doubts. We see in Him the very embodiment of

Ananda, fresh as a flower whatever the hour; the very intimate friend, the very

erudite scholar, the very picture of charm. Quite suddenly, His Grace may take

the form of a miracle! Once while returning from Hyderabad, the car was stopped

near the bridge over the

green; FONT-SIZE: 10pt">Krishna, because some of us prayed that He should give

us sweets, from out of His Hand, created specially for us. He had the car

stopped; He asked us to pick a stone and give it into His hands; we did not

know why! A piece of road metal from a near-by heap, piled for repairing that

bit of road, was given! He said, "Bring a flat piece of stone. How can you

break this one into pieces with your fingers?" He asked, throwing that into the

distance. We wondered why He should be concerned with breaking a stone into

pieces! A flat thin piece of stone was, however, brought and given. He held it

in His hand and gave it back; it became a flat thin piece of sugar candy! We

could easily break it into pieces with our fingers and eat it!

Navarathri or Dasara is the Festival for the worship of the Primal Urge that

disturbed the beginningless equilibrium and caused all this Divine Delusion

called Creation. The Jagath or Universe is a vast agitation, trying to regain

the equanimity that was then lost. Once that equanimity is attained, the ideas

of past present and future, of manifoldness, of gain and loss, of pleasant and

unpleasant, will disappear. The three qualities of Sathwa, Rajas and Thamas,

the calm, the active and the dull, affect the Consciousness and so, we have the

three forms, Mahakali, Mahalakshmi, and Mahasaraswathi, which are worshipped for

three days each during this Festival. With their Grace, we can gain equanimity.

Baba introduced the Festival of 1965 with the words: "Dasara celebrates the

victory of the forces of righteousness over the forces of evil. They were able

to win, because Parashakthi, the dynamic aspect of Divinity, the power that has

elaborated God into all this manifoldness, all this variety and all this beauty,

came to their succor and lent Her strength!" Then, referring to the invasion of

India by

10pt">Pakistan which had just concluded in a ceasefire arranged by the U.N.O.,

He said, "This country had to meet unrighteous forces and Parashakthi has saved

it from dishonor and defeat." Baba spoke of the agitation that affected many on

account of the war on the borders and the fear that Dasara might be cancelled

by Baba, as was done at Mysore and elsewhere. "In spite of obstacles", Baba

said, referring to the last minute somersaults of national representatives at

the UN headquarters and the precarious chances that peace had until the very

last minute, "In spite of obstacles, the fighting has stopped. Peace is

restored". And

Baba added, "This is another instance of the Grace which Prashanthi Nilayam

showers. This is the way Mahima works!" ...It was the Will of the Lord that

tilted the balance in time!

On the first day of Dasara, the Sathya Sai Hospital celebrates its Annual Day

and Baba discourses on the physical and mental

bases of health. These deal with the psychosomatic and even deeper causes of

illness and are valuable lessons for medical practitioners. In 1965, for

example, He spoke of ill health being a social product, for the sick and the

suffering are limbs of the selfsame corporate body. He advised against the

ascetic view of the body. "Disgust is not desirable towards anything in

creation. Everything is God's handiwork, an example of His Glory, a glimpse of

His majesty." He recommended proper attention to the body, as an instrument for

securing liberation; He is against coddling and over-fondling. "When you believe

that you are the body, the body will demand from you more food, more variety in

food, more attention to outward appearance, more care for comfort. A large

portion of the food now consumed is superfluous and positively harmful. Man can

live happily on much less, and more healthy. "Baba advised against the modern

instruments of popular education, which infect people with discontent,

despair and distress.” People are getting anxious and afraid of things they do

not understand; nor can they avoid them or correct them! The radio, the

newspaper, the cinema - all scare people into panic, about health, the

standards of living, social security and national safety. Every hour of

listening or reading is an extra dose of anxiety." Pleasure has become the

universal port of destination and so, there is a great deal of frustration and

repression. People live and die, without recognizing the loss, society is

frightened at its own shadow, its hidden discontent, its suppressed turmoil.

Fear is the biggest cause of illness. So, Baba tries to restore faith, so that

fear may fade. "Transfer your faith from pills to providence; put your trust in

Madhava, not in medicines; resort to prayers, Sadhana, Japam, Dhyanam and not

injections. They are the vitamins you need. No tablet is as efficacious as

Ramanam. Accept the Ananda way, the Sadhana way, to peace and happiness and

health,"

that is the Call of the Voice Divine.

The Bombay Sathya Sai Seva Samithi brought to the Prashanthi Nilayam a pictorial

exhibition, they had prepared with the help of artists of high repute, depicting

the teachings of Baba; this was inaugurated by Baba and thereafter it was seen

and appreciated by thousands. It was liked so much that the van, which carried

it, had to tour for three months all over Peninsular India and even beyond, to

bring inspiration and instruction to about three lakhs of people.

Baba took under the wings of the Prashanthi Vidwanmahasabba - an institution

that was rendering yeoman service to feed the roots of devotion among the

people - the Sanathana Bhagavatha Bhaktha Samaj - consisting of scholars,

musicians, poets, expounders of scriptures, reciters of epics, story-tellers,

minstrels, all of a high order of skill and efficiency. They go in groups for

three or four days at a stretch to a place; through songs and music and

speeches they stir the place into a new awareness of their spiritual heritage.

No one who takes in vitamin G (God) can escape His Grace.

Every Dasara now, Baba arranges a Saptaha Yajna, which respects the Vedic

injunctions and the Vedic spirit of the Universality of the Godhead - in full

view of the thousands of devoted aspirants, sun worship, image worship, fire

consecration, the contemplation of the Formless and the recitation of the

glories or the various manifestations of God with Name and Form are carried on.

At the crucial moment of the Final Offering of all the ceremonially sacred

articles in the rising flames, [see The Task] the Governor of Andhra Pradesh,

Dr. Pattom Thanu Pillai was present. Later, he opened the Shanthi Vedika (an

eight pillared Mantap in classical style with frescoes of the Githopadesh scene

and of a scene from the Ramayana, and of the Sivalinga and the Pranava) from

where Baba discourses to the vast sea of

faces on special occasions.

The Governor presided over another function where Baba requested him to honour

four outstanding scholars of Andhra Pradesh, members of the Prashanthi

Vidwanmahasabha, with golden bracelets, worn on the arm as marks of undisputed

superiority in Sastraic learning. His Excellency said, "To be honoured at this

center of spirituality which influences all the states of India and even

countries outside in other continents, this is a great inspiration!" The next

day was the Poets' Day when poems in Sanskrit, Telugu, Urdu, Tamil, Kannada and

English were read

before Him. Of course, Baba had very valuable advice to give them. "The poet is

able to discover more than the mere thinker. He recognizes and knows the next

step and the next ... in fact, he is aware of the goal. The Kavi or Poet is

divine, in the estimation of India. So, he has tremendous responsibility. He is

'anusasithara', - he who lays down the law, the norms! He should not trail

behind the whims of the mob in search of cheap fame or counterfeit prosperity.

He must fertilize and canalize the divine urge in man. Poems that deal with the

basic problems of life and death, of freedom and destiny, of truth and delusion,

of virtue and temptation, of ascent and descent, of aspiration and achievement -

these will last for ages,

provided something deep in man, deeper than the senses or reason or passion is

the inspiration, the source of illumination. Man's struggle to discover the

Creator in creation, will arouse genuine enthusiasm." Baba spoke against flimsy

foppish poetry, fiery fuming verses, meaningless lifts and jumbles: "Do not

infect others with your superstitions and perplexities." Thus, Dasara was

rendered into a Seminar of Spiritual Study, an Institute of Spiritual

Rehabilitation.

Referring to the eclipse of the sun which happened that day, Baba said. "Many

people wrote to inquire whether the Festival is postponed on account of this!

But, Baba said, "Do not worry when something happens in the outer skies! Worry

when the shadow of some foul passion, some dark desire, some evil greed, some

monstrous thought, casts its ominous gloom on your Mind! That is the

inauspicious eclipse you have to avoid," He said.

Baba does not appreciate the celebration of what is called His Birthday; He is

anxious that we should celebrate rather the day He is born in each of us, or,

to put it more clearly, the day when we recognize that He is the inner core of

each of us. So, the Birthday Celebrations are used by Him only to reveal the

unknowable depth of His Mystery to those who preen themselves on having plumbed

it!

CONTINUED…

With Sai love from Sai brother M. Palaniswamy

/

 

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